October...

I can't believe it's almost October already. I think my New Year's Resolution will be to blog more often. That gives me 3 months to think about blogging more often. Maybe in three months we'll have figured out our new routine.

Yes, we have a very new routine that we're still trying to come to grips with. The Boy is now in Grade 2. All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth, his two front teeth, his two front teeth! Yes, both front top teeth are missing. The gap is almost as wide as his smile (Note to self--take picture soon!). He has a variety of activities (too many, seriously) including karate, swimming, skating (seriously, if you live in Canada, you need to learn to skate!), Beavers, and extra help for reading.

Doodle goes to daycare each day, where she charms everyone. Oh yes, she's a complete charmer. Her activities include swimming, accompanying her brother to karate, and we're at the beginning of a whole bunch of medical appointments. Doodle has been diagnosed with hemiplegia, or hemiparesis. It's mild, yes, but so far the referrals have included Pediatrician, MRI, and Physiotherapy. We're still waiting on OT, Neurology, and Orthopedics. And she has daily stretches that she has to do. Well, that we have to do to her, to be more exact!

I'm at work. Although I suppose I was at work last time I posted, back in February. Been back almost a year now! How time flies. I'm still dealing with the depression, but things feel almost normal now.

But the biggest change to our routine is that House Man has gone back to school. He's taking Occupational Health and Safety at NSCC. It's a ten month course, and it's full time. For the first time ever all 4 of us are leaving the house at the same time every morning. I'm actually very, very happy for House Man. He needed a change, and this is an area that he has been interested in at previous jobs. It's retraining that makes sense for him.

And although they don't read this blog, I'd like to give a shout out to my parents. Seriously. They take BOTH kids every Saturday night now. For the WHOLE night. Yes, I do know how lucky I am!

So. my lunch hour is over, and I have to go to a meeting. I'd much rather be outside on this blustery sunny first day of Autumn, but such is life. Anyway, I'll leave you with a photo taken at World Wide Knit in Public Day this past summer, taken by the absolutely wonderful Hellcat, of my Doodle.

It's been a while

So last night as I wrangled a wide awake Doodle, it came to me that I had to blog. Literally, a voice told me to blog. Okay, I'm pretty sure she was only babbling, but it certainly sounded like she said "blog now". So I'm blogging. It's only been, what, 7 months or so since I last updated! So, what have I missed? Let's see.

North Carolina in September.




The Boy at the Battleship North Carolina. Doodle with her grandparents on the beach. House Man having a surfing lesson. A nice trip, but then North Carolina really is a nice place to be in September.

What else? Oh, that's right.


Doodle's first birthday. That's my girl, knows exactly what to do with a piece of cake, even though she'd never seen one before!

And what else? Hallowe'en maybe?



No, seriously, if you have a child small enough at Hallowe'en, you owe it yourself to cut some leg holes in a pumpkin. It's absolutely priceless. And you can borrow the little pumpkin hat from Ann!

So, where are we now? October? Then next would probably be Christmas.




Matching Christmas clothes from Granny and Grandpa. Notice Doodle's is too large, so we should get next Christmas out of it too!

And then came the snow.



So, that's things pretty much up to date. I left out all the icky stuff, like H1N1 (me and the kids), pinkeye (me and the kids), gastroenteritis (all of us) and assorted coughs, colds and fevers (all of us). And I did do some knitting too, although I haven't taken photos of that yet. Matching socks for Doodle and The Boy, and as soon as they get washed, I think they'll make a very cute photo!

The year did get off to a sad start, with the earthquake in Haiti in January. While these natural disasters occur around the world, there's something more real about them when they happen close to home. For those who don't know, we lived in Haiti from my grade 3 to grade 9 years, leaving the summer after the revolution overthrowing the Duvalier regime. Seeing this terrible thing unfold on television truly took me back to a time in my life that I take very much for granted, and made me realise how lucky I have been to spend time in a place as lovely but tragic as Haiti. Here's a photo from those days:



My sister, my dad, and my brother, in 1979 or 1980. This photo was taken from Boutiliers, looking down over Port Au Prince below.

Okay then. That's me for now. I'll post again, next time Doodle reminds me!