Who else would send live animals??

Every year, one of my favorite things to do is hunt for great presents for my nieces. Maia and Leah are particularly fun to buy for because they are older than Ray and I can see where she is going to be in one or six years. Plus, they are super smart, super cool girls who I get to buy the kind of presents I would love, were I only much younger. Ray is such a girly-girly girl and the barbie section just doesn't excite me (rather the opposite). Thankfully, Anna and Steve are VERY patient with my gifts. Why? cause I have sent live animals, not once but twice now.

It started when I saw this super cool ant farm. It had this crazy gel stuff and the ants came by mail and were to live happily building tunnels you could see. I knew Leah would LOVE it. So, using my all-powerful aunt status, I bought it and sent it.

When I was in New Orleans, it happened again. I saw the Frog-O-shere and totally wanted one and knew that Maia needed one too. It comes with a bamboo plant, cool coloured gravel, food and 2 african dwarf frogs. Can it get better??? (OK, I am a biologist) It was so cool that my grad students and I kept gravitating back to the same store to look at them. I was a bit worried about the live animal thing. They have pets - a dog, beta fish, and the ants of course. Luckily, Anna said yes and the gift arrived today, well in advance of Christmas. With the ants, you got the box with all the equipment and sent for the ants. I was expecting this again or maybe some fertilized eggs that were dormant. Nope. Live frogs arrived. Phone calls were made. Yes, please open it, if it says live frogs then they won't last in a plastic bag for a week.

So lucky girl got an early Christmas present and she loves them. She called to thank me and corrected me on whether they could have shipped the frog eggs without water (ah to be young and know everything....). Strangely, when the box, appropriately labelled "Live Frogs" arrived, Maia wondered "who sent this?". But really, who else would send live animals?

Social challenges for girls

Raynham loves her JK program at Temple Playhouse, particularly as her closest friends are there. However, sharing of friends is a challenge for 4 and 5 year olds. Hence yesterday's conversation after school:

Raynham: I had problems with my friends today.

Dad: What happened?

Raynham: I was playing with one friend when the other wanted to play with me and they both got upset. I don't like being in the middle.

Dad: Yeah, that is difficult. How did you handle it?

Raynham: I told them I couldn't cut myself in two so they each could have half.

Dad: You certainly can't.

Raynham: Yea, all my guts would spill out.

Weekend fun with Mom

Saturday was a super busy day. Both Ray and G were on the ice for hockey practice. Ray had a playdate with one of her best buddies. Cookie making was on the agenda. Two 4 year olds, cookie cutters and lots of decorations makes a lot of fun but also a lot of mess. I have NO photos of the event as Drew was at the rink with G the whole time (funny how he changed his mind last minute: "We might as well just stay here and watch the other kids skate"...). By the time he came home I had both the roomba vacuum and hand vac out! There were a LOT of sprinkles on the floor, but even MORE on the cookies!!!

After lunch, we headed to Hamilton Place for the Nutcracker Suite Ballet. G has gone to see this before, but never with a national ballet; Ray has never been before. Here is the difference between the two kids.

1. They are bought nutcracker christmas ornaments. Galen breaks his in the first 2 seconds (I love crazy glue) but Ray manages until 4 pm the next day until hers breaks. Galen breaks the gun, Ray pulls off the beard.

2. Galen is close to silent through the entire thing, then talks constantly about it afterwards. Ray has an endless play-by-play through the first act, falls asleep in the second and then cries when she wakes up because she "missed the fairies". I had to promise her there were NO fairies on after she fell asleep.

Luckily, both want to go again next year. Ray PROMISES she won't sleep at the end.

Of course, yesterday, the excitement was my friend Krista visiting (the kids love her) and the tree falling over. We've rescued the tree and are hoping for a quieter week......

Goal!

Last week's game was a lot of fun to watch, with Galen taking three shots and getting one assist. The final was a 6-3 victory. Today's game was even better, with Galen getting one shot and a GOAL! First of the season! The final score was a 4-3 victory, with two other of Galen's teammates getting their first goal ever. Can't wait for tomorrow night's game.

Raynham's hockey school continues to go well, with all the kids doing the basics of getting up, skating forward, and now snowplow stopping. Raynham is working on driving her mother crazy, but when she isn't she is skating very well. Yet, she continues to insist that this is the last year of hockey for her - next year should be figure skating. Little does she know how hard that is.

Kiddie quotes for Christmas

The kids are VERY excited that Christmas is coming. Here are few great moments...

Ray, seeing the president of my university at the kids Christmas party:
"Look! Its Santa! Why is he wearing that black suit?"

Galen, first thing in the morning:
Dec 1: "Mom! wake up! Its only 24 days until Christmas!"
Dec 2: "Mom! Wake up! Its only 23 days until Christmas!"
Dec 3: "Mom! Did you know its only 22 days until Christmas!"
....
Dec 7: "Mom! Its only 16 DAYS until Christmas! I'm so excited!!!" Me too G.

Ray, after getting in trouble: "I don't think I've been a very good girl this year. What if Santa brings me NOTHING?"

Ray, after the tree was decorated: "Can we open a present?" Not until Christmas, I replied. "But we already had one from your Christmas party, so why not another?"

