Christmas Fun

Did you know that for as long as I can remember I have been afraid of ice on lakes and rivers? I remember being furious with my mom once for letting Kinsey go ice fishing with a friend and of forcing myself to go skating on a pond once for mutual. I was telling my dad about this fear the other day and he said that my Grandpa Robinson used to tell us about one of his sisters falling through the ice and them almost losing her. I have no recollection of this but maybe that's where the fear originated? Anyways, I do have a point, I promise!

On Sunday we got invited to a Christmas party being held on Monday night here in Sylvan Lake down at the lake. The town has erected a huge Christmas tree out on the lake and has flooded the lake and ploughed it into different skating areas. The tree is all lit up and they have benches and picnic tables and stuff set up so you can get skates on and all that. I didn't realize that the party was being held on the ice so we readily accepted and headed out Monday night to join a bunch of friends. As we pulled up and saw all the vehicles parked on the ice I started having a mild panic attack. I tried to convince Cliff that we could just park at the top of the bank and walk down but that didn't work. My thinking was that we really didn't need to add the weight of our van to the ice with the rest of the vehicles and Cliff's was that it would be fine since there were already so many vehicles out there. To make a long story short we didn't crash through the ice and I actually was able to enjoy myself despite my fear of the ice. There were several different families from our ward who live in Sylvan out there that night and it was like being surrounded by family. I never had to worry where the boys were...Zane had a couple of 12-13 year old girls who mother henned him and another one who would take Zane and Rhett for rides in a sled out on the ice. They had so much fun. There was hot chocolate, yummy treats, and a feeling of love and friendship. I am learning to love being here in Sylvan more and more. I am so thankful for the invitation...I find that sometimes I get into my own little bubble of what is going on in our lives and I forget that there is life outside of my bubble. It was fun to step out of our bubble for awhile and feel of the love and friendship that is in our ward family. We stayed out on the ice for about an hour and then Rhett had had enough. We came home and cuddled under a big quilt to warm everyone up and watched some old Christmas movies on CBC...Rhett fell asleep and Zane soon followed in his bed. It was a lot of fun and hopefully something that we'll be able to make into a new family tradition.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately as I've made lots of changes in my life in order to achieve my weight and health goals. I'm almost there and have had to add a few extra work outs in to keep my metabolism up and not just maintaining. Because of this I've had to say no to some things and activities that I normally would say yes to and it has caused me to think long and hard about the choices I have made. And this is what I have concluded : Emily Watts made a statement that says something to this effect, "If you add something into your life you have to take something out of it" . This is how I feel about the things that I have said no to in the last months instead of saying yes so that I could achieve my personal goals. I have decided to be selfish in certain aspects of my life right now in order to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister and person all around. I have not only added exercise and a different diet but I have also been adding things in my life to try and increase my spirituality and the spirit in my home. It is hard sometimes to not feel as though I am being judged by others who do not know the whole story - only the part that shows me not going to an enrichment activity, or saying no when asked if I can accompany someone for something else, or hoping that my visiting teaching beat stays with three sisters and does not have any more added to it. However, I have a wonderful mom and friends who remind me of the things that I am doing in my family and in my home and that there is a time and a season for all things. I am so thankful that I don't have to do it all at once!
So Christmas is almost here. We are having our own little Christmas tomorrow night and then it's pack up and leave for Barnwell early Friday morning. We get to spend the weekend in Barnwell and head for Raymond Christmas Eve afternoon. Cliff gets to stay with us until Boxing Day but has to be back for work on the 27th. The kids and I are staying in Raymond until the 30th and then Grammie is coming home with us. We're making strudels (only the yummiest and most fattening thing in the entire world - it's not a pastry like most of you think. Some ethnic dish my Grandma used to make...oh the calories but it's worth it once or twice a year.)
I love this time of year...it's so full of family and fun and the spirit of Christmas and love and giving. We took the boys to see Santa yesterday - Rhett wanted nothing to do with him but Zane bravely marched over and sat on his lap and chatted somewhat nervously with him. After Monday's party he has decided that he needs ice skates and asked Santa to bring him a pair. Sigh. As I know what Santa is bringing him I've been trying to prepare him by telling him that it's fine to ask Santa for gifts but we don't always get what we ask for. However, Santa always makes sure it's something fun and something we'll like. I did have the fleeting moment when I thought about scrapping the Santa gift we got him and rushing out to buy skates...but I figure he's going to have to learn sooner or later that he's not always going to get what's on his Santa list.
So for those of you who read this before we leave please say a prayer for us that the boys will be healthy and that I will be healthy. Zane still is coughing and hacking, Rhett puked 4 times in an hour today and I am starting to cough. Grrr. We can't wait to see all our family and friends!
Merry Christmas!