Steveston revisted

Happy slightly belated Easter! The bunny has risen! It was a bit of a weird Easter for us. Mark was struck down with a bad flu on Good Friday and was essentially bed-ridden and unable to function for nearly 6 days. We had a bout of glorious sunny weather and it was the first long weekend since Christmas. This did nothing to help his already flagging spirits. Now River has it, poor little guy.

The kids and I made the best of things and got out to enjoy the weather. On Saturday I took them to Steveston (where we used to live). It is a fabulous place to visit. We began at a trail off the dyke that we call "The Coyote Walk". I have mentioned it before it a secluded trail that takes you along the tidal flats past Scotch Pond to where there used to stand an old cannery. Although it the sun was shining, the wind was quite cold. The old couch we found a while back had been moved to another location and this time the tide was way out.

Scotch Pond

 

A disassembled sitting room

Following the Coyote Walk we decided to walk around Garry Point and explore the different beaches along the way. I love when we find adhoc sculptures and balancing structures along the shoreline.

The kids explored rocks, logs, twigs, sand, and water. The only problem with that section of the Fraser inlet is that it is not safe to swim in. The water is quite polluted with the all the industry going on just further up the Fraser Arm. But it is perfect for a Spring day when it is too brisk to want to swim or go in the water anyway.

Later, we toured the village and, of course, had Fish and Chips at Dave's restaurant. Then the kids wanted to go back to the beach and so we did. We ended up hanging out in Steveston for hours and having a lot of fun.

Spring Broke

Wow...nearly two weeks have gone by since...well...two weeks ago! Almost made it to the end of Spring Break. Nearly there. Just...Got to...Keep it together...For...Three. More. Days. I feel quite exhausted. The first week I began work at the preschool. I think it's going to work out great. It wasn't an ordinary week because the school was closed for Spring Break and half the kids were away. Next week will be a 'normal' week. On my first day there was a howling wind storm and half way through the morning the power went out and the school was plunged into semi-darkness (to the excitement and delight of the kids). We had to cancel the afternoon class. Weird first day!

This week has been a week of trying to keep the kids entertained and trying to keep River from driving us crazy. He is going through a silly phase at the moment. He has bouts of laughing uncontrollably and screams and yells, or asks repetitive questions; it is not that easy to ignore. Nor is it easy to re-direct him. He loves to act silly in front of mirrors and this house, being an 80's rental, is full of mirrors. Mirrored closet doors have to be one of the worst inventions of all time. When we go to places he often refuses to leave and screams, yells, flops or runs away. It is impossible for me to take him grocery shopping. The only place we can go is the local IGA. It's a very small, local supermarket and the staff know River. They know that his favourite place to hang out is aisle 3. It's the tea aisle. He also enjoys aisle 3 of other stores, so we're not sure what it is. But I can grocery shop in IGA because I know he will likely stay in aisle 3 taking things on and off shelves.

Truth to tell we've become a bit worried about his behaviour lately; it can be exhausting and frustrating to deal with. We also have to get to grips with toileting. He will use the toilet to pee but refuses to poo on the toilet. He knows that he should, but he just won't. There is a strategy we are going to implement soon. It involves taking a whole weekend and getting extra help, but we've heard there has been some success. Hand in hand with that is a fantastic development in his communication. It's baby steps, but he is talking in some sentences and asking appropriate questions. He is also commenting on things, purely for conversation. Every day he comes out with something that is new and surprising. It is very encouraging. Autism is so unpredictable.

Mark was reading the Real Estate forums the other day and came across this post:

***** Says:
March 12th, 2012 at 10:58 am
@****
Yes I agree, but in my world proper ‘rental stock’ is apartment buildings, town homes or houses built for the express purpose of renting to long term tenants, properly managed and marketed as same. NOT living in some dysfunctional middle class family’s basement listening to the autistic child bounce off the walls, hearing the older sister scream that she wants to die.

