Decadently December

December is just around the corner now, Thanksgiving weekend come and gone. JAC and Dad suffered in the rain, but the kids LOVE that parade! Beca was especially pleased to see the big fat sponge bob balloon, while Ori seemed to just take it all in. Sweet!

The Corns are looking good, Saraine has gained some weight and looks very healthy. Bernie was really awesome with O, playing happily with him while the rest of us rolled our eyes. :D

Also finally got a decent picture of Beca in her gi - though I'd have liked something a little less DRAMATIC! They do a lot of these release type moves.



I passed out trying to put Ori to sleep (who did eventually capitulate, out of boredom, I think), so now I'm up at 1am. Mad face. Well, there isn't really a BETTER time to update blogs, is there?!

Leaving Fall

Today we had chinook winds...or hurricane weather...or Indian Summer with high humidity and periodic rain. Funny weather. We've got the raking almost done, the gutters cleaned, the patio furniture put up (other than the table, which splintered in a big wind last week :( ), so other than the actual weather, it feels like we're leaving fall!

Ori is taking a new class this fall - imaginart! He really is digging it!

Here he is, hamming it up for us at the camera.

The first week we did hand prints, turning them into funny little turkeys. Ori LOVED painting on his hand. I actually got the impression that he's somehow paint deprived or something. The other children were equally enthralled.



Cartwheels also has a sensory table that the children can use. Last week it was full of corn.



And some gratuitous pictures of my georgeous children. :D





Aren't they pretty!




Orin is very fond of playing games these days - peek a boo is certainly one of his favorites!

We're well into the swing of life now, with school and Aikido forming the major pattern, Girl Scouts (and my Service Unit responsibilities), Sunday School, Ori's art class and toddler montessori classes, babysits in the coop, and the occasional meet up with Brig, Lori, or Lynn filling out the schedule. I've joined (well, gone twice, but intend to continue going) a writer's gropu that I like very much. Sometimes I even remember to get from the library and read the book club book, sometimes not. JAC still likes meetups with his fella friends on Thursdays, especially during football season.

I'm enjoying my writing a lot, working on and thinking of the depth of the characters and the twists of the plot, an enjoyable way to fill out my time. I made some big leaps last Tuesday with the group, and look forward to working on their work. The group is usually pretty small, but thoughtful and intelligent. Can't ask for much more than that!

Beca is doing very well at Aikido. She passed her first stripe test a few weeks ago, and is enjoying the movement, contact, and challenge that it offers. Censai Rick is really wonderful with the kids, they learn well from him and respect him a lot. I hope to take some pictures of them soon - she is quite sweet looking in her Gi.

Ori is starting to communicate better - words and sentances intermixed with Orinish - a mixture of ancient Mandarin and angel speak. We've been doing lots of babysits lately, enjoying having other children his own age over for a play date. Josh is still his best buddy, but these other children are fun for him as well. Today he beat up on Maggie a bit too much, but accidentally. He was very generous with his time, toys, high chair and food. So nice to see.

Falling Back

Since the swing of life has turned into a rather fast paced routine, I thought I'd hit upon some highlights, and then try to post in some pictures. Wish me luck with that!

We had a smashing halloween party on 10/28. The majority of revellers came disguised, the rum punch got finished (BIG bowl!), and there was more food than we - a small army - could eat! We played games, had a nice little parade, gave out lots of prizes (all the kids and a lot of adults, too), and shared a lot of laughs. It was nice to see so many neighbors over, and their kids. Beca was the real queen of the party - all the kids deferred to her. Nice to see her fill her hostess roll so well! She had a blast! Ori was in full swing with his partner Josh, the two of them stumbling along and when his name was called for a costume prize - he threw his hands up into the air and laughed and danced jubilently! What a sight...



We've had some other fun weekends, but mostly we spend Saturday doing house/yard work, Aikido in the morning, and maybe a bit of shopping sans toddler in the p.m. Sunday we are going pretty regularly to FUUSA, I am teaching twice a month. We did our first session on Sukkot, which was great fun! JAC came in and helped, and we built a sukkah! The kids loved it. Tons of people came after the services/classes were over and shared a snack with us inside. It was lousy weather so we did it inside the classroom, which took some inguinity! Thanks to JAC and Dee for their incredible help!

This past Sunday we celebrated Diwali with Indian Pudding, Rangoli painting, dice games and making clay pots for tea lights. I'm enjoying think of creative and hands on ways of teaching the kids about these foreign and sometimes difficult to grasp holi/holydays. Next month is Chanukah! I get all the good ones LOL!

Next weekend we're going camping if the weather holds - we found an AWESOME camping spot along a lake in the 'Daks, very quiet tho only metres from the road. Pit latrine and excellent camp spot, plus built in hiking trail. It'll be awesome to take Ori on his next camping (in a tent and sleeping bag) expdition. Although he's not so easy to get to sleep in the tent (on the air mattress, of course!), once he's asleep he sleeps well. All that outdoor time and fresh air do him justice!

Well, I think that's it for now. Smaller highlights, like Beca's excellent sleepover at Gabby's, Star Lab with Brownies (our hike is tomorrow) and our less than fun relations w/the D's are worth a honerary mention, but we'll get on to posting pictures (before the internet connection breaks lol).