Christmas at Waupoos

Happy New Year! Before any more of this month gets away from me, I’m sitting down to record memories of our Advent and Christmas.

We began Advent this year with a visit from Bill & Susan. They stayed with us from November 27^th to December 1^st. As always, we had a great visit and the boys loved spending time with Nana and Papa. Brendan took his parents and the two older boys into the woods to cut down our tree on Friday morning. That afternoon, we took the boys to the Bob the Builder exhibit at the Museum of History. On Saturday, Liz, Chris, and David joined us for our tree decorating party. Liam and James decorated like pros, despite Callum's attempts to undo all their work. The next day we went to another tree decorating party, this time at Brendan's cousin Hannah's place in Manotick. I think the boys had the impression that we were going to carry on decorating trees every day until Christmas!

Bringing home the tree

The following week, Brendan and I attended his office Christmas party. This was our third time going to the party, but the first time without a baby (two years ago we had 3-month-old James with us, and last year I was pregnant with Callum). I had a particularly good time this year! Actually, that day, December 12^th, ended up being a day of parties for us. The staff party was a lunchtime affair and my parents watched the boys for us. The VanDusen’ s were having their annual tree decorating party that night, so when we finished our lunch, we headed to their place to pick up the baby (the others were spending the night with Mamma and Papa Tim). When we got home we scrambled around like mad trying to get our house in order so that we could host our farm neighbours for a late raclette dinner. They arrived around 9pm and stayed well past midnight. Lee-Ann was so taken with the raclette that she bought one for her family. Brendan was quite pleased with himself for his positive influence! The following night I went to Russell’s new live music spot, The Waiting Room, to hear Jess & Joel. Cozy setting and great music – the perfect way to close the weekend. 

On December 14^th, Waupoos participated in the annual Metcalfe Christmas Parade. Liam and James were very proud to ride on the float with their friends and farm animals!

The Waupoos Board of Directors gathered for a Christmas party hosted by Susan & Mark Lamarre on December 18^th. Fr. Roy celebrated Mass for us, after which we enjoyed a delicious potluck. Susan and Mark have a lovely home and we filled it with lively conversation and laughter. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Christmas party without talking about WWII, so Brendan held forth on that topic for a good portion of the evening. (There’s a running joke in the Marshall family that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without some spirited discussion about the Nazis. I’ve seen this tradition enacted at every single Marshall Christmas gathering I’ve attended.)

On the third weekend of December, we had a visit from Rob and Dellica and their two boys. Liam and Ole got along famously - it was fun to see them having such a good time together. We also had our Christmas party with the Baker’s and the Gernon’s, held at our place this year. It was a tight squeeze in our little house, but we managed to contain the chaos. Twelve children ages 8 months to 7 years make for a lively evening! Our gift to the kids this year was fort kits, which Liam and James have quickly put to good use. After the Hamilton's left, Caleb and Meredith stopped by on their way to New Brunswick. Although it was short, we really enjoyed our time with them. 

On Monday the 22^nd, a very generous family came to clean all the cottages for us and help with other preparations for the Christmas holiday. Lee-Ann, Sabrina, and I sorted donated gifts and assigned them to the children who would be arriving the next day. Each family received a hamper filled with goodies (edible treats, hats, mitts, socks, small toys, etc.) as well as a wrapped gift for each member of the family. The hampers and gifts were all donated by local parishes and other community groups. It was fun to play elves, assigning gifts and wrapping them for each child. It was also moving to see the outpouring of generosity from the community. Not only did we have gifts for all the children, we were also provided with nearly every single item on our grocery list for both vacation weeks.

The Christmas cottagers arrived on the afternoon of December 23^rd. The resident men took each family out to the woods to choose a Christmas tree for their cottage, which they could trim with the decorations we provided. Orientation was at 7pm, as usual, followed by a resident family food prep extravaganza. We carved turkeys and made various other dishes for the Christmas Eve potluck, using the ample stores that had been donated for that purpose.

