A Year Late...

Prepping for winter:  

The beautiful mother:

Mom made everyone pose for photos, you know, to make sure we wouldn't ever forget this day. Peep dad doing real work in the background.

Mariana's adorable smile:

The eldest and the youngest (a 16-year gap):

Benjamin concentrating on his remembrance day poster. Every year he starts it months before the due date and works intensely on it while the rest of his siblings start on it a week before. Unlike him, we are not nearly as meticulous.

Mom decided to paint the fireplace white a few months after we moved in. She enlisted Joseph's help as he decided he did not want to go to school that day. Notice the well-built barricade surrounding them. Unfortunately, because it was only made of chains, and because of Matthew's acute intelligence, it may have been rebuilt several times. 

Living on the farm has been such a blessing for all the kids. When peering out the window you will either see cows, nothing, cows, nothing, turkeys or perhaps a couple of kids (depending on whether the cows are around or not). Mariana and Isaac are in the photo below taking in all the warmish weather they can until winter.

The first snow. I believe it went away soon after...it likes to do that just to tease us of the long winter ahead :( 

Grandpa Nick's second cousin, Jeremy, came up for a visit in early January. Many years ago she invited grandma Julie (a friend of hers) and grandpa Nick to her cottage. Neither grandparent knew that there would be someone else at the cottage other than Jeremy. Grandma and grandpa stayed up almost all night talking to one another. And I suppose the rest is history! Thank you, Jeremy!!

A picture of the adorable Matthew who is probably eating something he shouldn't. He decided to sweep the outside that day with our red broom. I'm not sure how well that went.

The early mornings are beautiful on the farm.

Joseph must have taken hold of the camera.

And here he is trying to look all cool.

Here is Halloween from a year ago. Mariana and Isaac went as a cowboy and a cowgirl (Mariana ensures that we know she is the latter). Sarah went as Jellybeans.

Baby Chicks!

Almost a year ago we got chickens! Dad and Isaac for an entire spring and summer took care of them (the rest of us gave up after a few days...who knew chickens were so much work?).

Matthew standing in awe:

Dad taking his new chicken duties very seriously (and probably also trying to maintain his calm amongst the screams of little children).

Matthew post-nap:

Note: it is was sweltering in the chick's room because they had to live in very warm temperatures for the first few weeks.

Mariana looking adorable (and also trying not to be sad that dad was holding the chick instead of her):

Sarah's chick looks so unreal...she may have been stretching it too much (perhaps why some chickens had funny walks later in life).

Birthdays, Birthdays and More Birthdays

November 4th: Mariana's 4th Birthday

This little girl:  she is a spitfire of personality and no matter what I do, her hair is a complete mess by the end of the day.  I find her messiness adorably sweet and joked the other day that I was going to dress as Mariana for Halloween.

November 28th: Joseph's 12th Birthday 

The snow had started to set in by this point but we went for one last run together over the frozen fields.

Another donut cake by Grandma.  Grandma uses a bundt cake pan for all the birthday cakes.  The kids, however, call it a donut cake and we joke that we will have donut cakes for their weddings as well.

Joseph, how I love you:  your fire, your drive for justice and your zero-people-pleasing personality.  You will do great things one day, my son.

December 22: My 42nd Birthday

For my 42nd birthday, I took Sarah and Hannah to Peterborough in an attempt to get away and sleep really well.  Ummm, I didn't but I should have expected that.  I sleep the sleep of champions when no one expects me to, certainly not when I should be resting.  My cake looks decidedly unappetizing.  I assure you that it was.

Grandparents present and accounted for.

As a surprise gift, Hannah orchestrated a photo of the children for me.

April 17th: Jacob's & Hannah's 17th Birthdays

I still can't believe that these two are 17 and soon heading out our door to university. Their birthday occurred during the first Covid lockdown and so I had to make my own cake.  Not a success.  If there is one good reason to avoid another lockdown (other than the myriad ones that already exist), my baking might be a good one.

May 9th: Benjamin's Birthday

Ben' birthday is always hit and miss with the weather.  We hope for the beginning of summer heat but we usually end up with winter jackets and a chance of flurries.  Joe, however, organised Grandpa bringing over the four-wheeler so that Ben could take a ride on it.

My mom must have made this cake but it is not a donut so my memory is foggy as to its origins.

June 6th: Sarah's 8th Birthday

Eight years, where have you gone? 

Sarah is a little lady now but she never passes up an opportunity to cuddle or sit on my lap.

August 4th: Matthew's 2nd Birthday

By Matthew's second birthday, he had so changed his looks that I find him quite unrecognisable in comparison with his first birthday.

I never buy the kids presents for their first birthdays.  But my mom can't resist and this grader came courtesy of grandma Julie and Grandpa Nick.  Matthew was so excited by the combo of cake and excavator that he couldn't sleep til nearly 11pm that night.

Matthew will sit for unusually long periods of time reading books.  He doesn't try to turn the page or rush you through the book until we reach his favourite page.  Rather, he settles his head against your chest and listens to the words and scans the pages.

Aunt Martha was here for Matthew's birthday and freed his grader from its confines.  Rosie the puppy looked on and dreamed of things to chew.

Birthdays also belong to mothers, because mothers do a lot of work to make that first birthday happen.

August 30th: Isaac's 10th Birthday

Aneurysm or long-skinny balloon?

Mom has one sweatshirt.

Impressive

A new non-donut cake:  zucchini-chocolate with a chocolate glaze.

Isaac's teacher asked him if there was a fight over who would inherit the farm.  He answered, "Nah, it's between Matthew and me."

September 1st: Dad's (David's) 44th Birthday

What a great photo of Dave capturing exactly who he is.

Without Dave, none of these birthdays would have been possible.  He is the ultimate sponsor of this grand event know as the Afelskie family.  Thank you, dearest husband and father, you really are the best.