On our way back home

What a busy summer this has been. I have been barely able to sit down and read something, let alone write stuff down. Sorry to all those friends out there that are waiting for a response to emails or return phone calls- I just have not seen the days, and then a month has passed.

A quick recap of what we have been up to:

- Greg and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary by going on a surprise trip to Stratford, Ontario to catch some Shakespeare and some contemporary plays. This was no small undertaking - kids stayed with friends, DH's on call schedule was covered by a colleague, his boss gave leave approval.... all without DH having a clue of what was going on. He was thoroughly surprised when I did not drive the car towards Tristan's hockey game, but towards the airport for our 2 pm flight to Toronto. We had just a lovely adult time, watching wonderful theater, playing my very first 18 hole round of golf, and romantic dinner at The Church restaurant. We couldn't have done this without everyone's help - so thank's a million to everyone!

- I am letting the cat out of the bag, in a general sense. I have had a job interview or two, but haven't heard anything yet. I am trying to keep my head down, as I only have 2 weeks of leave left and I want to enjoy every minute with my kids! They are all home with me next week, while DH may very well have to work late a few nights... should be just fascinating how I maintain my sanity next week.

- Tristan finished his U8 soccer season (phew). His team finished in first place for the regular season, then during the play-offs, they finished in first place! He was invited to play Intercity league, against 9 year olds.... which we politely declined, and said to his coach "maybe next year". While Tristan's nickname may be "The Tank", as nothing gets passed him on the soccer pitch (he plays defense), he is only 7 and we worry that playing against bigger and maturer kids may be just a bit much.

- Zach finished his U6 soccer season (double phew). He had a great time, especially with the very muddy field! Zach also plays defense, but would from time to time surprise everyone and come from the back of the field to score a goal!

- Master Zorro, HIC, is now officially recognized as a herding dog. Grammy Carol, Orlagh, Zorro and I went off to Alfred, Ontario to herd some sheep one fine Saturday. I was so scared that Zorro would just not be into sheep, but boy did he surprise me. He was evaluated as being able to be a working dog, and we are just so proud of him! He demonstrated his herding technique on Zach one night recently, trying to get Zach back to the master herder (me)... it was quite funny, as they kept going around and around and around the couch, until I called off Zorro. He had medium eyes going btw!

- Jacob has grown over 3 1/2 inches since April! I have no idea what he has been eating, but he now looks like a bean pole with a mop of blond curly hair! He continues to be a wonderful mimic, and his vocabulary grows every day: he has now acquired the very important words such as "Stinker", "Stinky", "Poopster", etc. It still eludes him, however, to know when to go potty for number 2... hence the words referenced above.

- Kaitlynn has also grown just short of  2 inches since April! I guess its all that organic milk that I have been buying! Her glasses are working out just fine, but we still worry about her night time eye sight. She is waiting for an appointment with a bunch of PHD's at the Children's to have her retinal rods counted and to see if they are functioning. There seems to be two likely causes for this potential problem, and we are hoping that its the most simple problem which will only affect her night time vision. If its the other problem, then her sight will slowly degenerate. Keep your paws crossed for her! We are still waiting for speech therapy to start, but she continues to try out her "new" mouth: the other day she started making horse noises in the car! Her next visit for her cleft won't be till she is 4, when they will evaluate her orthodontic work requirements and whether teeth need to be pulled to allow room for her secondary teeth to come in.

- Tristan and Zach have both started the regular hockey season this weekend ( oh no! we just finished soccer!). Tristan, following two intense weeks of hockey camp with his brother, just wowed me on the ice with his side stopping and with his puck handling. I guess all those early mornings have paid off (but boy, am I tired!)! I am anxiously waiting to see what level of Novice he will make (A, B, or C)... won't know until late October. Zach continues to do his own thing on the ice, coming alive as defense when his team needs him, in MAGH-2... but he hasn't quite figured out that he won't get a pass if he isn't paying attention to the puck and the other players. I marvel at how his brain works - completely left brained, where I am right brained - and am in awe of my second son!

- Jacob and Kaitlynn both start activities this year! They will start maternelle figure skating lessons Sept 3 (while their older brothers will be doing power skating lessons on the other half of the rink). Jacob will be wearing Zach's old hockey skates, while Kaitlynn got her very first pair of pink figure skates! They are the cutest thing, and she took to walking in them like an old pro. Its still left to be seen how she will react to ice though! They will also both be taking a creative dance class on Saturday mornings.... that should be interesting to watch!

- Tristan starts Scouts this year too... did I mention that we only have 1 car now, so it will be an interesting challenge to get all this choreographed!

I leave you all with this photo... check out the clowns in the back!