On Christmas Eve, the Paul’s, who were our host family for the week, ran some activities during the day, including creating a beautiful glass mosaic for the chapel window. Christmas Eve mass was at 5pm, celebrated by our friend, Fr. Maxime Allard. The ceremony began with a pageant put on by the children – a first for Liam, who played a wise man. Although James didn’t make it to the practice, he insisted on inserting himself into the performance, walking right up to the manger to take a good close look at the Baby Jesus!

The sisters of the Queenship of Mary, who came to carol for us on Christmas Eve.

The Christmas potluck was a joyous affair. We had lots of visitors and loads of food. Later that evening, when things wound down in the lodge, Brendan and I came home to prepare Christmas morning for the boys. We wrapped gifts and laid them under the tree, put out the stockings for Santa to stuff, and left some chocolates and milk for the old man to enjoy. Then we sat by the tree and talked about life for the first time in what seemed like ages. December had left us breathless but we finally found a moment of quiet, in the small hours of Christmas day.

The boys didn’t wake up any earlier than usual on Christmas morning, which was a blessing to their tired parents! There was no lounging about, however – we knew that as soon as we heard them, we’d have to jump out of bed and intercept their race to the living room, else all the presents be ripped open at once! Their faces were pure joy, and Liam repeated over and over, “This is the best Christmas EVER!” When we had finished the gift opening and played a bit with our new toys, we headed up to the lodge to help prepare the Christmas brunch. Again, the lodge was bustling with happy activity – the residents were joined by a handful of volunteers who had come to help prepare and serve brunch. We prepared a lovely spread, which was enjoyed by the cottagers later that morning. Following brunch, Santa paid us a visit and distributed gifts, to the great delight of all the boys and girls.  

Waiting for Santa (I love Clara's expression!)

Callum's first time on Santa's knee!

 That afternoon, we went to the Cogan Ranch for our family Christmas celebration. Our small group of 17 (my parents and their progeny) was joined this year by the Beaudoin clan (minus Eric, who is playing hockey for a team in Croatia, and who was missed). Dina came with her now famous assortment of appetizers, upon which we feasted until the main feast was served. My mom had been thrown a curve ball when the glass panel in her oven door shattered that morning, making it unusable for turkey roasting. Fortunately, our friends the Chesser’s, who always visit on Christmas morning, witnessed the misadventure and offered their oven. They would cook their turkey at the in-laws. So a bit of turkey shuffling saved our Christmas dinner! Broken oven notwithstanding, the meal was a great success. We lingered around the table, talking and laughing loudly, and then moved the party to the basement after the babies were put to bed (miraculously, all three of them slept!). We played bowl of nouns, as we often do when the family gathers. We always play men against women and the women always win, but this time I think the MVP was Nic Beaudoin, who gave a skilled demonstration of walking in heels, and a stirring portrayal of Mariah Carey.

Callum and Ezra enjoying their Christmas dinner

Boxing Day gave us a chance to rest a bit after the activity of the previous days. We worked some more on the glass mosaic and the kids played together. The cottagers decided that we should eat up all the Christmas leftovers, so we had another potluck that evening. The 27^th was the last day of the Christmas vacation. We gathered in the morning to share our highlights of the week, and then the cottagers packed up for home. I don’t remember what we did that evening. We probably told ourselves we would go to bed early and then stayed up too late doing nothing.

On December 29^th, we had another Cogan family gathering. The girls went out for our annual Christmas season lunch, and then the whole family gathered at my parents’ place. We played bowl of nouns again (we can’t get enough!) and the girls won by a landslide. Brendan didn’t get to do any charades because the words had all been used up before his turn, so we made him act some out just for fun. He didn’t disappoint. Although his depiction of “coffee shop” still ranks as his finest bowl of nouns moment: wide stance, knees bent in a half squat, hands in front of him about 2 feet apart, pretending to lift something (was it a cauldron?) to his mouth to drink. Is this really how you drink coffee, Brendan?!

