Maddy, together with David, arrived from Toronto for the post-Christmas holiday. I had plans for all kinds of fun activities to do with all the kids – WEM, of course, was at the top of the list, followed by Telus World of Science, skating, sledding, etc.

Well, we go to the mall – twice. But time ran out on some of the other activities. Getting the new computer made for an easy distraction; the kids took lots of time getting the new Mac up to speed and loaded with required software (Sims for Maddy).

The highlight was Wednesday night when we went to see the Oilers take on the visiting Maple Leafs, starting with dinner at Tony’s. David and I were sitting in Dr. S’s seats, row 15 right behind the Oilers net, while the rest of the gang were slumming it in the EPCOR box. Well, the kids had a blast. When the Oilers scored in the first period, Benny was standing and cheering with the rest of the Rexall Centre – fists punching the air above him. (He remembered in the second period that the other team was Toronto and he cheered just as vigorously when they scored.) Between periods, David and I headed back to the box for some refreshments and chatting.

All the kids (pictured l to r: Maddy, David, Benny, Grace, Ella, Claire) had a blast. The ice cream bars in the third period didn’t hurt either. The Oilers won and the Leafs didn’t play all that well. But it was a spectacle and we enjoyed it thoroughly.

New years eve was rather quiet. The big kids headed back to the mall and Benny and I did some chores around the house. Usually on NYE, in the past few years, I have been in the habit of getting everyone organized and playing homemade and internet-sourced trivia-style games. This year I got a bit lazy and did all internet games. Here is some of what we played:

• Logo Quiz
• Mini-Putt
• Speed Match
• Music Game
• Map Game

Maddy won. No David won. Let’s call it a tie.