The grand finale

A motley crew

Happy New Year!  I know I didn't post last week, but I have a whole boatload of holiday pictures to make up for it. We were able to have a nice end to what was, in numerous ways, a challenging year. A very productive year of positive changes, mind you, but challenging nonetheless. So sit down, grab a nice cup of tea, and join me, won't you?  I'll let the pictures (and my captions) offer the narrative this time around.

Pre-Christmas

This was too cute not to share. Juniper was home from school sick one day with an ear infection, and the first thing Linden did when he got off the bus was sit on her lap and tell her how his day was

crafting afternoon

The day we all agreed Linden needed a haircut

Theresa comes to visit! Taking the ferry over for the Christmas Eve Halifax market

Enjoying some market pretzels

And intense game of chess

Christmas Day 

We were all uncertain what would happen, but Theresa's makeshift stocking got filled!

The kids, sporting their yearly homemade Christmas PJs

Checking out the stocking swag

Puppets from Great Aunt Janie

Rainbow suspenders and a big piece of wood (to go with his saw, hammer, nails, and safety goggles. God help us.)

Both kids got their own yoga mat! Linden kissed his...

... and got right down to business

Christmas morning walk at Shubie Park

Dino-hatted guy (custom-made by yours truly), with his new dino diary, sketching his surroundings

The glasses girls

The ducks came rushing over when we sat down, but were VERY disappointed we were not there to feed them, but rather to... 

... sketch them, of course!

Finishing Christmas day off with a snuggle and a nature documentary

New Brunswick, Part 1: Fredericton (after doing Christmas with Theresa at our house, we headed to New Brunswick on the 27th.  It was the first time in many years that we've lived close enough to do that).

Seeing Mary (and Bob) the morning after they stepped off the plane from their Sri Lankan adventure

Completing mazes with uncle Brad

Captivated by his new Lego kit, which he completed all by himself (quietly, and with full absorption).

A SUPER fun Trivial Pursuit night at Jane and Mike's.  Look at how many of us were all in Fredericton at the same time!

New Brunswick, Part 2: The Farm (as it will become evident, I had my camera out about a million times more often at the farm than I did in Fredericton - sorry, Frederictonians!)

Clark, a mandolin, and an awesome little Richard's woodlot tree

Grandpa measures Linden on my brand-new, hand-made height ruler!

Linden helps grandpa sell some hay. 

Juniper takes grandpa on a guided tour of his yearly family photo calendar.  Check out the beautiful new sweater, hand-crocheted by grandma!

Linden warms up over the hot air grate

The boys work on Linden's new electric car kit...

... and then Linden tries it (unsuccessfully) on the ice

Long shadow walking

River walking

Stick and rock hockey

Grandpa and Juniper listening to the river ice cracking and popping and shifting underneath

Deer tracking on the snowy woods trail

Rotten apple frozen in ice

Birds eating the rotten apples left in the tree.  It was full of them!

The beautiful, snowy woods

I had originally thought I might sneak up on some deer and take a close-up, but the snow was WAY too crunchy.  This was a close as I ever got.

Linden, of course, brought his new saw with him on the trip.  Grandpa's workshop was the perfect place to practice.

Both kids got in on the fun of building inventions. There was much hammering involved!

Some very determined sledders had to shovel snow onto a tiny little slope in order to get any action.  It keep them busy for an inordinately long time!

New Year's Eve dinner with (second) cousins Merrick and Elsie

Merrick and Linden are two months apart, and discovered that they are kindred spirits.  This is one of the rare moments they were focused and quiet, rather than gleefully tearing around and making noise.

Juniper took Elsie under her wing, and played princesses.  

The best picture I could get of the kids around the NYE bonfire, all snuggled together on a hay bale

Our version of NYE fireworks!

New Years Day: Cinnamon-sugar toast is a favourite treat at Grandma and Grandpa's. What happens when you are out of ground cinnamon, however?  You grate your own, of course!

Look who got to work the plow!

One last sled before heading back home to Nova Scotia

And that, my friends, is one action-packed last couple of weeks to 2016.  I feel as though 2017 has a whole lot of awesome adventures in store, and I - for one - am ready for the fresh start that January offers.  See you next week!