Christmas Lists - Part 3

Okay, I just reread what everybody wanted. Delaney wants anything she sees - I want things that don't have little tiny pieces!

Connor doesn't have much that's appropriate on his list. He really likes doing puzzles though and we will have room to leave them half-finished in our basement now. He likes money and going to movies and doing stuff. Hmm.

Aidan is into his games and books and that's about it. I don't know of any toys that he's into right now, although he still likes his stuffed dragon which has been patched over 3 times in some places.

I don't know, this is getting harder and harder!

Christmas Wish Lists - Part 2

Delaney wants a game for her Leapster and a Pound Puppy and whatever else she can look at.

Aidan wants a Nintendo GameCube - and a Pokemon XDX to go with it (arrgggh!)

Connor just wants something cool.

Good luck to all of you, I have no idea!

Delaney saw Santa yesterday and told him she wanted a Furby, so we know what Santa will be bringing her (maybe). We got pictures taken and they are very cute (one is coming for you Nana). I went to do Christmas shopping and ended up buying myself some back-to-work clothes. I've been hanging out in sweats and jeans the last few months so figured I needed something new.

The boys haven't seen Santa but I'm not adverse to bringing them all back there. I think they have a day off school coming up for parent-teacher interviews, so I will probably bring them then. I think they have only gone to school 2 or 3 weeks where they've gone all 5 days! It is crazy!

All of us are excited about heading East for Christmas. I'm still trying to figure out the logistics of it all. The kids don't even mind missing their school Christmas parties. When I booked the tickets back in July, I had no idea I was picking the last day of school. However, as Aidan put it, "Going on a plane ride beats school anyday no matter whats going on there!"

Not much else is new. The kids all got haircuts finally so can see again. Connor got a new violin of his own because he promised me he would practice 10 minutes every day and I've barely heard it. Granted, it is a little hard for him because it keeps going out of tune (apparently to be expected with new violins) and I have no idea how to tune it , well, actually no ear to tune it. I've also got to start reminding them to practice every day. But then it becomes my homework! Oh well.

I also bought a new bedspread and curtains for the bedroom and the cleaning lady pointed out that the print Colleen gave us years ago would be perfect in there. Now I have to get Sean to hang it and we'll move some furniture around, and the room will be done. Of course, this is after the basement is done. We have the drywallers booked in next week and the carpet is paid for and on its way. We're going to lay some laminate flooring down there at the foot of the stairs in the bar area, so that is work we have to do yet. Sean thinks it will be pretty straight-forward though because there are no tricky cuts to do. It looks like it may actually all be done by the end of January! I was going to say December but didn't want to jinx myself...

Speed Skating

I forgot to mention that Aidan tried speed skating today after school. While he was on the ice you could see his great big grin and when he got off the ice I asked if he would like to try it again. "Yes!" he answered right away. When the man who brought us the skates mentioned that there was ice time on Thursday he looked at me and said "Can I come on Thursday too?". Wow! This is big-time enthusiasm from Aidan! It looks like he's found a sport for the winter.

Christmas Wish Lists - Part 1

There were toy catalogues in the flyers on Sunday so they started their lists:

Aidan:
Nintendo DS with Yochi Touch Andao
Gameboy link cord

Connor:
RoboRaptor
Lazer tag
Starwars light saber challenge (plugs into the tv)
Idog
A rael kitten (his spelling, not mine)

Delaney:
Furby
A doll (Cabbage Patch Twins)
Dora kitchen
Hide & Seek Barbie
Dancing Dora

Notice the boys want gifts that are $100 and up? We are definitely past the age of Little People with them! I told them that since we are going away for Christmas the gifts would probably be smaller. I didn't think that smaller meant more expensive! Ah well.

Delaney at cubby first day of kindergarten

Delaney at cubby
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

This picture is out of order but I didn't realize I had it on the camera still. She was very excited to be going this day and got to take the attendance sheets to the office. More pictures are at Flickr.

Ghouls at Ft. Whyte

Ghouls at FtWhyte
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Here they are at a party at Fort Whyte. Aidan and Delaney went in the best costume contests for their age group (yes, Aidan!) but neither won. _I_ would have picked them. They had a good time though and drank witches brew and listened to spooky stories and carved pumpkins.

From the other side

Newcounter4
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

This is on the family room side. At the end facing the dining room there is another little shelf. Makes our space much more logical.

New kitchen cabinet

Newcounter2
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Okay, here it is. We love it - everything now fits in the kitchen and I have tons and tons of counter space.

Sorting Halloween costumes

I've got a demented scarecrow (Aidan), the Grim Reaper (Connor) and a cross between a witch and batgirl (Delaney). I can't find the batgirl ears though, so it looks like she'll be going as a witch. Goes better with the scare crow and the grim reaper. Hmm, if I could get Connor to go as the cowardly lion instead, we'd have the start of the Wizard of Oz! Sean could be the tin man and I'd be Dorothy of course. Comet could be Toto.

We had a nice-ish weekend. Kind of busy, but that's life these days. Connor had a substitute violin teacher who was a fiddler so he learned Boiled Asparagus (no, it was really Boiled Cabbage but he only remembers it was a green vegetable). He really enjoyed it. Aidan is almost done his first music book and will have to start theory. I don't imagine he'll appreciate the extra "homework" but he is a musical guy so should keep it up.

I also teamed up with the boys' friends' dad and we took the kids to the Y and then took turns working out and watching the kids. He got the short end of the stick and had them in the pool. By the time I got to the pool they were ready for the hot tub, so I basically watched them run around the new play structure and then sat in the hot tub while he had to keep an eye on them all swimming and catch them at the bottom of the slide (splash! splash!). It worked out well! We might make it a more regular thing since the kids were very tired out from all the exercise and burned off a lot of energy.

Not much else is new. Everybody's busy but not overly so. It's been a nice fall so far and if we get the mild winter they are promising things should be good. I'm hoping for a mild winter for a couple of reasons: 1) I hate winter; 2) I hate outdoor hockey; 3) I hate winter. So, let's hope it stays mild!

Lots is up with us lately!

We've just gotten our new kitchen island installed and it is beautiful! I'm so happy with it, it really makes our family room/kitchen a much more functional space. And, I've now got 9 extra feet of counter space so I can't complain anymore. Will definitely have to start cooking a lot more. We gained 9 feet of cupboard space too, so we've moved all the food we had downstairs up and we've still got room to spare. Isn't that something? I'll take a picture and post it, but you'll have to come and see it.

Kids have been busy with sports and lessons, we're now into the full swing of things. Wednesday night was a disaster! Delaney had her dance class and it was a viewing night so we were supposed to go and watch at 5:30. But, Connor had a workshop at 6:00 at the south end of the city, so he and I missed it. Aidan had Kids of Steel at 7:00 to 8:30, but since Sean and I were going to have a curling practice at 9:00 he had to leave early. We ran from one activity to the other and don't ever want to have to do it again...

The curling practice was great for Sean and a disaster for me. Sean was throwing rocks right on the broom and with the right weight and he's never curled before - I am not so naturally coordinated. I couldn't seem to get the rock in front of me and kept falling over, ending up with a bruised knee and hip and no dignity whatsoever! That morning I slammed my head in the car door (don't ask me how, but it was a tiny little parking space) and would have broken my glasses if I'd been wearing them. As it was I gave myself a black eye, so am now black and blue from my head to my knees. I went swimming Friday morning and was wondering why I was getting funny looks!

Everyone is pretty happy with school. I'm looking forward to parent-teacher interviews to see how everyone is doing. Delaney has a little friend who doesn't seem to realize that a rule is a rule and I'm afraid Delaney may be picking up on that. We need to nip it in the bud so that we have at least one child that the teachers say is a pleasure to have in the class! Maybe we should have had that fourth child...!

First month of school and all is well

I just got back from a conference in Ottawa and everyone survived the week just fine. The kids are still happy with school and Aidan came in 25th in a cross-country race of 106 kids, so he was pretty happy with himself! We had music lessons today and everyone is doing very well. Aidan is playing and practicing his piano and is almost done his first book. Connor switched to Suzuki method and is busily practicing scales and scales and scales. Both have good teachers. They are going to start offering cello lessons, so I'm thinking maybe Delaney would like to play cello. Actually, I wouldn't mind learning to play the cello. The violin is fascinating, but I've always liked the sound of the cello.

Sean is off buying new hockey skates. His last ones have lasted him 25 years, so these should do him until he is 65 or so! I told him to get himself a good pair if he plans to wear them as long as the last ones... he's going to start playing once a week with the guys from the CGC.

