November Remembered

 November...
with its parade of pacific storms in our part of the country...

has come and gone.

We honestly never know what to expect in November..

though rain is a guarantee.

Snow on November 2nd was not expected.

By nightfall, it was almost impossible to get to Heidi's place on the hill.

The coolish temperatures left us with beautiful mountain views for the next week or so...

until the clouds and rain arrived.

We had three birthdays to celebrate this month...

so we decided to start off the celebrations with a family bowling night.

What fun!

Bowling with such little balls was foreign to Pauline...

the Swiss student who is spending the winter with Tim and Heidi.

Apparently five-pin bowling is a Canadian thing.

Is that true? 

The kids all had a great time.

Brynja suddenly realized she missed out on the group photo...

so this shot was just for her.

Micah is eight...

a charming, delightful grandson.

He loves Lego, jungle animals, science and is good at Monopoly too!

Where have the years gone?

Emme and Spencer are now sweet sixteen!

I think they have been celebrating all month.

A cousin party was a good way to start!

But they had another big party in the planning for months in advance.

They wanted the whole family to join them in cheering on their good friend, Jordyn Huitema at the Canada vs. USA women's soccer match at BC Place Stadium on November 9th.

What a fun time we had! 

We all wore our red  #23 Huitema hoodies and made a lot of noise for Canada.

Jordyn got to play...which is quite something for a 16 year-old from Chilliwack...

and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

That was definitely a 16th birthday celebration to remember.

Oh yes...and then there was this!

They went out bright and early on the morning of their 16th birthday to write their driver's exam.

The computers were down and it was not meant to be.

The computers were still not working at the end of the day...

and then the offices were closed for the long weekend.

Can you imagine having to wait four extra days to get your L? 

That is the first step (of many) toward a full driver's license in British Columbia. 

They have now graduated from driving tractors and ATV's to driving a Mini Cooper.

I am looking forward to having them take me for my first ride!

We had a lot of rain this month...

but my photos are mostly from the 'good days'...

the ones I want to remember!

In the middle of a very wet week we had an appointment in downtown Vancouver...

and the rains held off during our time there.

It was quite lovely on the waterfront.

Back at home I have had a good view of the birds on our fields all month.

Though the trumpeter swans are beautiful huge birds...

once nearly extinct...

they have taken to wintering in our area and are not appreciated on the farm.

We chase them away daily...

often many times each day. 

It does not take long for them to clean off an entire field of winter wheat!

Besides the trumpeter swans,

the ducks and geese have also taken a liking to our farm.

Several hunters have been out there...

encouraging them to move along. :)

As the month neared the end...

all things Christmas were beginning.

Maggie and I visited the annual Christmas display at the local greenhouse last weekend...

and went out for lunch.

Her pick?

IHOP for pancakes. :)

November brought a lot of wet, grey and dreary days...

and also memories of evenings around the cozy fire.

A storm blew through last Sunday, leaving us without power...

but we made our way to the home of friends...

where the lights were on and the food and fellowship was good!

It brought back memories of Sunday afternoons from yesteryear...

where we always gathered around the Faspa table in one home or another.

Faspa is the low-German term used for the Sunday evening meal served in most Mennonite homes at one time...fresh buns, cheeses, meats, preserves, and cakes.

There is no mountain view today...

but I'll leave you with a picture of a brighter November day.

The leaves have for the most part 'gone with the wind'...

and we look forward to December. 

I wish you all a wonderful 'month before Christmas'

...as your prepare your hearts and your homes.