Christmas with the Bates-Treleaven-Oldham's

We spent Christmas Eve at the Zoo. It was cold, but worth it. Pictures don't work out well in low light when you have only a little photography skill, but here are some of the better ones.

Christmas morning at the Treleaven's was a surprise with iPads and Barbies. Here the kids have chosen their favourite gifts for a picture. A picture rule for our kids: you can do a goofy pose only after you do a nice pose, hurray for digital photography.

Christmas Party at Treleaven's part 2

Finally the food was done, and it was delicious... worth waiting for.

Plates were licked clean.

3 Johnsons: Bonnie, Michael and Kelvin

Dessert was admired while eating our turkey and trimmings.

The Score Squares decorate the table: a 13x18 pan of them - a recipe to be coveted

LtoR:Tonia, Theresa, Lurene, Tim, Audra, Kelve, Miranda, Alice

Mouthfuls of delicious Arta buns were devoured.

"I will take mine without butter, thanks."

Smiles were shared.

Alice Johnson slung on her dad's hip

And then the traditional (?) present game. We took our positions, with the presents in the middle.

Little ones guarded the presents so that players couldn't try and guess the presents.

Back: Shannon, Art, Dalton, Zach
Front:Theresa

Some planned strategies together.

Meighan does the strategizing; Bonnie does the thinking

Others were too tired to play.

Anita, Ron, Audra and Kelvin

Here are 2 of the coveted gifts... a gum ball machine and talking boxing gloves.

Art, Dalton, Zach

And then there were the usual laughs and smiles.

Dalton and Zach

Ceilidh Johnson

Tonia and Doral

Shannon, Dalton, Zach, Lurene, Tonia

Audra, alseep; Kelvin, awake

Anita, Audra

It was a good time. We had fun playing cards, eating candy canes, negotiating presents, and celebrating the holidays together. Next time, I will still undercook the turkey, because everyone has to stay for 4 hours and have a great time.

... and a left to the upper thigh ...

Bon Voyage, Wyona and Greg

"I am in kindergarten."

I went to say good-bye to Wyona and Greg tonight.

They were watching Audra who is firmly situated in kindergarten –  nobody could be happier.  It took her so many years to get there.

If you don’t know, on her first day there, she asked her mother if she could drop her off a few blocks away from the school so she could walk in, independently.

I asked Audra if her teacher (whom her grandmother keeps calling Mrs. Stupid) had taught her any songs yet. She said yes. She sang a song to the tune of “Found a Peanut”. The lyrics were “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat-ur-day”. The last four bars of the song have the same words ... just keep the tune going. Audra was so in tune and rhythmically correct that I was hoping her mom would get her into the Boys Choir too. She deserves it. A beautiful little voice.

I asked her where her mom and dad were. She said, “At the temple”. I started to sing “I want to see the temple / I’m going there someday.” Audra interrupted me to say that she knew that song too.

She asked me if I could sing in Chinese. I said yes. She asked me to sing for her. I performed in token Chinese. No Asian would have understood the words. Audra said she could sing in Chinese too. I asked to hear her. The tune was new to me.  The words she sang went “Au revoir, mes amis, au revoir”.

Ah yes.  Chinese.  I love little kindergarten people.

Arta

Gabe & Gypsy

Gabe will be in the production of Front Row Centre's GYPSY at the Pumphouse Theatre, May 25 to June 9.

He has 3 small parts, and enjoys each one of them.

The hardest part for me was teaching him clarinet so he could play for 10 seconds.

I feel like I deserve a medal. It just doesn't work when I try to teach him instruments. I should have remembered when I tried to teach him piano for 6 months.

Marcia

Summer pictures from Marcia's camera

Just a few precious pictures I want to show you from this summer. Underwater cameras can be really fun, until you see all the dirt you have been swimming in for years. Gabe is in the picture above. You will never see him without goggles in the water. He swam around the dock this year for the first time. No one was more surprised than him. He had to do it a second time right after the first just to make sure he really did it.

I have tried to upload more pictures, but I can't seem to do it and it is too late to figure out why. More another time.

Marcia

Gaming

Settlers ... intense gaming

If there were a vote taken among the adults as to which is the best board game in the world, Settlers would be the winner.

What is a day without the hope that somewhere on the property, a Settlers game will be in progress!

The thrill of playing is so deep that some even continue the game of buying and selling commodities, well into their sleep patterns.

 ... chocolate covered blueberries as well as bridge mix ...

On the other hand, in other homes, ... like ours, ... if Bonnie puts out a few dishes like this, it is easy to entice the non-Settler players into a game of bridge.

I got my first small slam hand this way.

I forgot all about the Bridge Mix when I saw all of those points in my hand.

Now I know how golfers feel when they get a hole-in-one.

At our house we are trying to teach Joaquim to play to that we will always have a fourth ready -- at least ready enough to be the dummy.

He says he has no problem with that.

Most of the other PhD's he knows are also dummies.

... filled and waiting ...

I was on Glen's porch when I saw this rainbow of colours.