We instantly thought, "Oh no...our neighbours must have posted that!" Who else? Mark quickly checked the timing of the post. Phew...they were on the way to their vacation at that point. It can't have been them. Also...as we read more carefully, we don't have a basement or a tenant living below us. Close call. So there is another family out there that resembles ours!

In my 'spare' time I have been knitting and trying to catch up on reading and writing. I started "Halfblood Blues", but after its early promise I've kind of lost interest. Think I'll read the Hunger Games. Helen and I continue to work at creating patterns and knitting up samples to put on the Stitches website. It's coming along great.

First Aid then First Day.

Started work at the Preschool today. First day of paid work in over 5 years. Well, half a day. A big windstorm hit Vancouver; howling winds blowing down trees and littering the sidewalks with branches and twigs. And knocking down power lines. So the power went out in our neighbourhood and the school was plunged into semi-darkness. Then there was that silence you get when the power goes out and you realise how much noise is created by all the electrical stuff. Anyway, lots of kiddy excitement, but we had to to cancel the afternoon and leave early. Weird first day, but I think it's going to work out great. The woman I will be working with is fabulous! The kids are lovely. I am quite excited about it all. It's great to be in a classroom with the familiar mingled scent of wax crayons, play doh and paint.

Yesterday, I spent the day getting my First Aid Certificate. I did it with St John's Ambulance (although I since learned that it's easier and cheaper to do it with the Red Cross). It was very intense. It's about the 4th time I've taken a First Aid course and the last couple were with St. John's Ambulance. However, they've changed a lot of stuff. Including the teaching style which involves the trainer (or whatever he is called) acting like a total asshole and making you feel like crap. Example:

He has just explained the first steps of ESM  (Emergency Scene Management). If the person is unconscious call 911. But there are other steps and, at first, it's a little confusing. Extra confusing when someone is almost shouting questions at you. He emphasizes taking charge of the scene. So then he picks someone and looks them in the eye...

Him: "So, you've arrived on the scene. There's bystanders, but you're the only First Aider. You've assessed LOC (level of consciousness) and the person is unconscious, what do you do??? What do you DO? COME ON! You won't have time to hesitate on the scene!"

Person (like a rabbit in headlights), "Err, err...ABC's"

Him: "NO!" (picks someone else). Points at them. "YOU! The person is unconscious...what are you going to do? Seconds are going by...what are you going to DO???"

Person #2: Silence...blank stare.

Persons #3 - #15 stare intently at their shoes or at the opposite wall.

Him: "Someone! (Finds a pair of eyes glance his way). What are YOU going to do?"

Person #16: whispering hesitantly, "Call an ambulance?"

Him: "Not like that you're not! Take charge. Point to me and demand I call an ambulance. Look me in the eyes and say, 'YOU! GO CALL 911....NOW!'"

And so on went the day. Lots of fun.

I mean, if someone asked me for my phone number in that manner I don't think I'd be able to recall it.

"WHAT'S YOUR PHONE NUMBER??? Come on...minutes are going by. WHAT IS IT? You KNOW this...what IS IT?????? You need to know this!"

"I...err...I just...err.. I don't know. I'm sorry. I can't...I think it's 604 123-4567"

"WHAT? How are you going to get anyone to call you with that voice. Come on! Say it louder!"

"I can't...I don't even know if that is my number. I'm weak and a failure!" Breaks down into sobs.

However, as I learned during lunch break, there is method behind this mad-ness. He was actually a nice guy. (It's important not to take it too personally, although some people did). It's an almost military style of teaching intended to get you involved, make you remember, and build up your assertiveness so that you will feel confident in what you have learned, most importantly, in your ability to administer first aid and SAVE LIVES! Rather than other courses where you hear a lot of blah blah blah...sit and yawn and day dream, do a couple of breaths into a doll, and get given a certificate, hoping that you are never called on to actually administer first aid. I think it works; you're so worried that he's going to pick on you and that you'll give the wrong answer or be unable to answer that you pay VERY close attention. Of all the First Aid courses I've done, I'd say that this one was useful and that I will remember a lot of the stuff. I even feel confident that I could actually give first aid. Of course, you'll have to ask me in 3 months or a year if I remember anything.

