Day 1 of skiing

What an awesome day!! We got the girls all settled in ski school then Matt and I went off skiing. I have to say we were both nervous about how we would do but it was like the time never passed. Matt was awesome!!! He didn't miss a beat. I was little more shaky on my skis but I found them after awhile. We took a break and went to a little restaurant called Skool. Had some great food and it nice to rest after doing some skiing.

About 1:30 we went back to check on the kids and we couldn't find them. We went in to get a drink and got a call. Kaitlyn wasn't feeling well. She skied for the morning but was done. So we are not sure if she will go again tomorrow. She loved it and had fun but has a head cold right now. Got some meds in her and we will see.

Matt took Kaitlyn back to the house and Grace had another hour to ski so I went off to find her. They were on the bunny hill and go to ride the chair lift!! So I caught up with them and skied near them to watch. Grace loved it and can't wait to go back tomorrow.

All in all it was a great day!!

Collingwood

We made it to Collingwood about 3:00 today. Loaded everything into the house and went to the grocery store. After we put on some warm clothes and walked into the village. It was a bout a 5 minute walk there. There are some neat stores and lots of restaurants to choose from and it is all right at the base of the hill. I have to say it is quite the place. Both Matt and I are nervous about strapping on those skis tomorrow but we are both excited. The girls are TOTALLY ready to get out there. We watched the snowboarders doing the half-pipe. Kailtyn asked Matt if he was going to do that tomorrow. NOT!! Stay posted, I will fill you in on our first day out on the hill tomorrow evening.

Another lesson

Kaitlyn had her second riding lesson last night. She was all by herself in the class so she got some one on one instruction with her teacher. Twinkie was a bit feisty so Kaitlyn was a little concerned but once we got the the arena Twinkie settled down for the lesson. Tara had Kaitlyn do around the world on the saddle, ride backwards and sidesaddle. She is just trying to get Kaitlyn comfortable being on the horse and finding her "seat". I really like her instructor and the values she is teaching Kaitlyn along with riding. It's about caring for the horse not just riding it. Here are a few more videos from last night....

A SUNNY Day

Finally, the sun decided to come out and the clouds parted. I really needed some sun. Amazing how I was beginning to miss it. Brooke and I had been talking about how we were feeling and we decided it was because we had been so used to the sun all the time that not having it around was affecting us a little. ( May need to find a tanning bed to lay in once a week )

Anyway, today I went back to Bible Study and I am really enjoying it. I like the gal who leads our group and the way that she guides us through the questions. I don't feel rushed and she really takes time for everyone to think and process what is being said and let's us linger a bit on a topic if it is really getting talked out. Right now we are going through the book of Hebrews. Afterward, Brooke and I went to Kris's for lunch. Yummy!

When I got home I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take a walk down to the lake. It's been over a month since I have been down there and it is amazing how much it has changed. The lake is now frozen out I would say about a mile or so. Which is good for us because that cuts back on the lake effect snow we can get. I took some pictures and video of what it looks like to share with you.

Have fun looking...

A small concert by Kaitlyn

Here is a few songs by Kaitlyn. Enjoy!

I have 2 more videos but it is taking so long and I am tired. Check back tomorrow!

Ok here they are....

Grace's turn...

Grace had a game on Saturday and she is really getting good at skating and playing. She almost made a goal!! Check out the video she really is coming along!

Kaitlyn's Horseback Riding

Kaitlyn finally had her first horseback riding lesson on Friday. She was so excited and it was quite an adventure. I have to fill you in on the days before weather wise. It had not snowed for about 4 days and the temperature had been warming up, got up to 32 on Friday. But by about 5:00 the wind started picking up. And when that wind comes off the lake it is pretty scary. Being down in our little haven surrounded by trees I didn't realize how bad the wind had gotten. Matt left to go meet Jim and Zach in town for dinner and not long after us girls left to take Kaitlyn to riding lessons. By the time we got up to the highway I was a bit nervous. The wind was blowing the snow so hard that it would create "white outs". At one point I was so scared because I couldn't see a thing and when I came out on the other side of the blowing snow I was in the left lane. We safely got the the stables and I really wanted to turn around and go home but I just couldn't do that to Kaitlyn. I called Matt and he showed up about 45 minutes later to hang out with us and take us back home after.

So lessons began. They are about 2 hours long by the time you tack up, have the lesson and tack down. After we got the horses tacked up we had to walk to the indoor arena. That was another adventure of walking through blowing snow. Kaitlyn did awesome controlling her horse and keeping him calm as we walked along.

The lessons were great and I got some videos so you can see what Kaitlyn did during her lessons. We are so proud of her and her teacher is such a wonderful gal who works so well with the kids. She is ready for her next lesson this week. Kaitlyn was able to brush her horse, by the way he name is Twinkie, pick the hooves, saddle and bridle him.

Check out the videos...

