Before We Left...

...... there was a lot happening!  Mommy came for a visit....

.... all by herself!  The boys stayed home with Daddy - and Mommy & I went shopping.  Then I went to their house for a day - and Poppa picked me up at the big store where we meet to pick up and drop off the boys.  I got quite a bit of my Christmas shopping done in those couple of days!  Next item....

....... the first weekend in December Munchie and his family came to have Christmas with us.  Our present to Mommy and Daddy was a night at the hotel just up the street, while the little boys stayed with us.  Munchie posed for this picture and then.........

............ burst out laughing!  We all went to Swiss Chalet for their Christmas feast - which saved a lot of mess and fuss!  The following day....

.............. we had a mini-Christmas and everyone got to open presents.  Munchie can read quite well now, so he handed out the gifts.  Then....

........ Curtie put on his coat and went outside with his bug-catching equipment to see if he could find any bugs!  Daddy and Poppa....

........... fixed some wires on the sound system while........

...... the boys created some more artwork for my fridge!  A couple of days later .......

....... we received this beautiful Christmas arrangement from Gramma, Aunt Melissa, Uncle Russ, Taylor and Reese, and Uncle Craig.  That is Daddy's family.  How nice and how thoughtful of them.  Thank You to all!  Next on the agenda was dinner with...........

....... my old gang from work!  This is Sue with me.  That is her husband in the background - he was busy talking to..........

...... Kev-Inn and Lucy!  We had a good time... it is always nice to chat about work - good times and bad!  Poppa was there too of course - but you already know what he looks like!  We had a few quiet days while...........

.......... Squeegie complained about Canadian winters and whined about going to Florida, even though the weather was very mild for December and there was no snow on the ground.  As usual...

... Taffy was much more patient and waited patiently while contemplating..........

...... the pieces of the blanket I was working on before we left.  I didn't get it finished and it was too large to transport - so it will be waiting for me when I get back in the spring.  On Christmas Eve, after church, we went....

.... to Aunt Denise's for dinner with Auntie Pauline, Tracy and Aunt Jeannie.  Supper was very good and we went home to finish packing.  Christmas morning we opened some presents.  Thank you to Auntie Cecile (she send her amazing homemade Christmas cake and cookies!), Uncle Mark, Auntie Colleen, Uncle Shaun (he made cake from Auntie Cecile's recipe!), and of course Auntie Denise and Auntie Pauline!  At suppertime we went to the Atrium for a last visit with Aunt Peggy.  We had supper with her and then......

....... we went back to her room where she opened her presents and put on the new nightgown she found in one of her parcels.  She hadn't been feeling too well and I'm quite sure she climbed under the covers as soon as we left.  Kev-Inn stopped in to see her a couple of time in the last few days and says she seems to be feeling better.  The next day we left our cozy condo and headed south!  Hurray!