Waiting in joyful hope

How fast time goes in our family! We are already celebrating our third Christmas in Ontario. I find that so strange to think of.

It has been a very, very unusual Christmas for us. A freak illness derailed much of our plans and hopes and made it much more a Christmas in the stable than a magazine spread. For that I am very grateful. Also for anyone who was praying, I am much better now.

I'll post more about the mysterious happening soon, but first, the preparations.

(Is it just me or is the anticipation of a big event just as wonderful, if not more so, than the actual occasion?)


Traditional gingerbread-making day on St. Nicholas' feast. 
And now Anna is old enough to participate! How quickly life speeds on by from here to here to here.


 The boys admiring their new books and treats left by Jolly old St. Nicholas himself.


A cranberry-orange coffee cake that Isaiah and I made for the Feast of Christ the King.
Please excuse my blurry iphone photos complete with cheesy Instagram filters. Yikes.

Delicious, by the way. The recipe is here (but I omitted the cranberry flavoured liqueur, used a whole bag of cranberries and also omitted the dates. Oh and made an orange glaze. {Maybe with that many changes I should post my modified recipe separately?}).


On the first Sunday of Advent we went for a lovely walk to cut down some tiny trees for the kids' rooms. It was wonderfully warm all of November and most of December, right up until yesterday, actually.

Anna stopped while we were supposed to be walking and say "Mama I play in dirt! Take a picture of ME!" I love that funny girl.


My little crew. Noah slays me, carrying his little Charlie Brown tree over his shoulder like that.

I can't really believe that before long, there will be a fourth one to prance around with. Four kids?!

Isn't that rather...


Ahem. I'll let you know in 6 months.



This was the first year we had a St. Lucy day with a girl old enough to participate! Anna was thrilled by her pretty dress (that I got for $1.99 at Value Village) and the privilege to bring a cinnamon roll (that I had made c/o Pillsbury) to each person in our family, including her Gram, who was visiting that week. The boys made adorable Star Boys too.

How wonderfully and enjoyably this went makes me look so very forward to St. Lucy Day's that will happen in the future.


And lastly, I surprised Noah by taking him to the Nutcracker ballet later that day. He was so very excited. And several times he grabbed my arm, from where he was sitting at the edge of his seat, and told me "I'm so glad we're here, Mommy." It was adorable.

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