Raph's telephone conversation with Gabe

This is part of a conversation Gabe had with his Dad when Raph called to say he was on his way home from his hunting trip (the last one of the season) at the end of November:

Gabe - "Hi Daddy, did you get a deer?"
Raph - long pause "No, no deer."
Gabe - incredulously "Did you bring your gun?"

Christmas Tree

Last Saturday we went to a local Christmas tree farm to get our tree. Gabe and I had been the day before with his class for a fieldtrip to get a tree for his classroom which his teacher will donate to a family in need next week. That night at dinner he was telling his Dad about the lookout in the middle of the farm where he had seen a "weawwy big twee". So our mission was to chop down that tree when we got there. This is Declan, Daddy and Faith looking far and wide for the "weawwy big twee" and this is Gabe pointing to the tree right in front of the lookout!

This is us looking all through the trees for the perfect one because Gabe's tree really was big and we have a small house.

Here is the perfect tree that smells really good! If you look really closely you'll notice Gabe testing the tree saw blade to see how sharp it really was. This was not noticed by his parents at the time. Hopefully no one reports us to Social Services.

Here's Raph posing with his "kill"! They also had 2 ponies, chickens, a rabbit, 2 donkeys and free hot chocolate. All in all it was a really fun time!

Faith's "Best Day Ever!"

Well, it is hard not to "blog" about hunting only because it has become such a huge part of our life. Raph starts planning hunting trips early Spring, then spends the summer thinking and making sure he has all the equipment he needs and then the "season" starts in September until the end of November. I have a very small window of opportunity for any renos around the house or even just talking to him about anything other than hunting! It is more than just getting the game for Raph, he loves the opportunity to travel to the Interior and just get out in the woods. I myself prefer to just listen to the stories of his travels in the woods rather than joining him. The kids on the other hand absolutely love going out with him. This was the first year that any camping trips with the kids involved Raph taking them on excursions on the quad and in the Fall they each had a chance to see animals. This particular trip with Faith they saw a buck and Faith insisted that Raph shoot it (he was holding out for a big buck but decided to make a memory for Faith instead). As you can see by the smile on her face she had a great time with her Dad! Needless to say, after all the learning she does with her Dad out in the woods she got an "A" in Science on her report card!