December 29th: Daily Devan

December 27: Biddle

Devan aka Biddle 3 months

December 26th: How It Really Is

A snapshot of Sarnia vacation time- raw.

December 25th: Christmas

Christmas was: Sarnia, non stop pj's, R doing complicated lego. Snow. 

Lots of presents but no tree at Nonny's 

Avery Shovelling 

The boys try bowling 

December 1: Doing The Muffin

Doing the Muffin - Shakey Shake. 

November 30th: Seth Art

Jet Ray 

Angry Birds Fighting 

Sum Dog - The Animal Game 

Utah Raptor 

November 27th

Devan (aka Biddle) at just over three months. Getting better and better.

Saturday November 17th

It seems way to early for me, but Avery is so excited for Christmas this year - its not even the presents, but the cookies, the decorations and Santa.

So this weekend, after his lobbying efforts, Rana and the boys set up the tree.

Saturday November 10th:

He's been playing it everywhere.

Avery got a harmonica from Nonny.

Then he found out he couldn't take it into nursery school with him. 

November 2: Guest Blog

Today Seth is guest blogging. The goal was to have him write about the AGO - now over to him:

devan is gonna eat me aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!i i am dead. i burped. now i am swimming ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh.

November 2

This was the first year that the boys (well the older two) got really into the Halloween thing, specifically trick or treating.

The weather was horrible (of course!) but despite the cold freezing rain, we met a bunch of Seth's friends and joined the shrieking frenzy, with Avery doing his best to keep up.

Although sleeping in the bunk beds remains optional, decorating them is a must. 

Some blogs stage shots like this. Not us. Note dustpan behind R. 

A shark.

Some thought he was Nixon or Bush. Both scary.

There is nothing as nostalgic as the smell of a plastic bag filled with the mix of Halloween candy.

Monday October 29th

I'm exactly 10 days behind with a picture of Devan at 2 months but I didn't do anything like this with the other two (yeah for blogs which are so much easier than albums or scrapbooks).  So really, in some way I'm ahead I think.

Devan 2 months 

Avery has renamed Dev Dev (the happy mouse) - Biddle.  I think it might be a variant of little but its sticking so far.

Saturday October 27

Even though Avery just wanted to smash his pumpkin and the weather is grey cold, it was still nice to be able to spend some time just the two of us.

Being caught between a talkative 6 year old and a 9 week old baby isn't easy.

Hopefully days like this help.

Tuesday October 23

Whoever it was that said you are only as happy as your unhappiest child was very much on to something.

The heartbreak you can't control is the challenge of parenting - and I hate it.

I try and place it in a global context of how lucky our children are, that they have so much in a loving family, a safe country, food, shelter - so many things that too many others don't have.

But nothing can change the primal desire to fix everything for them and to hope and pray that they are ok and happy.

Thursday October 17th

A message from Seth:

A Lunch Request 

Translated: Mom, please buy a tune sub for Fridays lunch.

Monday October 15th

Fall is my season.

I love the colours (but really who doesn't?)

I love the sense of efficiency and ironically for a season that's all about dying, the sense of renewal.

Resolutions to be made, new projects and now that the hot days of summer gone, its perfect to bundle up and get to work.

And even though I walk everywhere I can, its really only the morning walk with Seth to school that brings me around trees and leaves (the downside of city living).

Delayed shot of Day 1, Grade 1

Thursday October 11

My Daily Devan....

Tuesday October 2nd

Early this morning, sleeping with S next to me the thought floated into my head that the older I get the more I understand that I really just want my family to happy, healthy and safe.

And then I realized, I was actually asking for it all.

September 30: Weekend

Specifics and details (the who's, when's and where's) vary but there are a few common elements to most of our weekends.

They include: red wine and some cooking.

Roasted beet, roasted squash with spinach salad

The ROM, the park, and lots of newspapers.

The boys at the ROM & the 3D Dino puzzle we struggled with

Often baked goods come into play and then when icing ends up everywhere and no one eats anything else I make the usual vow that this is the last time I'm doing this.

For the record, its actually no one's birthday - but we just like candles, because fire and sugar together are where its at.

September 27: Joy

Yesterday at yoga, the theme of the class was joy.

I like a yoga class with a theme.

I'm not quite sure how joy differs from happiness or being cheerful - but my guess it would be that it's less fleeting...a more permanent state...

In the interim, I'll try and focus on the fleeting moments.

Summer - at the Sarnia House 

September 25: Quotes

After the worries of the past weekend, these words have new meaning for me.

"The secret of a full life is to live and relate to others as if they might not be there tomorrow, and as if you might not be."

Thank you to Brain Pickings  for bringing this quote to my attention.

Timely and true.

A rainbow on Yonge Street During A Weekend Walk With Mom & Devan

One Month Later

In things that got missed, Devan Sarkar joined our family a month ago today.

He was almost three weeks early (which threw all my book deadlines and organizing plans into disarray) but we had one delicious week of just three of together (the other two went to "Nonny Camp") for the week.

 Even though it was my third baby it was the first time I had been able to just be alone with new born and do things with and for him with R.  And it was wonderful.

Devan - 1 week 

I also can't believe its been a month already.

Dev Dev - 1 Month

Catching Up: A Year and Some Months Later

I'm no longer 35 and I suppose my birthday experiment was a fail since I stopped blogging.

Except that I thought alot about the blog. Primarily I thought about all the pictures that were just on my iphone or R's blackberry that might get lost.  And I thought about how we have no family albums.  And I thought about how I am doing nothing to capture our family life and yet someday I know I will regret it.

And I realized I wanted to come to this space.  Not to build an audience or to generate ad revenue which I removed but for me, since without the public aspect, I go back to old problem about journaling about my own issues or to dos.

I also realized that I felt pressured to take on some kind "voice" for the blog that wasn't actually me and it sort of constrained me.

But how do you catch up on a year that included: a family cruise to Belize, taking the boys to India, a birthday party with 24 animals, selling my book, having another baby, plus the usual camp, school, and day to day craziness.

 Randomly I guess.