"That bucket of water balloons took us 1/2 hour to fill this afternoon and we are just waiting for the event when we will have to fire them," said Laynie of the job Patrick and Morgan had helped her with.

Bonnie and I played another kind of game on the porch with Audra while her mom was busy with Settlers.

 ... I am having a problem with you wearing my sweater ...

"Are you cold?", Bonnie questioned. 

"Do you want your sweater on?"

Getting no response, Bonnie then said, "I am cold and here is a nice sweater for me to wear."

Audra could see that Bonnie was having trouble putting the sweater on, and she went around to give her some help, pulling the side of the sweater around for her, and then helping Bonnie to put her hand in the tiny sweater sleeve that had become the object of our game.

She even tried to straighten it out and make it fit.

... figuring out the next move ...

Bonnie brought a new problem to Audra's mind by try extricate herself from the size 3 straight jacket.

Some sniffles and sobs from Bonnie made the task seem important and Audera came to Bonnie's rescue.

This might have been the first time in her day that she could see there was no one else around smarter than she.

She wasn't showing any confidence in the two adults on the porch with her who didn't seem to be that smart and needed help at every turn.

 ... I'm taking my tea set and sweater ... and going home ...

In the end,and after a lot of struggle, she got that sweater back in her own hands, the one she hadn't been interested in wearing herself.

She folded it up, gathered up her tea set that Grandmother Wyona had given her, and she headed back through the kitchen door to find some sanity.

"Goodbye, you dummies," the look on her face said.

And thus ended the best game of the day.

Dinner or Dancing

On Tuesday nights we arrive home late, at 7:30pm. Tuesday nights is our Calgary Boys Choir rehearsal, and since it is at Mount Royal (40 minutes away), we leave as soon as school gets out and then do homework for 30 minutes until choir starts. If we leave our neighbourhood later, we are always late for choir (traffic and accidents seem to multiply when you want to get across the city during that time of day). So Tuesday nights are often an empty-out-the-fridge meal, and a little bit chaotic, but last night takes the cake.

Gabe was having left over spaghetti and meatballs, I was having left over caesar salad, Zack was having oatmeal and yogurt, and Audra was having left over noodle soup. Art had eaten already. Gabe was telling us about choir, and he said they were learning a new song. And here are the next 30 seconds in an attempt at a play-by-play about how a family dinner can get away from you:

Gabe - "We are learning this new song... Splish splash I was taken a bath long about a saturday night"

Zack joins in - "A rub-a-dub relaxin' in the tub"

Art - goes over to the stereo and puts on the Splish Splash song

Gabe and Zack - they start the song again and sing along to the music

Audra - she is jigging her body, she can't hardly contain herself in her booster chair

Zack - gets up and starts dancing and singing

Gabe and Zack - keep singing with the music "thinkin' everything was alright"

Audra - slides down from her chair and starts dancing

Gabe - starts dancing too

" They was a-splishin' and a'splashin'... "

Marcia - can't swallow her mouthful of salad she is laughing, but also wondering if the kids will be hungry when she puts them to bed because now it is close to 8pm.

Sometimes it feels like we have more than 3 kids.

Gabe's Baptism

Here is Gabe, Art and Marcia at Gabriel's Baptism today. There were about 60 people at the baptism, which was from 4:30 to 6:30 today at the Tipton Road Chapel. Wyona and the Bates family, and Brendan Robertson and family, helped with the food and setup.

Nathanial delivered a thoughtful little talk on the holy ghost, likening life to traffic and the holy ghost to your own personal gps, helping you navigate your way successfully.

Gabriel led us in song after the baptism.

While the parents and adults relaxed and had a bite to eat after the service, the children put on their own little play, with Dalton acting as stage manager and the rest acting as actors and directors.

I snapped another photo, of Gabe and several of his cousins sitting at the kid's table and having a snack after the service, but I accidentally deleted the picture. Hopefully there are a couple of others who were taking pictures that can upload those to the blog.

Weekend Watergun Warriors

Here are the Weekend Watergun Warriors: Zachary, Meighan, Gabe, Ceilidh and Dalton. They were in our backyard, getting ready for a watergun battle royale. Afterwards, they came inside and played in the basement, while the rest of us (Marcia, Art, Ron, and Anita and I) sat around chatting and chowing down on wings, veggies, chips and fruit.

Shirley's Funeral with Pictures

In addition to Arta's beautiful written description of the moments we experienced this weekend saying goodbye to Shirley, I am adding photographs.  It was a pleasure to be at the events celebrating her life and these are a few moments we shared together.

  A picture of the chapel as the final prayer was being said for Shirley, at the end of the funeral service.

The grandchildren sang "I Am A Child Of God" during the chapel service.

The pallbearers performing their duties at the graveside.

The trombone players serenading those assembled.

Family at the graveside service.

Balloons were one of Shirley's favourite things and in her honour we launched them at her funeral, and watched them float into the heavenly clouds.

Saying goodbye with flowers.

We moved from the graveside back to the church where we talked, enjoyed stories, smelled beautiful flowers, ate, and enjoyed pictures of Shirley.

