long overdue ... who knew life could get busier!?
First update since Christmas, but it's practically spring here in Ottawa!!
Christmas was lovely. We were in Halifax, and most of Mack's family was able to be together, so it was nice. Owen learned the joy of binge-watching a new tv series on Netflix, and we had lots of board game time. Owen and Mack even got a day of skiing/snowboarding, and Owen is a big fan. We love Rebecca and Peter's apartment. We even found time to see some good movies - Star Wars Rogue One, Passengers, and LaLaLand (I loved it). We also got together with my cousin Michael, his wife Jennifer and their two boys - lovely visit.
Work has been busy for Mack and I for the last few months. I have a new boss, and she's really got her feet under her, and is driving a great mandate, lots of action plans in place, and I'm being involved in a bunch of new ways. Feels good, and all the staff are energized by it all.
Owen is doing well at school. His class is still divided into two halves of the day - the morning is French, and the afternoon is English. He had a new English teacher as of January, as she came back from a maternity leave. And partway through February, his French teacher suddenly went on leave, so he's got a new teacher for that too. We got one note home in January sometime from the newly returned English teacher about an incident at recess, plus some distracted behaviour in the classroom. Mack thinks it was just Owen getting a little out of control at recess combined with slightly different expectations from the new teacher - but they seem to have reached a balance now. I reached out to her a week later, and she said things were better, and that he was a good kid.
He's done a few playdates with buddies some weekends, and I think he's even done a sleepover since I last updated. It was pretty lowkey, just at the neighbours place. And then the next morning he was the first one up, packed up his stuff, and was back home just after 7:30 am - the mom tried to invite him to stay for breakfast, "No thank you," he says as he marches out the door. LOL!
Mack and Owen have gone skiing/snowboarding a few times since Christmas. Owen goes snowboarding, and Mack skis. The first time, he signed Owen up for a lesson, and then the two of them hit the "big hill" (not really big, it's one of the smaller hills around here!) together for the rest of the day. Good fun had by both of them - and by me, since I stayed home by myself and relaxed!
I'm working on a few crochet projects, just finished up a nice afghan in a lovely teal colour. I've got a few more projects planned, but since spring is just around the corner, I may have to speed up my plans. Working with a giant crochet project on your lap is not as much fun in the spring or summer!
I've read a good number of books so far this year, but bigger news than that, Mack is reading again too. He hasn't read fiction regularly since well before Owen was born. But since late fall, he's read one entire trilogy, and he's now well into his second series. I'm dying to recommend some more recent stuff to him, but he's still working his way through a bunch of older books we have on our bookshelves.
We also recently finally watched all The Hobbit movies - took us long enough! LOL! I think the last one was in theaters in 2014. We're watching a few good tv shows (The Expanse one of our favourites), and waiting for a few others to return to the small screen.
Mack's birthday was this last weekend. He and I went to dinner that night, and also Owen and I gave him the birthday present I'd picked out. Amusingly, it's an accessory for the fireplace (one of those canvas bag/frame things so you can carry logs in easier) - this is amusing because in the two weeks since I bought the thing, the weather has turned, and we're too warm to warrant fires anymore! Oh well, next year. :-)
His band has had a lot of shows in the last few months, and are breaking in a new drummer. Owen seems to enjoy the time with me when Mack is away - on weekend nights when Mack is away, we'll watch movies and eat supper in front of the tv - and if Mack is away to a far away show (ie Montreal), I let Owen sleep in our bed, and Mack goes to Owen's bed (easier to sleep in later in Owen's darker, farther-away-from-the-action room).
We took Owen to see Lego Batman movie recently - I think we all enjoyed it, though it wouldn't be my favourite kids movie ever. Owen got really restless partway through, so I began to think maybe the movie was dragging a bit. Or maybe he just had to pee. :-)
Ottawa got a lot of snow between Dec and the middle of February, but then the weather turn an abrupt turn a few weeks ago, and we've had above freezing temps pretty much non-stop since then. Snow is melting, sidewalks are reappearing - I even found a bbq in our backyard! Who knew? The ice breaker that goes along the river behind our house went by this week, so it's all open water out our windows now.
I got a very drastic haircut in early February - all my hair is less than 1 inch long. Owen's first words when he saw me, "You look like your mom!" And I totally do! My co-worker convinced me to do a semi-permanent hair colour the next weekend, so I'm an all-over shade of dark auburn which I really like. I miss my curls, I will admit that. But given how easy it is to get ready in the morning, and how I don't have to worry about bed-head or hat-head anymore, it's quite a revelation. I do hope to have some curls back by summertime though ...
