"The Christmas Letter" 2011

Well here it is that time of year again already.  We once again decided to post up our Christmas letter, rather than sending out all those pieces of paper to some who might not be interested!  But, you are here, so read on...
2011 has been another busy year - so much so that apparently there's really not time to keep up with this blog... 
So what have we all been up to?


Matt has continued enjoying his work with Shaw, and got a new position this fall which he has been enjoying a lot.  He is now a network architect.  He likes the position and his new team a lot.  An added bonus is that he is transferred to the NE offices, which means he no longer has to drive or carpool downtown - making his day a lot less stressful.  His hours are more flexible too which will be helpful to our family life...  Matt coached the U8 girls soccer team again this spring which was nice for him and Jaina.  He went to lots of Stampeders football games this year, having bought seasons tickets at a good deal with guys from work.  He still enjoys going to the Flames games, although due to time commitments etc he and our brother-in-law Chris sold off quite a few of their tickets this year.  He kept his favourites though and looks forward to those games. He's been keeping busy with a few projects around the home and yard too, finishing off the final touches (such as stairs) to our deck.  We enjoyed using it this summer!
  
I have been busy at home and with Girl Guides.  I have been a Brownie leader for the past year and a half and planning meetings, activities, and camps certainly keeps me busy!  But Jaina is still enjoying it and so am I. I enjoy working with the girls and also have become good friends with the other ladies who are leaders in our group.  I've also enjoyed volunteering my time in the preschool and Grade 2 classes last year, and now the kindergarten and Grade 3 classes this year.  I've been doing stamping and card-making a little bit, and still intend to get to those digital scrapbooks sometime!  I also started curling on a friend's team in a ladies league and that has been a lot of fun.  Currently I am looking into going back to work part time in the new year, I'm in the process of applying to the substitute teacher list.  Matt's flexibility at work would allow him to do kindergarten drop off and pick up, while working in between, so we decided that I could try to get on to sub a few mornings a week this year.  Hopefully that will all work out in the new year.  


Jaina's now in Grade 3 and is still enjoying school and doing well.  She's also busy with Brownies, gymnastics, and occasionally a round of swim lessons.  She loves to read and is becoming a real little bookworm.  This summer she really enjoyed spending a week on her own with Grandma and Papa in Lethbridge.  


Lewis started kindergarten and is having lots of fun.  He's trying french immersion also and has really picked up on it, not surprising to those who know how much he likes to talk!  He started Beavers (Scouts) this year, and has lots of fun at his weekly meetings and has already been to a camp along with Dad.  He's also been taking gymnastics which he still really enjoys.  


With our kids in Brownies, Beavers, gymnastics, and school this year our house felt virtually like a little shop for a while in the fall - thanks to all those who bought cookies, popcorn, coupon books, chocolates, and Christmas wrap to support all these organizations!  


Besides sales and marketing (ha ha), what else have we been up to the past year?


We had a fun-filled summer, camping with some friends and also family.  It was the first year we've really gotten out and camped with the kids, and we had a lot of fun.  We enjoyed a camping trip to Mount Kidd in the Kananaskis with some good friends.  In August we made a trip out to the Okanagan to camp and visit cousins that we really enjoy spending time with.  The trip was a lot of fun as the campground ended up being very nice (a place we'll visit again!), we even ended up with a campsite that had a trail down to our own little private beach area, and the cousins ended up being able to camp out a few nights along with us.  This summer we also enjoyed some visits to Lethbridge to see Matt's parents, and to Edmonton to meet our new niece Charlotte who was born in July.  


May was also a busy month for us and our Relay for Life team.  We again had a very successful garage sale, thanks to the contributions from many friends and neighbours and help from the team.  Thanks to that and the fundraising events of other family team members in Taber, our team Bev's Babes was the top fundraising team at the Taber Relay for Life this year, raising over $15 000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.  HUGE thanks to our team members, and everyone who donated funds/items/time to help us reach that goal!  Our team is already signed up for the 2012 Relay, and we plan to do yet another garage sale in the spring.  

Fall has been busy as usual with almost everyone in our house having birthdays (except Michelle), Thanksgiving, Halloween, and the start up of activities.  We've been to Brownie and Beaver camps in October.  My sister and I also enjoyed a nice girls' getaway weekend with our Aunt to shop in Great Falls last month.  Now we are fully into all the preparation and excitement of the Christmas season.  


We hope this past year has been filled with love, happiness, and good memories for all of you, our wonderful family and friends.  We are glad to have seen those of you that we did, and value keeping in touch with those of you who we may not have seen in the past year.  We love hearing from you whether through phone calls, emails, or on Facebook or Twitter.   


We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, safe and happy holidays, and all the best for 2012.  


Love,
Michelle, Matt, Jaina and Lewis