Too long . . . I know . . . sorry

I have been writing blog entries recently, just not here. They have been for babyREADY and they have actually been generating some great traffic on our web site. In any case the writing and research I have been doing there has upended the time I would normally like to spend writing here.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Funny, as I wrote that a BIG, blustery gust of wind rattled the windows in the house, as if emphasizing all that has happened in the last couple of weeks.

SIL, Jen, arrived on Thursday, March 26th! It was GREAT. We hadn't seen her since Christmas and this time she was planning to stay for longer than normal. All of us were very excited. Something seemed different to me this time and I wonder if it had to do with the length of the visit. It just felt "right" to have her here with us. It didn't feel so much like a visit.



Friday my parents dropped my brother off for a visit and to hang out for the night while they were passing through on their way to Texas. They decided to drive down there to visit some friends and celebrate mom's 60th birthday while they were away.



My sister, Rhonda (Noni) and her husband, Chris, joined us Friday evening for dinner and an evening of pre-birthday celebrations for Fergus. Can you believe that my eldest child is now 11???? I can't!!!

Because the weekend was expected to be quite busy because the majority of the extended family was at our house AND because the birthday boy was bursting at the proverbial seams we decided to make the Friday night is pseudo-birthday night so that he could have his gifts and celebrate with all of us together. He loves the "Spore" game he got from Noni and Chris and has spent MANY hours since then playing it. The evening was lost to Guitar Hero though. Daddy and mommy got him Guitar Hero and and extra guitar so that two people can play at a time. Everyone too a turn passing through our room, standing on our bed (this is where the PS3 is hooked up) rocking out to GH "Legends of Rock." Ahhh, Heart would be proud of the way the boys tackled Barracuda.

Saturday was the day all of us were waiting anxiously for though. We dropped Nathan off at the subway with the promise of his return the following weekend. Jen was going to be joining us in Toronto at the Skydome (or whatever it is called these days) and Fergus was bringing his friend Makiah with him as the six of us set off for Supercross. This is a huge dirt bike competition and it was AWESOME! I didn't think it would be much fun but Paul and Ela (the friends we were dirt biking with in the fall) invited us to join them at the Sightlines Restaurant where we would be able to eat and drink to our hearts content while taking in the show. It was GREAT!!

Paul made sure to explain to Jennifer and I just what we were watching and what parts of it were the most important or critical. I can away feeling like something of a dirt bike hag and thinking that was pretty cool. Still not sure that I am going to race onto the dirt bike but I have a greater appreciation of the skill required to ride like they do.

Makiah spent the night and was able to be at our place ALL day on the 29th which was when we had invited some of Fergus' other friends over to have a party. Everyone was asked to bring their Nerf guns and a battle royale unfolded in the school-yard behind our house. They would have stayed out all afternoon but when it began pouring rain I decided to call them in to dry out. I didn't want to be responsible for sickly children.

Fergus had elected for pizza to be the snack of choice at his party and he asked me to contact my friend Christy for her whole wheat pizza dough recipe. I had taken the time to pre-cut, slice, chop and grate toppings ahead of time so it was easy to make 7 personalized little pizzas.

And then there was CAKE!!!! I am sure you have heard me go on and on about the cakes Kristin makes. Well, now she has a wonderful and full-fledged web site with her works of art on it (including Rhonda and Chris' wedding cake and Fergus' Wii birthday cake from last year). You HAVE to check it out!!!!

Monday, the actual birthday day, we had a quiet evening of the four of us off to see the movie, "Monsters vs. Aliens." It was time for the four of us before the continued chaos of the week progressed.

Thursday was the first chance I had to make the special birthday dinner that Fergus requested. We made a trip into Toronto to have lunch with Noni AND to visit the St. Lawrence Market. There aren't any local fish mongers and I just don't like the idea of buying mussels and squid at the local grocery store. So, we picked up a couple of wee squid and a couple of dozen mussels and I made him the seafood pasta dinner that he wanted. (Anyone else know an 11 year old who would make that request for his birthday dinner???)

This past weekend Douglas took Nathan back to Elmwood and I drove Jen to the airport. It was time for our extended family to leave and for us to try to get used to life here without them around every day. How does that sadness present itself?? As snow!! It is colder and yuckier here today and yesterday than it has been in weeks. Oh well, we should be finished our mourning period in time for the long weekend to arrive.

I am waiting for a client to go into labour before I make any plans. Doug and the boys will head to Elmwood on Friday (either with or without me). The boys are excited. We don't celebrate Easter but Nani and Papa do so there is the promise of chocolate on Sunday morning if they make the trip there (not to mention that they love to see their grandparents).

Have a lovely weekend all!