Our next group of cottagers arrived on December 30^th. Since this is already a long entry, I’ll save New Year’s for the next post. I hope to write it sometime before spring!   

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving had all the right ingredients: brilliant colours, fresh air, family, and lots of food. We also had cottagers at Waupoos this weekend, for the first time since the end of summer. After the constant activity of summer cottage season, it was nice to have some down time, but this weekend reminded me of how much fun it is to be at Waupoos when cottagers are here!

This weekend was extra special for me because my friend Maxine and her 5 year-old daughter, Adélia, came for a vacation. It’s nice to meet new people here, but it’s also great to watch people you know fall in love with Waupoos. I hope that my friend and her daughter will be back. If Adélia has anything to do with it, I’m sure they will. Apparently, when her mom said something about going home at the end of the weekend, she replied with, “But THIS is our home!”

We didn’t have a host family this weekend, so the Farm Management Team took over the hosting duties. I led chapel time on Saturday morning, and Sabrina organized a cute fall craft for the kids. In the afternoon, Brendan started a game of soccer, which was followed by our traditional open house activities: wagon ride, Mass, and potluck. We had quite a few guests at the potluck - enough to polish off 50lbs of turkey!

Sunday morning we painted and carved pumpkins. In the afternoon, the Jackson’s and the Genest’s came by for a visit. We went for a walk around the property and then watched the kids play in the park. We even managed to get a picture of all the cousins!

There were no activities planned for the cottagers on Sunday evening, so I invited Maxine and Adélia for dinner. Maxine came in and swept through my house in a flurry of activity, putting toys away, doing dishes, and helping to prepare dinner. The place looked a hundred times better when she finished. I told her she could come back anytime! We had a nice visit and enjoyed watching our kids play together. Adélia only speaks French and Liam only English, but that didn’t deter them. They were inseparable all weekend. Whenever he wasn’t with her, Liam would ask when he’d get to play with Adélia again!

The cottagers left on Monday around midday. After a meeting with the farm families and afternoon naps for the boys, we went to the Genest’s for dinner. Jess and Joel served a delicious Thanksgiving spread to cap off a great weekend.

Our next event at the farm is Fall Clean-Up on Saturday, when we’ll be preparing the farm for winter. Despite it’s inevitability, I’m trying to delay the thought of winter as much as possible… yesterday’s balmy weather helped!

The farm's newest resident: Hoggle 

Summer Finale

Last Saturday we held our Summer Finale Open House. In addition to the traditional wagon ride, Mass, and potluck, we also held a tree-dedication ceremony in honour of the late John Shannon, a great friend and benefactor to Waupoos. Many of John’s family members, friends, and former colleagues joined us to celebrate his memory. Since John was so involved in the ministry of Waupoos, the event also attracted many former farm resident families who had been touched in some way by his service. It was moving to see so many people gathered for the ceremony and to have such great attendance at our Mass and potluck. After dinner, we were treated to a concert given by two local musical groups, Grace Note and the Hallelujah Gospel Choir. We also managed to raise some money for the farm through the sale of commemorative leaves, to be pinned on a tree that Sabrina had painted and displayed in the lodge. All in all a great event!

  

The next day we had a bunch of friends over to celebrate the September birthday boys, Liam, James, and our nephew, David. It rained all afternoon, but we managed to have a good time anyway. Sabrina painted kids’ faces for a solid three hours and we had a great potluck lunch, followed by a Super Disco Dance Party (Brendan’s words!)!!!

After such a full and busy weekend, it’s been nice to have some quiet days at the farm. Liam and I have started our home kindergarten and are both enjoying it. James wants to participate too, of course, so he gets to colour while we do our workbook, and listen to the stories we read.

