Last Call

This will be the last entry until the new year.  We leave for Oregon on Sunday, with fervent prayers that the pets don't cause too much trouble while we're gone.  I always feel so bad for our caretakers having to deal with our insane menagerie.  We can't wait to get to the warm weather and family Christmas.  Sophie will be coming with us, which will be . . . shall we say, 'interesting'?  I hope she does okay on the long car ride, especially considering that she just got fixed yesterday and will probably still be a little sore.  She's recovering nicely, though, so let's hope for the best.  I have decided that the saddest sight on this earth is a Boston Terrier coming out of anesthesia.  She and Jimmy slept curled up together last night while she recuperated.  Awww!

We took the kids to the Festival of Trees to see Santa again - the good Santa, this time - and Kirsi was awake and happy for her meeting with the big guy.  Nanna and Oompa Spurgeon were both there as Mrs. Claus and her elf (to Mike's extreme embarrassment) and helping with the kids.  I was wearing my brand new light-up singing dancing elf hat (to Chris' extreme embarrassment) which was a big hit, and Kirsi was looking so adorable that she got her picture taken for the local newspaper.

Jimmy's school Christmas program was ADORABLE!  We videotaped it, but of course our videocamera is analog, so I can't post it.  Suffice to say that the best part of the show was our little reindeer, whose massive enthusiasm and wild dance moves impressed everybody.  I just wish I'd had a chance to get a picture of him in his costume, but they rushed off to change right after the show.

We finally got a good snow-storm, and the bitter cold eased up a bit.  We accumulated about a foot over the course of a three day storm, and then it turned to rain.  There's still a couple of inches on the ground, but the roads are clear.  I'm enjoying running around without a coat in the deliciously warm 36 degree weather.  Time to break out the shorts!

The kids are really starting to bond now that Kirsi's old enough to be a playmate.  They got to open some of their presents early so that we don't have to haul them to Oregon, and Jim was pretty good about sharing with his little sister, and VERY good at playing with her toys!  It's so cute to see them playing together - much better than the usual, "She's touching me!  She's looking at my toys!"

We had a family come and look at the house.  It went well, but they're going to look at a couple more places before they decide if they will make an offer or not.  Someone else asked for more pictures of the house, but they haven't asked to come see it yet.  Fine by me - I don't want to deal with that until after we get back.  January is plenty soon to get a bidding war going.  If only!

Jimmy learned a little about the Christmas spirit and decided to give his old Thomas Train set to his kindergarten class - an amazingly difficult decision given that he hadn't played with it in about a year.  We brought it in on the last day of school before break, and watched all the kids open it together.  Jimmy - always popular - was suddenly the coolest kid in the class.  And I think it really made an impression on him to see how happy it made them to get something it didn't cost him anything to give.  What a sweet kid!

Still Alive!

Well, by golly, we made it through the plague, and good riddance.  Most of us still have runny noses, but the worst is long over.  Jim only missed two days of school, Chris missed about a week of work, and I missed an unbearable amount of sleep.  But no matter, we lived to die another day.  Poor Kirsi is still too tired for the photo shoots I've been putting her through.

Still no snow here, although there's plenty on the mountains and the temperatures are certainly cold enough.  

We had a great Thanksgiving - forgot to bring the camera, of course, so no pics.  We started off at a friend's gathering and slowly made our way to the family dinner over at Doug and Linda's new house.  We had a lot of fun watching the kids run wild, chatting, and playing card games.  I also enjoyed pining over their *really nice!* bathroom... oh, I hope we have a garden tub when we buy our new house!

I sat out the sales on Black Friday, but we did go to the city Tree-lighting long enough for the kids to see Santa.  Jimmy was thrilled, Kirsi didn't even wake up.  Gotta run and get Jim from school.  Let the Christmas madness ensue!

General Malaise

Blah!  We're all in (hopefully) the last stages of what is probably Swine Flu.  Should have known better than to kiss him at the Halloween party, dammit.  Chris got the worst of it, but we've all been miserable.  Jimmy had to miss two days of school, and he was heart-broken about it.  I had to cancel my appointment to get my cavities fixed, so of course it comes as no surprise that my teeth started hurting like crazy yesterday.  I've acquired numerous lame bumps and bruises due to my fever fog, including a split lip.  One of my top wisdom teeth has broken through.  And Jimmy has picked now of all times to start his teenage angst and told us today that he hates Chris and I ruined his life.  If I find out where he picked that up heads will roll.  Also enter the appearance of several new (to him) swear words.  I guess this is what happens when you untie your kids and let the little brats mingle with the world ;)

The good news is the house is FINALLY on the market!  Shelman sign in the yard and everything. Yay!  More news when it happens...