Kaitlyn's Flute

It's been a few weeks since Kaitlyn has brought home her flute and we were amazed at how well she is playing now. She is really musically talented and has an ear for the notes. It was neat last night she was up on her keyboard and would play a note on it then play the same note on her flute. This summer there is a 2 week music festival that the kids can take lessons then at the end of the program there is a concert. Both girls want to join and their music teacher said if they do this program they will be good enough to join band. It's a pretty intense 2 weeks but I hear the kids that have never picked up an instrument walk away like they have been playing for years. Anyway, take a listen then let Kaitlyn know what you think.

We're still here.....

I'm sure some of you are wondering where we are. We're still here, just super busy. I feel like the days go by at cheetah speed and I sit down at the end of the day and wonder....where did the time go and did I really accomplish all I needed to???

Our life has been hockey of late but I understand that is part of being parents of a child in sports. It's only going to get busier with playoffs coming next month. And Kaitlyn starting horse back lessons and a babysitting class. WOW can we do it?!? Lord give us strength!!!

The girls are doing great. They both are writing speeches at the moment for school. Kaitlyn is doing hers on Pandas and Grace is doing hers on Mount Rushmore. They have to write the speech then memorize it and then present it to the class. Sorry but I don't think I can even do that. Should be interesting. Teachers here are not as organized as they are back in Kennewick and so I am trying to use some of those skills we have learned ( hey did you see I said "we" I guess I learned along with the girls). Anyway, so I am trying to get them to use those skills to write a report they enjoy and can relate too. I think that is a big part of memorizing it. They need to enjoy it and "own" it.

Matt has been busy at work. They got a lot going on and he goes from the moment he gets there until he gets home. Which is good but man is he exhausted by the time his head hits the pillow. He's been so excited seeing Grace out there on the ice. As a matter of fact that is where they are right now. Kaitlyn and I stayed home because Kaitlyn needed to finish her rough draft for school tomorrow. Plus it's nice for us two to have some time together.

We send everyone big hugs and loves. Miss you all!

Another Hockey Game

Grace had another hockey game today. Man, she is getting so good. Being part of Pee Wee hockey you get to take part of a special skate class on Saturdays. It's called Power Skate. Basically they work with the kids on drills and improving their skating skills. Grace went on Saturday, along with working one on one with her coach on Wednesday, you can really see a HUGE difference in her skills and confidence out there on the ice. Here is a video of her at the game today. She is in a white jersey #25......

McGregor Park Skating Oval

Yesterday, Matt and I took the girls to an outdoor skating oval at one of the Provincial parks just north of us. They took one of the camping areas and flooded the drive so that you can ice skate on it. It was the neatest thing to be outside among the trees just skating along. The weather was very cold and the wind was blowing but once we got into the park the trees really protected you. There was no wind and you tend to work up a sweat skating around. There was a handful of people there so it wasn't too bad. Here are some pictures and videos of our day....

Just thinking...

As I sit here at the computer all morning working I starting a thinking process in between waiting on hold and waiting for websites to download. I sat here watching the temp. go from .6 degrees F to 8.4 degrees F. From snow lightly falling but piling up fast to a break in the clouds with sun shining down on the fresh snow. You would think I was sick of all this white stuff but the truth is, yes at moments I am like when I have to go get the mail or wait for the girls to get off the bus or when the roads are closed. For the most part I just love the fresh fallen snow. To look out on it with no tracks going through then for "the icing on the cake" the sun comes down to show me even more of the beauty that I live in. God is such an awesome God who made this beautiful area that I call my home away from home.

So then my minds goes to 11 1/2 years ago when we took a trip to Juneau, Alaska to visit my uncle. Granted we were there in the summer but as we drove around I thought about what it must be like to live where snow is a constant. I had questions like, do you wear boots all the time, is school ever cancelled, do the kids live in their snowsuits, do you feel depressed because of the gloom and cold??? Fast forward....you know sometimes when you ask a question and God is listening you never know when or how you will get an answer. God is never late but He is always on time. I love that saying. So this is the time to have my questions answered. Yes, we do wear our boots most of the time, rarely is school ever cancelled, if the kids do go out yes they do wear their snow clothes, depressed - NO, ready for warmer weather and sun - yes, at times.

I feel that in order to really survive you have to live in the here and now. Enjoy it for what it is and thank God that every moment and opportunity, even the hard ones, is a blessing and a gift. A way that God is growing you into the person He has created you to be.

Some of you may be wondering how we are doing living so far away from home, family, friends, conveniences. We are doing just fine. Yes, we have moments where we miss those things but home is here now, our family is dearly missed but we are making "family" right here and we are adding to our list of friends ( our ones back home are also dearly missed ). And those conveniences, at times man to I crave a stroll through Target or a latte from Starbucks.

I pray that you will be able to make a trip here to visit our little peace of heaven. See what God made and we get to call home. We want to share with you our adventure not only amongst these words and pictures on our blog. But in real life.

