Another Christmas Gone!

Well, we had a busy, but enjoyable Christmas this year! It was so great to be able to see Kim and Mark, Deanna and Dave, and all of our other relatives over the last week and a half. Deanna and Dave's daughter, Lauren, has grown up so much since August! She is so smart, and so fun now, as she is talking all the time, and does the funniest things.

Here is Lauren at Mary's house for the Bennett Family Christmas get together on December 23. This is what she did when we asked her to show us where her gums were. It was too funny. Deanna and her are staying down in Lethbridge at Mom and Dad's house for the rest of the month, as Deanna is on bed rest for now, and there are more of us to help her out down here. I am so excited to see Lauren lots while they are here.

We had a great Christmas and were spoiled beyond belief. Kevin's big gift is a new hunting bow (Ross Cardiac, '08). Unfortunately, it has not made it up from the states yet, but Chad's parents are going to bring it back up for us sometime this week. Our nephew, Austin, also got a hunting bow, so he is excited to go out shooting targets with Kevin as soon as he gets his bow adjusted. My big gift is some house renovations that Kevin is going to start!! I am so excited. He is re-doing our pantry to add more shelves and storage space, and then beginning on our main-floor bathroom, which we hardly use because everything is broken in it in some way. It is going to be great. He is also working on fixing my car radio so that I can get reception out here in Stirling (aparently by antenna is broken).

For Boxing day, Kevin was asked to play in a Stirling School Alumni Basketball tournament. Here are some pictures of my amazingly talented husband.

Kevin's team won 3rd place out of 6 teams. It turned out to be a lot of fun. The fundraiser was a huge success, and we are pretty sure that this tournament will be an annual event now.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

We have been enjoying our Christmas tree for over a month already (I put it up the week after Remembrance Day)! Our living room isn't quite big enough for our tree, so we had to do some major furniture rearranging. It's a little tight now, but at least we got it to fit - and even in front of the window! My piano students have been quite thrilled about our tree, as it has a remote for the lights. With the flick of a switch, all of the white lights turn off, and the colored lights come on!! It got to the point where I would have to hide my tree light remote because they would be more interested in changing the colors of my tree lights each week rather than play the piano!


On that note, I've really enjoyed teaching piano to a few of the kids around Stirling. I don't have too many students, but I think that I have the best ones. They did such a good job at our Christmas recital last week! I took them to the Raymond Hospital Extended Care, and we were able to entertain the residents that are currently staying there. They even got a chance to visit with a few of them after the recital! Piano lessons will start up again in January.


The best news of the week is that I have completed all of my final exams for the semester. Even better than that is the fact that I will never have to take a University exam again if I choose not to! I only have one semester left, and I will be doing a practicum for that semester at Magrath Elementary School, teaching grade 5 social studies. Mrs. Lorna Dorner will be my teacher mentor there for the next four months. Kevin is especially excited about this change, because now I will be home to help make dinner when he is working late! No more long nights studying for me!

Here is a picture of the desk that I have been living at for many, many days over the last four years.... a little messy right now, but it will be clean soon, now that I my studying days are over!!!!!!!

Actually, I didn't mind being stuck inside studying for the last few days. Doing anything INSIDE looked like a much better idea than working OUTSIDE! I feel bad for Kevin every morning as he puts on his five layers of clothing to go work at the feedlot! Brrr! We had a huge dump of snow a few days ago, and it keeps snowing off and on since then, with North winds to boot! Time to bust out the hot chocolate! I wasn't even able to get my car out of the driveway until Monday, and the wind has gone and blown a snow drift right behind it again last night, so it looks like I might not be going anywhere today either.

Here is a look at our cold-looking house.

We are re-painting the outside this Spring.

So much snow!!!!! The best thing is when the snow-plower piles the snow from the road right at the end of our driveway. Jimmy had to come clear the snow away with the skid steer this week so that I could get my car out.