Well, Merry Christmas 2008 everyone!! I know that this looks a bit different from the yearly Christmas card and family photo that we usually send out. There are a few reasons why we've decided to start this family blog. Firstly, we're actively trying to leave less of an environmental impact by our actions so lessening the number of cards we actually send out each year is one way which we can do that; consider this just one of our One Millions Acts of Green . Secondly, we wanted to be able to reach our friends and family that are online (which is the majority) so we thought that this was a good way to still reach out and keep in touch with everyone. Going forward, I'll be trying to update this blog at least monthly so that we can keep in touch and keep everyone updated as to what's happening in our busy household...

So, where to begin?!...

One major highlight for our family this year was our drive down to NYC to visit Nannie & Poppie. It took us about 15 hours each way all told with pit stops and highway work included. Rae lived in her iPod, Shrek was a constant in the background for the boys and Victor and I realized that we still work well as a pilot and navigator team around the slow downs on the highways. We had done the big road trip with Rae to PEI before we moved to Stratford, but we were a little weary about how well the boys would adjust, but as long as they had their movie playing repetitively ("Five times YeaYea, five times!") they were well travelled road warriors.


It was really touching to watch all of our three children play on the same beach that their Mum and their Auntie practically grew up on, but it was most special to have the time with Nannie & Poppie and to see the smile that just being around the kids brought to their faces.

2008 was a big year of change for Ethan and Liam. This summer they both attempted to play soccer (really it was mostly Victor and I encouraging the boys to get out on the field), but we've heard that it gets better next year, so we're looking forward to that...


Our happy little men started Junior Kindergarten this year at Anne Hathaway Public School and are really enjoying their days at school. Our only real challenge is keeping them awake long enough for dinner on school days as they adjust to not napping as regularly as they used to. The boys' reading and spelling abilities are outstanding and they're both able to spell words independently by just working on sounding them out and using their phonics skills. We're really pleased with the decision to have them in separate classes as it seems that it suits them both very well and their teachers aren't expending any energy on managing the boys' dynamics in the classroom along with 20 other kiddies.


Liam and Ethan also turned four this year and we celebrated with their friends from Anne Hathaway daycare at McCully's Farm. It was an absolutely beautiful Autumn day and all the moms, dads and kids were able to enjoy a horse drawn trailer ride and visit to the barn as well as the play in the corn maze. The boys were spoiled rotten by all of their friends and their train collection has never been bigger!!

Rae continues to show that basketball's her sport...she and three friends (Leslie, Paige and Ashley) participated in a 3 on 3 tournament this summer and not only placed really well but got some coverage in the local paper as well. Then she and her Stratford Central Rams teammates also had an excellent year, placing third at WOSSAA. It was a ton of fun watching her, her teammates and her coach really bond and connect this year. We were really proud of Rae all throughout the school basketball season.



Officially, Rae really hates this picture. We love that it shows her fierceness and strength. I keep encouraging her to look at how much "real estate" she got on the front page of the local sports section, but she's 16 (ohmygawd she is sooooo 16!!!) and a girl...she doesn't care as much about that...Rae's basketball continues now with her play on the local OBA team as she and two of her teammates from last year's team have moved up an age group. We're looking forward to the great play with this new team, if not the travel involved.

Rae's still making us proud off the court too by maintaining an "A" average at school so far this year and by practicing toward her grade 8 piano and grade 2 theory. ♪♫ She enjoys playing her guitar mostly these days and we love to hear the original compositions that she continues to just wow everyone with. ♪♫ Mostly though this year, Rae's just really happy to have finally gotten her braces off...!!


Victor is very happy with his decision in 2007 to move to the Victorian Order of Nurses. Not only is he able to use his oncology certification very readily with many of his patients, but he's becoming a very valued member of the Perth-Wellington community and is often mentioned in the local papers by his patients' families with great regard, respect and love. No surprises there at all. Selfishly, we love having him home more evenings and more weekends than not!

As for me, well life continues to be ever rich and full. On the professional side of life, I'm still working at TELUS although my team has changed a great deal in the last couple of months. I'm very grateful to be considered an important part of the team and I'm also very grateful for the training that I've received this year in support of my drive toward certification in business analysis. There promises to be ever more changes into 2009 and I'm excited by the challenges ahead there.

A massively impacting experience for me on both the personal and spiritual side of my life this year was the blessing of spending ten days in quiet meditation at the Ontario Vipassana Centre. It was easily one of the more important highlights of 2008 for me due to the people I met and the sense of awareness I found and I'm ever hopeful about my abilities to bring that quiet into my every day as both a practice and a way of being. Rae also attended a one-day course for youth and Victor will be attending the same ten day course in January 2009 as we all work actively to bring more peace, regard and compassion into our household.

From that experience also came my renewed efforts at writing more this year as well as spending more time feeding my soul. I'm still docenting at the Gallery Stratford and late this year I was invited to be put forth for nomination on the Gallery Stratford Board of Trustees, which I'm very much looking forward to in 2009.

So, 2009 promises to be ever more rich and full (read: busy, busy, BUSY!!) as we all keep working towards finding our patience and balance in the house...as always, we hope to see you all visiting us in Stratford and we send all our love to you and yours...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from ...

Victor, Karen, Rae, Ethan and Liam
xoxoxo