Incidentally, when you or your child gets a nose-bleed, hold your/their head forward and down...not back.

Still here

Yes, I'm still here. Still plodding along, like a dependable donkey, draped with jolly bells, trudging back and forth along the seafront at Cleethorpes beach, lugging ornery kids overstuffed with fish and chips and ice-cream. Rumours of my taking off to a tropical island with a handsome billionaire who wants to 'take me away from all this' and feed me those delicious little French cakes and pour wine while we discuss knitting patterns, have been grossly exaggerated. I have been busy. It's my mantra.

But it's not all drudgery and endless chores...there is some fun stuff. Really. Among other things, I have started on an exciting project with my friend, Helen. We are both keen knitters and she came up with the idea of our collaborating and creating knitting patterns and hand-dyed knitting kits to sell on the web (and perhaps in stores). We have a website (which I will link to this blog...eventually). It is www.stitches-studio.com...check it out! We will be putting knitting patterns up there, as well as interesting articles. And we're blogging about the creative process. It's a lot of fun, and great to collaborate with Helen. I have been doing a fair bit of dyeing and have become very interested in the whole process. There is something quite satisfying about dyeing your own yarn. Also, it means I can move all my knitting chatter over to the other blog.

I have also been trying to enjoy my last weeks before I start work. On Monday I begin work as the Assistant Preschool Teacher at the local preschool. I am looking forward to it for a number of reasons; making money, having an activity outside of the home...called a job, getting to know other people and, of course, working with a very sweet group of children. My first job in over 5 years; part-time and not terribly lucrative, but in the teaching field and incredibly convenient. I am hoping it will be a good bridge between not having paid work for 5 years, and whatever I do next (become rich and famous, obviously). There will have to be a few changes around here once I begin work. But I can't see it happening without a struggle. The donkey is growing wings and becoming Pegasus...outta my way! Okay, not quite.

We've had a few sunny (but cold) days here and have managed to get down to the beach a couple of times. Here's a couple of pics of the kids.

Yeah, we build sandcastles...even when it's freezing!

"Thanks for taking me to have so much fun, mum" awww

Nothing like hitting a log...

Who needs shoes?

Perhaps footwear is a good idea after all

Aint we bootiful!

Aggressive Tooth Brushing...wah??

Ever notice gaps in your understanding of life? That is when you suddenly discover something that it seems everyone else knew about but you somehow missed? Does this happen to everyone?

Here are a couple of occasions when I have been merrily going through life only to find certain information was kept hidden from me for years.

The Beavers: I went through life, right up until my mid-30s, thinking that Beavers were the size of large rats. I'd seen them on TV, knew they built complex dams and gnawed down trees. I knew all of that. I just assumed they worked in large groups and that building a dam involved an awful lot of teamwork, as did the gnawing through the trunks of small trees. I knew they were a huge part of the early fur trade in Canada...I just assumed that many, many pelts were sewn together to make a coats etc. I made all the facts fit into my incorrect assumption which did not change for many years. Interesting. It only changed when, in conversation, I mentioned something about how many beavers hunters would have to collect in order to trade and make something. "Hang on," said the person I was talking to (finally cluing in), "how big do you think beavers are?" 
Me: "Errr...about the size of large rats...aren't they?"
Him: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Cue beaver paradigm shift.

Defrosting chicken breasts: you can thaw chicken under warm running water or put it in warm water. It will defrost really quickly. Obvious!! But I didn't find this out until someone mentioned it a few years ago. Admittedly, I was a vegetarian for many years. But still, I was leaving the chicken out until it had completely defrosted...it was taking ages. I had to change recipes and find alternatives because the chicken breast wasn't defrosted in time. Why didn't I know the warm water thing?

And here's a new one...

