Winter in Canada

Winter is long and extra cold in our neck of the woods.  Somehow we have adjusted to -40 degrees and even managed to get out here and there this winter.

For family home evening one Monday we invited some friends to go sledding and ended the night with doughnuts and hot chocolate (the boys' hands were full so they couldn't manage to pull their hats up out of their eyes).  We are so glad that Hailey and Ruby Hamilton (pictured here) and Matt and Jasmine Roberts joined us. 

Elsie is always a trooper through our adventures.  I guess she doesn't really know any different than layers of clothes and blankets.

We took the boys ice skating for the first time this year.  There is a park downtown that has a fun outdoor rink that is free, even the skates are free to borrow. 

I was surprised by how much Campbell liked skating.  He didn't want to stop.  We pushed him around and around the rink until we were too exhausted to go any further.  He did a really good job. 

Mike and I took turns taking the boys around while the rest of the family watched on a bench.  Campbell took advantage of his breaks by eating what the boys call a "snow snack".

Logan says that he wants to be a hockey player when he grows up.  We took the boys to a hockey game this winter and Logan was crushed when we had to leave a few minutes early.  The game was late at night and Campbell was melting down by the end. 

Elsie sporting one of her little sweaters.

Did I mention winter is really long here?  We have to get creative to keep ourselves entertained.  Glow sticks in the tub, a birthday party for squeaky (Logan's beloved stuffed mouse), and riding bikes in the church gym are just a few of the desperate ways we have fought against boredom. 

   

The boys are attacking our melting snowman with colored water before knocking him down.  Poor guy.

Snowballs!  Right after this picture I got nailed.  I didn't think Logan would be able to aim through the tiny crack in the sliding door...I was wrong!
Notice our poor snowman's carrot nose and smashed banana mouth strewn carelessly to the wayside.  Note to the wise: don't use a banana on your snowman.  It will result in a hideous brown pile that resembles dog waste when your snowman melts and who wants a brown smile anyway?  Not your snowman!  I'm just sayin'...

 

After our snowman melted we were blessed with more snow...Hooray?

The only time the boys are calm and quiet is when I turn on cartoons or read them a book and Elsie just goes with the flow.  And yes, that would be Campbell's squeaky hiding under his cheek.  Yep, Campbell is almost as obssessed as Logan with his little stuffed mouse. 

Happy Winter!  You may be asking yourself "Happy winter?  Aren't you a little late?"  To which I would answer "I wish, winter will be here a while yet (sob)".  It is super late, can you tell?  The crazy narrative will probably be edited out tomorrow when I am conscious so enjoy for now and pretend it never happened.

Little Miss Elsie

I don't know how it happened but Elsie is almost four months old!  As usual I am a little behind on posting Garner happenings but instead of playing catch-up I am skipping to these sweet pictures that my talented sister took over the christmas break.  I just couldn't resist, I LOVE them!

 

Thank you Candice! 

Happy Halloween

Better Late Than Never

This year we celebrated Mike's birthday over some apple pie (he likes pie better than cake) and a Halloween party. 

A few days later we put on our pj's and carved our pumpkins. 

Even Elsie joined in the fun.

Campbell's pumpkin was a cat.  I am not exactly sure where his love of cats comes from but it runs deep.  Lets hope its just a phase.  j/k

Campbell is one of the nuttiest kids I have ever met.  I wish that he would share his kookie personality with everyone.  The missionaries came over the other night for dinner and he wouldn't say a word to them.  Once Mike asked a cahttering Campbell why he doesn't talk like that to everyone and his reply was, "because I don't like them".   So apparently, if Campbell talks to you its a compliment. 

Logan still doesn't like to get his hands dirty if he can help it.  This was his new approach to cleaning out the pumpkin.  When that didn't work he returned to his rubber gloves. 

Mike and I dressed up as Roughrider fans (the Canadian football team from Saskatchewan).  They are a big deal here. You Americans might not get it but our friends thought it was funny.  This picture was taken after I had already taken off my watermelon hat.  Mike made them and I must say I he did a really good job. 

      

All the kids had astronaut costumes and we failed getting a picture of them all together.  Logan dressed up as a fire fighter for the halloween party at church which is somewhat ironic because he has a new and very real fear of fire alarms but that's another story.  Anyway I think they are adorable and they had a blast trick or treating this year.  Between the party at church and trick or treating they ended up with a load of candy! 

Sunday Afternoon

Elsie is almost five weeks old now.  The time has flown by.  She is so sweet and cuddly.  I don't know how she stays calm amongst the chaos of her two energetic brothers.  Let's just hope her peaceful energy starts to rub off on them.  We are all so glad she is a part of our family, it is hard to imagine life without her.

Life around here is crazy but it is so worth it.

Time Flies

I don't know where the time goes.  I have so much to catch up on, and a million pictures to post. Elsie is already a month old, ah! 

While I was pregnant I would often ask the boys what they thought we should name their little sister. Penelope and Millie were their two favorite names.  When we brought Elsie home from the hospital the boys announced that if we could name the baby they could to...thus Elsie became also known as Penelope.  I stayed home from church the first few weeks after Elsie was born and from what I understand several people asked the boys what we named our new baby to which they of course replied, "Penelope".  It has caused some confusion but I think it is hilarious.  It has been four weeks and they still refer to Elsie as Penelope. 

The boys are so sweet with Elsie.  They kiss her, talk to her, and beg to hold her all day long.  This is a picture of Logan watching TV while holding Elsie's hand, so cute!  Whenever she cries the boys do their best to comfort her.  They scramble to find her binki, pat her on the head, hold her hand, or sing to her. 

When Elsie was two weeks old we went to get pumpkins on our first real outing.  Dutch Growers green house has a fun hay bale maze every year and the kids loved it.  We had a hard time keeping up with the boys.  This dead end allowed me to catch Logan for a quick picture.

They ran through the maze atleast three times.

After much deliberation we took home three wonderful pumpkins to carve. 

Elsie Eva Garner

She is finally here!  Elsie arrived Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 7:18am weighing in at 10 lbs 7 ounces and 23 inches long. I think she looks exactly like her dad but I'll let you judge for yourself.

Elsie in the hospital.

Here is Elsie just before we left the hospital the next day.

I am so glad that my beautiful mother was here to help out.  She is such a good birthing coach and a great support.  Thank you mom for taking care of us.  We miss you so much and wish your trip was longer!

Elsie went on her first walk around the neighborhood today.  Here she is all bundled up against the chilly fall wind.

The boys love their new baby sister.  When Campbell came into the room at the hospital he walked straight over to Elsie and held out his arms to hold her.  The boys kept repeating, "she's so cute".  I think they are going to be protective big brothers and hopefully she can mellow them out a little. 

She is so cute even when she is crying which actually isn't often.  It has only been three days but she is such a good baby.  We feels so blessed to have her in our family.