Teeth and Tribulations

Halloween passed with a bang, leaving us all tired and happy, with enough candy to feed an army.  Kirsi unfortunately was sick, so she didn't do anything on the big day.  We all went to Sandpoint as usual and Chris and Tristan took Jimmy trick-or-treating.  After they got back, Jess and I went to one of the local bars for a costume party and had a good ol' time.    On to Wal-mart a few days later for Halloween clearance and more dress-up fun.  

  Kirsi violently rejected the formula after the first day (when she loved it..) and so now she's back to nursing full time whether there's milk or not.  She's started on finger snacks, which she LOVES and will eat non-stop if you let her - which we don't.  It's a great way to keep her occupied if you need to get something done.  She's turning into a very picky child, and aside from the formula has developed a strong dislike for veggies of all kinds, being put down on the carpet, and a certain brand of pacifier.  She's pulling up to stand, and will usually hold on with just one hand once she's upright.

  Jim had his cavities fixed, finally.  He had to go to the hospital in Post Falls and be put under general anesthetic.  He was great, and after getting some food seemed to bounce right back.  Now he's got four silver teeth.  We're hoping the experience will help motivate him to take care of his teeth.  Thank goodness the kids have Medicaid, since the procedure could cost up to $3,000.00.

  Steve (the realtor) is coming tomorrow to look at the house.  Happy Birthday, me!

Halloween approaches

All of us are looking forward to Halloween - although since we've already had our annual Rocky Horror party plus Jimmy's school party it sort of seems like the holiday is lasting forever.  Both of those gatherings went very well.  Shide'h and I (and Kirsi, of course) dressed up and went to help out at Jim's class party, which was a lot of fun.  The kids recited a Halloween poem and paraded through all the classes before sitting down to eat their goodies. 

House still not on the market, but at least it's mostly clean now.  Procrastination gets easier as winter closes in - we don't have much hope of it selling until spring.  But we'll put it on the market anyway, you never know.  Snow has fallen the last two days, and disappeared by midday.  We're looking forward to the warmer weather waiting in Oregon.

Jimmy is doing great in school - big surprise, right?  He's really enjoying reading and writing, his drawing is improving (not that it wasn't great already) and best of all is his increasing confidence.  He's much more outgoing than he was at the beginning of the year, and learning to be proud of everything he can do.  At home, he spends a lot of his time playing educational computer games and making robots out of K'nex, Legos, magnets, and anything else he can get his hands on.  

Kirsi has finally beaten her rash, so we're all singing Hail Mary.  She's crawling like a pro, sitting like it ain't no thang, and trying very hard to stand - not quite there yet, though.  She'll be six months old next week.  It really doesn't seem like she's been here that long, and yet the single child days seem like forever ago.  My milk is suddenly disappearing, so she's started on supplemental formula today, which has depressed me.  But hopefully she'll start gaining more weight now, as formula babies usually do.  Although of course she's just perfect the way she is.

Happy Halloween!

We finally finished painting the bedrooms, which is a huge relief. Now we're just scouring the house before we list it, which we can hopefully do this week. It turns out that Kirsi is allergic to peas, and she's been having a pretty rough time dealing with her reaction. The gastro-intestinal ills seem to be getting better, but she still has a mild fever and a truly diabolical rash. The rash is extremely painful, and she's been absolutely miserable during her diaper changes. A couple of days ago she sat up all by herself, straightened upright, lifted her hands - and put all her weight on that rash and burst into tears. I just hope the experience won't put her off of sitting.
Jimmy is still doing great in school, and finally getting a little more relaxed around the house. He's starting to write sentences to go along with his pictures, and seems to be feeling some pride in his reading skills instead of viewing it as a chore. We brought Ginger to his class for show-and-tell and she was a big hit with the kids.
We took the kids to an SCA event. They loved it and were a big hit with all my SCAdian friends. They all loved Chris, too, so there goes my vacation time :) Jimmy especially enjoyed watching the fighting and playing with the many children he met there, and he was very adorable at court when he was given his first event token.
Halloween excitement is growing...