I'm going to paste in one funny story I sent to my mom back in January - it's a good summary of what life in like in our house some days. "This morning, Owen was going on and on about something, he kept saying, "Imagine if blahblahblah, and imagine if ...." I must have told him 5 times to go upstairs and get dressed. I wasn't getting upset, his statements were pretty neat and imaginative, but it was funny because he'd go a few steps up, then think of something else then come back down. The funny part happened a few minutes later - he finally disappeared, Mack came down, and I groused at him about Owen. But then I remembered some funny things that happened on the latest The Good Place (do you watch that? I love that show!). So I told him those, and we laughed. I put on my boots, but then remembered another funny thing, so went back to the kitchen to tell him. Then I put on my scarf, but remembered one more funny thing and went back to the kitchen .... then I started laughing at myself, because I was doing exactly what Owen had been doing! Not only was karma getting me because Owen is doing to me what I surely used to do to my parents, but I'm clearly still doing it myself, so he gets it from me! LOL!"
Oh, one more event happened in the last few months. Owen finally lost a top front tooth! Luckily for me, it happened when he wasn't at home - I hate the thought of having to deal with that. So, he's lost three teeth total. Of course, that top tooth came out in early January, and there's nary a sign of the adult tooth coming in yet. So, big gap in all our recent pictures.
One thing that got discussed over Christmas holidays was an upcoming wedding. Mack's sister Elizabeth is getting married this summer, in Halifax, and it'll be followed by a getaway/family reunion at the cottage. We're all looking forward to this, and making plans for vacation time from work, etc.
Other upcoming plans - Mack and Owen and I are going to a lodge/resort in Quebec for the first half of March Break. It's called Montebello, and it's near a ski hill, and a large wildlife reserve called Park Omega. The resort itself offers all kinds of outdoor activities, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, hiking, dog sledding. I am a little worried that if the weather continues to be so warm, our outdoor activities might be affected - but still a few weeks till we go, so hopefully it all works out.
We've also booked flights for all three of us for June. I'm going to Whistler for work, our annual conference is being held there this year. Mack and Owen will take a week off, fly out to be with me for part of the conference (hey, the hotel room will already be paid for, they might as well come!), then I'll take a few days and the three of us will go back to Vancouver. Should be fun.
Well, I guess that's about it for me. Hope everyone is doing well, and that things are moving on to spring wherever you are! Hopefully I have time to update again before summer! LOL
Christmas was lovely. We were in Halifax, and most of Mack's family was able to be together, so it was nice. Owen learned the joy of binge-watching a new tv series on Netflix, and we had lots of board game time. Owen and Mack even got a day of skiing/snowboarding, and Owen is a big fan. We love Rebecca and Peter's apartment. We even found time to see some good movies - Star Wars Rogue One, Passengers, and LaLaLand (I loved it). We also got together with my cousin Michael, his wife Jennifer and their two boys - lovely visit.
Work has been busy for Mack and I for the last few months. I have a new boss, and she's really got her feet under her, and is driving a great mandate, lots of action plans in place, and I'm being involved in a bunch of new ways. Feels good, and all the staff are energized by it all.
Owen is doing well at school. His class is still divided into two halves of the day - the morning is French, and the afternoon is English. He had a new English teacher as of January, as she came back from a maternity leave. And partway through February, his French teacher suddenly went on leave, so he's got a new teacher for that too. We got one note home in January sometime from the newly returned English teacher about an incident at recess, plus some distracted behaviour in the classroom. Mack thinks it was just Owen getting a little out of control at recess combined with slightly different expectations from the new teacher - but they seem to have reached a balance now. I reached out to her a week later, and she said things were better, and that he was a good kid.
He's done a few playdates with buddies some weekends, and I think he's even done a sleepover since I last updated. It was pretty lowkey, just at the neighbours place. And then the next morning he was the first one up, packed up his stuff, and was back home just after 7:30 am - the mom tried to invite him to stay for breakfast, "No thank you," he says as he marches out the door. LOL!
Mack and Owen have gone skiing/snowboarding a few times since Christmas. Owen goes snowboarding, and Mack skis. The first time, he signed Owen up for a lesson, and then the two of them hit the "big hill" (not really big, it's one of the smaller hills around here!) together for the rest of the day. Good fun had by both of them - and by me, since I stayed home by myself and relaxed!
I'm working on a few crochet projects, just finished up a nice afghan in a lovely teal colour. I've got a few more projects planned, but since spring is just around the corner, I may have to speed up my plans. Working with a giant crochet project on your lap is not as much fun in the spring or summer!
