A visit with 'old' friends

That's 'old' as in having been friends for a long time, not 'old' in age, okay?

Our friends Loren and Tina from Edmonton (along with their children Andrew & Karen) came up to Beaverlodge for a visit last weekend. We usually get to visit them at least briefly when we're in Edmonton, but it had been over three years since they've been up here for an extended visit. We had such a fun time together!

Farrell and Tina have been friends for 25 years now, and we are so enjoying watching our kids grow and realizing that our boys are now the age we were when we first met!

Abby cheering Andrew on as he climbs the ladder.

Tina, Karen and Abby at the bowling alley.

Farrell with Karen - Tina and I were on a team for bowling and we just took turns holding the little ones!

Abby and Andrew waiting for the balls to come out.

Greg and Abby's turn!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Welcome to the winter version of our blog! ;) Here in Beaverlodge we have a few inches of snow, although it's stayed right around the freezing mark for the last week or so, and the forecast holds more of the same. Gavin's class sang at the Beaverlodge Christmas festival yesterday, so I guess the festive season is already in full swing and I need to catch up!

We're looking forward to a visit with friends from Edmonton this week, and hopefully we'll start to get organized for Christmas before December hits!

And happy 2nd birthday to our niece/cousin Mischa! (I hear she got a kitten for her birthday!)

What do you think?

We've taken pictures of all the kids at about the same age in more or less the same place to try to compare...do you think they look alike?

Gavin

Abby

Rachel

First tooth!

While we were in Banff for our District Prayer Retreat, we noticed that Rachel had sprouted her first tooth!

I went back and checked Gavin and Abby's baby books, and strangely enough, all of our kids got their first tooth at almost exactly the same age - Gavin at 5 months 8 days, Abby at 5 months 2 days, and Rach at 5 months 5 days. So much for each kid being different! ;)

Think she's ready for solid food???

5 going on 25...

I'm starting to get the feeling it won't be long before Gavin will be way outsmarting us...

I was sitting on the floor yesterday when Gavin ran over to tell me something and dropped right onto my lap with his bony sharp knees. After recovering from the pain ;) I told him that he can't just jump on people with his knees because his sharp knees were digging into my leg bone.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "You mean your femur?"

Home and heading out again!

This weekend was the annual DtP (Disturbing the Peace) youth conference in Grande Prairie. Greg is part of the group of area youth pastors who plan the event, and I was on the worship team for the fourth year. It's a lot of work preparing for everyone involved, but the 500+ kids seem to have a great time and so do we!

We're off bright and EARLY tomorrow morning to our district prayer retreat in Banff - so tonight is shuttling the kids off to the homes where they will be staying for a few days while we're gone. I'd better finish packing!

Greg in all his DtP glory (don't ask!)

The DtP worship band (well, some of us)

Me playing keyboards this morning (I have better pictures of the band coming from one of the band member's cameras - these are from one of the youth who I think was jumping up and down while she took them!)

Trick or treat anyone?

We took the kids out trick-or-treating for a little bit last night - just around our block, and then to a few other houses in town that we knew, and then a last stop at good friends' out in the country.

Abby was quite happy to dress up and have people give her candy, but got very scared a couple of times when monsters or skeletons showed up at our front door. Gavin did basically all of the giving out candy duties this year and did a great job!

Our little monkey. :)

Getting ready to go around the block with Daddy.

With Rachel the dalmation.