Big win for Hudson

Yesterday's game was for the division championship. Even though the rain held out until the 4th quarter it was still freezing out there watching Hudson play. But the cold was worth it to watch his team win the division championship. Final score 48 - 21.
This means our trip to Kelowna for next week's semi-final game is a go. We just need the weather on the highway up there to be kind to us. Only two more games and two more wins until they can call themselves provincial champs. Go Hudson Go!

Getting pumpkins

That time again.




Managed to get a family shot. Cooper wasn't really in the mood but he obliged for this one anyway. No individual one though.

My fave.

Carving post to follow. (I hope)

Thanksgiving in Whistler...again

We headed back to Whistler again this year for Thanksgiving. We all enjoy this weekend so much that we see no reason to change it up.
Weather cooperated and we spent the three days wandering around the village, eating, relaxing in the pool and hot tub and more eating.
One of our favourite places to be is the farmers market. There are always so many treats and we end up eating our way through from one end to the other. This year was no exception. The list of goodies we consumed included:
crepes, hand fruit pies; apple and cherry, maple candy, homemade marshmallow smores, real fruit juice snow cones, wood-fired pizza
 ....and that was probably all before lunch.
 
 
 
 
For lunch Cooper and I never miss the Annual Harvest Soup Contest. We discovered this the first year we came and have done it every year since. I look forward to sharing this with him. (Can't help but notice in this photo how much taller than me Cooper has gotten.)

Kids ask every year to go up the gondola and do the peak to peak from Whistler to Blackcomb. The large price tag for all of us to do that has always stopped us from going. But this year was the year. The weather was gorgeous so up we went.


 Feeling on top of the world!

Tag and his little snowman.

He absolutely loved the snow. He ran/rolled down this hill a few times. Hiking back up starting getting tiring.

A few shots in the village. Lily loved it! So many other dogs and the big field behind Reagan was the perfect place to chase a ball. She whined every time the kids got too far out of her reach.



I tried to spend as much time as I could right here. In the big adirondack chairs that are set up for those that want to sit back, enjoy their Starbucks and watch their family play. Perfection!

Lastly, the one and only family shot I got all weekend.

The season of cross country has started again.
 
Taggart's first race proved to bring successful in terms of joy, but as he later realized not as successful in terms of his place.
 
His gym teacher coached them not to use up all their energy at the beginning. This is a race of endurance, not speed. Taggart took all of this seriously, obviously, as he placed 39th out of 46 runners.
I was surprised by this as we've always thought Tag was a good runner and pretty fast. He clearly used up none of his energy at the beginning, maybe not even that much in the middle, and at the end he seemed to have energy to spare. But he smiled the whole time. So even though I was surprised by his finish I was laughing as well. He clearly enjoyed himself and I don't think he even realized his place until a little later.

Later we talked about the fact that he had a little room for improvement and maybe using up a little more energy in the next race would help him finish faster. We talked about the fact that he should be pretty exhausted after a race. All that talking seemed to exhaust him more than the race.

We'll see what happens this week.

1 year.

One year ago today I said a final goodbye to my Mom. There have been a few times that I wanted to blog about it but never really seemed to have the right words.
Well, I still don't really have the right words. But it's time to blog about it anyway.
Anybody who has lost a parent knows it doesn't really matter how old they or you get...you're never ready to let go. Mom's last couple years with us were not good ones. There were moments of goodness, but generally those are the times that I would rather not remember. And as this year has passed, I find that the good memories of her are returning and the bad ones are disappearing. I am thankful for that.
I had a lovely Mom...who loved to cook and bake, tend to her garden...and most of all loved to be with her family. Even more if there could be a baby in her arms. And with 6 of her own, 14 grandbabies, and 7 great grandbabies...there was good share for her to hold.

I miss calling her when I have a question about what I'm cooking for dinner.
I miss talking to her about my kids.
I miss taking the kids over there for pancakes.
I miss her hugs.
I miss her.






Love you Mom.

Apple pie cookies

When I saw these cookies I knew they were something I would have to make for Cooper. He loves pie....especially apple pie.
I also thought they looked really pretty and a perfect cookie for fall. (although it is supposed to reach a humid-ex of 39* today so Fall it ain't)

When Cooper saw them afterschool he got excited...really excited.
"Mom, these are quite possibly the best thing you have ever made"

"No seriously Mom, you MUST make these again"

"Are they a lot of work?" he asked.
"Not too bad." I said. I won't tell him they came from store bought pie crusts and store bought apple pie filling. At 15 years old, there isn't too much that I can do these days to impress him. I'll hold on to this secret for a while.

Taggart turns 9

We were in Seattle on Tag's birthday for the second year in a row. We like to spend the Labour Day weekend there to do some back to school shopping and just a last hoorah to summer.
So here's how it went down:

 Birthday presents in bed

Counting some of his loot. {Sorry Nana...I know you probably would have preferred that I crop you out of this shot but you being there in the bed with him is part of the memory. I hope you agree. :)}

Breakfast at McDonalds. Tag loves McDonalds hashbrowns...I mean LOVES. I think he ate 4!

Then back to the gum wall so Tag could add a 'T9'. Good thing I had hand sanitizer in my bag.

 Then off to get ready for "Ride the Ducks". If you haven't done this tour of Seattle, it is really worth it. We have seen the boats driving around the city everytime we go and we decided it was time to check it out. Such a great way to see the city and the driver was not only very informative but also very funny.
 
You can just imagine how fun those quackers would be. (insert sarcasm here)



Tony let the driver know that it was Tag's birthday so he pulled him up into that special seat, put his captain hat on him and had the whole boat sing "Happy Birthday" to him. Definitely a highlight for Tag.

Then we found a Mexican restaurant for dinner as Tag's only birthday dinner requirement (every year) is that there are tacos.

When we were done in the city we headed back to our hotel for a swim in the pool and the hot tub.

This hot tub where just before we headed back up to the room, Tag decided to do one more jump in.

Which resulted in his leg smashing into the side so hard that he split it open. So a quick rush back up to the room with first aid not far behind where it was determined that it required stitches.

So off we went to the nearest emergency room.


Dad trying hard to keep up Tag's spirits.

Not too bad.

When we finally got back to the hotel, it was midnight. He stretched his birthday out to the last minute. But now of course, everyone was starving so we ordered up some room service, watched a little TV and called it a night. A birthday we won't soon forget.