That is my thoughts for the day. Thanks for letting me share them with you. We'd love to hear back from you. We miss you all!!

Game 2

Well, Grace had game 2. It was on Monday night at 8:15. That was a late one. I was told that this was an exhibition game and it was not normal for games to be this late. But Grace was excited and ready to get out there and tear up the ice. It was a bit discouraging for her and the team because the team they played was WAY out of their league. By the third period Grace had finally got her stick on the puck and make a great pass. We could see a huge change in her after that and she was getting a bit more aggressive. Tonight she has practice so I think that will help her a bunch just to go through some of the plays and really know what she should be doing. To tell you the truth it hasn't stopped her one bit not really knowing anything out there. She asks a lot of questions when she is on the bench, the other girls help her out a lot and then she just goes out and does her best. She is still finding her feet and that will come with time. She has 3 games next week so by the end of the week I think she will really be doing well. Go Grace!!

Hockey Grace!

Grace played in her first hockey game last night. She hasn't even had a practice and she was out there doing great. She did 5 shifts and got to pass the puck 3 times. It took a couple times getting out and talking to her coach for her to really understand what she should do. By the last few minutes of the game she was really going at it. She was so excited and can't wait for her game tonight. And her Poppa was grinning ear to ear all night. Here are a few pictures ( they aren't the best ) and a little video ( this is of when she first went out ). Stay tuned for more. Grace is #25.

Also, FYI Kaitlyn starts her horseback riding lessons next week!! She is SO ready.....

Update

So it's been a few days since I have posted anything. Yes we are still here and doing fine. It's been a busy week of getting back into our routines at work and school.

Matt has been extremely busy at work which can be good and bad. He took off today with the guys to Collingwood ( which is 2 hours north of here ). All the Babcock guys are getting together to just "get away from work". Sounds like a great place. There is a ski resort near the house. Matt says it is a setting you would find in a ski town in Europe. We are heading there at the end of the month to do some skiing and now I am really getting excited.

Kaitlyn is doing well. She was sick this week. It was a 24 hour thing and she is doing well now. She turned in a book review and her teacher was so impressed with it that she hung it up on the bulletin board. We are pretty proud of her.

Grace is excited to start hockey and was SO glad to be back at school. I took her town to Port Huron, MI on Thursday for a check up for her ADD. Brooke tagged along for the ride. Truth be told I think she was ready for a Starbucks and Target refill. The weather was good, not too much snow on the roads. Port Huron was beautiful. Sunny and blue skies. Grace had a great Dr's visit. Afterwards, we found a great mall to do some shopping. I think we got our fix and it's great to know that it's there. Port Huron was a 3 1/2 hour drive down, not too bad.

I have been busy getting all my paperwork together to start working and am excited to get going. I spent the week cleaning the house and organizing my scrapbooking area down in the basement. Matt got me a cricut for Christmas. It's a great machine that does cutting for scrapbooking, ie: letters, shapes, etc. I just LOVE it!!

So that is our update for the week. Grace's team has a game on Sunday and Monday so we will see if she will get a chance to play or not. Her first practice is Wednesday so stay tuned and we will post pictures.

Guess who's going to play Hockey!?!

After 4 years of asking to play hockey Grace finally gets to play. You would have thought we gave her another American Girl Doll. This girl is VERY excited! We got her all geared up this weekend and she has put on her gear every night just to wear it. We are now waiting to hear from her coach about when practices start. Grace is one anxious girl to get out there and start tearing up the ice. Truth be told her Papa is a bit excited too. Keep watch for pictures and video of her playing...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

WOW where did 2008 go. What a great year it was for us Halsted's. So much adventure and changes going on in our household. I want to wish everyone a blessed and successful 2009 and may this year bring much joy and happiness to you.

Well, I have been a little lax on getting my posts done these last few days. I do have to say it hasn't been for lack of want to. So I will catch you up on what has taken place...

So, New Year's Eve was a quiet one. We all slept in after a long day in the city. That evening we went night bowling with a bunch of families from Kevin's fire house. What a great time it was. The kids had a blast bowling and Grace bowled a 148!!! ( the bumpers were up ) I think we should sign her up on a league. Later on we all went to the fire house to hang out and wait for the New Year to come. The kids got to check out the fire engines and the guys were so nice to let the kids climb up on them and they even turned on the lights. We only made it to about 10:00 and had to get the 3 younger kids to bed. Kaitlyn stayed up with us adults as we watched the ball drop and brought in 2009.

The next morning Aunt Vicki and Uncle Jim came over before we headed out for home. It was great to see them one last time. So we drove back to Niagara Falls and stayed there again. It was a much better drive than trying to go all the way home. We got a better view of the falls the next morning. It was good to finally be home and we spent the weekend sleeping, getting things back in order for work and school and orgainizing after the long trip.

It was a great time and I am so thankful we were able to go down and see everyone. The girls still talk about the trip into the city. They can't wait to go back in the summer sometime and go to the Statue of Liberty.