Christmas...

Well, we had an awesome Christmas even if it was totally exhausting!!! I must say...I've become very good at keeping secrets & hiding goodies!! That hubby of mine didn't have a clue what he was getting this year!!!!!

We seem to live on the edge of the 11Th hour & Christmas was NO exception! The tree was trimmed & decorations set about AFTER the kids were in bed on Christmas Eve...gifts were wrapped with our backs turned to each other, with comments being thrown around like "No peeking!!" Sometime after 2 in the morning we finally crawled into bed...At least we gave Santa SOME time to come down the chimney!!

Before the whole putting them to bed & waking them up at 2 am happened...Adelaide decided that she was going to help decorate the tree!!! Here, she is choosing what will go on next, as she stands on the arm of the couch...gingerly balancing over the wash stand...You'd think my kids were part monkey!!!!!

A few days earlier, I worked away at one of two quilts I was making for the girls! Well...One was tackled anyways! It was my first quilt ever & now belongs to Sarah...With the holidays almost over (tonight is New Years Eve) I'll find the time to make Adelaide's!!!

With the help of two brilliantly talented friends, (Lea & Marguerite) this was the end result!! The idea was to cover the girls in the new quilt after they'd fallen asleep on Christmas Eve...however, plans have a funny way of, ya know, NOT falling into place...When I tried to cover them, they woke up & started fussing to beat the band! I ditched the idea of wrapping them, turned out the lights, ran like heck & prayed they'd go back to sleep...Sean & I were SOOO tired!

Apparently Santa DID find his way to our place!!!!!

I just LOVE full stockings!!!

Last year Christmas was a blurr with 2 little preemies at home to stress over! I did manage to stuff them into their stockings last year for a photo op...

THIS year the stockings were filled with OTHER goodies!!

And the beautiful bags made by Aunt Margaret, then stuffed by Aunt Maureen & Auntie Eileen....what a hit!! It's awesome having family!

And Mrs D!!!!! I LOVE the ornaments!!!
Oh & Hi Tea is booked!!!!!

THIS was worth a VERY close inspection!


And suddenly she got it!! Sitting on one toy, she drummed away!! I was rather impressed with Adelaide's ability to figure out what "it" even was!!
What a smash hit...pardon the pun ;)

On another musical note...Santa brought the greatest rattles made of antler & babish (hide)....Gorgeous keepsakes to add to their collection of ultra cool things!


and Christmas quilted wall hangings from Auntie Marguerite...

(this woman is a goddess)

This Christmas seemed to go on for EVER & EVER!

Here, Sarah & I are modeling some of our new threads...such cozy sweaters...& OH that HAT!!!

How cute...we MATCH :)

Now all we need is a good dose of -30 so that we can wear our new beaver hats!
& living in the Yukon...there is plenty of THAT weather going around!!

When seasoned parents say "it's all about the box"

they sure aren't kidding!

Notice Sarah's problem solving skills at work...

"If I just stand on that other box...I'll be that much closer to...

...climbing INTO this box"

Hummm...now HERE is a box filled with precious goods :)

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So.....

It really was a great Christmas...The list of wonderful things seems endless

but best of all...

I got to spend the entire day with

MY family

Here it is!

For those of you haven't see the news clip on Aptn, with Santa & the twins arriving into town by dogsled, here is the link! All you have to do is click archive for December 22, 2008 new clip ! The news report is about 30 minutes and we are at the end...but SOOO worth the wait ;-)

http://www.aptn.ca/streaming/index.php?wmv=monday/six

In the Mean time Christmas is rapidly coming to a close

(& to be honest....I'm glad for it!!)

The girls are nestled in their bed with the snuggly new quilt I made for them & they are so zonked out, I'll be surprised if we hear from them before 10:30 in the morning!!

(God PLEASE don't let them stir till 10:30 in the morning!!)

Hope everyone had a great day with loved ones like we did :) ...

Full report with pictures to boot...but not 'till I've got a goodnight's sleep under my belt!

*********

Cheers to all & to all a goodnight

Merry Christmas !

Hains Junction in the news!!!!!

I hope you all get APTN on your television sets! Tonight (the 22nd of Dec) APTN is airing the arrival of Santa into the different Northern Communities (the title could totally different - I haven't a clue!!) & YES Haines Junction is one of his stops!!

Thing is, the reindeer couldn't come all the way into the Junction so, the FAST-DOGS & my perfect husband (and YES, he IS perfect) along with the aid of two extraordinary little elves got Santa to town without delay, by dog-team no doubt!!!! Elf Adelaide & Elf Sarah gave directions to the lead dogs to make sure all went smoothly (all the while, reassuring Santa that all was safe - heck, the FAST-DOG team got it's name for a reason you know!)

