Updates

Other recent happenings... the quick version:

1) Graeme gets probably 3 good head bonks everyday. Some self induced, some helped along by big brother.

2) Gavin went skating with Craig for the first time and had lots of fun. We bought him skates today. I'm next in line.

3) Gavin also loves riding his Skuut bike. And has ridden the track in our backyard all by himself.

4) Yes, you read that correctly. We have a "pump track" in our backyard. Consider it a Christmas present to Craig. He has had fun this break making it and riding with Gavin in the backyard. (It goes around the grass on the play side, so it doesn't take up the whole yard or interrupt my garden space. Good thing.)

5) We did get a Christmas tree after all.

6) I'm realizing that I relied on my mother to take all the pictures over Christmas so I have basically nothing to post yet. (Hey, mom, send me copies!)

7) Graeme is trying to talk. Tonight I'm pretty sure he said, "Blueberries, now!" (He's quite demanding.) It actually sounded like: "Boooo brrrr a, noooooooowwwwww!" He tries to say anything you say, really. It's pretty fun, I can't wait till they start talking with each other. Other than: "No, mine!" "Nooooooo." "No mine." "Nooooooo."

8) We are officially a whole family that "Cheers!" at dinner. Graeme and Gavin get a kick out of it, as do we of course.

9) I've got my yoga books and some new yoga clothes, so I'm ready to go for training! Yeah! It starts the end of January. So excited.

10) Went to yoga today and realized I'm very out of shape. A few weeks out of the gym (colds/holiday) weren't good. I have approximately one month to get my keister in gear.

The Christmas Crossword

Of course, again, there is so much to write since I haven't written for so long. Where to begin? We had a fabulous Christmas up in Canada. My parents came up here, we piled into the suburban, and headed to Craig's mum's. We spent a few days with the Burke's and then drove to the his dad's on Christmas day for another fabulous visit. The hospitality and food were tremendous at both stops. We all had a lovely time. Gavin has asked to open presents everyday since we've been home.

One of my favorite parts of the Canadian Christmas tradition is the gigantic crossword that comes in the paper. It is so much fun. Everyone gets involved to some extent and it is a great way to endure family time. (Kidding, of course. I enjoy family time immensely.) I suppose it is not great, however, when your son's asking, "Mummy, come play with me!" and you try to hide in the crossword for a break. Grandparents are around, though, right??

Every moment of our trip was delightful and there is so much to write... but, alas, Bridget Jones is on and I'm afraid I'm a bit of a junkie for sappy romantic comedies.

A Confession

And, just so there is full disclosure, my suitcase from the Thanksgiving trip is still on my bedroom floor. Now at least half packed, but filled full of other stuff. There is just always so much to do around here!

Getting ready for the big day

I haven't posted in a while it seems. How time slips away... particularly when you're wiping noses and hoarding your own stash of tissues. We're all getting better here, finally. I've been working on a Christmas letter, pasting labels (God's gift), and figuring out how many more Canadian stamps I need to buy. I must say this about our Christmas letter: it's better than nothin'! I wasn't going to send one, then starting feeling a little bah humbug. So, of course, the natural next step is to make more work for myself by writing a letter and stuffing envelopes. I hope you all enjoy it, dammit. Just kidding. I rather like doing all of this, though that's quite strange. This year I attempted a poem, so be forgiving when you read it. Poetry might be left to Celeste and my mom! The jury's still out...

As for the boys, they are great, of course. Gavin wants a fire truck for Christmas, but we're hoping that he'll forget that he said that when he sees what else we got him. He wants a fire truck with a ladder, but the ladder is always broken within the first couple days. And he already has a couple ladder-less fire trucks. Graeme should ask Santa for more teeth (he's got six), but since he does quite well with those he has... maybe Graeme will ask for anything he's not supposed to have. That's been the order of the day this past week.

We're excited for Christmas this year. It is fun when they both are into it. Graeme knows the word "cookie" now - he doesn't say it yet, but he gets a really big smile when he hears it.

Will you unpack for me?

We've been back from our Thanksgiving trip for a few days now, and I still haven't unpacked. There have been lots of other things to do, but I can't fight the urge to complain that it is because I'm actually unpacking for three people as my bag also includes all of the boys stuff. Since I've needed said "stuff" during the last couple of days, my once very organized bag is a mess of clothes, diapers (clean), and other jumble on the bedroom floor. It's just that when I get a free moment, that's not the first thing I'd like to do. But that doesn't change the fact that I still have to do it...

We did have a lovely trip to my parents' place, seeing Celeste's family as well. I think fun was had by all despite the fact that we contaminated everyone, giving out three colds, not including Graeme's. He won first prize with a crazy cold and his 4th ear infection. I think everyone is on the mend now, but our apologies again.

Now it is time for Christmas decorations - mostly done. (That's what I've been doing when I should have unpacked!) I am excited for everything considering both boys are old enough now to get into the Santa thing and all the decorations. Graeme even tried to say Santa today. It didn't sound like much, but he does try to repeat whatever you say (usually "tractor" which comes out "ah or").

I'll try to be better about writing more. It is easy to leave it too long and then be too tired. Sleep has been an issue with us lately, but the last few nights have been good. Let's hope that continues!

Speaking of...