Happy New Year...a bit late.....

Happy 2009! It's been awhile since I have posted, not really sure why. Maybe just nothing of huge importance to say?? I had a lovely birthday at Jay and Arlene's, and it was nice to celebrate their engagement with them. Here's a shot of the Gould ladies. We missed Donna, she had left before these pics were taken.


From the left, G Grandma Yoko, Sophie, Arlene, Kylie. On the couch, yours truely holding Emily, Blair and Pam.


And the men, Terry, Michael, Jay, Gerry and Jake.


Emily with big cousin Blair. Emily is so much like Blair when she was her age, I think they look a lot alike too. Em certainly didn't get my poker straight hair!

Jake giving Michael one of the many piggy back rides of the night. The kids all had a blast playing Wii bowling, and I enjoyed it too. I was even sore the next day, it's that realistic. Or maybe I'm just that out of shape.....


Sophie and Emily taking the candles off the cake after everyone sang Happy Birthday. It's tradition to lick any icing off too.

In other news the kids are all back at school. Sophie is very excited as her teacher shared that she will become a mother in July 09. I told Mrs. Woodhouse she will be a wonderful mother; her classroom full of curious 7 year olds has prepared her well. She has the patience of a saint. I found out over the break that Sophie did not get into the gifted program that she was being tested for. It's shocking as a parent when someone tells you your child has failed in any way, of course you think there must be some mistake, etc. Terry put it into perspective when he reminded me that "she's in first grade, it's not like this will affect her college choices." So true. However, her teacher advised me to follow up with the program leaders about it. She was very surprised Soph didn't qualify. There was such a discrepancy in her test scores that she (and I) feel the testing may not have adequately been administed to overcome her hearing loss. They were to make sure they wore the FM system for any verbal testing, and I am not sure that happened. Plus, I have no idea what the tests even were, they did send home the results, but who knows what all those initials stand for? It's almost like they want to to remain a big secret. Even the classroom teachers have no idea how the kids are tested. Ok, enough of that soapbox...

Michael has a new skill which is coming in handy. He can now get himself in and out of his crib, with the rail up. This morning Sophie called to me at 7am. I went into her room to find Michael in her bed. He had taken off his pj's and diaper, used the potty and put on underwear. He even showed me how he had put the wet diaper in the diaper champ. This is a very good thing! We are still on the potty train, but the end is in sight, which is so nice.

I am busy managing our club's consignment sale, which is Valentine's Weekend. After that is over, we are going to move the twins into their own rooms, and move Sophie back to the bonus room. This will involve a lot of pink and blue paint, a lot of furnitrue moving, a lot of cleaning out of drawers, and probably a weekend at Nana's for the twins. All three of them are looking forward to it. I am too. It will be nice for each of them to have their own room; hopefully it will end the parties that the twins have before settling down each night.