Christmas Day at the Bain house began by admiring the quilt Grandma Shuter made for Calum's first Christmas

Opening up the presents

Calum, you have another present! Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Grant

Uncle Rob and Dakota

Mom playing with one of Calum's new friends

Play and more play

What a long day...Calum in his pajamas

A Calum collage...

Final lot from Merritt

More from Merritt

Santa came early in Merritt

And we're off

to Merritt for a couple of days. Really looking forward to seeing my family. Calum is going to love it - he's already having a great time with the wrapping of presents and Christmas parties.

No Christmas cards again this year so I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas from Don the kids and myself. If we don't see you over the holidays, we hope to see you in the new year.

Off shopping at the New Westminster Quay...

...I like it when Mom reads to me

...let's get some bananas

Hiding

Dakota plays songs for Calum

Last day at daycare before Christmas

When are we going golfing?

Happy Birthday Grant

I'll leave it to Don to find a suitably embarrassing photo. Hope you have a good birthday.

Christmas plans

Well, it has been a busy week as the holiday preparations kick into gear. On the weekend we got our tree and decorated it. We have to be careful this year because Calum is really curious. Tabitha took one look at our tree and politely suggested we needed more ornaments - I agree but we've opted for the fewer is better policy this year and most especially the anything-out-of-the-reach-of-Calum is better. So far we are doing alright but Calum does like to grab things off the tree when he gets close.

Don and I put our money together and bought a share gift for the both of us this year. I found a good deal on a digital camera - a digital Canon Rebel, very much like our Canon film camera. In fact, we can use our lens and filters on the digital camera. Look for even more photos as we test it out.

As you can see from Don's last posts, we (including Grandma and Grandpa, Larry and Tabitha and Chris) went to Dakota's concert last night. She played very well and Calum thought it was pretty exciting. He conked out right around his usual bedtime though so slept through most of it.

Tonight we have Don's staff party and tomorrow afternoon Calum and I are going to his daycare party. Wish us luck because I don't know how long he will last. Oh, we just discovered that the new baby at daycare, Muskwasis, is in fact a relation. His mom is my cousin's daughter. Muskwasis (this means Little Bear in Cree) is 2 months old and a very cute boy. Calum now has a cousin at his daycare! Sometimes the world doesn't seem so big.

For those of you still doing your holiday preparations - good luck! We've got a little left to do but mostly are looking forward to getting up to Merritt to visit my family (Dec 22 and 23rd) and having a get-together with Don's family when we get back.

Dakota's Christmas Concert was tonight. Here she is getting ready.

Getting ready to play.

Can you find Dakota?

Calum just couldn't sit still until after the concert started. He cuddled up with his sister Desiree and the music lulled him to sleep.

I post this picture because she is cute...or blinded by the incessant flash of cameras?

A New Command Centre....and the long wait

Calum waited....and waited for his new command centre to be built.

Calum Meets...

Here he comes!

Another with Santa

My first snowfall - Dakota made me a snowman

What a cute boy!

More pictures...because you never have enough

or so the grandparents say.