Wyona and Arta volunteered to have a family dinner in the evening.  We enjoyed talking with family and talking about Shirley's life.

Flowers sent by famiy and friends that honoured Shirley's memory.

Bates Family Calendar

The ten reasons why we (Wyona, Greg and Tonia) LOVE the family calendar Charise made for the Bates':

10)  Each member of the family has the same number of pictures, carefully planned, counted and orchestrated.

9)  The flashes of Shuswap Lake behind people, around smiling faces, and highlighting the joy of the environment.

8)  The formality of October in comparison to the craziness of every other month. 

7)  The smiles, the smiles, the smiles, and puckery lips, pouty faces, looks of surprise and exposed tongues. 

6)  Family quotes and sassy sayings that highlight the humour that jumps out of our mouths.

5)  Audra reaching out to squeeze a bubble, in which is precariously floating the head of her aunt Lurene.

4)  Charise, pigtails, funny face, large eyes, see March.

3)  February - very sneaky

2)  Heads and bodies all around the calendar doing hilarious things such as floating above a donkey, stuck in a sunflower, hanging sideways off a tree, and resting on someone else's knee. 

1)  Originality, colour and hard work that created such a fantastic monthly reminder of family.  (Sniff!)

0)  Zoe Nicole Bates' birthday and St. Nicolas Day forming one grand holiday - Saint Zoe Nicole Day!

Fantastic work Charinse.  Thank you!!!

Meighan's Party, Part II

Hello from Arta,

Meighan had a two part party: her friends from 1 pm to 5 pm and her relatives from 5 pm to 9 pm. Zach, Gabe and Audra got to go to both parts, being both friends and relatives.

Meighan is five now. Taller than other kids her age in her kindergarden, Anita told me.

Willowy.

Maybe like Rebecca Rose Jarvis.

I noticed that the birthday party invitation that was mailed to me had the image of Hannah Montana on it. Ron Treleaven who was watching Audra while Marcia and Art slipped out for a minute, told me that one of the hard things about getting older is not knowing all of the pop culture that kids are immersed in.

I agreed with him, as Hannah Montana is not a by-word for me, either. She is an icon who is a regular girl by day and a rock star by night. Both Ron and I have now been introduced to her at the party through the party table cloth, party napkins, plates – all matching, bejeweled necklaces – bling everywhere.

I know the Hannah Montana image and was wondering if Richard and Miranda are thinking of naming their new baby after her. They said that Hannah Montana is not even in the running for a name …yet.

On the family room wall was a large poster brought home from kindergarten, a print-out celebrating her birthday at school. Meighan had written her own answer to the questions about what was her favorite colour, her favorite food. I could make out that purple is her favorite colour, that spaghetti is her favorite food and that she is getting more than half of her alphabet letters going the right way – pretty fun for me to.

Doral told me that Meighan’s clothing ensemble for her party was her choice. To begin with, Meighan told her dad she didn't want a bath in the morning -- too afraid that she wouldn't be allowed to rewear the clothes she presently had on. He promised her that was not true, but then took her jogging pants and ditched them somewhere else after the bath, helping her get dressed in her pink party dress.

She remembered, though, and went to find the comfortable blue sweats with a white stripe going down the pant leg that he had slipped away elsewhere – no, it didn’t match and Anita said her only consolation if someone were to ask about the party outfit was to be able to say that Doral had helped Meighan get dressed.

Meighan also wore a pink tiara, a gift to her when she went on a site visit to the Banff Spring’s Hotel with her mother last week. She had been given the tiara and told she was a princess and that the Hotel was her castle, an idea that is really working for her. Know any other Alberta princess who has actually been to her own castle … and has a tiara to prove it?

The birthday cake was split – half chocolate, half white and was meant for the adults. Mini-cupcakes had been created by Anita, thinking that the little girls would love the spectacular array of diverse icing and decorations.

When I got to the birthday date, Doral told me that the earlier and younger party guests wanted the “adult cake” so now the adults had to eat the mini-cupcakes.

Miranda and I were up to the task. I began my meal with dessert.

Miranda was ending her meal with dessert, so I asked her which were the best choices on the tray. Miranda pointed to a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing topped with colorful animal candy confetti as her #1 choice.

I began with that one, and ended six cupcakes later, topping Miranda’s max-out of 5 which she knew to be an accurate number, given all of the cupcake wrappers on her plate belonged to her.

Meighan showed me some of the karate moves she has learned in her Saturday lessons, the sequence ending with one of those small bows. How cute was that – watching her take that squat stance to begin her demo, listening to her say the moves as she made them, her arms jabbing through the air.

I am invited to another demonstration of karate moves on December 16th when her school as a competition. Perhaps that will get posted up here on the blog.

Gabe and Zach are also in an event, December 13, a Boy’s Choir Event. I asked Zach if he has any new songs, and Marcia piped up, “They have a new one. What is it called. Lonely night? Quiet night.”

Zach said, “I don’t know it yet, but it is called Silent Night.”

Nice I thought. A new song … for him.

I had a lovely evening.

Happy birthday, Meighan.