End of January Antics

This morning, compliments of Hayden. Too funny!



This afternoon I tackled a job that I've been meaning to do for a long time: Cleaned out the Front Hall Closet. Whew! What a relief!

The boys learned about praying two weeks ago in Sunday School, and last night and tonight we prayed for healthy happy relatives and friends. They were so cute last night I had to take a picture of them doing it. And then Sage prayed with fish lips, because he's an individual.

Happy E-BOB Day!

Today is Exactly Between Our Birthdays Day for Vanessa and me. So happy day!

In other news, I joined my church choir tonight! I have been missing being part of a musical group for a while now, but I can't afford to join barbershop chorus (sorry Aunties) and also barbershop always makes me feel like I'm not me, I'm my mother's daughter, or I'm my aunts' neice. One more con is that the memory of my mother's beautiful voice singing barbershop is too painful for me to be able to non-challantly force her out of my head or something. I don't know what I'm trying to say here. It's too much. I don't want to do it.

I wanted something that was mine, that didn't make me want to cry. There. That was good. The only thing was, the music is so inspirational and beautiful, I felt like crying anyway. I told you I've found me some religion, well it hits home the best with the music. It's not the old hymns we're singing, it's the new Christian Rock stuff that's all cool and awesome. With relavent lyrics. And snappy rhythms. And the feeling of God throughout that just warms my heart and soul with relief that I've started my relationship with Him. In a weird "uh, that doesn't sound like the Jennifer I know" kind of way.

My good friend Teri-Mai is also in the choir. She's so terriffic. I just love her like the dickens. She's tall and graceful and gorgeous and kind and generous and organized and friendly and amazing. I look up to her. Literally. She's like 6'4 in her heels. She sings alto. I decided I'd be a soprano. I was an alto my whole life, but I thought I would be indulgent :) maybe I'll switch later, but this is good for now. We could go on the road singing this way! With our friend Katie too, on mandolin.

Time for bed approches. Nighty night everyone.

Stabbed In The Head - or - Why You Shouldn't Leave Knives Lying Around

Whenever possible, as parents, do try not to leave any sort of sharp knife lying around. Even dull ones are a bad idea. It's completely possible that a child may find it and then stab you in the head with it.

This morning our family got up in great spirits. We were headed to church and that makes everyone happy. Church was nice. Singing was awesome, the service was about tithing, so that was excellent fodder for my thoughts and is making me consider my newly found faith in different ways. Like, how strongly I feel, how much faith do I have that "God can do more with 90% than I can do with 100%" and am I ready for such a leap of faith? I am not sure if I'm ready to be baptized, but I digress.

We dropped Hayden off at his friend Julia's birthday party and came home for lunch. I returned a call from my sister who was very excited she'd found something she was sure she'd lost last weekend when we came back from Toronto. It wasn't expensive, but it would've been extremely handy (a bag of clips for chip bags or whatnot from Ikea - $1.99). We were chit-chatting away when suddenly

!~!~!STAB!~!~!

Sage had found a paring knife and had decided to try and brush my hair (? maybe? I'm guessing) with it. With the pointy end. Which has a conveniently hooked blade and is nice and sharp.. excellent quality knife for paring with ease.

I hadn't been looking at Sage because our phone cord (cordless rests in peace) is very short and I had to have my head turned towards the wall so it didn't come out of the jack. I guess my glossy jet-dark-brown hair with silvery streaks head was too tantalizing to resist. Or some other three-year-old reason. Anyway I shrieked, quickly let Carol go, and asked in a calm not-upset voice (yah right) where he'd found the knife.

Come to think about it, I never got an answer. Maybe it had fallen down behind the stove. I don't know. It was dirty. Hm.

Anyway the end of the story is that he didn't cut through my scalp but it sure hurt and scared me.

I guess I should call Carol back and tell her what happened...

Catching You Up

And here it is. The Big Catch-Up post. The one you've been waiting for.

Hayden
- grew 2" since last May
- loves cucumber skin better than the inside
- can read in English
- can converse smoothly en Francais and loves to do so
- is thoroughly enjoying Senior Kindergarten
- is going to his first non-family birthday party tomorrow, his girlfriend Julia who is turning 6
- has told me he's kissed Julia
- has been told not to kiss anyone at school any more

Sage
- grew 3" since last May
- loves the entire cucumber slice
- can identify letters and some numbers but refuses to do so on demand
- cannot wait for (full day full week!) Junior Kindergarten in the fall when he'll get to ride the bus
- is slowly getting better at peeing on the potty or into the toilet (standing up)
- still shows no visible sign when he's pooping and prefers to do so into his diaper
- is very gentle when he's brushing my hair (which I find very soothing and relaxing)
- has been pulled from daycare because it's just too darned expensive without subsidy for which we no longer qualify

Jake
- is the same height as last May
- refuses to eat any kind of vegetable except starchy ones
- is very good at reading English
- loves his cook/prep-cook job at Cranky Joe's restaurant but has had to go down to Weekends only to care for Sage
- was only making $5-$20 a day with Sage in daycare
- is looking at the silver lining of the situation by being able to cook healthier dinners at home, not having to pay for Hayden in daycare in the summer, and really focusing on Sage's toilet training
- will be applying to work at the new Toys R Us they're going to build on a hill near our house

Jennifer
- is the same height as last May
- has begun eating way more vegetables, not the starchy ones, in order to eat healthier
- is very good at reading English
- is probably just slightly ahead of Hayden in French
- has been on the waiting list for weight loss surgery for almost two years and has finally gotten called for her turn
- will be having her gastric bypass on May 17th at St Joseph Health Centre in Toronto
- has monthly appointments since Jan 8th at Humber River Regional Hospital in order to prepare for the psychological and physiological changes that will be happening
- will have monthly appointments afterwards to track progress
- has therefore had time and will have time to reconnect with a lot of Toronto friends as a side bonus
(If you are a Toronto friend and we haven't made plans yet, I have so many trips down in the coming year and a half, we will be able to get together! Just let my secretary know you're interested and you'll be contacted as to when.)
- feels a little nervous coming out of the weight-loss-surgery closet on her blog, but thinks it's about time

Happy New Year!

I know I know.. it's been a while. I have to wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR (on the 6th day in.. lame I know) and I'll catch up with you later. Right now I'm at work and break is juuuust about over. But I was thinking about you, see? See internet? I didn't forget about you!

I have to go, I'll be breaking policy in 3..... 2...... 1.......