Christmas with Visitors

Oh yes, we were looking forward to it. 

Helen and William drove the 600+ miles on Tuesday December 21. James and I were very happy that the weather was favorable which makes that long drive a little easier. They arrived in the evening in good time. 

Wednesday - Plenty to talk about, see and do. The weather was again very nice. I asked William whether he wanted to earn some pocket money. Ms Julie wanted to hire him to tidy up her garden. Well, yes. So the two of us got busy to cut all the old daisy flower stems etc etc. I really need to buy some better clippers. He kept telling us that he wants to donate the money to charity. He is concerned that the ocean needs cleaning up. Ms Julie was happy.

Of course the first thing when he arrived was the question "when do I see my cousins?"

Sarah had to work so we contacted the Nanny and arranged to pick up "the cousins" after lunch and went to Bryan Park. James and I had just recently visited there and had decided that the boys would love it. I had written about it in THIS BLOG.

Next to the parking was this heep of dirt and the youngsters were on it before you knew it.

Helen and I both took photos and we shared with each other. At this point I don't even know which one is from whom. We quickly discovered though it is not easy to get 4 to cooperate at the same time. So we took many and deleted most later.

Throwing little stones from the above bridge was fun but this wall a few yards further was even more fun.

Ha-ha, a VIDEO of that activity!      (0:40 min.)

A big rock is always a challenge of 'who will be on it first'. Helen and I took photos from different directions.

Oh oh, Helen was caught by the cousins looking at her phone 'whether there might be a geocache in this park'. William of course knows about it but Caleb really wanted to know. What is a geocache? We went on the search. We had to!

We found the place and all sorts of things like a chain imbedded in a tree and a pumpkin but with all the clues no cache. But ... Auntie found info about another one close by.

(This was so pretty. Had to take the picture!)

Especially Owen was so excited because the clue was 'it is in a gnome hiding place'. Yeah! Found it!

But what is better when Santa serves you hot chocolate or hot mulled cider? (we were lucky the Farmer's Market happened to be there)

When it was time to bring the cousins home Helen also had an early Christmas present for them. Wow, that was a success. They were constructing and changing and creating and just having a good time.

And ... William had been invited to stay the night. Happy boys all around. Sarah had to work the next day but Wade was off and volunteered. He is a fun-uncle. 

Beginning of Advent

It's Advent time. It is the time when we should prepare ourselves for Jesus' birthday, the awesome event which is saving us all from our sins. But --- mostly we are busy, busy, busy. Well, may be I should just talk for myself and not the rest of mankind.

Ha-ha, I started writing the above a while ago. Now? Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. And yes, I did a lot of contemplating since I had started the blog. The "headline" was "important thoughts" but really doesn't fit anymore. I changed it. We really are having a good time and I am grateful. About the "important thoughts" I will write later. I found some really good reading lately.

The Sunday right after Thanksgiving was already the 1. Sunday of Advent. That means that there is an Advent wreath workshop at our church in which I am heavily involved. It was started several years ago when I was asked whether I would teach how to make them. So on Friday James and I collect fresh greenery from places which sell christmas trees (the cut-offs). This year it was easy since we started at a church close to Sarah and Wade's house. We got so much that we did not have to go anywhere else. 

It was a fun workshop and James was there for "support".

Friend Annette was in church for church decorating and said she would love to make one too but didn't need one since she had no place to put it. Ha-ha, I talked her into making one anyway which we could give away to another couple who were delighted to receive it. Several people happy!

On Sunday we started to decorate our house too. After the Adventstar the Chrismon tree is always next. We are sure when we packed it up after the privious Christmas that almost all lights worked. It is a pre-lit tree. When James tried to set it up he found that none worked. And all the little bulbs were kind of smokey looking. What disappointment. We decided to just cut all the lights off and remove the wires.

Yippeh, the tree box said the tree came with 300 lights. And here they arecut off and ready to be thrown. James just put up some strings of lights on the now "naked" tree and it is beautiful, especially with all the Chrismons added (photo later).

When the weather is unseasonal warm with blue sky and the sun shining one has to take adventage of it. Thursday December 2 was such a day and we decided for a little more than a walk in the neighborhood. We had been to Bryan Park because that's were the Farmers' Market now but had not really "investigated much". 

We had not been able to find a map of it and were somehow a little lost in the adjacent neighborhood but soon we found an interesting section. There was interesting information in some places and found it very interesting. 

We had seen a good number of these little houses and the info about the mason bees was something we had to tell the grandchildren later. 

Ha-ha, and here are the "live lawnmowers" they are using. 

And because it was past our lunchtime and we were very close to a very nice restaurant so we treated ourselves to a good time at "Hobnob", a place a little more expensive but outdoors with heaters and good food makes for a good time.

A little more decorating. My collection of nativities had to be set up and there was William (or: the little figure of him 7 years old which Maren made when he and I visited Germany. It had come with the little hat which I had forgotten about but found stashed away behind it. I think it is such a lovely photo.

Ha-ha, even my Christmas cactus decided to help decorate!