I've read a good number of books so far this year, but bigger news than that, Mack is reading again too. He hasn't read fiction regularly since well before Owen was born. But since late fall, he's read one entire trilogy, and he's now well into his second series. I'm dying to recommend some more recent stuff to him, but he's still working his way through a bunch of older books we have on our bookshelves.
We also recently finally watched all The Hobbit movies - took us long enough! LOL! I think the last one was in theaters in 2014. We're watching a few good tv shows (The Expanse one of our favourites), and waiting for a few others to return to the small screen.
Mack's birthday was this last weekend. He and I went to dinner that night, and also Owen and I gave him the birthday present I'd picked out. Amusingly, it's an accessory for the fireplace (one of those canvas bag/frame things so you can carry logs in easier) - this is amusing because in the two weeks since I bought the thing, the weather has turned, and we're too warm to warrant fires anymore! Oh well, next year. :-)
His band has had a lot of shows in the last few months, and are breaking in a new drummer. Owen seems to enjoy the time with me when Mack is away - on weekend nights when Mack is away, we'll watch movies and eat supper in front of the tv - and if Mack is away to a far away show (ie Montreal), I let Owen sleep in our bed, and Mack goes to Owen's bed (easier to sleep in later in Owen's darker, farther-away-from-the-action room).
We took Owen to see Lego Batman movie recently - I think we all enjoyed it, though it wouldn't be my favourite kids movie ever. Owen got really restless partway through, so I began to think maybe the movie was dragging a bit. Or maybe he just had to pee. :-)
Ottawa got a lot of snow between Dec and the middle of February, but then the weather turn an abrupt turn a few weeks ago, and we've had above freezing temps pretty much non-stop since then. Snow is melting, sidewalks are reappearing - I even found a bbq in our backyard! Who knew? The ice breaker that goes along the river behind our house went by this week, so it's all open water out our windows now.
I got a very drastic haircut in early February - all my hair is less than 1 inch long. Owen's first words when he saw me, "You look like your mom!" And I totally do! My co-worker convinced me to do a semi-permanent hair colour the next weekend, so I'm an all-over shade of dark auburn which I really like. I miss my curls, I will admit that. But given how easy it is to get ready in the morning, and how I don't have to worry about bed-head or hat-head anymore, it's quite a revelation. I do hope to have some curls back by summertime though ...
I'm going to paste in one funny story I sent to my mom back in January - it's a good summary of what life in like in our house some days. "This morning, Owen was going on and on about something, he kept saying, "Imagine if blahblahblah, and imagine if ...." I must have told him 5 times to go upstairs and get dressed. I wasn't getting upset, his statements were pretty neat and imaginative, but it was funny because he'd go a few steps up, then think of something else then come back down. The funny part happened a few minutes later - he finally disappeared, Mack came down, and I groused at him about Owen. But then I remembered some funny things that happened on the latest The Good Place (do you watch that? I love that show!). So I told him those, and we laughed. I put on my boots, but then remembered another funny thing, so went back to the kitchen to tell him. Then I put on my scarf, but remembered one more funny thing and went back to the kitchen .... then I started laughing at myself, because I was doing exactly what Owen had been doing! Not only was karma getting me because Owen is doing to me what I surely used to do to my parents, but I'm clearly still doing it myself, so he gets it from me! LOL!"
Oh, one more event happened in the last few months. Owen finally lost a top front tooth! Luckily for me, it happened when he wasn't at home - I hate the thought of having to deal with that. So, he's lost three teeth total. Of course, that top tooth came out in early January, and there's nary a sign of the adult tooth coming in yet. So, big gap in all our recent pictures.
One thing that got discussed over Christmas holidays was an upcoming wedding. Mack's sister Elizabeth is getting married this summer, in Halifax, and it'll be followed by a getaway/family reunion at the cottage. We're all looking forward to this, and making plans for vacation time from work, etc.
Other upcoming plans - Mack and Owen and I are going to a lodge/resort in Quebec for the first half of March Break. It's called Montebello, and it's near a ski hill, and a large wildlife reserve called Park Omega. The resort itself offers all kinds of outdoor activities, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, hiking, dog sledding. I am a little worried that if the weather continues to be so warm, our outdoor activities might be affected - but still a few weeks till we go, so hopefully it all works out.
We've also booked flights for all three of us for June. I'm going to Whistler for work, our annual conference is being held there this year. Mack and Owen will take a week off, fly out to be with me for part of the conference (hey, the hotel room will already be paid for, they might as well come!), then I'll take a few days and the three of us will go back to Vancouver. Should be fun.
Well, I guess that's about it for me. Hope everyone is doing well, and that things are moving on to spring wherever you are! Hopefully I have time to update again before summer! LOL