Memorable Christmas

This past Christmas's was one of the best ones I think. We had such a wonderful time with family and friends at the lake - we were totally blessed. The weather was good, the company was good, the quiet times were good, the food was good too. God is so good!!



It was the first Christmas that we spent all of Christmas there - it was such a blessing. We had our individual family gatherings before and after. My family has grown so much - we were able to get almost all of us in a photo together - except me cause I was takin the photo. :-) The kids just keep on growing and maturing each year. Roger's family is much smaller than mine but the kids are growing all the same - they're pretty precious when they're young like this - even if there hair is super long and hanging in their eyes, hey Brandon?? :-) They'll be all grown up and left home before we know it.


Christmas Eve was Brandon's birthday so we had friends over for cake. We played games and the kids went snowmobiling for a bit. That evening we walked to the church in town for the Christmas Eve service and then there were fireworks afterwards. I've never had fireworks on Christmas Eve before - that was neat. It was such a beautiful, mild evening, a great evening for a walk contemplating on the true meaning of Christmas - God sending His Son Jesus to earth as a baby, born in a stable and using angels proclaiming the Good News to lowly shephards, outcasts of that day, to take this New to all the world. WOW! What a God we serve. The kids camped out in the living room for the night, by the tree - something they'd never done before either. It was so great to be spending this Christmas at the lake. Another first for memories and family traditions in our own family. :-)

At another time, we had spend a night with the church family from Mont Nebo, we crashed their Christmas party. :-) But they forgave us. One Sunday, Pastor Bill welcomed all the new people but he looked at us and said, "You're not new anymore - now you're one of us." :-) That felt kinda nice. What was really great about this Christmas party was that the woman's home we were at, she knew Roger's family - Roger and his dad often farmed part of their land near Hepburn - her husband had passed away not too long ago and then her and her son finished this cabin at Big Shell. It was such a blessing talking to her, getting to know her family more and being with these good folks from Mont Nebo church. We just love church families, we can't get enough of them. :-)





On Christmas Day we had our own family Christmas and then our dear friends Peter & Helen came up with their kids for the day of sledding, snowmobiling and a wiener roast for lunch. I've never had an outdoor wiener roast on Christmas Day before - that was so cool! The guys got stuck really really bad out at the buffalo jump bowl close to Morin Lake and they really thought they'd have to leave the sled there until Spring - it took them nearly an hour to get out and it was getting dark. :-) But God was good and gave them the strength and power to get unstuck and brought them home for a Christmas chicken dinner. hmmmmmm. Copper was so funny - he couldn't get enough of running up and down the sledding hill with the kids when we were out by the lake. He'd just run and run....and chase that snowmobile, oh he would howl and chase that snowmobile. If we didn't let him outside, he's whine and whine to go out after that thing. :-)


Later in the week some of Roger's family came up for a few days and it was so good. We took them on a horse and sleigh ride through the frost covered land up there - that was just way cool!! Some of them had never had a sleigh ride before so that was great to be able to bless them in that way. We also went to see a super lights display at a home up the hill - that lady goes to a lot of work to bless others with a fantastic light display. It was a really good couple of days of laughter, movies, games, sledding, snowmobiling/giving rides to each other and talking. :-) Thank you God for special times with family.

















After the New Year, I brought up 7 kids - yah, I know I'm crazy at times :-) but it was really good. Roger came up later with some friends and we stayed the weekend yet. It's just so wonderful to be building great memories with our kids and our friends and family. In years to come, we'll look back with joy at the growing up years that our kids had - and we'll have oodles of photographs to go through to remember those by.





Here Copper is getting into trouble....again. He always got into my socks if they were laying around on the floor. If it wasn't the socks, then it was the mitts that were drying on the register, or the milk jugs - which were empty of course, but they are one of his most favorite toys. :-) He likes making Coke angry too - which doesn't take much - Coke growls everytime he sees him or walks by him - he's gettin to be an old grouch. :-)

Thank you God for this place, this lake home to build memories and to enjoy with family and friends. You have brought many people through our lives in this place and we are ever so grateful for every one of those precious precious people and these very precious memories.