Happy Valentines Day

Thanks Heather for making these heart shaped brownies for Ecole Airdrie Middle School staff on Valentines Day. Tempting to leave a few at home! Thanks also to Michelle for your treats. Heather and Michelle have been supplying desserts for the staff since September.

Eden Abigail Born on January 10th, 2012

Congratulations to Rich and Grace on the birth of their beautiful daughter Eden Abigail on January 10th, 2012. Maya and Jay Jay are happy to have a new baby sister.

Lending a Helping Hand and Having Fun Doing It.

Habitat for Humanity is building a duplex for two school bus drivers and their families in Airdrie and Genesis Church wants to help. Bryan and I volunteered on Friday Jan 6th at their site in Bayside. We worked with Kay, our supervisor. It was a great day with just a little wind and plenty of sun. The basement walls are already up and the main floor is on. Our assignment was to cut and router the wall panels. The duplex is being built with panels consisting of high density foam between 2 sheets of 1/2 inch chipboard that fit together like a puzzle. They have an insulation value of R40 which is almost double the insulation value of a typical 2x6 wall. This will save on heating costs and pay off in the long run. Habitat for Humanity gives people a hand up by providing homeowners with interest free mortgages with extended amortization periods. I encourage everyone to volunteer for this worthwhile project. Its rewarding and you can learn new skills and lingo while your at it. More info at http://www.habitatcalgary.ca/users/folder.asp?FolderID=3978

Youth Hike to Johnston Canyon

I thought Christmas break meant that I would see my kids more. But  I only get to see them for half the day now because they sleep in until noon almost every day!!

So when I thought about going on a day hike and leaving at 7:30am I was anticipating them to object and complain. But to my surprise they were all for it and so were Carter and Amanda.  We were up at 6:45am and out the door at 8:15am (not bad).

We headed for Kananaskis Country for a snowshoe hike. As we approached the turn off from Highway 1 I got worried because there wasn't any snow anywhere. We decided to head into the park instead and drove to Johnston Canyon for a hike.

What a great way to spend a day. Everyone packed a lunch.  We brought Molly, our dog along.

The weather was perfect. The trail was well packed and the kids were full of energy, at least until just before lunch, when they collapsed from hunger!!

Here is a photo of the kids at the end of the hike! As you can see we all made it and their sense of humor was still intact. Hope to do it again some day when Leigh is off. 

One of the things I most appreciated and thanked God for while I was hiking was the joy the kids were expressing the whole time we were out there. A 1 hour hike to the upper falls took 2 hours as they took every side path there was (and some that weren't there) and they played and joked all the way there and back. Thank you God for these great kids and a great day and your beautiful creation.

Maple Syrup Taffy Anyone?

The pressure was on. Bryan and I arrived at Ecole Airdrie Middle School at 10:30am to prepare maple syrup taffy as part of Multicultural Day on Dec 22nd. We got 2 large pots and started boiling the maple syrup in the Home Ec room right away. It had to be ready by noon and we thought that we had lots of time. As the clock ticked by we got more and more nervous because the taffy wasn't ready. Then at 12:00 Rebeccah came in and told us that the kids were lined up outside and in the hall for the taffy. One last test showed us that it was ready to go. We brought the pots outside. Rebeccah and a couple of friends filled the cookie sheets with fresh snow and we started serving maple syrup taffy on popsicle sticks. They were a great hit with students and teachers. We had just enough for everyone. Were looking forward to doing it again next year and finding a way to serve even more students and staff.

New Twist to Potluck - Breakfast for Dinner

Last night we decided to have breakfast for dinner at our monthly potluck. It seemed to go over well. We had pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, toast and other fixins. Thanks to Josh and April for helping to plan the event and cooking up the pancakes along with Jimmy.







             We had several new families including Hema's family, Jeff's family, Keith's family and Rob's family. Thanks to the Dolans for driving up from Cochrane. We missed Isaac who was away working on the rigs.

It was also a night to say goodbye to Tim and Ashley as they transition to Bow Valley Baptist Church in Cochrane where Ashley's dad is the pastor. We'll miss you guys, but were hoping you'll come back and visit often.

Junior Girls Volleyball Team Celebrate the End of a Great Season

Savannah, Shawna and Katherine's volleyball team had a lot of fun tonight. 

Their coach Raylene Kennedy organized a night out for the girls including supper at BP and U of C Dinos volleyball  game. Genesis Church and Young Life were pleased to be able to sponsor the meal for the girls.

During the game the girls had a cheer challenge and met Rex the mascot. Thanks Raylene for a great season. The girls loved you and so did their parents.