Saturday, December 29, 2012

Sweetness

My older son, Jeffrey is home for the holidays. He flew in from Cold Lake, Alberta on the 11th and will be here until a few days after New Year's. I'm a happy mom with both of my boys around.

Christmas Eve was spent with Frank's beautiful family. My sons drove out to be with us at Frank's sister's home. It was a lovely evening and the first time my younger son, Alex got together with any of Frank's relatives. Jeffrey had met Frank's sister and his oldest son once before when we were on a raccoon run! Thank you, Theresa and Evan for including my boys and me.

On Christmas Day, we had dinner with cousins closer to home. Amanda and Collin belong to my sons' dad, Don's side of the family, and they graciously include me every year despite Don and I having gone our separate (but friendly) ways years ago. Don and his girlfriend, Linda stopped by my place for a hurried gift exchange with our sons before heading out to the family dinner.

orange and cloves2
Patience is bitter, but it bears sweet fruit. ~ Turkish Proverb
The table was decorated in that festive way that our hosts do so well. Many of you commented on how lovely the Christmas tree was in the previous post. The first tree belongs to Frank and was decorated by his sons, this year. The tree at the end of the post belonged to Collin and Amanda a couple of years back.




Jeffrey Xmas Day 2012
Gratitude is the sweetest thing in a seeker's life- in all human life. If there is gratitude in your heart, then there will be tremendous sweetness in your eyes. ~ Sri Chinmoy
This is my son, Jeffrey. Since the Air Force got a hold of him, I just don't see him enough. I'm very grateful for the time I have with him this holiday season.




Alex Xmas Eve 2012
When you came my way. You brightened every day. With your sweet smile. ~ Sade
My boy, Alex is a tough (not really) metal rocker when he's not busy setting up venues for various performances. But when he needs to, he can clean up pretty well.

It's difficult to tell my two guys apart, isn't it? Ha!




Elliot iphone2
The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books (or iPhones).
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This is Elliot, aged nine and the oldest of three kidlets. He spent much of the evening engrossed in a game on Alex's phone.




lily
Nothing but sweetness can remain when hearts are full of their own sweetness. ~ William Butler Yeats
The middle child is six-year-old Lily, aka Hello Kitty. She's every bit as sweet and bright as that smile reveals.




maeve clap
Sometimes I'm so sweet even I can't stand it. ~ Julie Andrews
This little two-year-old angel is Maeve. One only needs to watch her for a couple of moments to know that there's a lot going on behind those darling eyes.




Alex hat wine xmas 2012
Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words. ~ Plautus
The wine was flowing before, during and after the meal.




peppermint bark
Chocolate is not cheating! After a salty meal, you need a little bit of sweet. This is living, not cheating. 
 ~ Ali Landry
Dinner was delicious as it always is, and if there was an ounce of room left in our bellies, it was filled with several kinds of amazing desserts.




alex guitar 5
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter. ~ John Keats
After dinner, my son played our host's guitar and I couldn't help but notice the tree lights reflecting in its shiny surface.

It was a wonderful evening with music and dance (Highland dancing by Lily and a fine imitation by baby Maeve), laughter and warmth. It sure is nice to be with little ones during the holidays. And especially nice to be with family - my sons - and my two extended families through Frank and Don.

Sweet, indeed.

I wish all my dear blogging friends a wonderful, safe and Happy New Year!

66 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am not surprised you've maintained a good relationship with your sons' dad. It sounds like you've had some great celebrations. What a beautiful table decoration and I love the one of the guitar! Oh, I love them all. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Hilary!

Glo said...

Thanks so much for sharing your bright and beautiful Christmas with us. So happy to see that both sons were home and that you embraced and were embraced by all who are dear to you. The orange/clove photo with the colourful lights is magical, along with the sweet faces of the children of all ages :) Happy New Year to you all!

Sueann said...

Love the guitar photo...beautiful! All the photos are wonderful. A Happy New Year to you and yours as well,
Hugs
SueAnn

ADRIAN said...

It's good to see a traditional Christmas. It is years since I bothered.

Andy said...

Sweetness is at it's best when one is with family.

June said...

"What a good time!" doesn't touch this. It looks as if everyone had a magical time. I want to pick up Maeve and squish her!

Brian Miller said...

oh really col shot of the guitar....love hte light play on it...what a great looking family as well hilary! MMM Peppermint bark!

messymimi said...

The orange with clove brings back so many memories -- i haven't done one in years, i need to revive the habit.

A beautiful and Happy New Year to you and your whole extended family.

Ruth Hiebert said...

I'm so happy for you to be able to spend Christmas with family. That is as it should be,and of course the little ones add that measure of excitement that we mature ones have somehow lost.

Leah J. Utas said...

What lovely celebrations.

DJan said...

Wonderful pictures that capture a magical time together with family. I love the orange with cloves in it, I could almost smell it from here. Happy holidays, Hilary. I am blessed to be able to share in your happiness. :-)

Mimi said...

