New Legs for Patience

Ah Patience. Normally a happy, smiling, independent child. Observe.

Taking care of the tomatoes. It was her job. She would get so angry if I would do it.

She climbed up the slide first with all the toys.

A party with Abby.

Working it at Tae Kwon Do.

Well Thursday certainly put a put a crick in her style.

So now, after her open left hip reduction, Patience is not so active. A body cast will do that to you. She is happy today. We left the hospital with our new and modified car seat that we borrowed, a borrowed wagon in the back and a bunch of sitting gifts and headed home. (There are pictures of her smiling I just don't have them right now). At home she watched a bunch of TV, played with her leapster, talked to her brothers, painted pictures and went to bed. A busy day for someone who can't move herself. We will see what tomorrow will bring.

It has been awhile

It has been awhile since I blogged anything and since I had written Robin the other night I thought I would straight out copy it and add pictures. Maybe I would add on later.

Dear Robin and Samuel,

This week we are getting ready for Patience's surgery. It is scheduled for Feb 23. I took her for her pre-op appointment and she hid under a chair. I tried to get her to weigh herself but she screamed and cried and refused to put her legs down. It is amazing how she can hold up her legs and climb the walls. After the doctor left she said "that was good" and decided that I could weigh her and measure her. The next day we got to have blood work. Good times all around. After that we got to have great big slurpees. She got a large Booster Juice. She picked the pink one but decided that she wanted the purple one. This week it is very hard being almost 4. Every day is a fight. She doesn't ever like supper, she won't share, and she doesn't like to do anything except what she wants to do. She is happy except when she is sad and the mood swings are crazy. Lots of fun.

(At the giant sausage in Mundare AB. You have to go. The meat is great and there is a great convenience store. It has the ice cream with the flavour swirls).

Xavier is super busy. He is in Tae Kwon Do (working on his blue belt), track and debate club. He tells me that he is too busy but he won't pick what to give up. I am sure it will shake it self out later. Next year he tells me he will also be in jazz band. Now he wants to play french horn but I told him that he can't have 2 new instruments. We will figure it out when we get there.

Niles is less busy. We have taken him out of Tae Kwon Do. He only has piano. It is working for him right now. Maybe in the spring we will put him in soccer or something. He gets too stressed out too fast.

Niles and Xavier at Vaegerville

Yesterday we had family movie night. Rob decided it should be a funny family movie so he picked Marley and Me. Have you watched that? It has it's funny parts but at the end (spoiler alert) the dog dies. Niles is bawling, Rob has tears in his eyes, Xavier is crying, I am crying. Good funny movie Rob. Way to wreck the night.

Rob has gotten farther on the bathroom. There is drywall on many of the walls now and the potential for a spout for the bathtub. We can use the tub but the ambience is not there. It just isn't restful sitting the the bath around a whole bunch of tools.

I got a permanent 3/4 time position in the health region. That means I can balance my work and home lives better. I see the kids more and they are happier I think.

The weather this winter has been crazy weird. It is hot. Minus three, plus 4. Melting in February. I don't like it. The kids don't like it. Where has the cold gone?

I took this picture of my flowers in November. See how they are not dead.

These are the strangest November flowers I have ever seen.

I was tired of watering them. Why had they not died yet?

That is all I can think of right now. Have a good week.

Patience visits Vaegerville

See interesting things.

Fun at a playground.

Do fun things.

Love Diane

Meet the Teacher

Today I got to have a meet the teacher with Xavier's teacher. I actually had met her before because he has the same teacher this year as last year but I was making the connection and checking in. Apparently I was the first parent to do this although we were all invited to at the beginning of the year. Not to worry though Xavier is doing well. He has grown a lot this year and we both (teacher and I ) agree that it is better than last.

Xavier and Rob running the Bridge City Boogie.

Xavier just finished the cross country season and can't wait for the training for the Bridge City Boogie to begin. He loves running. He gets a groove going and can really put on the km. Think we will all do it this year.

Niles watching the Bridge City Boogie.

Niles got to watch this year and it was his birthday so that was exciting. Now he is old and in grade 3. He reads and plays piano. This year we are trying Hip Hop instead of Tae Kwon Do to see how that goes. He has such great expressions of dislike that if it weren't so annoying I would laugh. You really do know what he is thinking. No poker face on that one.

Xavier loves babies. Hanging with Josh. Isn't he cute? And the baby is too.

Patience and Elizabeth at the playground.

Before the meet the teacher Patience and I got to go to the playground to meet friends. It was windy enough that I flew Niles' kite for the first time. It looks really cool, but it was so windy that I could not take a picture and keep from escaping so just imagine it, tie dyed and rectangular. Very cool. Joelynn came home to watch Patience while I went to get my braces adjusted and she got to stay so I could meet the teacher. Good that Patience loves Elizabeth and Joelynn.

Thankful for the great chickens that you can buy at the store because we were cutting it very close by the time I got home and had to take Xavier to Tae Kwon Do. He had a good time but he says that his partner is very talented so he has to try harder and that makes him sweaty. Poor thing.

(I can't get the font to work properly so it doesn't look as nice as I was hoping but I must move on with my life now.)

I heard the monkey song...

When I run outside I take my music and I never add anything and I also don't take anything away. Actually I think Richard picked all the songs that I listen to, but they are good and I get used to them. Although random they play in approximate order so I get to expect certain songs around certain places in my run. My run starts with New York New York and there is sounds of Canada from KD Lang, It's Raining Men, a little Prince and somewhere in there is the monkey song (not called that). Yes my monkey song. It gets stuck in my head, it picks up my feet and makes that darn loop seem better (and it is nice that the shopping song comes next). But what the monkey song also does is it makes me think of Robin.

Love how the bubbles look fake

I wonder what Robin is doing. I wonder what Korea looks like when you live there. I wonder about the kids she teaches and the stuff she does. I think about her life with Samuel and pray that it is well. I think about it for the whole song. I don't know why monkeys and Robin go together but they do for me and now maybe they do for you. So play the monkey song and spend some time thinking tonight.

Today

Today I slept in until 8 and then I drank coffee until 9. Patience and I went to library school where she listened to stories and I looked and books and then visited with other moms (there were 2 dads as well). Then we had noodles for lunch and I over came my aversion and made cookies. I don't know what had been my problem but cookies seemed too difficult lately so I pulled out my mixer to do the mixing and made chocolate chip (because you can drop them) and made them. They are delicious. Patience went down for a nap and I went for a quick run. After we both went and picked up the boys from school because the weather is so nice to walk. Tomorrow work, the next day the world.... or work.
Niles with wacky hair at camp
Patience's wacky hair day at camp
Xavier did a great job (he plays to win).
Gloria looks great.
Justice League of Saskatoon at the Bridge City Boogie