Nathalieland - Year In Review

Wow, it feels like 2022 went by really fast. Although COVID-19 is still among us, this year finally felt a little more normal, especially with school, travel, and gatherings. We tried lots of new things, from skiing to archery to Survivor to treetop trekking to ultimate frisbee. The girls continued to grow and mature and it's been a pleasure to see it happen. Here is a recap of our year.

It started off with lots of family time in January, including skating and snow play. I also celebrated blogging for 12 years!

It was in February that we all tried skiing for the first time. It was a cool experience that we'll likely do every year. Some special occasions included a low-key Valentine's Day, Papa Garry's 80th on Zoom, and Grand-Papa's 72nd on Family Day weekend.  

In March we started family archery lessons and I had a grand-ol' time celebrating my 39th birthday. We had a lovely March Break with plenty of family time, including getting into the show Survivor.

April was pretty quiet: we brought out the rollerblades, had an outdoor Easter due to Jessi's cold, and hosted a couple of playdates with friends. 

In May life continued as always, with guinea pigs, rock climbing, family activities and Survivor. We celebrated Mother's Day and Jessi turning 11!

The highlights in June were a day trip to Montreal, cousin Lorelei's First Communion, Father's Day, and the last day of school. We also took advantage of the summery weather with gardening, swimming, and a trip to the cottage! What a beautiful month.

In July we experienced our lowest low with the death of our beloved guinea pig, Ludy, and our (literal) highest high with the PEAK 2 PEAK experience on our trip to Vancouver. There were lots of memories made this month, on top of a visit from our Waterloo friends. 

As expected, lots happened in the month of August. I blogged about our day trip to Charleston Lake, Lemmy's 4th birthday, a significant phone upgrade, Emily's first experience with Treetop Trekking, our 14th wedding anniversary, our trip to Cambridge/Waterloo/Stratford to visit family and friends, and last but not least, Emily turning 13!! This will never be a month of rest!

In September the girls went back to school for grades 6 and 8. We reminisced about our summer days, but at least we had a few things to look forward to in the Fall: Grand-Maman's birthday, ultimate frisbee with Steve, and back-to-school colds (oh wait, that last one was no fun). 

Some highlights in October were Thanksgiving, our annual trip to the Corn Maze, and a train ride to Toronto to visit our new niece. We also realized that from February to October we managed to watch 15 seasons of Survivor (we're about to finish our 19th now!). But the main events of course were Steve's birthday and Halloween.

Winter weather appeared fast in November, which we made sure to enjoy. Steve and I discovered the joys of rucking and hanging out with our new niece. 

December had a rough start with lots of sickness, including COVID for me! Thankfully it all went away in time for our delayed Christmas celebrations.

What a lovely year! 2023 should be an exciting one too: we are planning a trip to the Cayman Islands for my 40th birthday, Steve and I are celebrating 15 years of marriage, Emily is heading to high school and Jessi is transferring to a French Immersion 7/8 program. If I'm lucky I'll also make it out to Saskatoon and Germany for some long-awaited visits. A year full of milestones and memories!

Happy New Year from Nathalieland!

Christmas Day 2022

Christmas morning was full of fun, excitement, presents, and snow! Unsurprisingly, the weather affected Steve's family from coming to visit, so instead we had our delayed Christmas Eve celebration at my parents'. Thank goodness we were able to drive out there! Our road still wasn't plowed, but the remaining streets were ok, so we made it there and back in one piece.

Today the celebrations continue: the girls have a gift-exchange-pizza-party with their neighbourhood friends, followed by a Zoom Christmas party with Steve's dad's side of the family, then finally the rescheduled gathering with the Pauls. Much gratitude for all the love we have around!

Merry Christmas from Nathalieland!