All Hearts come home for Christmas

 

It's time to play catch up!  We have a "soft landing" week back at the Training College to help us get ourselves organized and it seems like the perfect time to start blogging again!  Dave and I wrote a couple of papers to end off our first semester at CFOT a few weeks ago.  I tackled the use of Imprecatory Psalms and Martin Luther's Antisemitic Writings while Dave argued about Pope's role during WWII and some work on interpreting the book of Ruth.   As you can see, there were books everywhere.  Then there were exams in December!  The life of a university student all over again.

A little bit of billiards for relaxation always helps! 

 

  The light snowfall also helped the kiddos get in some good exercise on the weekends!  

Mid-December we headed back to Ontario for our Winter Assignment in Orillia with Captains Chad and Kathleen Ingram.  To get our bearings and check out the community we enjoyed a lovely walk on the waterfront of Lake Coochiching and had a scrumptious lunch downtown at Mariposa Market.  Did I mention they also have fudge?

 Our most lovely billets ever - Randy and Donna Klein hosted us graciously with lovely views! 

 The Salvation Army's Orillia Corps was in the full swing of the Christmas season and we spent 10 days assisting with donation pick-ups and drop-offs, Christmas Hamper & Toy Distribution, the Kettle campaign, Youth Night, Senior's Home Service, Staff Devotional Time and Sunday ministry with Sunday School and preaching opportunities for both Dave and I.  It was lovely to meet so many volunteers and members of the corps and community.  What an enriching time for learning! 

 View of the Christmas Cheer Centre - a totally happening place!  Parents shop with the help of a volunteer to select appropriate gifts for each of their children (1 large, 1 medium and 1 small toy, a stuffie, a book, a game or puzzle for the family to share and stocking stuffers!)

 

Food Hampers include: fixings for Christmas dinner, dry goods, canned good, fresh fruit and veggies and a small voucher for perishable items at the local grocery store along with a frozen turkey or gift card for meat of their choice.  Candy canes and a Faith and Friends magazine round off the package.  

 Check-in and waiting area for distribution days.  Interviews and paperwork are completed ahead of time in November and December.  Over 400 families registered for Christmas Assistance in Orillia! 

 Using the program van to pick up a HUGE food drive donation from a local elementary school.

SundayS'cool with almost 30 kids was a lot of fun!  We were also very blessed to share meals with several of the families involved in leadership of various committees at the corps.  This was a great time to explore the many programs and ministries the church has for the community!  

 

Eventually it was time to drive back to St. Catharines and enjoy a lovely vacation with family over Christmas.  Now, December 22-24th in Niagara was a little bit balmy ... so we went to the beach at Port Dalhousie!  The boys and I also enjoyed a visit to see friends at Beacon Christian School. 

Christmas Eve was a beautiful celebration at Niagara Orchard Community Church and then munchies and a sleepover at Mike and Laura's with new PJ's of course!

I'm going to save the actual Christmas and New Year celebrations for another post - and to all a good night! 

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.