Unfortunately for ME, we don't have TV in the cabin at this point so we can't watch it! One girlfriend thought she could get it at her house but sadly, called to say she can't! :( I'm still trying to find a way to watch it! BUT...if you have any way of taping it for us THAT would be just AWESOME!

On YUKON time, It is on at 5:00pm.....I am not sure if that means 8pm (Ontario) or 7pm (Alberta) or if it will be aired earlier or later for you folks "outside".....you might want to check your TV listings!! I REALLY hope you can all get it on your TV'S!!!!!

Well I just happen to know one particular older elf who hasn't finished her wrapping chores & should get to the task before the little elves wake up :)

Merry Christmas to all :)
Mummy Elf

December's accomplishments... so far....

This has been an interesting month so far & it isn't over yet! They girls are growing & changing daily and the challenges are growing with them.....

1) Adelaide is learning how to dress herself & is doing a fine job of it...no more leaving yesterday's dirty cloths on the floor till morning... she'll put them on again & be SO pleased with her accomplishment that I don't have the heart to change her into something clean!

2) Sarah is climb EVERYTHING...

...She climbs onto the couch & contemplates jumping over the back of it...

...She climbs the baby gate !!

My question is, for "safety equipment" why is it the company provides FOOT HOLES for successful summits??

3) Sarah started walking on Dec 4th! Adelaide started walking on Dec 13th! For now they are both content crawling but only because it is FASTER!! Oh... and, lastnight, Sarah walked to her Daddy then turned around, while standing & without falling, to smile at her Mummy (MEEEEE) :)

4) Adelaide has FINALLY grown a rather beautiful front tooth to fill in the gap so she no longer looks like a Vampire!! Meanwhile, Sarah continues to grow tooth after tooth!!

They need them for all of the food they are devouring lately!!

5) Both girls were introduced to Grandee's homemade Chicken Stew & Dumplings & LOVED it! In fact, they ate all that was in MY bowl, then they ate all that was in Daddy's bowl....all we needed was a baby bowl & we could have called them the "Goldie-Locks Twins" !!

(mind you, if I don't say so myself, it was almost as good as if Grandee had made it herself...guess I had a good teacher ;-)

6) Daddy tried to teach Wellington how to pull my new sled but it doesn't seem to be working as of yet...I'll get back to you with any new developments on that one :) !

And who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks anyways? Besides...Sean isn't THAT old...well...not until May !!! hehehe

7) I got the girls fed, cleaned, dressed & out the door & to a concert by 10am all by myself! Now that is TRULY an accomplishment!!!!!

Heck, I've managed to get the girls to TWO concerts lately!!! & oh how they LOVE to dance to music!! Just wait till Uncle Ian sees them bust-a-move to the tune he wrote for them!!!

8) Oh yes...not only did they meet Santa for the first time, they got to give him a ride in their very own dog sled.

You see, his Reindeer got stuck on the river, so Adelaide & Sarah rescued him & brought him the rest of the way into town for a visit with all of the boys and girls of Haines Junction!

To top it all off...a TV Crew was there to film the whole event!!

What a pair of Santa's Helpers!!

It's like they saved Christmas for the entire town!!

It really has been a busy month...no wonder I haven't been blogging much lately!! Even Little Adelaide, the "You can't wear me down" girl, is finally bushed!!

But when she is re-energized.....Look out!!! The excitement will start all over again & with these two little elves, you just never know what will happen next!!

*************

By the way...

Just 9 days left till Christmas!!!

& Boy oh Boy have I ever been a good girl this year!!

Yahoo!!!!!

So how dark is it up here anyways?

As of today,

in , Old Crow, Yukon...
Sunrise: 12:52
Sunset: 13:36
44 minutes of daylight

in , Haines Junction, Yukon...
Sunrise: 10:13
Sunset: 15:56
5 hours, 43 minutes of daylight

in , Oshawa, Ontario...
Sunrise: 7:42
Sunset: 16:38
8 hours, 56 minutes of daylight

Now keep in mind the front range in the Junction reaches about 8,000 feet so the sun is behind the mountains the entire time! The reality is we DON'T see the sun at all! I can't speak for Old Crow folks as I've never been there & haven't a clue what their landscape is like! But for fun you should look them up on the weather network at http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/ Instead of seeing any "suns" on the graphics, it's a string of moons all week!!