Ottawa was very nice. The leaves weren't changing yet, so all was green on Parliament Hill. I was about a half hour walk from where the conference was, so that was nice although I did get a few blisters from bad shoes. A work-friend/acquaintance lives in Ottawa so we went for supper one night and a few of us from the conference went for drinks and appetizers one night. I shopped at Rideau Center and bought myself the cutest hat in Byward Market. It was a nice time, and I wasn't worried about the kids one bit. Sometimes when I go away I spend most of my time worrying about them, but Sean and Mom had everything under control.

Will catch up more later, I'm still trying to get back in the groove myself!

Second week of school

Went well. Connor missed most of the Terry Fox run because he was in the principal's office, but he says it wasn't his fault. He was there with the same two little boys he was there with most of last year, you'd think he'd learn! I told him that maybe he should just stay away from them, but he told me he was just sitting on top of the monkey bars and that they were the ones who came to him, he didn't go hang out with them. I'm not really sure what is going on, I think probably there is a little power struggle for someone's friendship, but I don't really know whose.

Delaney loved school and everything about it again. Girls are so different than boys!

Aidan had a bit of a meltdown tonight. There was a request for some forms in his agenda from Tuesday and I hadn't looked at it since Monday. He's supposed to give it to me to sign when there is something in it, but didn't. And I didn't send the forms in because they are the same ones every year and I kind of hoped that they would just put them in the file for the rest of his life and not make us do that every year. Last year we did them all and they travelled back and forth to school and home until at least Christmas. I think I finally threw them out, so I'm not sure what the big panic is about them this year! Anyway, he also had to finish his homework which had been left at school and it all got to be too much for him I guess. I was still mad at the school about the forms and wasn't very sympathetic, poor guy.

We all went golfing today and it was a very, very long 3 holes. The kids had fun until Connor hit a perfect chip out of the sand-trap directly at Sean's and my head. Again, wasn't too sympathetic with him and he had a bit of a tantrum since he hates to be yelled at. He's not feeling very well though, I'm actuallyl writing this at 4:00 in the morning since he woke up coughing and choking and came and crawled into bed with us. Now he's on the couch and I'm wide awake. Poor guy, I guess he's not going to school tomorrow.

Okay, I'm seeing double now so am going to try to get back to sleep!

More on first week of school

Everyone was happy and Delaney can't wait to go back on Monday. She is pretty excited about the whole thing. The boys were happy not to have any homework. Connor likes his new teacher and Aidan likes his (he had him for English last year). So far all the forms seem to be filled out and everything is in order. So, I kept it together for one week at least. Well, almost. I took the kids to swimming lessons on Thursdays and as I pulled in the sign said "Classes start September 12". But, all was not lost - they built a huge exciting new play structure over the summer and the kids pretty much had it to themselves. Except for the other child whose mother thought swimming started last week. Anyway, we survived it!

Music lessons were today and Connor's teacher seem very nice. She teaches Suzuki method, which is a change for him. We'll see how that goes. No reading music, which he was very good at apparently. And he has to learn a new way to hold his bow which doesnt' seem fair to me, but what do I know? So, he can listen to his CD of violin music and hold his bow this week for practice. Aidan's teacher was at a wedding so he had a substitute that he liked quite a bit. He tells me he does have something to practice, but I don't know what so...

Delaney is all registered for dance again. We went and picked up new ballet slippers and a body suit at the sale on Wednesday and one of her friends from kindergarten was there, so that is exciting. I'd told her mom about the lessons last spring, so I'm glad that it all turned out. The same little girl rides the bus with her to the babysitters so they will be good friends I'm sure. Her kindergarten class is very small with only 17 kids, so there are probably only 8 or 9 girls altogether. They have staggered entrance, so she's only met half the kids. They will all be there on Tuesday so she'll be really happy then.

Sean is half done wiring the basement. We're aiming to have it done for the end of October so that the kids will be able to play down there this winter. They are too big for running around upstairs and when the boys have friends over, that is what ends up happening. Right now they are all playing together and I haven't heard one argument or otherwise. I'm hoping this is a good thing and nobody is getting into something they shouldn't!

First day of school!

busfirstschoolday
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Delaney actually didn't go until the next day, but she took the bus with the boys for a trial run and I met her at school. All went well, everyone was happy to see their friends and Connor really liked his new teacher. A good day for all!

Last week of summer vacation

And I took one too. Monday we went to the zoo (Delaney's request), Tuesday was the Forks (Aidan's request), Wednesday was a movie (Connor's request) and Thursday we went to the Manitoba Museum (Mitchell's request - we were babysitting him this week). Friday was my day. We hung out at home, went out for lunch and then rode our bikes to the library. Mimi babysat the kids Friday night and Sean and I went out with the neighbors to celebrate his 40th birthday. A good week pretty much.

And next week we go back to school and work and everything in between. I was really, really happy to find music lessons for the kids at the same time and at the same place. And the teachers sound excellent - will let you know more when we get the first lesson in. Aidan is thinking he'll do kids of steel at the Y which would be a good thing and make our lives a little easier. Connor is doing hockey and Delaney is doing dance. They are all swimming at the Y, and they now have drop-in land classes so Connor can do some gymnastics and soccer and basketball and Delaney can do gymnastics and whatever whenever Sean or I want to go work out. It's a much better system than it was last year I think. All the activities for the kids are 45 minutes so you will actually get a chance to work out. And they put in a steam room, which is a good motivator for me to go work out in the winter (if I can sit in the steam room for a while before or after I am a happy camper).

I've been working on some blogs for other people. Check out the kids' school's parent council blog at http://etpparentcouncil.blogspot.com/ I kept complaining that things should be online and finally got told to set it up myself. So I did and now I'm happy. I don't have to maintain it, just set it up. And I showed a family friend who is a teacher how to create one so he can post homework assignments and stuff and he's really excited. I may do a bit of a workshop for some other teachers at his school. Now I must get my professional blog going!

Great book on kids' social lives

I just read "Best Friends, Worst Enemies: The Social Lives of Children" by Michael Thompson & Catherine O'Neill Grace. It was excellent - in fact I was up until 3:00 one morning reading it! I got it from the library last spring and just got around to reading it but I should have read it earlier. It talks about group dynamics and how they affect children and how friendship is different from popularity. Basically it says that if your children has at least one good friend they will manage to get through school okay. Very reassuring! He has 10 points for parents, one of which is "Recognize the crucial difference between friendship and popularity. Friendship is more important."

Nana left this morning and we are on the last week of summer vacation. We're going to spend it doing something each child wants to do this week. Today I think we're going to the zoo since that is Delaney's choice and it is looking pretty nice out. I think the kids are ready to go back now and I'm ready to buckle down and get some work done.

Lots of chocolate cake...

So the birthday celebrations are over and we've almost recovered from having 5 9-year old boys sleep over. I think they had a good time. The goodie bags we made were a hit. They were a cauldron from Dollarama and Nana glued the Hogwart's crest on them. Sean and I colored chopsticks black and glued erasers on the ends to make wands. I put some candy, a Neopet and an erasable board (Dollarama again) in them all wrapped in plastic wrap. I wasn't sure if the kids were beyond those kind of theme goodie bags, but they thought they were pretty good. I think I'm going to go back to Dollarama and pick up supplies for Connor and Delaney's birthdays while they have all the Halloween stuff out. It is much easier!

We went to Gimli yesterday. The annual "Biking to the Viking" for MS was on. I'd love to do that with Connor next year! I'm sure he could do it if we rode the double bike (and got some practice in ahead of time), but you each have to raise $250 in pledges, which is a lot of money. If we could get a tandem bike (or borrow another ride-along), Sean and Aidan could do it too, but then we'd have to raise $1000 altogether!! Yikes!!!

Nana is thinking of renting a cottage at Gimli next summer. She likes it, it reminds her of Port Elgin where they go in Ontario. We walked the beach a bit and found a ton of stones. Then we went for lunch at a place on 1st Street with a verandah out front with tables. I can't remember the name, but the adult all had pickerel and chips and it was delicious! I don't think I've ever had fish that good.

It's been a busy, busy week. The house is painted (and doesn't quite match the eavestroughs even now), the fence is up, kids' hair is cut, Sean's and Delaney's eyes are checked and the birthdays are over. Now we're on our last week of summer vacation and then back to school! I still have to find music lessons for the kids - it is not turning out to be as easy as it was last year. Maybe I should have gone back to Yamaha...

