Picking up after leaving off...

I guess that last bit of the 2012 school year was a doozy.  I didn't get much time to write, and the year just flew by.  I got better at packing lunches, finding library books (& remembering to get Chance to actually bring them to school), teaching Chance how to read and write, planning meals and even at taking the odd breather for myself.  I'm sure the job switch helped out a great deal, I moved away from my old company in June 2012 and started at a new place.  The energy level is different and the people are great. 

OK -- will try to sit down and write 1x a week from now on.  Really, really try. 

Recap photos from this spring: April - I love this photo -- Karin was caught colouring herself with a semi-permanent marker (thank goodness only her hands, not face, furniture or walls).  Chance FINALLY got to play T-ball, he was on the Yellow Leopards team. Cam signed up as a parent coach, so that was pretty cool for Chance.

 "I won't do this again.....for a little while!"

Very excited to go play ball.

Cripes!

Wink, wink!

Can you guess where this is going??


Probably not...brace yourselves!

CRIPES! 2 mosquito bites and this is what Karin looked like on Sunday. She got the mosquito bites on Friday at 5 PM, somewhere between the daycare and the Green Park, which is a 7 block bike ride. When I took her out of the Chariot, she had two bites on her right cheekbone, and I thought "Oh this is going to swell up"...but I had no idea! She is much improved now (Benadryl, Benadryl, Benadryl) - but her birthmark appears quite dark and dry...I'm thinking from the swelling/stretching of her skin. We'll see what happens with time.

This is Saturday morning....bad enough, but Sunday morning was the worst. New nicknames: Hugo, Lumpy, Taz (this one fits more because of the language she's been spouting lately...she sounds like the Tazmanian Devil from Bugs Bunny).

Rainy Week

Finally finished decorating the kids' play room. I bought some curtains, new duvet cover for the futon, a yellow japanese lantern (envisioning it as a paper mache solar system one day), and a bunch of light plastic-paned frames (if they fall they won't break) and hung up a selection of Karin and Chance's artwork. I'm pretty happy with how it looks, and Chance liked it too. Karin was oblivious...

Blowing bubbles in the back yard last Friday. We had sun on Saturday too and since then it's been raining. Looking forward to more bubbles one day!

Tiny Toons

Good looking kids!

My company had artists that would do cartoons of your kids at the Christmas party. They drew Karin first as she was wiggly, but Chance sat nicely the whole time. I think he was pretty impressed!

Starting to Play Together...

I snuck this picture the other day while the kids were playing together. Chance was showing Karin all of his trucks and letting her hold some of them.

Quickly becoming friends...

Chance and Karin are very quickly forming a bond, it is heartwarming to see. She brightens up so much when she sees him and strains to touch him when he is near. She loves rubbing his head (buzz cut). They have been having baths together these days and he has made a game out of stealing the toys from her and letting her steal the toys back. Sometimes he gets a little mean though and deliberately dumps water on her head.

Milestone for Chance -- he has mastered running around the

merry-go-round by himself and then hopping on (and off).

Milestone for Karin -- elephant walking and pulling up.