thanksgiving is coming . . .

dear kate,

guess what?  

my favourite holiday is coming up soon!

do you know what it is?

no ... it's not christmas!

it's thanksgiving!

i love thanksgiving day so much.

i love decorating my house for fall and i love having friends and family over.

sometimes we have bonfires.

sometimes we have suppers together.

fall is my favourite season of the year!

i love thanksgiving day because it reminds me of all the good things i have to be thankful to God for.

and you are one of those very special good things that i am thankful for.

and so is mommy!

i thank the Lord every single day for you and for mommy 

and i ask Him to protect you and watch over you

and work out His perfect will in your lives.

on thanksgiving i always make a really big feast!

we have turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce.

and with it we have mashed potatoes, yams, beans, corn, red cabbage.

(all kinds of yummy vegetables!)

we have warm buns slithered in butter.

and pickles and beets.

and i usually make homemade pies for dessert

with ice cream and whipped cream!

sometimes i make apple.

sometimes i make pumpkin.

sometimes i make lemon.

and sometimes . . .

i make all of those!

i like to have my family and friends over on thanksgiving day

so that we can eat together, and laugh and have fun together!

but, you know what?

i wish i could have thanksgiving with you and mommy.

we would have so much fun

and take tons of pictures too!

what great memories we would have!

oh well . . . someday we will do it!

someday, you and mommy will come in the fall and 

have thanksgiving with all of us here in ontario!

love,

nammy xox

a surprise is coming!

dear kate,
i can't believe that september is almost over and it's been six whole weeks since i saw you!  
just imagine . . . six weeks ago you and i were playing together!  it was summertime and you were with your family in ontario, having so much fun!
it sure seems a lot longer than just six weeks ago to me!
i feel like i haven't seen you in sooooooo long - and i miss you so much!
i'm sending you a surprise in the mail today.  
it's a whole bunch of photos of our summer fun together.  you can hold them, and look at them whenever you want to.  i know you will be happy when you remember all of the good times we had this summer!
don't you love surprises?
i do!  that's why i like sending surprises to your home in cold lake!
so, you tell mommy to check the mail this week and you should have it by friday (i hope ...)!

when you get the mail, you can phone me - or skype me - and we can look at the pictures together!
i love you so much my sweet little sugar plum!  i can't wait to see you again and play with you and laugh and read stories and give you lots of hugs and kisses!
love,
nammy xox

great granny joy . . .

dear kate,
isn't this a nice picture of your great-granny joy?

she is so pretty!
when she was a young girl, all of the boys whistled at her!  they thought she was so beautiful!  but she only loved one boy and she married him!  
you know, great-granny joy is my mommy.
and, she is your mommy's granny.
we had fun with her this summer when we went to the mall, didn't we?
remember when we went shopping and she put money in the rides so that you could go on the helicopter and the dragon?  it was so much fun!
and then we went to the library and she read stories to you there!

great-granny joy loves you so much.
she loves it when you come to visit and she thinks about you all the time!
i love great-granny joy, and i know you do too!
love,
nammy xox