We’re trying to savour these warm days, spending as much time outside as we can. On Wednesday we took a walk along the Mer Bleue boardwalk with some friends. The fall colours were out in all their splendour and we were there early enough that the mist was still lifting off the bog. The boys loved seeing the little spider webs stretched between bits of moss and low trees. It was both peaceful and vivifying to be surrounded by so much beauty. The boys ensured that I didn’t lose myself in contemplation though: Liam insisted on pushing Callum’s stroller, which he did haphazardly, and I never felt I could quite trust James not to jump into the marsh.

Today Brendan is busy tearing siding off our house so that new stuff can be put on next week. I’ve been gifted with some free time to write while the boys have been either playing outside or napping. Simple joys.

Holiday by the Bay

We’re back at the farm now after a 10-day holiday in New Brunswick. Liam spent the first half hour of Sunday morning crying because he wanted to “go back to Fredericton.” I took this as an indication of how much he had enjoyed his holiday, and despite how annoying it was to listen to him whine, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied. We all had a fantastic time.

We left for New Brunswick on Thursday the 4^th, after Brendan got home from work. We drove as far as Rivière-du-Loup, where we stopped to have a terrible sleep at the Days Inn. The boys had been sleeping in the van, so when we stopped after midnight, they thought it was time to be awake. Liam and Callum were compliant with bedtime number 2, but James just wanted to jump on the bed. Which he did until 3am. We all got up again around 7:30, had breakfast at the hotel and got back on the road. The kids did pretty well in the van on both days. Callum let his discontent be heard a few times, but mostly he either slept or looked around happily.

We got to the Marshall family cottage on Friday afternoon and were greeted with hugs from Nana and Papa. The weather was gorgeous and the boys were eager to play outside. Thus began our week-long holiday at Bay du Vin, where we spent our days playing on the beach, eating, reading, and resting. Happily for us, the weather was beautiful the whole time we were there – much sunnier and warmer on this September vacation than when we were there last July.

After our week by the bay, we spent a few days at Nana and Papa’s house in Fredericton. We had a birthday party for the boys on Thursday night with all the Fredericton family. We had already celebrated Liam on his actual birthday (Sept 6^th), when he had turned 4. He thought that since he was having another party, he must now be turning 5, and that he’d be 6 at the party in Ottawa at the end of this week! Fortunately, he didn’t seem too disappointed when I explained that he got to enjoy being 4 for a little longer!

On Friday night Brendan and I went to see Blues Traveler at Fredericton’s Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival. It was the first time in 10 years that Brendan had been home for the festival, so he was pumped. The morning came much too soon, as it does after such nights (especially with little ones who have no taste for sleeping in), but we managed to collect ourselves enough to make it to the market. Brendan grew up going to Boyce Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning, and we never miss it when we’re in Fredericton. We got the traditional donairs, samosas, and pastries, and chatted with the old friends Brendan ran into. I also purchased some soap nuts from one of the vendors, for which Brendan teased me relentlessly. “What kind of gimmick is that?! A nut made of soap?! A nut that washes clothes?!” etc., etc. I’m looking forward to using them, to prove the value of my investment. Apparently the bag I bought will clean our laundry for a whole year.

From the market we made our way to a free outdoor kids concert downtown. Liam, the consummate contrarian, refused to participate, but James danced and played the hand drums with some other kids. We left around noon to finish packing the van for the long trip home.

The drive back was much better than the drive out, simply because we spared ourselves the miserable hotel stop. We arrived home around midnight and the boys transferred to their beds without complaint. The crying in the car was also minimal, although Brendan will say he nearly lost his mind (his threshold for car-crying is about 3 seconds). Nothing that some snacks and one emergency pit-stop couldn’t remedy!

We don’t exactly feel rested (is that even possible at this stage of life?!), but we are refreshed. Our vacation this year was one of the best we’ve had as a family, and although it would be nice never to have to leave the ocean, I’m looking forward to what the fall will bring.