Must go, Connor, (aka Mr. Moneybags) wants me to go count his money with him. He's almost got $100 and is saving for something - we don't know what! I think he is just into saving money right now, maybe I should call him Connor McDuck!

Nana's here! And, Happy Birthday Aidan!

After a long delay at the airport in Hamilton - I guess there were thunderstorms and hurricanes in the area so the flight was held up for over 2 hours. Better safe than sorry, but the kids were so anxious for her to get here!

The next day was my birthday and Nana brought me a wonderful bath set, Sean gave me a shopping spree (which I actually did on Friday and told him he could give me for my birthday), the kids made cards and my mom gave me some money that I'm going to use on new shoes. It was a great day. Nana brought the kids each a game and we spent a lot of the day playing. Aidan's is called "Maya Madness" and is a math-type of game, we all really enjoyed playing it! Delaney has a ballerina card-game and Connor got a Q&A game about monsters. Lots of fun for everybody. We went out for supper and I ate too much and felt discgusting afterwards, but that's what birthdays are for! The nieghbours also came and hauled me over for a drink just before we were going out, so that didn't help...

Today is Aidan's 9th birthday! I remember EXACTLY what I was doing 9 years ago today - he was born exactly 45 minutes from now, so I could tell you exactly what I was doing this time 9 years ago, but you wouldn't want to know ;) We're going out to Boston Pizza tonight and then having cake (which Nana made and which is now baking and smelling heavenly) and presents. I think he'll be a pretty happy guy. His friend birthday party is on Thursday and we're having 5 other boys sleep over - I hope some of us get some sleep!

We went to see the Bears on Broadway yesterday. They were a lot of fun but Delaney and Connor started their bickering and I started yelling at them. Then Connor decided to revert back to his 5-year old self and we had a battle royale. That hasn't happened for months and months. I think it's because he gets embarrassed when I yell at him in front of other people, so I guess I'm going to have to be careful about that. But, as I told him, if he doesn't want to get yelled at then he should change his behaviour... Oh well, I am the grown-up in the situation as I keep reminding myself although it is hard to behave that way sometimes.

Okay, we're caught up now!

Three more weeks of summer

I can't believe it has gone by that fast! It doesn't seem like we've done much. Summer used to last forever when I was a little kid. Then again, the school year did too. We're down to three weeks though, and that's it. We have only opened the rainy day bag once to pick an activity, and we haven't yet had to resort to the sunny day activity bag. Lots of days have been spent playing in the pool, we've taken 2 camping trips (the 3rd is this weekend) and we've spent almost a week at the lake. We went to four Folklorama pavillions (Greece, Czeck & Slovakia, El Salvador and Italy) and the kids liked Italy best. Why? The pizza of course! And they had a great show. Ends up that the woman I buy my organic food from's sister was one of the lead singers! Talent all over the place.

What else have we done? Mostly relaxed and hung out. We have some activities we want to do when Nana comes and probably some more hanging out. It has been a terrific summer (so far!). And we've booked our tickets to Hamilton for Christmas so the kids are already excited about that. It will be very nice, we haven't been in Hamilton for Christmas since before Delaney was born and we used to go every second year.

Parallel bars

Parallel bars
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Here's Connnor on the bars - his demonstration was great. Check Flickr for more pictures, but the ones I took during the performance turned out really dark (I have to get Sean to fix them). I was so excited I didn't wait for the flash!

Camp

Connor and Delaney spent the last two weeks at camp, and Aidan went the first week. Friday was Connor's gymnastics show to demonstrate what they'd learned. He was chosen to demonstrate the pommel horse and was he ever good! He swung his legs around and did all the moves and then jumped off like a pro! It was terrific. The boys all did a dance at the end to "Wild Wild West" (not the version I know from the '80s though!) and it was great - I never knew he had such a sense of rhythm - he is really a performer. I would never have guessed. Delaney enjoyed her Montessori camp and the friends that she met. She spent a bit of time in the kindergarten classroom so that was pretty good. Aidan seemd to enjoy his camp, and he was really into raquetball so he and Sean are going to try to play a little bit this fall at the Y downtown.

I have to go register them today for swimming and other lessons at the Y. None of them want to take swimming, but I tell them they don't have a choice. I just feel more confident at the beach and stuff the more swimming lessons they have. I'm not doing it Saturday mornings again though, we need one morning off a week so I'm hoping to get them in right after school one afternoon. Both Connor and Delaney want to take gymnastics there, and I guess we'll see what Aidan decides to do.

So the kids are back home this week. I'm going to have to buckle down and get some work done, but they are quite happy to spend the mornings in their p.j.'s playing games and being quiet. It doesn't seem like we've had much quiet time at all since vacation started! We're going to the lake this weekend with friends and then camping next weekend. I still want to take them to the zoo and the IMAX and the Museum to see the gorillas - our summer is just flying by!

Camping

We went camping with two other families over the weekend and got caught in another thunderstorm! The wind was blowing like crazy, I'm sure I felt the air mattress move a little, and the thunder and lightening were something else. Hmm, we've been camping as a family about 5 or 6 times and have had at least 3 thunderstorms. But the kids had a great time, both families have kids the same age and they enjoyed running and exploring in a little pack.

It was much worse here in Winnipeg. We got home on Sunday to find our fence blown down, the fenceposts are broken and the boards are all over. The pool is fine, and the gates between us and our neighbours house are still up although the fence is gone, so the pool is still contained in the yard(s). Sean is going to phone insurance this morning, but I think we'll just pay to have a new fence put up. Enough already! We spent last year fixing the other two fences and Sean is working on the basement now so we'll just get it done. The eavestrough guy just called and they will be here tomorrow, so the structural stuff will all be done around the house then and we can concentrate on more interesting stuff.

The kids were off to camp this morning. Delaney went to Montessori and it is fairy-tale camp this week - princesses and dragons, right up her alley! Next week they are doing vet camp, so she'll like that as well. Two of her friends were there at the door when we went in, so she was glad. Aidan and his friend were split into different groups but we talked to the counsellors and they were moved together, so he was happy. Connor found his pal and met another little boy right off, so he wasn't even looking at me as I walked away. I think they'll enjoy camp, even though another week at home would have been good before a break. Summer goes so fast! We'll have two weeks free, then we're camping again and Aidan's friend will be spending a few days with us and then Nana comes to visit.

I've been managing to get a fair amount of work on my research project done, and am hoping to catch up a lot these two weeks that the kids are at camp so that is going pretty well. Aidan is very excited about Nana coming for his birthday and Sean is going to take some time off, so I hope I'll be a bit ahead and we can take a few day trips here and there. If the weather is nice! Hard to know what will happen it's been so crazy!!

Pool daze

It's beautiful weather here this week. We had the roofers in on tuesday and they finished in one day and then sat and drank beer on the front lawn (distant cousin of mine so we know they did a good job!). I had 5 kids here that afternoon and the hoses hooking the water filter to the pool exploded. I panicked - when I came out of the house Connor was trying to jam them together and water was squirting everywhere! I grabbed the end attached to the pool and held it up over my head and reached down to see if I could turn it off when it snapped at the base of the pool! So I grabbed the other hose, thinking I could attach it back to the pool and bypass the filter and it snapped off in my hand! I don't know what made them so brittle, but man! Meanwhile, Aidan's friend is yelling "I didn't mean to!" and I'm yelling "What did you do?!?" When they snapped I realized he hadn't done anything, but by then he was standing on the deck with his towel over his head. Poor kid! He thought he'd wrecked the pool and I sure didn't help with my panic. Spelled out like this it doesn't seem as bad, but water was gushing everywhere and I'm yelling and the kids are yelling and the roofers are doing God-knows-what. Finally one of them came down and jammed plastic in the hoses and I called Sean who calmly told me how to block the filter pipes. In the end the kids went swimming and all was well, but it was mayhem for a while! I don't know what got into me, I always think I do well in an emergency. Looking back now, I really don't think I do (and those of you who have always known this can hold back your snickers please!)

We also got the basketball net put together (not easy!) and the kids have been out there playing every day. They start about 9:00 in the morning and play for a while. Then we've been going for a bike ride or something, a little swimming and we sleep very well at night!

We are going camping on the weekend. I'm looking forward to it. We always have a good time and it's nice family time. I always come home wondering why I need a great big house when we make out just fine in our little tent. I now have two air mattresses, so the kids won't be pushing me off the air mattress anymore. We didn't go camping at all last summer because it was so lousy, but this summer we've got a couple of weekends booked with friends. I'd also like to go to the lake for a week or so with the kids but our time is already getting to be pretty booked up. The kids start camp on the 18th for two weeks and then July will be over! Why can't the winters go fast and the summers drag on??

