It's been too long

This one is for you Rob -- ;-)

I'm sure everyone is agreed - it has been far too long since the last post...it has been a whirlwind of two and a half months and, surprisingly I've found that we've been a "little" busy! I'll do my best to catch you up and not ramble on too long.

I'm sure the question is begging - how is it that we were blogging much more frequently when we were seemingly even more busy a year ago? Well - in fact I think we are even busier now than we were a year ago...it's true. Even though the number of bottles have decreased, the sleep has increased -- the girls are bigger and able to do more...this, as you might imagine, brings with it a whole new meaning of busy! I don't turn around or step back without checking first if someone is under foot...the couch  and chairs are no longer something that we sit on to relax (what does that mean again?) but rather miniature "climbing walls" for Caitlyn, Emily and Heather to access the forbidden - windows, tables, other chairs... Of course Jennifer, not to be outdone by her sisters, and in her continued spirit of teaching her sisters new tricks uses the couch for her increasingly more frequent flips, flops and fly-through-the-air manoeuvres which, of course are met with gales of giggles and shrieks! So - my apologies however, as I will remind you, it is the "art of the possible" as my dear husband continues to remind me....

We have had a great summer and a great beginning to the fall season...fun times at Kootenay Lake with the Fraser clan and glimpses of Kootenay friends...long drives; sleepy girls; wonderful reunions; loving cousins making the most of the time together; first lake swim and boat ride for Jennifer; warm days; late nights; star-painted sky. Best smores ever (thanks Lach). Great time, great memories and hopefully a return visit next year!

Our bliss of vacation was quickly ripped back into reality when we returned to learn that our nanny that we had hired had had a change of heart and, regretfully could not take our position. Our emotions ran high with confusion however, our job was to find a replacement rather than dwell on what we could not change. After what seemed like forever, our efforts were rewarded -- we are delighted to have found someone willing to come and work with us! She's been with us just over  a month and the four girls have really taken to her (and she to them)...it's great to see and very comforting for me to know that they are in the hands of someone who has come to care for them. My return to work date was put off for 2 weeks to allow us to secure and establish a nanny so, I started back on the 31st of October....SCARY...knowing the girls are being well taken care of has made the transition of going back so much easier. S

The update wouldn't be complete with out a full run down of our guest list...we were very fortunate to have Aunty Cindy in September...so many toys, so little time! (Thanks Aunty C) - it was a great visit full of fun and cuddles. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Pat returned for their annual Fall visit in late September -- a short but much enjoyed visit with both. Grandma Marg ventured this way for Thanksgiving. We were delighted to see her and, it was great to have some extra family around the table to eat the enormous turkey we cooked -- for baffling reasons, Caitlyn, Emily and Heather boycotted the turkey!! (I can't believe it either...)

So...what's going on with the girls...

Jennifer has really blossomed over the summer. I find myself telling people she's four instead of three because she has grown so much, physically and  in maturity. Her imagination continues to bubble over and Jeremy and I are often asked to "pretend to be..." and enter into her imagination with her. We're never quite sure who she will be as we are repeatedly corrected that "no I'm so-and-so" Just today, I was "Ajika" and she was "Alooloo". Early in the summer, I was quite concerned about her daycare/preschool. She seemed to be drowning there in spirit and confidence, and I was close to pulling her. However, September hit and she is a new girl in the class -- relaxed, confident and happy to go (most of the time)....so for now, she'll stay. Her love for her sisters never fails to amaze me and melts my heart. She is a great little helper and is eager to take on new challenges daily! Her biggest thrill this fall has been the start of her dance classes. We enrolled her in community dance school and she is loving it...twirling, jumping, galloping, twirling, hopping, bouncing, twirling....she is over the moon! The transition of me going back to work has been hard for Jennifer to wrap her mind around and, will continue to be a work in progress...

Caitlyn continues to exercise her inner monkey! She is a delightful girl, eager to please and comfort. She has been given a love of hugs and is always eager to share some with anyone who might need one, or her favourite stuffy of the moment. She is the smallest of the girls coming in at a whopping 21 pounds 1 ounce however, she is fast and agile despite her petite size. She has a sneaky nature to her, honing her skills on the classic "grab and dash then look completely innocent". maneuver. She has recently taken to walking and can now be seen toddling around -- rather a bit like "Frankenstein" but, we'll take it. She's delighted with her new skill along with which has come a love for shoes -- any shoes really, she would just like to wear them, or, eat them!

Emily has continued to move forward at a rapid pace with her gross motor skills -- our last post was over  2 months ago and she had just started to 4-point crawl. She's getting so much stronger and keen on watching her two sister toddle around. With this curiosity and steadfast determination, she has become our little climber...she climbs everything....including into the dishwasher...yikes! She continues her physio therapy work, and just the other day the PT and I were delighted to watch Emily get up using a walker and proudly push her way around the room....she was giggling with joy the entire time...admittedly, it brought tears to my eyes! Despite her motor challenges, Emily has rocketed forward in her language skills...she can often be heard from her crib saying "happy happy happy"...along with a number of other selections she has put into her repertoire. We love to see her grow and continually exercise her curiosity!

Heather is quite simply hilarious! She has been up walking now for about 2 months - getting stronger and faster with each week that passes. She too has a sneaky side to her -- she has figured out that neither Caitlyn nor Emily can keep up with her: She eyes a toy that one of her sisters has, goes in for the grab and toddles away only to pause for a second, look back, smile and then rocket away as if she is the smartest kid on the block!  Just recently, she has also discovered the game of chase -- around and around the kitchen/living-room she will go, giggling of course, with Mama, Jennifer or Caitlyn right on her heels...

Heather is beginning to foster her relationships with her sisters with a nightly routine of kissing everyone goodnight -- not one but often 3-4 times before going to bed-- it's very sweet. We love her dearly...

As usual, this post has taken me a week or so to put together so, in the meantime, Hallowe'en has passed us by...we dressed the girls as chickens and Jer was "Old McDonald"....it was quite hilarious....

So -- I think I've updated enough....let's get on to pictures. As a result of the delay in posting, the number of pictures has accumulated to such a staggering number that I couldn't possibly fit them all on one or even two blogs so -- I've posted a link to Picassa where you should be able to view a slide show of the latest snaps - once you get to Picasa, find the "slide show" and click then sit back and enjoy....just click here  to there now- it's long, so grab a drink and a snack and enjoy!

Some are having trouble with the link to Picasa - so try this link here:


https://picasaweb.google.com/118264352879179952368/Fall2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNaMu8fW8rKBCg&feat=directlink#

As well for your giggling pleasure, we've included a few videos....

Heather and Jennifer - twirling practice!

Our private CHAOS!!

Dance Party!

Emily-go-round

Emily's big move!

Hope it was worth the wait....you're all so dedicated - we're so appreciative for all the support, love and good vibes that continue to come our way! Thank you all....

Happy Fall....FYI - it's Winter here in Calgary - the first snow has fallen....brrrr.

Stay warm -- Until next time,

Love Jan