December 2022 recap

December came and went in the blink of an eye. As per usual, it's an incredibly busy month, consumed with shopping, gatherings and all things Christmas. 

This year we had a few extra inches of snow, making for some beautiful morning walks. And despite the cold and snow and ice, I continued my mantra of "no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing" as I layered up for my daily morning walk in the amazing winter wonderland. 

Ellie our Elf and her side kick Olaf returned, up to no good as usual. Lincoln was eager to wake every morning and search for her. Whether it was hiding in the tree, or somewhere in the fridge, he always got a good laugh out of her antics. 

Lincoln's hockey team had a few events he sadly had to miss out on. The first was a real tournament. We made it out for the final game and he/Ryan got to join the team on ice for the obligatory final picture. 

To help cheer him up about missing out on so many fun things, Lincoln and I had a date night with Subway and a local light event. He loved this place so much, we had to walk through a second time and take it all in. They even have a train with teddy bears, a ferris wheel and more! 

Eventually as the month wore on, he started to use his arm more. I caught him helping wrap a present one day and couldn't help snap this picture. We had the kids exchange names for Christmas and he was so proud as he wrapped up a gift for his sister. He even made a crown for himself! 

Christmas morning was a quick pivot due to a recent snowfall. Grandma Jan was too nervous to head on the roads alone, so we brought Christmas to her instead! 

Grandma Jan made Ryan's dreams come true with an entire TOWER of grilling spices! 

Lincoln's hockey association does a 3rd graders vs Varsity game/pizza. And it was the one thing he had been really looking forward to, even shed a couple of tears knowing he couldn't get on the ice to play. But we sat in the stands and watched the game, and then he was able to find his Varsity buddy TJ for pizza afterwards who was also nursing an injury. Lincoln actually is classmates with TJ's little sister. And TJ actually goes to school with Regan. 
Small world. 

Eventually we got back on the ice, and I couldn't help but chuckle when Lincoln took his first few steps on the ice and said "oh yea, I can do this". Turns out, he had thought he would forget how to skate completely! Good thing that's not really how it works. 

New Years eve we got to spend with some dear friends who have recently moved back from to MN from Germany. Regan's boyfriend-Jack made this wonderful arrangement I had dreamed up. And it looked great! I'm bummed I forgot to take a picture until we started digging in. 

We are so thrilled to have Paul and Renata closer so we can get together more often. We rang in all sorts of New Years, knowing not one of us would make it to midnight! 

HALIFAX! 

And this little guy might be the #1 reason we didn't make it to midnight. 

But our girls want so badly for him to love them so they enjoy any moment they get to play with Max. 

Regan was all smiles at the end of December, having Jack visit made her month completely!