2010 Highlights

2010 Our Year in Photos

"The Christmas Letter"

Well, 2010 has flown by, with many activities, travels, and the kids continuing to change faster than we can believe!  Matt is still working for Shaw and enjoying some of the challenges of his position.  I am still wearing many hats here at home, and wondering how in a couple more years work will fit into my life!  Fortunately for now I am still able to be home with the kids.  Jaina is now in Grade 2 and Lewis started preschool this year. Some of the highlights from our 2010 include:

February:  Matt's parents took us and his brother's family for a family trip to the Mayan Riveria, Mexico.  We enjoyed some beach time and some good fun family times together.  Our kids are really enjoying all their cousins now that they are all getting a bit older, they have so much fun together!

March:  We celebrated our nephew Tim's first birthday!

April:  We enjoyed spending Easter weekend with family in Lethbridge.

May:  A very busy month!  Jaina finished Sparks and advanced to Brownies.  We attended Spark camp and also a rally downtown celebrating 100 years of Girl Guides in Canada.  Our Relay for Life team hosted a very successful garage sale to raise money for the Cancer Society, and we participated in the Taber Relay for Life again this year, in memory of my mom  (and, thanks to an end of May blizzard, got to do the relay indoors this year!!).

June:  We celebrated our neice Lucia's first birthday.  More fun with cute little ones!  Both kids also played soccer this spring, Lewis enjoyed it a lot and made a friend who he still plays with.  Matt coached Jaina's team and they both liked this, he may do it again this spring. 

July:  Jaina went to a 4 night camp at SABC, and asked upon pick up to stay 5 nights next year!  Obviously loved it...  We finally got the kids out tent camping down in Taber, which was lots of fun once we managed to get the wet wood lit thanks to the help of some friendly neighbors with a welding torch!  They enjoyed roasting hot dogs and making smores.  Matt and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary, he planned a trip to Quebec City for the two of us for a week.  It was a beautiful place to visit, we enjoyed many beautiful historic sights.  (and I enjoyed practicing my questionable French skills, even if just a little bit - next time we're bringing our daughter!!!)    I'm sure we walked the equivalent of a couple marathons (uphill) while there, but made up for it with all the good food and drink!  A highlight was seeing a free street show of Cirque du Soleil, so good that we bought tickets to see their show "Totem" the same week.  While we were gone, Grandma and Grandpa O took care of the kids here at our house.  They really enjoyed their time together, playing lots, visiting fun places around the city, and taking a trip to the Tyrrel Museum to see the dinosaurs. In the summer we enjoyed our outings to the Zoo, Heritage Park and Calaway Park.  The kids practiced riding their bikes a lot more this summer, which was fun.  A family bike ride is coming closer within our sights! 

August:  The kids enjoyed swim lessons, and Jaina and a friend went to a week long day camp at Heritage Park, where they got to experience life as a child 100 years ago.  They were thrilled to get to dress in period costumes for the camp (and to do the chores...!)  At the end of the month we celebrated Lewis' 4th birthday.  He finally got to have a "birthday party" with 4 little boys (out in the backyard, thank you weather fairies!)  and we also celebrated together with family and cousin Oscar who turned 3 the same month. 

September:  Jaina started Grade 2.  Lewis was beyond thrilled to finally start preschool.  He goes just twice a week and loves it a lot.  He can't wait to go to "Jaina's school" next year for kindergarden.  Jaina also started Brownies (myself and a few friends got "promoted" to Brownies too, and it has kept me quite busy!).  She has also continued in rhythmic gymnastics and perservered with swim lessons until passing the level she'd been working on.  They both love swimming.  Lewis has also been participating in gymnastics and a preschool floor hockey activity class which he likes.

October:  Jaina and I attended a District Girl Guide camp, which included 8 units and had girls ages 5-18, from ours and nearby communities.  It was my big fall project since I was heavily involved in the planning, being the "Responsible Guider" doing a lot of the planning and organization for the camp, and earning a Girl Guide camping certification by doing so.  It was lots of fun but I was glad to move on to other things afterward!  We celebrated Thanksgiving in Edmonton with family, the cousins enjoyed some more time together and we all enjoyed an outing to a pumpkin farm.  Just before Halloween we celebrated our little girl's 7th birthday!  She is certainly looking like a seven-year-old, with both her front teeth missing for now.   Matt's been going to see the Flames play still quite a bit, and I learned to curl this fall.  I'm not very good yet, but it's lots of fun, and a friend's team lets me spare for them on occasion...

November:  We took the kids on a much anticipated trip to Disneyland for 5 days.  For myself and the kids it was our very first visit there ever, and Matt hadn't been since he was younger.  We had 5 full, busy, fun days of rides, shows, sights, and meeting our favourite characters.  We are already looking forward to returning some day!  And a week after arriving home we celebrated Matt's birthday.

December:  Has been busy getting ready for Christmas!  The kids will attend the kid's party from Matt's work, which is always great fun.  I am very fortunate to get to spend a week in Mexico (again, I know, spoiled is maybe the right word??) .  This time I am going sans kids or hubby, enjoying some family time with my stepsisters, stepdad and a couple others from that side of the family.  I am experiencing a bit of "mommy guilt", but am looking forward to actually relaxing a lot on this trip! 


We feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful year, and hope that all our beloved family and friends have had a great 2010 as well.  We love you all, love hearing from you, and wish every one of you all the best as we begin 2011!

Love,
Michelle, Matt, Jaina and Lewis