Those little children look so sweet, I can see how you enjoyed their company.
But your 2 sons...WOW! They're fine young men Hilary!
Love your first photo, the colours and light are lovely and festive.
Glad you had a good celebration, I can feel the afterglow in this post.

Tabor said...

Those two young men of yours both look like opposite sides of a coin on romance novel characters,they could either do a novel cover. YUM! Sorry, mommy, I know you don't see it that way.

Anvilcloud said...

A lovely post. The Maeve photo is precious.

Kerri Farley said...

The bokeh took my breath away in the first shot .... then your boys swept me off of my feet with their beautiful smiles. And then The little ones stole my heart.
What a wonderful post!

TexWisGirl said...

thanks for sharing the love and warmth all around you. :)

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Again, your photos are wonderful. The one of little Maeve is just so beautiful. The lighting is perfect. And you captured such a happy expression on her little face.

Kat said...

That first picture just melts me. It is just perfect.
I love to see how different the personalities and interests are in people from the same family. You know what is funny? My brother started out as a rocker with long hair, then he joined the army and looked all straight laced, and now he is somewhere in between and very artistic (tattoo artist). Kinda funny. ;)
ANYWAY, sounds like a wonderful Christmas. I'm glad you got to spend time with your handsome sons and the rest of your family.

stephen Hayes said...

Thanks for sharing these great pictures of your lovely family. I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year.

The Retired One said...

wonderful family shots, love the candid ones most and the guitar!

ellen abbott said...

what a wonderful post Hilary. I love the first photo with the light globules!

Bob Bushell said...

Lovely house full with the kids, and everyone there. Beautiful, they are too.

~JarieLyn~ said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas. I'm so glad that you were able to spend time with both of your boys, who by the way are so goodlooking......both of them. Love the shot of the guitar too. Happy New Year, Hilary.

Gail Dixon said...

Such a beautiful post! I so enjoyed "meeting" some of the special people in your life. Your sons might be somewhat (heh) different in appearance, but both possess the same joy in their expressions. I know you are one proud, happy mama. The Christmas light bokeh is fantastic, and reminds me that I need to get a picture of mine before our tree gets put away. Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!!

photowannabe said...

Oh what a delightful post Hilary.
Family, that's what it's all about.
You have such handsome men in your life and those little cutie pies would steal anyone's heart.
My Granddaughters have an exchange student from Japan living with them for 2 weeks. It was so much fun having Kaito over for Christmas Day.
Lots of laughter as we all murdered the language. She (Kaito) is 15 and just as sweet as can be.
Unfortunately I can't post pictures of my girls on this blog, so you will have to take my word that they are all beautiful and I love them all.
Wishing you a very Happy and prosperous New Year.
Sue

Red said...

Thanks for an awesome look at your Christmas celebration. To spend time with family is a real tweet once they have left us.

Mage said...

Wonderful stuff indeed. You are wonderful with a camera, and you have captured the moments and people so very well. Thanks for your kind words and the tissue. :)

Wendy said...

Little ones just make Chistmas so special! Your family is sweet - and sweet that your boys are home for the holidays. Must be hard to have Jeff so far away.

My daughter has everyone over at Christmas, including my ex and his wife. We're okay now and might as well be friendly, since all our children and grands are celebrating!

Lovely pics, as usual. Thanks for letting us peek into your home at Christmas.

NJ said...

Hello Hilary. I've been so busy lately I've not been looking at my blogger dashboard and I'm just catching up now. Last I read this your boy was still in nearby RMC. Cold Lake is a long ways away so I'm glad he got home for the holidays. Your boys definitely have different styles and different lifes but they have the same eyes...and both look very happy. I was lucky enough to have both my children here for the holidays although Hayley had to work until 2 on Christmas eve so it was a rush to get her and her sweet dog bogey and return her on boxing day...I'm sure the recent weather will produce many beautiful shots from your camera...happy new year!

Rita said...

What a sweet family and a wonderful time together! Those two boys don't look too much alike in some ways--LOL! I love that you had music and singing and dancing!

Have a fantastic 2013!! :):)

Barb said...

Glad you were surrounded by the love of family and friends over Christmas Hilary. Delightful photos of the festivities. That looks like peppermint bark - my favorite! Happy New Year to you!

yaya said...

Happy New Year Hilary! Love all the pics...everyone is magical and your boys are very handsome and I did laugh at your comment about how they look alike. I'm always amazed how my 4 sons..who all came from the same Mom and Dad, can be so different. But isn't that what makes each of us special? Love the guitar shot. My #3 son plays a mean guitar and I'll have to show him this shot. Those little girls are very lovely and they just say "Christmas" with their smiles. Glad you had a great time with family. That's what it's all about in my book!

Lynne with an e said...

Thank you for sharing the festivities, music, dancing, decorations, clove and orange scented atmosphere and your beautiful family with us here.

I wish you a brilliant New Year full of sparkle and verve, illumination and love!

Slamdunk said...