Speaking of which...what a beautiful moon out today :)
Cheers ;)

December 4th 2008 !!

IT HAPPENED ON DECEMBER 4TH, 2008!

EVENING.....

SARAH GRACE WALKED

Not that I'm a proud parent or anything like that...well maybe I am! Who wouldn't be? Heck My children are Geniuses!!!!! & Now they are WALKING geniuses!!

Only thing is, every time I tried to video tape her in action...the trickster dropped to her knees & crawled ! THIS is the best photo I could get of the entire event...

Sarah Grace tuckered out saying... "Please Mum...Not again !!"

Oh well...you'll all just have to trust me....

She really DID walk!!

Notice the adorable pink stripped sleeper? Yes...THAT would be thanks to Aunt Maureen! ... & one of Mummy's favourites, I might add!!

Did I mention that she walked to her FATHER repeatedly...passed right by me & went STRAIGHT for her DAD!! Hummm...all those months of snuggles & feedings & she totally passed me up!! What's with THAT I ask??

Yes, yes, focus on the fact that she WALKED!! Yes, yes...

Now as for today...it was another Whitehorse day...off to see the doctor & to pick up a few essentials!

Notice our very Christmasy outfits Aunt Maureen!!???

You just HAVE to love a brilliant Aunt with impeccable taste in women's fashion

(as I type...there she goes again...walking straight for her Daddy!! I'm cutting this short...time to get on the floor & cheer on my perfect girl!!

Cheers till next time!)

Another day in paradise...

I never get sick of winter days like THIS one!

Bright blue sky & snow covered branches...

The Sun playing "Hide & Go Seek" in the forest...

Icicles hanging from the eves...

&

Mother Nature, in all of her glory...

She can be a rather destructive gal...but then we all know that. We have all lived her vengeance at one time or another!

This willow bush is living it NOW!!

The damage here is left as a reminder of her visit on June 9, 2008

She brought with her a solid foot of snow that day, leaving us with more clean-up that you can imagine!

"But you chose to live in the Yukon"... I've heard it said many times...Yes, I did. I continue to do so! BUT seriously folks...JUNE??

Not even WE expect THAT up here!

With the girls, the cabin renovations & the dogs, there hasn't been much time given to the clean-up effort...well...until now! Buried under buckets of snow & withstanding toe-curling cold, Sean & I ventured out with the twins last weekend to get a start!

After an hour the chainsaw pull cord snapped! Even IT wasn't happy with the temperatures!


Regardless, we still managed to get a good number of trees down & off into the brush & the girls slept through the whole while.

As much as it is hard work to cut & clear...it is fun work! I love being outside with Sean doing this kind of thing...
It's team work & he is the one I chose to be a team with !!

-----------------

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, William tends the home fires as he patiently awaits our return...



to our cozy cabin in the woods

:)

PS: It's snowing ... AGAIN !

What a view...

There is always a trade off in life...I'm thinking that a view like this is worth having no light switches!!

I can say that now that Sean has worked SO hard to modernize our cabin!! ;-)

No matter, I think I could stand and look at this view for hours!

There is something about the sun when it is somewhere below -20'C. Whatever it lights up comes to life...Notice how low it is in the sky? THAT my friend is as high as it gets these days so ANY exposure to its light is a blessing!

-----------------------------
Now...
As for the tons of spelling errors & typos...they aren't my fault! Just LOOK at what challenges face me while blogging!!

Adelaide: "Hay what does THIS do??"
Sarah: "Oh No! She just deleted everything, AGAIN!!"
Mummy: "Next time, no time for corrections!!"

Today I received a letter from Grandad...

When you live in the North, chances are you surround yourself with close friends and call them your "Northern Family". It's simply because most of us come from somewhere else, finding ourselves far from our real families. Now that I am a Mum, I pray that my girls grow up to love this place so much that they never stray too far from me...Perhaps this is a selfish wish & one that my own Mum dared to wish when I was still innocent and tiny....In the later years of my time at home, I can say confidently, she was beyond ready for me to hi-tail it & FAR away !! I've hear it said that "teenagers" were created so that parents could separate from their children more easily! For now I'll savour the every breath of my baby girls!! The many years to come will be here soon enough...In the mean time...I am still a daughter! Not the infant, not the teenager, rather, a grown up (well...most of the time) who lives thousands of miles from her parents. Most of the time I am fine with the distance. Sometimes I'm not...Today I'm not...I miss them...I miss seeing them hold my children...

