I have a few minutes free, thought I'd stay in touch. What can i say about our lives lately? Kit has finished work as of today, won't be back at it until end of January most likely. Yay!! The kids have been counting down the days until there were 'no more work days' for Dad. Now they can focus on counting down to Christmas. Oh man their stocking stuff is SO great! I love it! And their grandparents have gotten them great things they'll really like and use. Can you tell I'm excited for them to open their gifts? Kit has his usual challenge, I provide him with little to no suggestions of what I could use, or would like. It seems I've gotten so into de-cluttering and concluding that so much stuff just isn't worth the money to pay for it, that the result is a gal who has no ideas for basic stocking stuffers. What I want (peace, a healthy bod, a calm brain . . ) cannot be bought, so might as well fill my stocking with chocolate and martini fixings. My goal, upon the birth of this last critter, is to take up martini drinking, in a big way. Kit has long suggested self-medication as the only solution to coping with being home with kids all day (a job he is firm that he will never ever do) and I think 2007 is the year to try it out. Don't worry, it'll just be a fashionable pre-dinner cocktail. And pre-bed one.

We just returned from a short trip to Vancouver last week. Took fuul advantage of the holidas and the fact that my mom and Al still live in Vancouver = childcare. We went to hear The Decemberists at The Commodore, and it was great. I really really like this band. And I haven't been to The Commodore since a DOA concert in '92????? So that was a nice change. Kit and I so often do not go to shows together. I can't justify the cost of the ticket, we usually don't have childcare, and I'm happy to listen to music turned up loud at home. I'm glad we went, you should check them out. We visited with friends at went to a wee Christmas party (more childcare used there too!) ate at our fave family spot (The Naam on 4th) and just generally lived it up while we could. Took Leif to the Body World 3 show at Science World, he thought it was okay, liked the rest of the place more than the dead people. He found them 'not very interesting'. The wicked thing is now that we're back in Victoria, we have childcare here too, as Kit's parents have recently moved here. Not that grandparents in general are simply seen by us as childcare. but boy is it nice, having not really had any before. tomorrow we're off to see Casino Royale, something Kit has been wanting to see for awhile now. And yes, childcare has made that posible too. Is it clear how much I am all over the in-town grandparents? Woohoo!!

Big developments on the loose tooth scene. While the main loose tooth is still in fact in his mouth, there is now this huge, wide 'new' tooth poking up through his gums behind the current loose tooth. I know this is so not a big deal for you, but I think it's so cool. Little dude's losing a tooth!!!! And is typical Leif style, it is taking it's own sweet time to fall out. Did I mention his labour was 2 days? See my point?

Hannah, oh Hannah. She is hilarious. I don't know where she picks up her coy grin, her eye-rolling (okay that's from me) and her sashaying hips. She's 3 for heaven's sake!!!!! She is a sassy and firm gal, tossing out all her big words like 'certainly' and 'surely' and 'I didn't ask you I asked him!'. Between helping me out at every chance possible, and then telling me off and ignoring me like a pro, she's a keeper.

Me, I'm fine. On the whole I feel great. Honestly, I'm stiff as an arthritic old woman and tired to the core. But that's just how it goes, you know? Whether I manage a good night's sleep or not, my bones ache and my joints crack. But at least if I've slept I'm less of a bitch, so there's a bright side to it all. But I'm good; happy, healthy, moving along fine in my off-balanced bod. All I really want to do is eat snow. Wierd huh? it's constant lately, a desire for the cold chewiness (sp?) of a nice fresh scoop of snow. I'd settle for chips of ice to gnaw on, but my sad sad cracked and crowned teeth are evidence of my weakened dental strength, and I'm not willing to risk it. But I could eat snow all day, if only it was still snowing here. Tonight we got chinese takeout instead, which put me off snow for just a little while.

Okay, it's late now, I'm off to bed. (That's code for eat mandarins and surf for CSI re-runs. Tomorrow I'll be cranky and stiff, but tonight . . tonight the kids are asleep, Kit's out, and I'm in the mood to vegetate a bit. )


If my father or brother are reading this, listen up! I need your quilt squares dudes!!!! (If you happen to run into Kit's brother, give him shit too).


kisses
C