Aggressive Tooth Brushing. It's really bad. It can do this to your teeth. (Not my tooth, incidentally)

And once your gums have receded they are GONE FOREVER. No amount of crying and retro-active laid back brushing is going to get them back. If you want them back you have to have a soft tissue skin graft or something. What the???? Does everyone else know this? If so, why didn't anyone mention it? Why hasn't one single dentist in all my 40 years of going to the dentist, ever said anything. "Brush regularly, floss every day...oh...and never brush aggressively with abrasive toothpaste". Is that so hard? (A while back I was using toothpaste that actually had what seemed like grit in it!) I have always brushed aggressively...I thought you were supposed to. I discovered this information, by accident, the other day. I noticed that the gum of one of my front incisors (that is capped) was receding. "Ugh," I thought to myself, "better brush it harder." Then later I decided to consult Dr. Google. Hey presto...there was the culprit: "Aggressive tooth brushing!" Seems it's common knowledge. But I never heard of it. For goodness sake! Using too much toothpaste, especially whitening toothpaste, or toothpaste with baking soda, (yeah...the type I've used for years) and using a firm toothbrush basically wears down your teeth and gums and causes permanent damage. Talk about closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

This is further evidence, as if any were needed, that we are regularly abducted by aliens. It is during these abductions that we miss out on bits and pieces of common knowledge. When we are put back on earth there are small pieces of information missing from our consciousness. Obvious, isn't it?

A Mouse Tail

 

 After picking up the kids from school the other day, I said we'd go for a walk and head to the local pet store to buy some chews for the gerbils. Bronwyn said I'd read her mind...or rather that her 'lucky penny' (whatever that is) was obviously working. Apparently, she was going to ask if we could go to the pet store because she was intent on buying a small mouse, a cat toy. She told me that a few other girls in the class had these 'pets' on their desks. It reminded me of the icons we put on our desks as kids; troll dolls, fruit pencil toppers etc.

I suppose this stuff just carries on from one generation to the next. River reluctantly accompanied us, dragging his feet. Usually he enjoys stores, any store, but he hadn't been to this pet store before and without a previous visit or some visual to help he had trouble knowing where we were going. Of course, once we were there he busied himself taking items off the shelves and carefully putting them back...over and over. Bronwyn and I selected some chews for the gerbils and then moved to the the cat section where Bronwyn selected a mouse toy.

So Bronwyn got her mouse home and made a little house for it out of an empty smoked oyster box.

She took it to school the following day. When I met her after school, she seemed quite downcast. "No one liked my mouse." she said, forlornly. One girl had said it wasn't as 'real' as her mouse. Another had commented that the 'house' Bronwyn had made for it was "weird". Admittedly, she is a little under-the-weather (and sensitive at the best of times), but as we sat huddled on one of the playground benches, and she held her little mouse house, I felt an acute pang of love and pathos. And then I glanced over at River, who was involved in his usual solitary walk around the playground while the other kids chase and laugh around him in groups. School is not an easy place. There was one girl in particular who had upset Bronwyn, perhaps the girl who first started the mouse-on-the-desk thing. "She's a glamour girl," said Bronwyn, "she really likes clothes and boys" (later she described a 'glamour' girl as a girl who is fancy in the way she dresses and acts and wants boys to be attracted to her)...yes, they are 7 and 8 year olds! I saw the girl and, without being able to define what it was about her, I knew what Bronwyn was describing. I said school was full of so many different types of people all in one place and that she would come across girls like that all the way through school, that she just had to ignore them (stupid advice, really). The important thing, I said, was that she liked her mouse. But clearly that wasn't the most important thing to Bronwyn.

