Parties and Parades

Finally!!  It was birthday party time!  It had simply been too awkward to host birthday parties right away for the boys, so in mid-November, we set up a small party for both boys at Skyzone - an indoor trampoline park.  They were each allowed to invite 4 friends, so there were 10 boys altogether.  What a riot! 

 Jumping around for an hour, trying to do some slam dunks and playing dodge ball was really great fun!  Then pizza and giant cookies for a treat. 

We got our first snow fall here in Winnipeg a week ago and the boys have enjoyed some snowball fights in the backyard (not at school of course!) and climbing on the snow pile in the parking lot.  We have actually managed to find a HILL in Winnipeg and we can even walk to it!  So the kids have been tobogganing twice so far.  (Next time I'll have to remember to take the camera!)

Saturday was the Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade.  We were greeted by the Snowbirds airplanes criss-crossing the parade route overhead to open the parade.  Then there were all of the CFL cheerleaders with their little pom-poms and big winter coats to celebrate the Grey Cup Weekend. 

 The parade started at sunset (4:30pm) so the lights were visible.  We had a lovely potluck meal in the afternoon at CFOT with some of our session-mates and sent the daddies outside early to get good seats on the median of Portage Rd.  We did have to sit "criss-cross applesauce" though since there were many patrollers with "No feet on the street" signs walking back and forth in front of us every 2 minutes.

 Tribute to the Winnipeg jets. 

 The Salvation Army Toy Mountain float that the Community Venture staff put together at Weetamah Corps  this week.  At my field placement the staff and members were busy for the past few weeks making the toy soldier costumes for the marchers in the photo above. 

 Just in case we forgot .... Winnipeg was hosting the Grey Cup and there was theme to the parade - other than Santa! 

 Favourite characters this year included Olaf and the Minions!

Finally Santa Claus arrived!  Way up high in his sleigh.  Fireworks closed off the parade and by that time our toes, fingers and ears were quite cold!  The boys received lots of candy canes to keep them busy munching as we crawled through the traffic back to Waverley.