Rain rain go away

It isn't even raining, it is coming down in sheets. The sky is black and I've got all the lights on in the house in the middle of the afternoon in June. I hope it is nice by Friday, we are planning on going to the Canada Day celebrations at the Forks, St. Boniface, Osborn Village and Assiniboine Park. It sounds like a lot, but they have lots on and you can ride the bus between the venues. We'll end up watching the fireworks from our lawn chairs in the par, lots of fun.

We are done with soccer and everything, and only 1 day of school left! Aidan's class went bowling this afternoon and Connor's was meant to have a beach party. I don't know if they did or not (although I suspect not!) because he's been home sick the last two days. I thin he's got a bad flu bug, he's been throwing up and is achey all over. We're keeping a close eye on him, but I hope he gets better or our Canada Day plans are off.

The soccer season ended with a bang. Connor's team beat a team that 2 of his school chums played on, so that made his day. Delaney finally caught on and was chasing the ball and kicking and was really pretty good. She was finally showing the stuff her brothers taught her.

The church picnic was on Sunday and the kids had a good time and all won prizes. It was inside because it had rained that morning so wasn't as well-attended as it could have been but the kids ran races and did a scavenger hunt and did the limbo, so they thought it was pretty great. We went and bought a basketball net with the proceeds from the garage sale, but we haven't had time to set it up yet with sick kids and all.

Happy Canada Day everybody!

Sunny weather

We got the pool put up (did I mention that?) and the kids have been swimming every day, even were in there as it was filling up and it was COLD! It was in the 30s most of the week though, so they were smart to be in there.

It's soccer jamboree this weekend - hurrah! Two games for each kid tomorrow and then we're done. I am really looking forward to not having to run anywhere for a couple of months. Four days left until the kids' vacation and my study leave start. I'm looking forward to working at home and since I'm spending the next two months reading up on my topic I should be able to get a fair amount done.

Delaney is really enjoying going to Sharon's so we're thinking she will go there 2 afternoons a week in the fall. She loves playing with Danika and Sharon is really great.

The boys are just counting down the days until school is done. Connor has been doing great lately at school. I think spring/summer is his time - he loves sports and he loves to be outside. I can't keep him in the house right now and during the winter I can't get him outside for love or money. I can't blame him though, I feel the same way.

The garage sale turned out alright. We sold almost everything and made enough to pay for 1/2 a basketball hoop, but I guess Sean and I can pay for the rest of it - I'm just glad to have all of that stuff out of my basement!

The sun! The sun!

Finally some nice weather, but we're getting our new air conditioner installed on Tuesday, so I'm sure the cool temps and rain will return then. But right now the sun is shinging and we are happy! The kids were off school today and we'd planned to go to the zoo or something. Last night we realized that this weekend was our last chance for a garage sale before fall, so we spent the day organizing and pricing stuff instead. But, I've finally got my basement pretty well cleared out. Whatever doesn't sell goes off to Goodwill or Salvation Army, it isn't coming back inside. I've even gotten rid of a lot of baby clothes, although there are still 4 boxes in Delaney's closet. That's not that bad considering...

Aidan plays his last basketball game tomorrow. They lost the quarter finals against the best team in their division so are now playing for third place. Not too bad considering some kids had never played basketball before.

Soccer is also ending this week. They didn't play at all last week because of the rain and the fields were soaked. We are really looking forward to sports being over! I'd like to get the pool set up this weekend, but we aren't sure if it's a good idea to do it before the roofing is done or not. We're getting the roof, soffits, eavestroughs done, the house painted and maybe a window or two replaced. Besides the air conditioning. I'm obviously not retiring anytime soon!

Aidan is in heaven because he got his new gameboy Pokemon gold game yesterday. Delaney and Connor are out back playing in the sandbox. In the midst of cleaning for the garage sale we found the sandbox toys, so that was good! Whatever we make from the garage sale we are going to use to buy a "real" basketball net so Connor and Aidan will be able to play on the driveway. That's the motivation for getting rid of the toys. Delaney likes basketball too, so it works for her as well.

And I'm tired! I'm not used to the sun or working so hard all day - very different from sitting in front of my computer... although not as stressful as work can be sometimes!!

Hamster update

It survived. Daisy spent a lot of the weekend on Connor's bed staring up at the hamster cage on his top shelf, but they managed to keep the cats away when they took the hamster out of it's cage. I think Mme was as happy as we were to get him back safe and sound. She's leaving the school after this year, and Delaney is so disappointed that she won't have her as a teacher! I was looking forward to it as well, but I hope they have hired good teachers. The grade 2 teacher is also retiring, so Connor is going to be getting a new teacher too. He's only had this one teacher since she moved on to grade 1 with them. I think the new teache is coming in to meet the class and they also told me that we could go visit her at the school at the end of summer. I think that will probably be a good thing so that Connor is a bit more familiar with the situation and won't get stressed out before he goes back to school. Yikes, all three in school! And the same school, which will make my life quite a bit easier!

Grace and Kevin

grace&kevin2
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

He's sure proud of his new niece! She had a bit of a cold and Toni didn't think this was a good picture, but I think they both look pretty good.

Happy 40th Birthday Kevin!

Mom had a big shindig at her house with the aunts and uncles and cousins and neighbors. Marnie made a cake in the shape of a beer-stein for Kevin and a teddy in a pink diaper for Grace. Both were amazing to look at and very good to eat, although everyone had a hard time cutting into the bear, it was so pretty.

Grace had a bit of a cold so was pretty clingy with her mom, but she did get passed around a fair amount. Natalie (Jackie and Rob's youngest) was also there and visited with everyone. She is such a tiny little peanut! But so sweet - at least until I try to hold her when she shows how good her lungs are. She did that when they came to visit at spring break too! I guess I've lost the touch with little babies... Lots of other cousins were there, but they are growing up so much! Daniel and Mikeal (I'm sure I've spelt that wrong) and Emily and Sarah are all teenagers now. I don't think we (my cousins and I) can talk about ourselves as "the kids" anymore!

Aidan was sick on Saturday night after spending most of the day at a birthday party and then we went to see Madagascar that night. I think a lot of it was the junk he ate that day! Both he and Connor went to the doctor on Monday, and it ends up they've both had Fifth Disease. I remember now my neighbour talking about how it went around her kids' school and her two youngest had it. But, it was almost the same thing as the rash they had in Florida, so now I'm wondering if they had it in Florida too? Anyway, they aren't infectious anymore so no need to warn anybody about it.

Delaney had Marianna Banana at school yesterday and got her face painted like a fairy. It was really beautiful and sounds like they had a lot of fun. Tomorrow is her last day of preschool! They are having a pizza lunch and then their graduation, she's been practicing songs for ages. I will do my best to remember my camera and take lots of pictures. I forgot it at Kevin's birthday, but Toni and Brent took lots so they've sent me one of Kevin and Grace that I will post.

We got pizza night wrong again last night. That's twice I've thought it was pizza night and it wasn't, which means the kids were left at school twice! Thank goodness I had an appointment with Aidan's teacher so I went to the school anyway. They didn't actually get left behind, but would have if I hadn't wanted to meet with her! We just talked a little about how he was doing since he's been a bit down in the dumps lately. I think it was a temporary thing though because he has been back to his old self the last few days, flashing that big grin of his.

Hamster at home

I had a meeting with the guidance counselor at the end of the day at school and Connor was feeding the hamster with his teacher when I arrived. Here's how it went:

Connor: Can we take a hamster home some weekend? Samantha is taking one home today.

Me: Sure, we can ask Madame when would be a good time. (thinking all the while that it is almost the end of June so not likely to happen)

Connor: Madame, Mom says we can take one home one weekend.

Madame: Oh, Minou could go home with you today.

Me: ***!***

So, the hamster is home. Daisy would love to play with it, and Comet was more interested in it than in escaping when we got home. I just hope that it doesn't get eaten. Or escape. If it escaped it would never be found in the boys' mess of a room!

We are happy for the weekend! Connor had a field trip to Fort Whyte this morning and we got soaked in the rain. Now the sun is shining, but can I get the kids outside? No way! It's the weekend and they are allowed to watch tv after school so that is what they are going to do. Except Aidan who is plugged into the gameboy. I shouldn't complain, he read 3 or 4 books this week!

Delaney had her meet the teacher night and was thoroughly impressed with the gym teacher in particular. She is going to love kindergarten. I lost her form, of course so now have to fill out another one. But I know I put it in a safe place...