I never thought of 7 being a 'difficult' age (I suppose they all have their moments), but perhaps it is. It struck me that Bronwyn had got a mouse and made a nest for it; she'd taken it to school no doubt in an effort to join in and be social. But it didn't turn out the way she thought it would. I'd cooo-ed and said how cute the mouse was and the little home she'd made for it. It is cute. But the other kids don't feel that way. It's as if she is being forced to discard her cute, small-child, habits or risk the mocking of school friends who are older or maturing differently. And it is causing confusion and sadness in her. Schools are the scourge of innocence. The more experience I have with them...and let's not forget I am a teacher, the less I like about them. And I believe the kids go to a great school; by school standards. If I didn't need to work and make money then I would home school both of them. The argument about socializing kids cuts no ice with me. What social skills? How to be bullied, or bully? or change yourself to please others? How to hide anything that is not deemed, at some point in time by some random person who happens to be popular, to be cool? There is no point saying to a kid (unless they happen to be popular) "just be yourself". School is a minefield of differing expectations. The hardest thing of all is 'being yourself'. The stronger pull is to be like everyone else...assimilate into a majority. Bronwyn has a strong personality, but I wonder if she will withstand the pressure to conform. Will she drop the astronomy that she loves and adapt herself to what she believes will make her popular with the other girls...the girls who dictate what it is to be cool and popular. I am encouraged that she is still taking her mouse to school and sitting it on her desk, regardless of what the other girls said.

Catching up...

Here are some pics of things we've got up to recently.

I learned to ski! Well...let's just say I can get down a not-too steep hill with skis on my feet. No points for style, that's for sure. But it's a start. I went to Seymour Mountain with my friend Helen (who kindly lent me some of her ski stuff and guided me through the process). It was a lot of fun. If I'd realised just how much fun it was, I would have done it years (and years) ago.

On the 'slopes'...the flat bit

 I went once again on my own to Grouse Mountain. Quite scary, but I was proud of myself for going. When I first moved to Vancouver I would look across at the mountains; in particular at Grouse Mountain and the ski run that is most visible called, 'The Cut'. It felt great to actually ski down the hill. The scenery was absolutely fantastic. A breathtakingly beautiful day that completely showed the  mountains and the coastline at its best. When I say 'ski', I use that term loosely. Mostly, I was going down with not much clue as to what I was doing, but trying to do it a lot slower. Still a lot of fun and I felt proud of myself for going.

The beautiful view from "The Cut"

From the chair life...spectacular!

Then last week Mark took the day off and we went back up to Grouse. Not quite the same. Blizzard conditions; wind and snow whipping across our faces. The fresh snow was built up so that I found it difficult to do anything at first and was quite dismayed. I kept getting stuck and spent quite a bit of the first part of the trip inspecting the snow up close. Eventually the middle section flattened out a bit and I was able to get in some practice. Mark is a good skier...but was very patient!

View from the chair lift...a week later

 

Mark on 'The Cut"...no view this time

We had a couple of snowy days in the city, but it quickly melted. It is always beautiful while it lasts; the city and beaches transformed by the white blanket and the sunshine.

A snowy walk to school

A trip to the Museum of Anthropology on a rainy Sunday is something I really enjoy doing. The kids love it and, aside from trying to pull River out of the displays, it works out well for us. And it is wonderful to be immersed in all of the Native Art. There was a reel-to-reel recording of an old, perhaps no longer spoken, Native language. River was transfixed by it, as he is all recording devices.

Listening

I went to the symphony with my sister; Mahler #2 (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra). It was very moving and beautiful, but by far the most beautiful part comes at the end when the choir joins in. We had to ward off a giggle-fit; you know, the ones you get in places where you know that you CAN NOT possibly have a giggle fit. My shoulders shook as I silently tried to think of terrible things that would distract me from the quiet joke Trini had made. Not easy. Also, for the first time in years, I went to a real, actual play...an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot". I accompanied our friend, Kyle, to the Fredrick Wood Theatre at UBC. I was a bit worried at first when I saw on the programme that the play was 3 and a half hours long...but it really moved along and was incredibly entertaining. I miss going to plays.

River got an attack of bloody headlice. More combing and laundry...(the laundry...the laundry!). I think we have killed them, until the next outbreak.

Oh...a great weekend in Whistler with my Wendy and other writing buddies. Wendy has a great condo there and invited us to join her...thanks Wendy! We didn't get as much writing done as we planned (I was only there overnight), but it was great to meet up. The plan is to go for longer next year and actually get some stuff done. I took the greyhound bus up to Whistler. It was a beautiful clear day and I thoroughly enjoyed the bus ride; relaxed and lost in thought. I think I'd do the bus-ride again...just go there and back and sit and stare out the window. Write-ins with Wendy are continuing and I think it is well worth doing.

