I shake my head realizing that I sat down to write this letter about two hours ago! My, time flies when I get distracted on Facebook. It’s all those games of Scrabulous that I work so hard to lose!

Merry Christmas everyone! I am really enjoying this season more than I remember in the past few years. Maybe that is because for the first time in years I have headspace. My children are all in school full time now and it has been a wonderful experience for all of us.

We are coming out of a deep freeze. For the past week or two in has been between –25 to –30 degrees. We have the most beautiful snow and I hope it stays for Christmas. For the last two years we haven’t had any snow at Christmas so I’m hoping for this year.

This week we are busy preparing for the Christmas program. We are so blessed to have a Christmas program that actually shares the story of Christ’s birth. This is Michael’s last year to be involved and then he’ll be in Junior High. (GASP!) It is definitely a highlight of the program when our son sings. He has a gift and still loves to sing. His voice soars with crystal clarity and gives me the chills.

Aside from preparing for Christmas, Michael is busy in grade six. This year he started playing volleyball and was the season’s most improved player. He works really hard and will become a good player. In September, he started Tae Kwon Do and loves it. It has been very good for him on many levels. I have found that making him do push-ups for sassing me works well. So Tae Kwon Do has been helpful for me too! He is a fantastic kid.

Adriana is in grade four and working really hard. She started gymnastics last February recreationally and was asked to do Interclub. (Sort of between competitive and recreational) In September she started Interclub and has progressed at a rapid pace. She has achieved three badges and is working on her fourth in one session. That is huge. In February she has been asked by her coach to do a pre-competitive class where they up the training and expect harder work. She has yet to be disinterested and her coach says that she is quite competitive. Every time the bar is set higher by her teammates, she goes for it. She is still as sweet as ever.

The precocious twins are almost seven! Can you believe it? I can hardly believe/remember it! School is a great and they quite enjoy it. They are working very hard. Bless the teacher, she has her hands full of rambunctious boys and a few girls that are right in there too. They have yet to join any extra-curricular activity. I can’t figure out how I can get them all in a different direction at the same time! Jonathan really wants to learn Hip-Hop dance. If we ever sign him up he’ll be good at it! Jamison has yet to show a real interest in any one activity. He loves to draw and will spend hours drawing with great detail. The two on them still keep my head spinning in circles.

Paul is working very hard in Fort Nelson. He is working as a Heavy Duty Mechanic. While he doesn’t necessarily enjoy the work, it is going well. He misses us and we miss him. He is home one week a month and that week is really great. He loves the area around Ft. Nelly, not that he gets out very much! He works really hard and then comes home and sleeps for a whole day!

Between bussing the kids to school and all their activities I have still managed to have fun for me! I play badminton twice a week with ladies ranging from 29 to 84 years old. (Maybe three of us are under 45) It is surprisingly tough! What the seniors lack in agility they make up for in cunning. I will NEVER say “sweet” and “little old lady” in the same sentence again! I was attempting to go back to school this fall. Our local college has a lab technologist course that I’d love to take. I basically have to redo grades 11 and 12. I am finding it difficult to fit that into my life. The fun is getting in the way! There are so many things that I need to do. We are hoping to sell our house in the spring and buy something farther out of town and more to our needs. Just getting the house painted could take me until spring!

I hope this Christmas season finds you well and filled with all the wonderful treasures of the season. Take time to slow down and spend it with those you love. Love and laugh more than you have all year. When you feast, throw your heart into it.
Love the Minard Family, Paul, Kelly, Michael, Adriana, Jonathan and Jamison. (Jake the dog and Bandit the cat)