Pizza night, I'd better go and start rolling the dough.

Losing my mind

Okay, I have had one of those days!!! I forgot Delaney's bathing suit this morning so turned around and went home when I was about 2 minutes from Montessori. When we got there, 1/2 an hour late, the teacher told me that the swimming instructor had called in sick. Arggh. Then when I picked her up I forgot the bathing suit and her rain jacket. Double argggh.

Worse yet, I got caught up in my work and looked at the clock at 11:56. I was on lunch duty, so I raced to the school, got there late and ran into the Grade 1 room. It was fun lunch, so one of the moms was there trying to hand out meals and pour drinks. I apologized and started with the drinks. Ten minutes later the lunch supervisor comes in and tells me I'm supposed to be in the Grade 3 room - apparently I'd written it on my calendar wrong. This should have been an inkling.

I picked Delaney up because the boys had movie night after school (a fundraiser where they show a movie and order pizza for the kids) and we went to Costco to buy bedding plants. I missed the entrance to the garden center so picked up a few groceries. Then, when we went to the garden center I saw that I had to enter through the store, which meant another long wait in the check-out line. Of course the woman in front of me had trouble with her membership card... Then when we got home Sean's car was in the garage (far earlier than he usually gets home). The boys were in the house too. It wasn't movie night. The boys had waited for me to pick them up (although they knew I thought it was movie night!) and then went and found a teacher. Deep sigh.

I am so anxious for the end of the month and an end to all the activities! When the kids were little I was the most organized mom around, I really don't know what happened to me. Actually, things were okay up until we went to Florida this winter. Maybe I got zapped on one of the rides or something?

Hmmm....

I just noticed that my sidebar seems to have disappeared. I checked the code, and (with my very limited knowledge) it seems to be alright. I haven't changed anything, so I wonder what is going on? I'll keep my eye on it and maybe change templates if it doesn't work better.

I'm trying to get ahold of Yamaha right now. Aidan's piano teacher quit, but I've already paid for the month of June because Connor's teacher quit too and I'd already paid. They've said that there will be other teachers to substitute for Aidan's teacher, but it doesn't seem very worthwhile since he ony has a few weeks left. I'd rather just get my money back and call it a day (as would Aidan of course). But, nobody seems to be able to agree to give me my money back! I don't think we'll be going back to Yamaha next year...

We've booked the roof and the eavestroughs to get fixed. The house is also getting painted this year, so will end up looking pretty good on the outside. That is if I can ever get my bedding plants in! Actually, I haven't even bought them yet, we've had so much rain! We had 2 nice days in a row and now they say we'll get rain for the next five. Yuck.

Kids & Bear

Kids & Bear
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

There are over 20 of these bears around Winnipeg, most on Broadway. They've been painted by Winnipeg artists in support of CancerCare. Some of them look really beautiful. We're going to take the kids downtown and find the rest, but I thought I'd post it because it is another good reason to come and visit if anyone is tempted this summer!

Waiting for Grace

waiting for Grace
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Here's the kids waiting to see her. They decided the balloons had to go with us!

They made it!

They made it!
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

We met them at the airport and they were very tired, except for Grace who slept most of the flight. She's a beautiful girl. I don't have a better picture because I forgot the camera when we went to brunch on Sunday, but I will get a better picture this weekend and post (it's Kevin's 40th, so I should get quite a few pictures).

Oops

I mean TOMORROW night. Guess I'm anxious. Aidan and I went and ordered a balloon bouquet at lunch - now I have to decide whether to take it to the airport or leave it at home. I know Brent hates to get too much attention so will probably hate it, but the kids would love to take it to the airport. Will let you know what we do... And are happy to hear suggestions! Colleen? Rocco?

Catching up

Just got back from Minneapolis and the NASIG conference. I really didn't want to go, but had a nice quiet time. Poor Sean though, left with the kids again. We are really looking forward to the summer, and we better get one this year!

I brought Aidan back a Pokemon Emerald book, and he studied it all day Sunday and half of Monday, then he played the game and won it. I think it's pretty good - even though it isn't something real, he is doing the research and applying what he's learned and he gets results. That's got to be a good thing in the long run.

Connor got a Nerf sling-shot with strict instructions not to shoot anybody. So far he hasn't, and the sling shot has been used to shoot at targets, as a space ship and as a super-fast racer. I think he was pretty happy with his gift too.

Delaney got a dress-up wedding dress. Afterwards we thought that it would actually suit for first communion, but she's already gotten spaghetti sauce on it - ah well. She wore the veil at brunch on Sunday and wore it all day after she got home. She mentioned to her dad that she might wear it at school and Tyler could wear his fancy tie... Sean told her to not even got there!

Brent and Toni are home with Grace tomorrow. We've been looking at pictures for the last two weeks and can't wait to see her in person! I'm really hoping Colleen and Rocco will be able to come and visit so we can get Grace and Bianca together. They are about 8 months apart (Bianca is 18 months and Grace is 10 months) so would be good pals. And my three would be able to split their attention between 2 instead of all hovering around one of their cousins. They are baby-crazy kids! We're going to go to the airport quickly tonight to get a sneak peek, but it will be just that. I'm sure they will be exhausted. But, we'll take some pictures and be sure to post them.

And he scored...

SEVEN baskets at his basketball game on Saturday! Aidan was on fire, folks. Even though they lost 41-23, he scored more than half the points for his team. Now if they could only learn defence...

I had a great Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed (shared with Delaney), off to Church, then brunch and home for a quick nap and a day lazing on the couch with the kids. They've all got colds and it's rainy outside today, so we really took it easy. Sean went and did the grocery shopping with Delaney, and they brought me home a flower (a pink rose, because I like roses and I like pink says D) and a bag of chips (definitely need to go for a run!). Delaney made me a flower and a flower pen, a beautiful card and a picture. Very, very nice. Aidan gave me some certificates for cleaning up his room, going for a walk and going for a bike ride and I'm going to start cashing them in right away (especially the clean up the room one). Connor made me a book. It is terrific! The teacher supplied the beginning of the sentence and Connor had to finish it. Here's an extract:

When it's time for bed my mom toks me in

At bed time I am sometimes scared about the scaree storees my brothir tils me

Each night, the last thing my mom says to me is git to bed

At bedtime, the last thing I say to my mom is no i do not wont to go to bed

And the dedication?

Dedicated to Mom because I love her and she is fun

*sniff*

I also got a wonderful gift from my mother-in-law. When we were in Hamilton she took this wonderful picture of Sean crouching on the beach with all the kids, including Bianca and his cousin Nicole's boys. She sent it to me in a beautiful frame with the nicest card. And, the other gift I get is a day out with my Mom. We're going for lunch and shopping and for a pedicure while Sean and the kids hang out for a day. Now, it can't get much better than that, can it?

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. I hope you had as nice a day as I am having! And especially Toni and Colleen who are celebrating their first Mother's Days.

And she scores!

The first goal of the soccer game! It was hilarious, they were all running in the wrong direction and kicking each other and scoring goals on their own net. Not Delaney though. Aidan kept saying she was the only one who was heading the right way the whole time. Sometimes though, the play would reverse and Delaney would just keep running right off the field. She's good, but she'll be even better when she learns to keep her eye on the ball.

Boys are both doing good. They enjoyed her game. She's sleeping at Mimi's tonight because she's got a day off tomorrow and the boys are watching "Sponge Bob" and eating popcorn before bed as a special treat because they do have to go to school tomorrow.

Update on Grace Nicole Hanson

See, I remembered her middle name! Brent and Toni are leaving next Thursday to get her. They'll stop in Vancouver overnight and then they leave for Hong Kong and will have her exactly a week after Mother's Day. Now isn't that a nice belated Mother's Day gift? :)

And here it is...

ParisLD 081
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Cool, eh?

And this one...

ParisLD 076
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Here's Auntie El, Deanne and I across the street from the Lapin Agile in Montmartre. I loved Montmartre and was very glad to spend a day looking at where all the artists lived and then the next day we went to the Musee d'Orsay to see their paintings. It was really neat to see the Moulin de la Galette and then see the Renoir painting the next day.

At the foot of Sacre Couer

ParisLD 085
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

I'm just going to throw these in every now and then because I didn't get a chance to blot them when I got home. Here's me and Mom and Deanne and Jocelyn at the carousel at the foot of Sacre Couer. We ran up a straight flight of stairs to get to the top (Jocelyn after 36 hours or something of travelling)and came down the terraced stairs in front. Then we walked past the Moulin Rouge and up to the Opera. It was a great day!