Beautiful views just near Wendy's place in Whistler Creekside

 Also...I have been working on a knitting/dyeing project with Helen. I tried different home-based dyes but the results have not been very satisfactory. Got to try it out again.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot. I GOT A JOB!!! I am going to be working part-time at the preschool located at Bronwyn's school. It is not particularly well paid, but there are a lot of fringe benefits, including not needing childcare. Childcare is an issue; expensive and also River needs extra support in any childcare situation. I know that eventually I will have to cross that bridge, but for now I think this job will work out well. It is a bridge between being a stay-at-home-mum and whatever it is that I do next. I am excited to start working again.

So there we are...a bit of catch up. A bit boring, I know. But sometimes it is all you can do to try and get stuff down.

Things that make you go "Ugh!"

Ugh! number 1: Head-lice. Hello, I am a nasty insect that looks like a mini cockroach and I live in your scalp, sucking on your blood, and laying tiny sticky eggs all over your hair that will turn into other head lice. But just to make you feel better you can tell your friends that I prefer clean hair. The last thing we want is to make our home in dirty...errr...lice-ridden hair. That clean hair thing did not make me feel better as a kid...and nothing has changed. It makes no sense...

After trekking across 'miles' of hair to search and conquer other 'planets' (aka heads), the worn out headlice and his pregnant wife and their kids finally reach the scalp of a new place. It's not quite what they expected; garbage everywhere, gangs of unsavoury headlice hanging around greasy unwashed follicles; smoking and drinking.

Barb: "Kev, I'm sorry but I can't' stay here. Look at this place, it's filthy! Me and the kids are not staying here a minute longer. And no way I'm laying more eggs here...no way. I wouldn't bring up a gnat in a place like this! I'm beginning to think my mother was right about you! She warned me, but would I listen? Oh no. And look where it's got me. I bumped into Debs the other day on the school desk...remember her?...well, her and Gary are living on this beautiful clean head. It's got everything; fresh blood, nice clean dark roots, great safe areas of scalp where the kids can play. If you had any kind of ambition and got off your arse then maybe we could move somewhere like that."

Kev: "Well, the lads down at the 'Dandruff and Itch' were saying that this head is really up and coming and that we should get in now....we can clean it up a bit...right? At least we have each other..."

Slap!


Head-lice decided to take up residence in Bronwyn's mass of thick, long, beautiful hair. I had to use the 'special' shampoo and then comb it all out with the 'special' comb. I had to do this twice. Supposively, the 'special' shampoo/cleanser kills them on contact. Apparently not. I found a couple of live ones the next day (shudder). Apparently, the head-lice hadn't got the message about the shampoo...and were resistant. So we tried another shampoo that essentially dissolves them. Goodbye bugs. Hello endless loads of laundry.

Ugh: Seagulls! A pleasant trip to Granville Island with River was marred when a seagull did this to my LIP!

River and I were just going out to the boardwalk area behind the Public Market. We were munching on pieces of cheese bun. A few seconds after we got out I noticed very large seagulls shrieking and flapping uncomfortably close to us. You could feel the air displaced by their huge wings. A few seconds later and one swooped down to River's head; wings flapped around his head and claws pulled his hair. River froze, scared, "Hurt head!" he exclaimed. I immediately started towards him in order to grab him and get him back inside to safety. The gulls were still hovering close by. I put the last piece of my bun in my mouth as I moved towards River and suddenly a gull dived down at my face and tried to get the piece of bread...from my mouth. It's beak bruised and cut my lip. At first my lip just felt bruised and was really burning, but then I put my hand to my mouth and noticed there was blood coming out. Bastard! It didn't get the bread though..ha ha! I quickly collected River, who was still cowering and complaining about his 'hurt head', and we scurried back to the market. There are stupid people who feed gulls and pigeons. Gulls are big aggressive birds that are not in danger of starving!

ETA:  I shall return with a bag of breadcrumbs and a flamethrower!

