Mont Tremblant

This past weekend, we visited Mont Tremblant in Quebec. It is a gorgeously quaint ski resort. It's like a little town was plucked out of Switzerland and set down in the Laurentians. While we were there Cyle got in some skiing, we rode on a horse drawn sleigh, built a fire in our hotel fireplace (Clayton asked for two days straight to "make a fire."), took the gondola to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the best of Canadian winter. On our drive home, Cyle spotted the biggest snowman we've ever seen - I barely caught it!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Neal!

Today Uncle Neal turns 22!!
Happy, happy birthday to you!
WE LOVE YOU!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful Christmas at home this year. Clayton and I baked cookies for Santa. Cyle and Clayton put out reindeer food. It snowed. It was just like the songs we sing! Two days before Christmas I was going to take Clayton to a tree farm to see reindeer. He was uncooperative, so we didn't go. Later that evening Clayton said to me, "It's okay I didn't see a reindeer. I'll just see them when Santa comes to my house." "Um," I stuttered, "Santa only comes if you're sound asleep." Without missing a beat, Clayton replied, "That's okay. Santa will wake me up." Santa didn't wake him up, but we did follow him on NORAD's site and that seemed to be enough. Thank goodness!

Both boys we're so excited for Santa to come. Clayton couldn't wait to play with his new excavator in a big box of corn. Levi was content to just sit back and watch the action. He did really like the present from Clayton - a top.

Clayton got what he wanted most from Santa: a guitar. Little did Santa know how much it would get played. Not only does Clayton sing songs we all know (ABCs, Wonder Pets Theme, 3 Blind Mice), but he also writes his own songs (Working on a Deer on a Saturday Night and Halloween Party). He even gets on our coffee table stage to perform. It's too funny.

Future FBI Agent...

Happy New Year!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Lately it seems that we've been so busy, but we've not been doing too much - except baking! This year Christmas just kind of came out of nowhere for me. Suddenly I realized that it was mid-December and I still had shopping to do! AHHHH! We've had some really cold, windy days that have kept us totally indoors. Clayton loves to play with his Hot Wheels track. And in regards to how his shirt is on he "loves it like that."

From St. Nicholas the boys got matching Christmas pjs. Clayton thought we needed a picture of them together in the pjs, but didn't really want to be next to Levi.

December 13 was the annual Christmas Party at the Ambassador's. Levi's not too much younger than their twin grandchildren. And since their grandbabies are in South Carolina, they snatch Levi up for some snuggling every chance they get...well, Mrs. Wilkins does anyway. I'm glad I got a picture of Levi with Ambassador and Mrs. Wilkins.

Here's another shot of the boys that Clayton thought I needed to take. He's got a "shiner," as he called it. He was playing a game with Cyle and hit the corner of a chair. Boy did it ever look bad the next morning. Luckily it's pretty much gone so it won't be in the Christmas pictures.

Clayton is my helper in the kitchen. Really, taste tester would be a better description. Here he's sampling some cookie dough...

Here's my happy little guy. Levi is such a smiler. For the latest cakes, visit Baking at Huckleberries.
Have a very Merry Christmas!

Levi's Baptism

Levi got baptized on November 29 at Immaculate Conception. Deacon Biri performed the ceremony and it was very nice. Cyle's mom made Levi's baptismal outfit. It's so cute. She used pieces from my mom's wedding dress (collar and cuffs) and ribbon from her dress (little bow tie). My friend KarenKay smocked his shoes.

Poor Cyle is recovering from being sick. Thanksgiving evening Clayton got a nasty stomach virus (so nasty he and Cyle and Grandma Huck took a trip to the ER) and passed it around to all of us. First Cyle, then Cameron, Kathy, Curt, and me - on our way home! Cameron got sick during the ceremony, so Garrett and Anna took him home immediately after. The rest of us went to eat at the Branding Iron for some barbeque and cake, of course!

This was taken beforehand (luckily)...Godparents Uncle Cameron and Aunt Sherri with Levi.

Levi was so good throughout everything. He didn't cry when Deacon Biri poured the water over his head and stayed content throughout. I had to laugh when the baptismal candle was lit and Clayton started singing "Happy Birthday." It was too funny. If I smell Levi closely enough, I can still smell the Chrism Oil. We are so blessed to have such a precious little boy.

November Vacation

We've just returned from our trip to Missouri. We had a great time visiting all of our friends and family. Our visits always seem to just fly by.
Clayton and Levi got decked out in their finest camo for opening day. Can you tell it's deer season? Look how happy Cyle looks! Maybe a little tired, too.

We visited Claire and Vincent one afternoon. It's hard to believe they were the same ages as my boys when I started watching them!
They're so big now. Claire is 10 and Vincent is 8...ahh, where do the years go? Clayton loved playing ball with Vincent and "playing" the piano and xylophone, too.

Somehow I managed to get pictures with all of the great-grandparents,
but very few with the grandparents! How?
Above are the boys with Great-Grandma Arnold.

Four generations of Hucks:
Great-Grandma Mel, Great-Grandpa Clete, Grandpa Curt, Cyle, Clayton and Levi.

Great-Grandma Grossheider and Levi.
Here again, I didn't get a picture of both boys with Grandma.

It really was a fun visit. Clayton adjusted really well to sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa Huck's (which he refers to as "Uncle Cameron's house") and even slept in a big boy bed. Levi didn't mind being passed around one bit and outgrew several outfits while we we're there. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!

Oh the weather outside is FRIGHTFUL!!!

Is that Clayton in his costume? No, just his snowsuit! Last Tuesday night we got over 4 inches of snow. Clayton, who doesn't yet realize that we've got at least 6 more months of snow, couldn't wait to get out in it. Luckily for me his snow suit from last year still fits.

Clayton carved a really cute jack-o-lantern and we couldn't even see it because of the snow. He did have a lot of fun playing on the front porch until he got "too cold."

These are my clemintine-o-lanterns. The kids at playgroup devoured them. Clayton ate so many cookies that day that he actually threw them up. He should've stuck to the oranges!

Clayton has been watching a Bob the Builder movie about a water mill. So we took a field trip to the historic Watson's Mill in Manotick. He picked out a bag of whole wheat flour milled on site. We got to see the giant mill stones, gears, the elevator and watched a movie about how the mill works. We took the flour home and Clayton helped make some cookies with the flour.

There were lots of child-friendly activities at the mill. Here, Clayton is grinding up wheat into flour. He thought this was especially fun.


Clayton's new sayings:

"Oh my gosh!" Only it comes out, "Oh my dosh!" He says it all the time. For example, "Oh my gosh! I ate my toast!" It's so funny.

He told me at breakfast the other morning, in regards to his cup, "Just leave it alone!" (Think he hears that often?)

This afternoon, I asked him if we should clean out his stuffed animals and give the ones he doesn't play with to a little boy who doesn't have any. "No," he told me, "I want to keep them ever and ever."

Levi is doing really well. He's such a content, happy baby. I'm truly so blessed. He's so smiley all the time now. I've got to get some more pictures of him!

Happy November!