Galen, discussing the potential that Santa isn't real: "A girl in my class says that Santa isn't real. She says its really your parents buying all that stuff. She says the easter bunny is your parents too but I don't think so. You don't make chocolate eggs, Mom. It would be crazy that parents would pretend to be a bunny and hide junk food around the house! What parent would DO that? It makes no sense. I think she'll be lucky to get anything from Santa this year"

Galen, on his gingerbread ambitions: "Everyone makes a house. I don't want to make a house this year, I want to make a gingerbread hockey rink! Complete with a rink, hockey players and a score board! And my team will be winning! Mom - that means we need.......just 12 hockey players in gingerbread. That's not so much, is it?"

Green Walls

Literary mash-up

Raynham has been studying Shakespeare at school, with her favourite so far being Midsummer's Night Dream. Literature is quickly becoming her thing. However, my latest read might not work for her. I'm reading Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. This literary mash-up combines Jane Austen's classic with the standards of great sea monster stories. The cover shows a lady of Regency England gazing lovingly at a tentacled hero. Conversation ensues...

Raynham: What is with your book?

Dad: I'm reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

Raynham: Why does that man have a squid face? And why is that lady in love with him?

Dad: I don't know, I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet.

(pause)

Raynham: Is she blind?

Yesterday's hockey game

Galen played against two of his friends yesterday, one of which is a sniper who used to play Rep. I believe he got a double hat trick. The final score was 8-5, but Galen was one of the more offensive players. He was really determined at working the puck through the other team and had a shot on goal and an assist. Tonight we don't have a game, but are going to see Galen's best friend play in net.

Hockey double header

Galen had two hockey games this weekend and they could not have been more different. Sunday's 7 am game was a mess and Galen's team lost 7 to 1. Galen's team was all over the place, including him, and there was absolutely no defence. What little offence they mounted was not enough to overcome some great goaltending by one of Galen's classmates.

Tonight's game was a different matter. Galen's team put in lots of offensive pressure and won 6 to 3. Galen was the star of the game by playing a strong offensive defence all night. On the attack, he was great a keeping the puck from crossing the blue line and on the defence, he broke up several attacks and made a great save when the goalie was overwhelmed. He really played hard and smart. Good job Galen!

Fall 2009 Photos

London's Western Fair, apple and pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, and Halloween! See all the pictures here.

Front Yard - Before and After

I made the mistake of not taking a "before" photo before we redesigned and rebuilt our front yard. Much to my surprise, Google Street View took a shot about a month before we started the work. So, here are the before and after shots.

Raynham, where are your pants??

Raynham is an active child at night. She doesn't sleep through - never, ever, ever. She wakes up early and she wakes up often. Normally, she rolls over and goes back to sleep.

She is somehow very aware of where mom (and dad) are in the house. If I stay up late I know, at some point, my daughter will show up downstairs looking for me. She'll decide to use the downstairs bathroom so she can ask when I'm coming to bed. She is ALWAYS the one who finds me asleep on the couch and gets me to come to bed.

Last night, Raynham showed up a bit early. It was only 10 pm and both Drew and I were still downstairs. Little footsteps on the stairs, across the living room... She arrives in the family room, opens the bathroom door and goes in. Only problem is that she is buck naked from the waist down. "Hi" she says casually while opening the bathroom door. "Ahhh Ray, where are your pants?? " asks mom while trying not to totally lose it. That's when she started peeing on the bathroom floor, frozen zombie-like, holding onto the door handle.

Turns out my kid sleepwalks. Life just got a bit more interesting....

The broken leg: a 1 year update

It was over 1 year ago that I fell, while hiking, broke my leg and had surgery. It has been about 8 months since I had to wear the hideous, bright pink crocs my spouse bought for me. I don't even know where the walker, crutches or cane are located anymore (although I am betting they are in the basement, gathering dust). The last 4 months though, I have been bothered a bit by a screw head - you can see it and feel it easily which is a bit gross. It irritates me when I sit with my leg tucked up and in my skates too. I thought the screw was coming out. I was a bit worried about more surgery.

Today was my one year post-surgery check up. Surprise to me, the screw is not moving. In fact, the xrays look identical except for the lack of break in the bone. I have been discharged me from the fracture clinic. That screw? It was put in on an angle, so the head of the screw isn't flush with the bone. The swelling had just finally gone away and it took close to a year to completely heal. So I'll need to find some foam for my skate boot and deal with the mild irritation. The best part? If it continues to bother me, if it starts to hurt, they can just remove the one screw - tiny incision, no big deal, no long healing. For now though, I am keeping my metal.

Hold the Kosher

This from one of Raynham's teachers at Temple Playhouse's JK program:

Teacher: o.k. guys, let's have some snack... any allergies in this class?

Raynham: i have an allergy!!!

Teacher: you do?

Raynham: i'm allergic to anything kosher

Teacher: really? that is really too bad - you can't have challah anymore

Raynham: no, i'm allergic to anything kosher but not challah

Teacher: oh, lucky thing - but no chocolate - that's really too bad

Raynham: chocolate isn't kosher

Teacher: oh, yes, yes it is

Raynham: well.... i'm allergic to anything kosher but not challah and not chocolate

Canadian National Exhibition and Toronto Zoo

See all the pictures here.