It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Sorry, I haven't posted since last week. We've been quite busy around the house with activities and parties hosted by us.

I had a jewelery party last week too. Thanks to everyone who ordered. I closed the party yesterday and our product should be here late this week.

The girls finally got their friend birthday party. We went to the Costume Closet and had a great dress up party! We had about 12 kids there and they all had a great time. I will post pictures but just not today. Then everyone came back to our house for a brief play and cupcakes. The girls enjoyed themselves. The house, however, looked like a cyclone went through.

This week the only changes from the normal is that both Georgia and Finn will get their H1N1 vaccines. (Only they qualify this go around.) And the kids have several Halloween parties through activities and school during the week. This year our family will be dressed as The Incredibles. All 5 of us. I have made us t-shirts and we all have black masks. Don;t worry- there will be a photo record of this.

It is Halloween later this week! My high holiday. Check your local listings for the standard Charles Schulz classic "The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Of course you could always go with any of the horror classics if you are feeling brave. (Halloween, Saw 1-5, Hellraiser etc.)

Scott is also very excited that this week is the Winnipeg Comic Convention (or ComicCon for those who speak geek). Scott and Wayne have been planning on going since last year. Both were quite upset when they found that the Wpg ComicCon was at the same time as our trip to Vegas. There was pouting. But they are keen to go this year. Will and I are happy to let them go alone.

Funny Story: Scott was at home yesterday with the kids as Julie needed the day off for personal reasons. He was laying on the couch reading a BOOK.

Georgia came up to him and exclaimed "Daddy! You are reading a book. I didn't know that you could read. I am so proud of you!"

Two minutes later Olivia came into the room and saw the same thing. "Daddy, you 're reading a chapter book! You know those books don't have any pictures, right?"

Tooth Fairy

We had a visit from the Tooth Fairy last night. Olivia lost another tooth.

It was a particularly gruesome sight yesterday afternoon as she had this tooth dangling by a little thread of skin or a nerve. There had been some minor drama at school during lunch but it was resolved.

She didn't want to pull it out. But she did and felt better afterwards.

Olivia wants everyone to know that she is finding things out about the Tooth Fairy. Olivia left a note under her pillow last night asking the Tooth Fairy if s/he was big or small. The return note said "I am small." Olivia is determined to find out more by pulling out more teeth if needed.

Revelations about the Tooth Fairy aside, I am just relieved we can got back to her brushing her teeth normally.

Thankful

We had an awesome Thanksgiving. We had all of the Abels and the Friesens for a big feast on Saturday. The Abels stayed through the weekend- so we did another feast on Sunday. Mom and Dad stayed home so that Dad could recuperate from his recent knee surgery. We all thought his recovery would go much faster without 3 little "helpers" jumping on him. (He is doing well.)

On Monday we went to the Pumpkin Patch in Oak Lake with the James family. We all had a great time until it started snowing! (I've got some pictures that I will post tonight.)

We had a great weekend! It was filled with family, friends, too much food and a house that was way too hot.

Obviously, we all have a lot to be thankful for as we are all very fortunate. We have healthy and safe families and friends. We are in no risk of going hungry or un-sheltered. We have warm seasonal clothes. We have good jobs and even if those jobs went away we'd still have good earning potential and marketable skills. There is so much more that I could add to this list!

I just wanted you all to know that we are grateful for all that we have. And that most certainly includes you- whatever family or friend who happens to be reading along.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Olivia is 7 years old today! She is 7 going on 13!

Scott drove into Winnipeg on Monday night after work and was bemoaning the fact that he was missing Monday Night Football while he was driving- just like he missed MNF 7 years ago on the night Olivia was born. Somehow the things he remembers most about the night of Monday October 7, 2002- of course aside from becoming a father for the first time- is that Minnesota was playing the Bears. And that he was so occupied that he forgot to get his free pizza from Dominos for fathers in waiting.

I remember the night very clearly. My main moment was the moment just after she was born and I was waiting for the doctor (or Scott) to tell me about the baby. I think that moment goes in sort of slow motion for mothers delivering vaginally. The moment the baby is out is such a huge physical relief but there is a different kind of anxiousness that builds in those scant seconds between the delivery and the announcement.

I remember the doctor telling me it was a girl. And my main thought was "I know." Followed shortly by "Just give her to me already."

Olivia's in-vitro name was Mabel. We had called her a "she" from the very start. It could have gone either way- and I would have loved the baby all the same- but I was so very glad that she was a girl! And that she was healthy and intact and most importantly... alive. I stressed about that and I knew the only way that I could put that feeling to rest was to hold her in my arms and see her with my own eyes.

And finally there she was. Her little skinny body and her enormous head. In all her red headed glory. (Genetics are a weird and random thing.) Ten perfect little fingers and ten perfect little toes. And both Scott and I knew that our lives would never be the same again- in the best possible way. Our hearts grew exponentially that day. The night she was born we though that our hearts could not possibly grow any bigger with love and pride for our new baby girl. What did we know?! We were very new at the parent thing.

And that bring us today... today Olivia is still a red head and has thankfully grown into the size of her head. But she is also infuriatingly smart, funny, caring, brave, self assured, affectionate, polite, a good big sister, a good friend, a talented artist and budding musician, a dedicated student, an enthusiastic reader, a great swimmer and an exceptional daughter. We could not be more proud of that little girl.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

(I'll post some pictures of her a little bit later today.)

Uncle Bobby's Wedding

I read Neil Gaiman's blog everyday. He is easily one of my favourite authors.

He included this link for an excellent letter written from a librarian to a concerned parent regarding a book that he did not plan on removing from the shelves.
http://jaslarue.blogspot.com/2008/07/uncle-bobbys-wedding.html

This is an excellent read!