I laughed at Elliot--we have a few young lost in technology kiddos here as well. Actually this week, I wish all of them were more engaged in tech so that I would not have had to pull munchkins around the snow in sleds for hours and hours (I apologize for whining about being sore).

Anyway, Happy New Year to you and your family Hilary.

Aritha V. said...

A very special post! Thanks.

Pauline said...

Oh my but your family is full of sweet faces! Eyes full of love and joy - Christmas captured! Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year, Hilary!

SandyCarlson said...

You have a very handsome family, Hilary! Looks like a really wonderful time. Your photo of the orange with the cloves is just amazing. I hope you have a fabulous New Year!

Country Girl said...

Love this Hilary! Your images, as ever, are beautiful. Wonderful portraits of your handsome sons here too. You can really feel the love here ~ Happy New Year, my friend.

Indrani said...

Wonderful shots! Great family shots! Have fun!

Geraldine said...

what a great looking family! you are truly blessed. I love the clove studded orange too, what a heavenly smell these have.

all the best in 2013!

Betty Manousos said...

aw, hilary, what a beautiful family you have! your post is full of sentiment and beauty- you're so blessed. your sons are very handsome and what beautiful little girls! they look like angels.

each one of your great photos made me happy by looking at them. really.
they are all superb!

wishing you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy and joyous new year and all the best in 20013!

big hugs
xo

sage said...

Great photos--but Mauve, what a special child, you did a great job of capturing her enjoying the season.

lime said...

sounds like it was a wonderful celebration and how could it not be surrounded by so many you love? beautiful pictures of everyone and the last shot with the reflected lights really impresses me.

Christine said...

Happy Holidays ~ thanks for cyber visiting so often in 2012 ~ may 2013 be filled with all your heart desiires <3

The last photo is stunning!

MaggieGem said...

Such lovely celebrations... wonderful photographs as usual. A Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to you and yours!

Reena said...

Such a sweet and lovely post. Loved seeing your family. Have a safe and wonderful new year Hilary!

Sharon Wagner said...

Everyone looks so happy. Happy New Year Hilary!

Anonymous said...

Love that last shot!

Wishing you and yours an amazing year ahead.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

happy new year H!

Maggie May said...

Happy New Year, Hilary to you & yours.
Love the photo of the top of a guitar. Maggie x

Nuts in May

Lisa Gordon said...

What a beautiful family you have, Hilary, and that first photograph is absolutely beautiful!

I feel so fortunate to have met you here, and I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.

xo.

Laura said...

such a beautiful family Hilary!!! May this New Year be one of realized dreams… even those we did not realize we were dreaming!

Liz Mays said...

I adore that you were surrounded by so many people that you love and that love you, and I have to say that I'm partial to that shot where the Christmas lights are reflecting in the guitar. Very cool. Happy New Year!

Birdie said...

。*./ \ .˛* .˛.*.★* *★ 。Happy New Year!*
.˛. (´•.•)*˛°*/.♫.♫\*˛.* ˛_Ī _____. * ˛*
..°( . • . ) ˛°./• '♫ ' •\.˛*./______/~\*. ˛*
.*(...'•'.. ) *˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.|ē”°ē”° |門|╬╬╬╬ .
¯˜"*°••°*"˜¯`´¯˜"*°••°*"˜¯` ´¯˜"*°´

Daryl said...

a happy healthy new year!!!!!!!!!

Shammickite said...

That thing that Birdie wrote is so clever!
Happy 2013 to you Hilary, happy times, good health, good cheer, prosperity and creativity.... the best of everything! maybe you'll pass through Stouffville one of these days!

Betty Manousos said...

happy new year, hilary!

may it be the best ever!

xo

Reb said...

Looks like you had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year to you & all your loved ones.

Gillian Olson said...

A wonderful post, thank you for sharing your loved ones and holiday moments with us.
Happy New Year to you and yours Hilary!

Gayle said...

...as always, such wonderful photos....(your sons are totally gawjus!!!)

Vagabonde said...

What a warm and lovely post – you have a great family and isn’t it nice to have them near you during the holidays. We were with our 3 little grandsons at Christmas and we enjoyed that a lot. I hope 2013 will bring you many happy moments and much fun.

thecrazysheeplady said...

Beautiful. The guitar shot especially.

Dave said...

I also enjoyed sharing your Christmas with you Hilary. Thanks. Glad it was so much pleasure - Dave

Linda said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful family with us. I know you enjoyed spending time with your handsome boys.

Do I see the crowns from Christmas Crackers?

Jo said...

So beautiful!...the people, the photos, and all that lovely joy. I'm so happy for you that you've spent the holidays surrounded by your loves. Happy Happy New Year!

P.S. The bokeh in the first shot *swoon

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

No surprise that your boys turned out to be such wonderful young men -- you are a living example of how to treat others.

I confess that my favorite shot is of the guitar. I wish I had taken lessons (I'm rather poorly self-taught and rarely play now). I have a dream of someday visiting you and listening to your son Alex play music.