This blog has been pretty quiet over the last month or two. Twitter has been easier to update (and Twitter updates Facebook, so it does double-duty). However, I’m not letting the blog go, because it’s my best journal/scrapbook archive (and favourite medium), so here is some catching up on kids and parents:

Xavier

In November, Xavier, 3, went to see his first movie at the theater. Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, in 3D! Which kid wouldn’t LOVE to see food raining from the sky?

Since September, Xavier has also been attending games and sports sessions for pre-schoolers at the gym. It must be loads of fun, because he seems to have a “what happens at the gym, stays at the gym” attitude about it, and pretends not to recall what games they played over there when he comes back…

Orléane

The last few months, Orly, 21-mos, is chatting and chatting. And chatting. She picked up language like it was her life’s purpose, and she’s talking and talking all through her days.

Halloween

At the months’ hinge, Halloween was celebrated. Fairies and skeletons came out to play.

(I was the Wicked Witch of the East from Oz, if you’re wondering…)

Wicked Witch of the East

Émilie

And at the end of November, my appendix acted up and had to be removed. This type of surgery is a common one, it went ok, and I’m getting better all the time.

A few more days of rest and I should be back at work, with a few additional medical anecdotes in my repertoire. Hey, wanna know what happens when a vein receiving I.V. solution bursts? Or when the nurses insist on getting you to stand up too fast after surgery?

Seriously, though, the medical people who took care of me have all been GREAT. Especially the night staff. Thumbs up to them.

Letters from the North Pole

The kids made drawings for Santa, to which I added notes for them. Xavier says he’s been nice because he shared his horse with the other kids at daycare, and Orly says she wants peanut butter toast as a gift.

…and we got letters back! The magic of mail.

That’s it!

December holds promise of many small joys, and we hope you’ll have a great time with the upcoming holiday season. Be well!

I love it when life makes my life easier.

If you recall my super list of resolutions for 2009 — I’m sure it’s engraved in your memory, right? Right…? — there were two items toward the end that read: “Take a class or two” and “Donate blood”.

Well tonight, when I walked out of my gypsy-tango dance class, I was standing 3 steps from a blood drive! It was 8:30pm. With the kids in bed, Frank wouldn’t be needing me right away… I reasoned this was the best opportunity I would get to make good on my promise before the end of the year.

The whole experience was really good, too. I was their last client for the night, and the workers were all chatty and charming. They gave me a blood drop pin with a shiny “1″ on it and told me I can give again in January. I’m psyched!

And hey, apart from the water-saving one (I know! I’m sorry, Environment… I just need to get warm in the morning), I’m doing good enough on all my other resolutions for 2009. Yay!