getting through January

With hopes of blogging at last in real time, it's almost a relief to download more photos and realize that I've hardly taken any since Christmas!  Life has been rather uneventful in some ways - lots of mellow indoor days together.  On the other hand, this winter, while being one of the most ferocious in recent Winnipeg history, has flown by.  Winnipeg has winters of intense cold and large amounts of snow, but according to locals, seldom do we get both in a winter and for such a length of time.  So while Vancouverites post pictures of their crocuses and snowdrops on Facebook, I could be taking photos of my kids playing in their backyard snow forts or bundled up on the couch!

Watching Max & Ruby together

As is, I've been content to be house bound as I have many projects around home to tackle.  Mending the pile of jeans needing patches could take weeks alone as every seven days a new pair seems to jump on the pile!  With the kids at school, I find they're happy to be home when they get the chance, too.

January at least, we had the celebration of Iz's birthday to look forward to - reminded of it everyday a few times when she'd ask "Is it my birthday now?"  Grandma Helen helped us prepare by sending us this adorable quilted pennant banner she'd made.  Even more perfect because it's funky enough to use for all the family birthdays.  :)

Wordless on this side, with Happy Birthday across the other.  It was sad to take it down, it made the room so cheery!

Iz had a few school buddies over Friday after Nursery and I'd anticipated six RSVPed kids & possible parents for lunch.  Ended up just with three children, no parents - a surprise since none of them even knew my name, nor I theirs!  I guess I just look trustworthy so they were content to get the kids in the door and go?  Meant lots of food prep for kids who were so excited to play they hardly ate anyway!  I'm sure they didn't appreciate my newly cleaned toilets.

The bonus of the extra food was that I had something to share with our surprise guest later that afternoon.  In early January, the kids and I were in Canadian Tire when I recognized spunky Eva in line ahead of me, but not before she'd pulled out my name while I scrambled for hers.  A nun in her 70s, known to S through a work connection,  I'd met her once - a year and a half ago!  She warmly engaged Ai & Iz, so much so that Iz had said, "I like you.  I want you to come to my birthday party!"  When asked when her birthday was, it turned out that Eva would be away in Montreal and so kindly declined.  We were pretty amazed to find her on our door weeks later, gifts in hand, the night before her departure.  Talk about thoughtful.  She was a model of how to intently show interest in children - a reminder of what I'd like to be like when I grow up . . .

Saturday moved on to the real birthday, which involved a few web chats with grandparents and opening of presents in front of the computer.

Late afternoon/evening was a celebration with our neighbourhood friends -  Sue, Danielle and Emma.  They've celebrated Iz's birthday the past three years, so it's become an expected tradition.   It's pretty great to have good friends, Dave & Chantel, now just doors away as well.

All in all, January was a pretty decent month with lots to do and the acceptance that January (here) is supposed to be pretty cold.  It's as we're heading to March and it remains the same that we run into some troubles . . .  The prospect for today is a high of -22C/feels like -34C.  <insert sigh here>.

I'm guessing it's Lily, the cat, who's having the hardest go of it.  She refuses to venture outside, though who can blame her.  Stuck inside with all of us, she has to find new hang-outs to explore, has gained weight (a problem since she was already too big when we got her) and can't find enough hiding places to get away from us - at least from the youngest "us."

These two get-along much better now.  No more freezer time for Lily . . .

This is actually from February, Ai sporting his accidental buzz & sick with a cold. 

She blended in so nicely, I had to take her photo before admonishing her for getting on the counter.  Bad parenting, I know.                     One must wonder what she does when we're away if she's so bold when I'm down doing laundry . . .

There now, January's done.  :)