HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We made it! We survived the 'Chaos of Christmas' and it would appear things have returned to normal (or have they?).

Johnny arrived safe and sound on Tuesday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m. Philip and I picked him up in Terrace at the bus station...he looked no worse for wear...said he had had a great trip...loved it! Four days on a Greyhound...11 hour layover in Edmonton...no shaving...no showering...no sleeping horizontally...and he loved it! To each their own, I guess. We told him we would gladly fly him back to Ontario. "No way!", he said. "Going back the same way... return ticket is paid for. I met some really neat people during the trip...hooking up with some on the way back." That was 2 weeks ago...any bets he flies back?

Philip, of course, has been thrilled to have his 'little' brother here for the holidays. Upon arrival he proudly gave Johnny the 'grand tour' of his room...the movie collection...the wrestlers...the posters...his Red Wings paraphernalia...his card-playing coin stash...and his pencil cache (which, by the way, grew to over 150 this Christmas. I think he's good for a while!).

As you can see in the above picture, taken on Christmas Day, the three of us received the appropriate attire. I got a Dallas Cowboys jersey...Philip a Detroit Red Wings T-shirt...and Johnny - quite fittingly - Homer Simpson pants! Santa knows his stuff!

Here's Philip using his new coin counter which automatically counts the coins as they are inserted in the coin slot and records the total. Great concept...wonderful technology. Unless you're Philip! As he inserts the coin, he hesitates...pulls it back out...then pushes it through. It has now counted the same coin twice...grrr! Now he's not sure of the total...we turn our backs...guess what? He's emptied the 'time-saving, handy-dandy, sham-wow, slap-chop, as-seen-on-tv, convenient, eighth-wonder-of-the-world, coin-counting container ', and is counting the contents by hand! It'a new year...the madness continues!

Within minutes of his arrival, Johnny was being indoctrinated in the fine art of score keeping!

Notice the concentration on the 'Scorekeepers' face...and the 'help me - get me outta here' look on Johnny's!

Philip had a wonderful Christmas! Here he proudly displays his new Play Station 3!

Of course, 6 mini cans of Coke Zero brought him just as much excitement and joy!

As did this Red Wings T-shirt!

Christmas Day was spent at Aunt Sherry's where the food was plentiful and endless! Here we have the appetizers...the real food was yet to come!

The anticipation was overwhelming...the excitement electrifying!

Philip could hardly contain himself!

Of course, new,'clean' underwear always brings a delightful smile!

That's better!

Dinner at Aunt Sherry's was a formal affair!

...and there's nothing like a good football game on a full stomach!

Two weeks of non-stop card games...Philip never tires!

What's this? Philip in a Chicago Black Hawks T-shirt? Say it ain't so! Johnny tricked him...the picture was taken quickly before Philip realized what had happened!

Ahhh...the way it should be! Brothers...representing their respective hockey teams...playing the game on Philip's new PS3...it made us such proud parents! Seconds after this picture was snapped this perfectly peaceful scene broke out into a typical 'rock em sock em' - Hockey Night in Canada highlight fight of the week! We're still cleaning up the carnage!

Saturday night Philip and I received tickets to the local Kitimat Demons hockey game...we attended with other members of the family. As we entered the arena we had to pass by two security personnel. One of them noticed the 2 notebooks in Philip's hand (he never leaves home without them) and her comment for all to hear shocked me. "Look, it's the Scorekeeper!" I was so proud!

When Diane and I started this blog we did so because we have been and continue to be so proud of our son. He is very special to us, and to his brother and sister...and we simply wanted to share that specialness with family and friends.

We have received much encouragement along the way and the positive comments have been numerous and heart warming. We hope that in some small way you have gotten to know Philip a little bit better and if and when your paths might cross, you will consider him your friend!

The mind of a child, so poignant, so free,

Alive with adventure, enraptured with glee.

Denied of it's essence, restrained in it's quest,

Restricted, retarded...our Philip - so blessed!