Today I received a letter from Grandad (my Dad) It was 18 pages long & was accompanied by a number of stunning photos (I should mention that Grandad is a brilliant photographer!!) of a recent trip he & Grandee (my Mum) took up the West Coast of Canada, to nearly-out-of-reach places...

My father is a romantic man. He is an articulate man. He is an adventurous man. He is a storyteller. When he visits a place, he leaves an impression. When he speaks, people listen. If he wrote a book for the world to read, the world would read it. And to think, he is my Dad.

My mother is a loyal Mum, fierce like the grizzly sow. She is the glue that binds a family, separated by miles & personalities. She is a pillar of strength. She instills strength. She is capable. She is constant. She is my Mum.

Today I received Grandad's 18 page letter. In reading it to my husband and daughters, I laughed & cried & remembered & learned! I was touched. This letter took a great deal of time to create. His heart when into it...It will be put into a box I have in the babies' room, into a box that is reserved for only the most special things. A box that I've been slowly and methodically placing things into, for the girls!

Dad shared his journal entries, from their recent voyage, in this letter. It was like I was there on every leg of the journey, experiencing the thrill of a dream come true. A Dream of finding the Kermode Bear. I must say, I have very cool parents! They don't sit with "umbrella drinks in coconut shells" on white sandy beaches! They explore places that others dare to dream of! Is this the very reason that I have gravitated to the Northern reaches of Canada? Did I search for the legends of Service because of my parents influences? In spite of my teenage years, did they leave me the gift of an adventurer's heart, as they sent me packing? When I look at them today, I think this MUST be the case! If not for them, I'm sure I'd not have found the strength to find my place!

In reading Dad's entries, I learned that Mum is something of an adventurous spirit herself...I think I always knew this on some level but perhaps not as clearly as I do tonight! Hot springs & bear dens? Hunters & rain forests? I can't wait to see the rest of the photos that document her journey!!

I spend so much time blogging about my children, my dogs, my Friends. That IS, after all, what my blog is about....my life in the North...something of a journal of my Northern Family, of my girls' development & of my own development as a new Northerner & new Mum ...But I have a REAL family 3000 miles away & they are important - Even MORE important now that I've given them 2 new Grand-babies! I need my children to grow up knowing my parents but I'm not sure how to do that with them so far away! I've resolved to hold a photo of them whenever we are on the phone so that the girls start to associate their faces with their voices & their names "Grandee & Grandad" I wasn't sure what photo to hold until tonight when I opened the letter from Dad...

& here it is ...

...the romantic, the adventurer, the Grizzly sow & Pillar...

Grandee & Grandad

aka: Mum & Dad

-------

And I ask you, how will I ever measure up & become, to MY children,

all that they have been to ME?

For Grandee!!

Hi Grandee!

Remember the moon I told you about the other day? While here it is!! You'll have to click on the photo to blow it up full size...It was SO beautiful in the early afternoon sky!!

This was taken on the Haines Rd coming back from Martin's cabin yesterday! What a gorgous day!!

But than again...every day in the Yukon is a gorgous day, right?

This would be Adelaide in her puppy hat & mitts from Auntie Laura!!

And Sarah in hers!
I must say...you have cute litter of puppies for Grandkids Grandee!!!

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So...THAT was yesterday...

The highlight of today was this...

...bundling the girls up in their new snowsuits for the first time!!

I must say...Dressing two for the snow is a TON of work!

It was a bit cold out all day so I was extra careful to make sure they were warm ...In fact, I was SO careful to make sure they were well bundled that...

I forgot to take care of myself! Once outside, I realized that I hadn't put my own snow pants on. It was only -17 (in the sun at high-noon) out but geewiz...

my legs got COLD, FAST !!

Jeans just don't cut it on a Yukon Winter Day!!!!!

The little toboggan wasn't really working out very well. Body parts were falling out & dragging in the snow & just a general awkwardness existed....so it was back to the Chariot!

I just LOVE that thing!!

I can't wait to get the ski-kit for it, so that we can get out in the snow more easily! There is NO way I can push this rig in the snow with wheels!!!!!
Skis or not, the girls had a great time in their new snowsuits...they were "as snug as bugs..." as you can see :)

I must confess...the boots got left behind today! It was such a work out, just getting the sweaters, pants, coats, hats & mitts on, that we were close to exhausted just getting ready...so they wore their woolen & sheepskin booties instead & then had their feet smothered in blankets!

NEXT time, I'll get their snow boots on too!!

Grandee & Grandad,

thanks for the winter gear!!!!! Not only were the girls warm, but they looked like perfect little fashion plates, don't you think??

:)