My daughter the nouveau feminist

The other day we were taking Delaney to her dance recital and all of a sudden she says "When I grow up I'm not going to learn how to drive. My husband can drive me everywhere." I looked over at Mom and started to laugh! The funny thing is, she already knows who her husband is going to be and how many children they are going to have. She's had a little crush on Tyler since the beginning of school. She told me that she'd found her husband in swimming class. I guess he had a little trouble deciding if he was going to marry her or Sasha, but he decided on her (I have the impression that he decided this while Sasha was away - obviously a pragmatic fellow). They are going to have 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. And Delaney is not going to drive.

I guess you have to respect her right to make decisions for herself. My grandmother's generation stayed home, my mom's might work after the kids were all in school and could take care of themselves, mine feels guilty if they work or stay home and are definitely overinvolved in our children's lives, and Delaney seems to feel that she gets to call the shots. Good for her! I hope she sticks with it (although I don't know if I'd call exacatly those shots).

Connor had his first basketball game today and he was really good. He tells me that he is the best on his team. He also got fired from his violin lessons. I'm not sure exactly what happened there and have to talk to his teacher, but I have a feeling that they are a lot alike. Funny, because although Connor hasn't been too interested in the violin the last little while, he definitely likes his teacher. I'm thinking maybe we should try Suzuki next year...

Aidan is playing basketball again and enjoying it. Mr. Easy-going as usual. He really badly wanted a new Pokemon Emerald game and didn't have enough money saved for it. Connor offered to lend him the money and both were happy - Aidan because he got the game and Connor because it makes him feel good to be generous. Now I hope that Aidan will return the favor someday because I don't think being generous makes him feel as good as having things... they are very different children! We will have to wait and see, but if Aidan is only willing to borrow and not lend, I don't think Connor's generosity will continue either.

May is sort of a crazy month. Delaney is starting soccer tomorrow so I will let you know how that goes. I'm having trouble picturing my dancing girl playing a competitive sport, but we'll see!

More good news

Brent and Toni are leaving for China just before May long weekend to get Grace (did I mention that is her name? it's lovely and already suits her). I can't wait to see her! It will be so nice to have a baby around again. When we were in Hamilton we saw a lot of Bianca and she is just the sweetest thing, I've never known what's it like to have a baby you can just play with and hand back to Dad when she gets poopy. She is just walking and still a little shaky but she laughed and smiled and gave kisses and the kids absolutely adored her. I could have taken her home with me very easily but I don't think Colleen and Rocco would have liked that. They are enamoured of her too (justifiably!) and are super parents.

Delaney has been talking about Bianca ever since we were there. Conversations now go like this:

Delaney: I forgot! Someday I'm going to be a grandma!

Me: Yes, you will.

Delaney: And Bianca will be a grandma too some day.

Me: Yes.

Delaney: But she's still a baby now.

Me: Yes.

Delaney: But I was a baby too.

Me: Yes.

Delaney: But someday I'll be a mom.

Me: Yes.

Delaney: And Bianca will be a mom too someday.

Me: Yes.

And so on. She really never quits. I hate driving with her anywhere because anythign that crosses her mind comes out her mouth, preceeded by "Mom. Guess what?". I love her dearly and know that I should be cherishing these moments and I do, but I cherish a little peace and quiet every now and then too.

Aidan had his first basketball game last weekend and he was terrific! He got a basket to tie the game and they ended up winning by 1 point. He got most of the rebounds and raced down the court and even took a couple of foul shots. It was all very exciting and I can't wait for today's game. He's tired though, he was at a sleepover last night and they didn't get to bed until 11:30 and were up at 6:45 apparently. Yikes!

Connor and Delaney are both off at birthday parties today. It's a beautiful day for it and is supposed to be even nicer tomorrow. It is sure nice to actually have a spring this year (knock wood!). This week coming up we have Delaney's dance recital so there is a practice Wednesday night and a rehearsal on Thursday night and the recital on Friday. Then we start soccer the week after. I'm looking forward to the summer and no activities! The kids are happy and busy though, so it's all worth it. Everybody has one sport and one music or dance plus swimming lessons, so it is pretty balanced. Except for Sean and I who do most of the driving of course! Last week I resorted to buying subs and feeding them in the car for the first time. It is just dance and basketball ended up on the same night for these 2 weeks, and then we'll be okay again.

Well, everyone is out for the next half hour or so and I'm going to sit down, drink a cup of tea and read my latest book I'm reviewing. So far it's very good!

Sad news

Part of keeping this blog was to try to keep a record for the kids of our family life as well as keeping family and friends outside Winnipeg in touch with what we're all up to. So, even though most of you already know I feel like I need to record that Sean's dad, Edward O'Hara, passed away on April 6th. Even though we knew he was very sick, we were hoping for the best and were taken by surprise. Sean is still in shock to some degree, as are his mom and sister I think. And, to make it more stressful I was in Paris awhen it happened, so Sean had to get the kids to Hamilton on his own. Thank goodness for Toni who dropped everything, found flights, brought over stew and flew with them to Toronto. Then she went back 2 days later to meet Mom and I and come to the funeral and fly Mom home. And then she came back to Toronto again to fly the kids and I home 2 days after that. I'm sorry she missed the trip to Paris but my family sure appreciated her being here at the time.

The kids were having a tough time with it too, especially Aidan. He's at a tough age. I thought Connor would be the one who was most upset, but of course Connor shows it in different ways. All three were upset, and they were also whisked off to Hamilton to a very busy house full of people they hadn't seen in years (except Nana of course). And Sean was busy with his mom and sister so they spent time with Nicole and her kids and Dan and Tyler - thank goodness everybody stepped in and helped out! It sure wasn't ideal for anyone. I feel terrible being so far away but we couldn't get a flight home. Toni said that everything was overbooked by 10% because of the Pope's funeral but Air Canada sure wasn't very helpful when Sean called them. Anyways, I'm very grateful to everyone who helped with the kids.

The funeral mass was lovely. The priest in Mount Hope is a former Protestant minister who converted. He is married with children and has a psychology degree and does family counselling. I was so impressed with him, he was a wonderful comfort to the family. He is a perfect example of what priests could be if the Church would enter the 21st century. And he really did Mr. O'Hara justice. I really only knew him from one perspective, but Fr. Hampson shared stories that let you see what he was like as a person which he'd learned from talking to the family and friends, as well as from his own friendship with Mr. O'Hara. There were a lot of people at the funeral and Nana will have a lot of support from family and friends.

So excited I blogged it twice!

She is a cutie though. The latest from Brent and Tonis is that she will probably be named 'Grace' which is a beautiful name. Grace was something my dad thought a lot about in his last months, so is special that way, and her Chinese names are Shue Ting, one of which means 'Grace'. So, the omens seem to be there (I can't remember what the other name means and my only excuse is that it is almost 3:00 in the morning).

I took the kids to the Forks today and we saw "Cirkus Inferno". Connor and Aidan got a big kick out of it and Delaney kept asking me questions: What is that? Why are they doing that? Is it going to explode? She seemed worried about it all. I kept telling her I didn't know what would happen next and that was the fun of it, and finally she seemed to relax and get into it. At the end a huge whoopie cushion explodes and bits of paper are showered over the audience (Delaney liked that). We were in the second row so all had paper in our clothes for a while. The clowns were selling and autographing whoopie cushions at the end and both Connor and Delaney got one. They had a great time with them, setting letting the air out all over as we wandered the shops. When Sean picked us up (we'd taken the bus down and got a ride home with him) they had a great time exploding them in the back seat before he figured out what they had. Connor eventually tried to jump on his and it exploded, but Delaney's is still "tooting" as she says. Funny how much enjoyment they can get out of something so silly!

I couldn't get to sleep tonight. Worried about going away, Sean and the kids managing for a week (I know they can but I'm feeling guilty) and the Hamilton O'Haras. Grandad is in the hospital and is getting a little stronger. He is having a hard time with his appetite and is really exhausted so they put him on an IV. Keep him in your prayers.

To put myself to sleep I decided I'd get up and do some of the work I need to do for tomorrow. It's year-end at work and I needed to get my statistics done before I go away for a week in case my boss needs them. No matter how I try to keep track through the year, it is always messed up when I have to compile it for my supervisor. And this is the third time I've figured it out this year! Good thing I'm not the accountant in the family... Anyways, it's done and I just have to e-mail it in the morning. I didn't really want my boss to get an e-mail sent at 3:00 a.m. on April Fools day with my statistics!

Keep well while I'm away! Must get to sleep - kids will be up early(ish).