Ugh: Drunk men in pubs! My sister and I were enjoying a pint at my local the other night when we were approached by an older (older than us anyway) drunk guy; glassy eyed and slurring his speech. He had already sent over a couple of shots that we didn't ask for, nor want. He blathered on about this and that in an attempt to appear charming. "Are you two schisterss....or 'schisterss'" was his stunning opener. He proceeded to tell me he was a barber and that, though I was a 'handsome' woman, I needed to change my hair. Drunk men should not approach women enjoying a quiet drink....ever; the chances of saying something stupid and making yourself seem like a pathetic loser are way too high. Later the same evening a small child threw a large candy cane Christmas tree ornament that hit me. Nice. To be fair, I don't think he was actually aiming at me. The waitress actually took 10% of our bill as recompense for the assaults.  On the way home I startled a skunk...but fortunately it didn't spray. I'm wondering if I should change my hair. Maybe he has a point.

Merry, Happy, Xmas, New Year, Valentine, Easter etc. etc.

BIG time lapse in blogging. A multitude of reasons, none of which I will blog about. Happy New Year 2012! We had a relatively good Christmas, not without its difficult moments. Trini and Lorne came over for Christmas dinner (this year we bought a delicious organic turkey pie from Aphrodites to save on cooking). It was a fun day. River loved Christmas this year; the lights, the tree, all the decorations and, of course, the presents! This was the first year that he took an active role in opening his presents...and everyone elses. "Ohhh, I love it!" he exclaimed when he opened the sandwich toaster that my sister and her husband had got for Mark and I. The main thing for him was the actual opening of the wrapping paper! It was great to see him so involved. Bronwyn had fun too. She still believes in Santa, even though I have, in preparation for the inevitable, expressed some doubts. She has proof apparently; a rusty bell that she found by the Christmas tree last year. No one knows how it got there (true!). Some pics:

Christmas morning

What was left of Rudolph's carrot

Diva!

Beautiful boy!

With auntie Trini

Mi babbies

Christmas merriment!

You may not remember that we had offered a major bribe Bronwyn in order for her to take sedative and get tons of work done on her teeth, only to discover that she loves Demerol and was fine getting the work done. She had to have additional work the day before Christmas Eve. We hummed and hahhed about what to get, all the while cursing our hasty bribe. I discouraged a Wii player as I could see it would be yet another thing that would require ME to do something. I foresaw that I would be roped into playing a bunch of tedious games....no thanks. I'm aiming for a less-is-more style of parenting. Then we were trying to decide between gerbils and fish. For some reason Mark and I thought fish would be easier and look better. Wrong, wrong, WRONG. In ignorance, we went out and bought a starter tropical fish tank and all the accessories. Ka-ching!...$140! Then we discovered that the stand for the aquarium (which would weigh about 100lbs when full) would cost an additional $100! That is before we purchased any fish. Then there were ph balances, bacteria levels, algae build up, gravel cleaning, ratios of fish...we panicked. We have problems with 'pet commitment'.  "Let's cut our losses, sell the fish gear, and get gerbils!" I said. What were we thinking??? So if you're interested in starting a aquarium look no further than here. We will give you a good deal. So we now have two new resident gerbils; Scorpion and Cactus. Bronwyn adores them. More on them later.

The birthday bash.

River's birthday party was a lot of fun (and exhausting)! He was engaged and really enjoyed having kids over to celebrate. My friend, Michelle, made a fantastic 'garbage truck' birthday cake for him. It was as delicious as it was fantastic to look at! Now and then River was a little overwhelmed by the noise (note to self: do not by noise-makers), but he participated in all the games and was really excited by all the attention. He has also talked about his birthday and answered questions about it. It was a real hit. And I can set up some play dates for him...fantastic! Here are a few pics:

The fabulous garbage-truck cake

Birthday boy!

Pass the parcel...always a hit!

Time for cake

Make a wish!

Yep, they're all for you!

Present opening time!

A wonderful new truck from Aunty Trini and Uncle Lorne