Brent and Toni's baby girl!

BabyHanson
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Her birthday is July 24th, 2004. No name yet, but she is gorgeous! Healthy and happy and loves to be hugged and kissed apparently - I'm sure Toni will be able to keep her happy on that account. We're so happy for them!

Oh, and good news too!

Brent and Toni's paperwork is at the translator, so there is a little girl already waiting in China who is going to be a Hanson! They haven't seen her picture yet, but she is out there waiting for them. They should get the paperwork next week and should have a picture. I'll ask Toni if I can put it on the blog here so everyone can get a look.

I'm so happy for them - how wonderful that we are going to have another little niece! Delaney is pleased as punch that there will be 3 girls and 2 boys in the family counting her first cousins...

Spring Break

Connor has been counting the days until he's done school, and then yesterday, when he was done, he says "I wish I could go to school tomorrow." What a puzzle that child is! Aidan is full of sound effects and jumping all over the furniture. He's just glad to have a week or so to devote most of his time to the never-ending story in his head. Delaney is just as cute as can be. She had her costume check at dance last night and they were so cute! I brought the video recorder to tape it but got there and there was no tape actually in the recorder. So, once again great moments in her life go unrecorded. They are Mary's little lambs who follow her to dancing school (and learn to tap and boogie woogie woogie) in little white outfits with tails and ears. Then they don REAL tutus and are serious ballerinas when they dance to Fantasia. I'll be sure to order a tape this year so we get the full performance. They are really, really cute.

Sean is flying home for the weekend and I think we'll all feel better once he's been there. It's hard to be so far away when someone is sick, so we booked the tickets today and he's leaving Saturday morning. The kids and I are staying home, but we'll keep Grandad and Nana in our prayers and think of them often.

I'm off to Paris!

Yep, I've decided to go with my extended family. There are going to be 8 of us for sure, 9 if Toni comes - Auntie El, Julie, Jocelyn, George, Deanne, Linda, Mom and me. We're all related, by blood or marriage and what a mixed bunch we are! I booked the tickets yesterday. We're renting an apartment that sleeps 6 people, so it is going to be really squishy. We get there first though, so we'll get the beds (the four from Winnipeg I mean).

I've been hemming and hawing about going and Sean finally convinced me to go. He is so great, I would be envious if he was going and I wasn't, never mind that he is going to have the kids all by himself for 8 days. He said my mom would like it if I went and I'll never have the opportunity to travel with her like that again. He's right, and very thoughtful. What a sweetheart he is (lucky me!). So, I'm going the week after spring break, and then Sean is off to Florida with his friends the day after I get back (and he will definitely need the break by then). Poor kids aren't going anywhere at all - I promised them a week at the lake this summer though, so they are happy about that. I hope we have a nice summer this year!

Sean's folks flew home from Florida early because his dad wasn't feeling well. They've got an appointment with the doctors next week so we will find out more then. I think he is feeling a bit better now, but we're keeping him in our prayers and hoping for the best.

Connor can't seem to shake the cold he's been fighting. It seems to be an epidemic in Winnipeg right now. Everyone you talk to is sick or has just been sick or has a child or spouse who is sick. I think we're all just sick of winter too. Sean hasn't been feeling that well in the last little while either. I've been making a lot of chicken soup but it doesn't seem to be helping that much. I don't think there is much point in going to the doctor though, it isn't that bad, it just seems to be taking forever.

Aidan and Delaney are fine. Delaney had a very successful spirit week at school last week. We managed to get the right costumes on the right days (last year I sent her in beach clothes on hat and tie day) and she had the most beautiful hat - yes, her Disney princess cone hat. She was very proud.

Daisy is entranced by the computer these days. She stares at the cursor and my typing and I can just see her wanting to grab at it. Problem is, I have trouble seeing the screen cause she plants herself right in front of it. But, she's been very friendly since we got back from Florida. It only took her a year to let us touch her!! I find that I'm getting quite attached to the cats, even Mom doesn't seem to mind them as much. Well, she's saying that but I'm not sure it's true!

And again...

So, now Connor gets his wish. He's home sick with the flu (achey and a fever). I've been working at home an awful lot lately!

I realized recently that I haven't manged to maintain focus for a long time. Lots of little scrambled thoughts (Did I reply to that birthday invitation? Where is Aidan's homework? I'm sure I had both gloves when I left the house. Who is calling me? ) and on and on, but I never think about anything all the way through. I wonder if I ever will again? It happens at work too, all the time. I was going through some files the other day and realized that I had started the same document twice, didn't complete either and have no memory of working on them. And they are dated December and January! This past December and January! You would think that when I am writing something for the second time it would ring a bit of a bell, but no. At least the two documents were fairly similar, so I'm consistent even if I am forgetful. I hate to admit it, but I've left myself notes one day and had no idea what I meant when I read it the next day. Okay, that's my confession. Please nobody call the looney bin!

So, what brought that on was the thought that I have a load of laundry to fold, one to put in the wash, and one to dry, supper to make, dishes to put away, a house to tidy, a sick kid on the couch and another one watching tv even though he shouldn't be, and instead of focusing on any of them, I'm at the computer! Why, you ask? Because I dropped Delaney off at tap and realized that she needed new shoes. So I sat down at the computer to see if I could pick some up on Ebay. Instead, I checked my work e-mail first since it was still open and answered some stuff and sent a message to tell them Connor was sick and I might not be in tomorrow. Then I started thinking about how he finally gets to stay home from school and that twigged writing about it in the 'blog so I opened it and here I am. Haven't looked up tap shoes, done laundry, made supper, put away dishes, checked on kids or anything. Not one thing I planned to do accomplished, but some other stuff got done. I guess if it gets done it really doesn't matter, but I do remember the days when I set out to do something and got it accomplished. I was efficient and organized and now I've turned into one of those people. You know who you are!!!!!

Okay, now I am going to get something else accomplished. Although this just made me think about that e-mail that goes around about how the wife says she is going to bed and does a million things. The husband says he is going to bed an hour later and gets up and goes to bed. But I am not going to try to find it! I'm starting supper and folding laundry. Really!

Sick again

Aidan is home sick again. It started with Connor last weekend, then Delaney and finally Aidan stayed home from school yesterday and today. Connor is not happy that Aidan gets to stay home while he's going to school. Connor always seems to get sick on the weekends, it isn't really fair. But, I can't really give him a bonus day off, can I? I've been working at home half the week because they're sick. I'm actually working right now but am waiting for some files to download. I like working at home, I can do other little things and just work a bit longer. At work I have to leave by 3:00 to get Delaney, so I always feel rushed.

Sean has booked his golfing vacation for his 40th birthday. Poor guy, I didn't even get him anything. I should have commemorated it some way! He doesn't look a day older though. I wish I could spend a little more time with him! Seems like we barely get a minute to ourselves anymore. We did go out for a nice dinner in Florida, but we will need to make a date for a dinner and a movie or something here. Anyway, he certainly does deserve his vacation and I hope he has a great time with his friends. They should probably think about making it a bi-annual thing, it would be good for Sean. Although I think both Pete and Mark travel a fair bit more than Sean does, so I don't know how their wives would feel about that! I think this one celebrates all three of their 40th birthdays although Sean is the oldest.

I've got a bit of a scratchy throat myself. Lucky me, just like Connor, always sick on the weekends!

And here we are at the Beach

atthebeach
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

This is on Hutchinson's Island where Nana and Grandad are. Shortly after this we were all in the surf and got soaked so had to go home and put on our suits. The waves were huge! Even though we only went knee deep it was up to my waist sometimes and I got knocked off my feet twice. Poor Delaney had to hang on to two people. And the waves receeding made you feel as if you were being pulled out. We had a great time playing in the waves but we did our swimming in the heated pool!

Delaney and Cinderella

cinderella
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

This was the princess we absolutely had to meet. I think this was also the longest line we stood in!

Life doesn't get much better than this

kidsdopey
Originally uploaded by LisaOH.

Here's a good one of the kids with Dopey. We'd just entered the park and got an autograph and a picture. Snow White was nowhere to be found though...

Hockey, hockey, hockey

We got home in the middle of a tournament so had hockey last Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. They won though! As always - I think they're undefeated this year. Connor is still enjoying it and we only have a month and a half to go. They play an exhibition at the Moose game in the new MTS Center at the beginning of March and we're all going to watch.

The boys had their first music lesson this week. Both need to practice a lot more and haven't touched their instruments since. Yikes! The surprising news is that Aidan agreed to play at the concert on March 13th. I really didn't think he would, and Sean and I thought we'd leave it up to him. He came out of class and his teacher said he need to practice a piece for the concert. I was a little suprised and looked at Aidan and he told me that they'd decided that he'd play. Didn't seem to occur to him that he wouldn't play, so I sure wasn't going to bring it up. He went to watch his friend Devan last year, so he does have an idea of what to expect. It'll definitely be a good experience for him.

Oh, I'm going to post the holiday pictures on Flickr soon. We all look tired but we sure had a good time.

Delaney is happily back into her routine. For her dance recital this year she is going to be a sheep for the tap part and gets to wear a tutu for the ballet part. She'll love that. We had her birthday party last weekend and I think she was pretty happy. She's been invited as a guest to gymnastics with one of the girls in her class tomorrow and is really excited about that. Although she wouldn't get into bed and got into trouble for that, so isn't too happy right now.

Sean and I are totally back into the routine. Seems like we were never gone although I'm finding winter much easier to deal with now that I've had a bit of a break from it. Wish we could do this every year! Sean is planning his birthday golf trip with his buddies for April and I'm thinking of going to Paris with my mom and her sister and brother and sister-in-law and maybe my cousin Deanne and possibly another cousin or two and maybe Toni (it's pretty fluid right now!). Dee and I travelled together through Europe almost 20 years ago (oh my that ages me!!!) so it would be fun to go with her again. We missed Montmartre and the gallery with the Impressionist paintings - I can't think of the name right now! Anyway, if it works out it would be great. Although I guess it will count as my 40th birthday trip... a few years early!

Palm trees and Mickey Mouse (or Cinderella)

We're back. We had a great time. And it's not even that cold in Winnipeg, so we're not too sorry to be back. The kids were happy to go to school and see their friends this morning and even though I felt a little blue going to work, I'm feeling a lot better now. I've cancelled music so that they can get a little practice in and we can ease into the routine (Connor still has hockey and Delaney still has dance).

We spent 3 days at DisneyWorld and had a great time. We rode Splash Mountain 3 times (mine and Delaney's and Mimi's favorite), Tower of Terror twice (Aidan went 3 times - his favorite), Space Mountain twice (only Sean, Aidan and Connor) and we even went on Mission to Mars (Connor's favorite). We saw all the parades and the fireworks and got some autographs. The weather was nice and we didn't have to wait longer than 15 minutes for any ride excpet the Thunder Mountain Railroad, and that was about 25 minutes (yes, should have gotten a fast pass but since we didn't have to wait for anything else we didn't think about it). We even rode the Kali River Rapids and I got soaked. Had to walk around Animal Kingdom with wet shorts all morning. I'll post pictures soon.

We had a good time staying at Nana and Grandad's too. We went to the flea market and the ocean and the pool and ate out a fair amount. It was lots of fun. The waves were huge and almost sucked you right off your feet. Delaney and Connor had to hang on to an adult and Nana and I both lost our feet at least once. We found tons and tons of shells and each brought a collection home. We also made some nice necklaces out of some of them.

The train ride was terrific. You're treated very well and it is a very relaxing way to travel. The plane ride home was faster, but not nearly as comfortable. We took a limo from the airport and Connor and Delaney though that was the way to travel! They all enjoyed the train and Aidan and Connor said it was better than the plane. I'd do it again anytime.

What else? My cousin Jackie had a baby girl while we were away. Natalie Estelle and she was early (her first one that was early!) and weighed 7 pounds. I think she is 24 inches long, which sounds very tall to me so I think I might have that wrong. Ruby is coming for Delaney's party this weekend so I hope we'll get to see her.

Will post some pictures and more stories later.

Let it snow...

No! It is so cold here - it was minus 42 with the windchill this morning and exposed skin would freeze in under 2 minutes. Connor had an outdoor game, but I'm assuming it was cancelled! The school buses weren't running and the exhaust fog was unbelievable. Thank goodness we're getting a break next week! The last two winters have been really brutal. But it's strange, the last five before that were really, really nice. I know the year Delaney we didn't have snow until Christmas and I had her out in the stroller before she was six weeks old, and I didn't have a snowsuit for her so it must have been warm. And the same with the year Connor was born, it was really very nice. But the last two years - terrible!

Kids are doing fine. Connor has his birthday party this weekend. We're going bowling with the boys from his class (no girls invited this year). It's early for him, but he wanted it before we went away. And Delaney will have a party when we get back because she didn't really care. Hers will probably be at Fort Whyte.

Aidan is half way through the 300 page book he got for Christmas and pretty happy about it. I think he has been doing a lot of reading since they've had indoor recess after indoor recess since they got back to school. I think they might have been out one day. I had him at the doctor today and his ear infection is cleared up. So, he'll be able to go swimming in Florida (assuming we don't bring the cold weather with us - but the hotel does have an indoor pool as well as 3 outdoor ones).

Back to the grind...

Poor Aidan had an ear infection this week. He woke us up at about 4:00 am on Thursday morning saying his ear hurt. He napped and whimpered all day and felt awful. When I got him to the doctor at 3:15, he had a perforated ear drum and was feeling pretty miserable. Seems better today. He's still pale, but is back to playing his imaginary games (choooo! whoosh! thump! thump!).

Connor wasn't too happy about having to go to school while Aidan stayed home Thursday and Friday! But he went, and has moved up 9 levels in reading! He was level 3 before Christmas and is taking books from the level 12 box now. He told me today that he only has 5 more levels and then he doesn't have to read anymore. Aidan laughed and told him he wouldn't do very good in grade two if he never read again. He's pretty interested in reading whatever he can now and is starting to read the signs and cereal boxes and stuff. Aidan seemed to learn to read by magic, and it's been more of a struggle with Connor, but he's gone from telling me "I'm not a kid who read Mom" to reading the signs at the pharmacy.

I had some good news this week too. My study leave proposal was approved, so I'll be working from home from June until next January. I'm pretty happy about it, but am thinking that it is going to be awfully hard to go back to work next January! After I take a leave I will owe the University the equivalent time, so will have to work for them until June 2006. A lot can change in that amount of time, so we'll see what we see. I also got pulled in to work on the Manitobia project, which is something new and really interesting for me. I'm helping with the metadata on that, so will be done by the time we go on vacation.

Sean is busy planning for his trip with his friends to golf this spring. Looks like he'll be making two trips to Florida this year. I'm glad he's gong, they've never done anything like this and I know he misses hanging out with them all. He's made friends here, but I don't know if you ever have friends as good as the ones you've known since childhood. And since they're all turning 40, they have known each other for a long, long time!

We're all getting pretty excited about our trip. I'm trying to get haircuts and birthday parties in the next 2 weeks so we'll be all ready. I've also got quite a bit of shopping to do. Connor is going to a birthday party this afternoon, so I'm taking the chance to go shopping after I drop him off. And I might just pick up something for myself with the gift certificate I got for Christmas (thanks Nana and Grandad!).

Happy New Years!

Back to work in a few days! We had a very nice, very laid-back Christmas. I'm still fighting a cold, and Connor and Delaney and I seem to be passing it back and forth, so we took things pretty easy. Connor also had a hockey tournament (he was player of the game one day!) and we had a couple of feet of snow which slowed us down too.

The kids had a great Christmas. I still haven't uploaded the pictures, but I think they were all pretty happy. They are back now to playing with the pound puppies... although they do occassionally play with their new toys.

Aidan became a game-boy addict again, but we're back to limiting it now that school will be starting again this week. Until the Florida trip anyway. He can play it the whole way to Florida if he wants to... won't bother me a bit.

Connor did just fine as one of the angels on Christmas Eve. He dripped a bit of wax on the carpet, but I doubt he was the first to do that! We've also discovered that he is really competitive and both a sore loser and a bad winner. I'm not sure if it is an age thing, but he really likes to win every game we play. They got "Slamwich" and "SceneIt Jr." for Christmas, and he likes to play both - but only when he's winning! Mimi gave us a portable DVD and the "SceneIt" game which will be great for the Florida trip - as long as he keeps winning...

Delaney was happy with her toys although her favorite stuff is art supplies. Santa brought them each a kit on Christmas Eve at the Mason's that has markers, pastels, pencil crayons, glue, scissors, a ruler and a ton of paper. That has kept her pretty occupied over the holidays.

We went to brunch with friends this morning and they were showing us their pictures from their trip to DisneyWorld in November. They also gave us their "guide" which I've been reading all afternoon. We're really looking forward to this trip, especially after the three feet of snow we got on the weekend! Palm trees, swimming pools and Mickey Mouse, what more could you want in January?