Fall Cleaning

Without any excuses or preamble as to why it's been so long since I've last posted, here is our summer in review.

It was a busy summer and it really didn't seem like it was even here. The weather in June was terrible, July was hit and miss and the warm weather didn't really start until August. The Labor Day weekend brought fall with it and it came fast. The leaves are turning color now and it's dark by 8 o'clock. It's definitely not summer anymore.

In late July we had the pleasure of meeting one of our blog families -- Janice, Scott, Kyle, Kira and Emma who live in northern Ontario. We've been communicating through email and our blogs for a few months and were able to get together when they were here visiting Janice's mom, who lives in Saskatoon. (In fact she only lives about 3 or 4 blocks from us -- it really is a small world.) We had a four-family gathering -- Shea and Caia had us over (thanks, Shea!) and Lorraine, Rowan and Adia, who also live in the city, were there too. It was a great visit and so nice to see all the kids together. We're so glad Janice and Scott could take time out of their busy holiday schedule to meet with us and we're hoping to make it an annual reunion. We've met so many amazing people in the adoption community through blogs and email and it's wonderful to be able to connect in person.

Five kids in one room can create a little bit of chaos!

Adia, the youngest of the group at 16 months.

Trying to get all the girls to look at the camera at the same time was quite a challenge.

The happy moms and our girls -- Shea and Caia, Lorraine and Adia, Kira, Janice and Emma, Bryn and me.

With Janice's mom living so close to us we were able to meet at our park one evening and then came back to our place so the kids could play. Here's Emma (she's 3-1/2) having fun on Bryn's play centre.

Kira is almost 9 and a super big (and little) sister!

Bryn and Emma.

Luckily Janice took of photo with Kyle, her mom Gwen, and Scott because I forgot to (sorry guys, I'll remember next time.)

In August we finally managed a long overdue visit with Sharon, Daryl, Tanys and Regan who also live in the city. They travelled to China to meet Regan the week before we went for Bryn. We don't get to see them as often as we want but it's always a good time when we do. Shea and Caia came too and it was another great time.

Jessie has a new friend, Tanys.

Regan, Bryn and Tanys having a picnic.

Well, three happy kids out of four is still pretty good. (Maybe it was an ice cream headache.)

Caia and Tanys had a blast running around the yard while Regan and Bryn were happy playing in the splash table.

The latest news in our house is Bryn is now in a "big girl" bed. A few weeks ago she suddenly decided she didn't like her crib. It was okay for naps but she put up a huge fuss every night for about two weeks when it was bedtime. It got to the point that she had to sit on my lap to fall asleep and then I'd put her in her crib. One night I asked her why she didn't want to sleep in her crib and she said "I don't like my crib. It doesn't work very good." The next day Girard brought the bed we'd been storing for her up from downstairs and the first time she was in it she slept through the night. For two whole nights! Since then she's back to her nightly wake ups but at least I have a place to lay down with her now when I go in to settle her down.

Bryn was so excited to have her new bed she didn't even wait for me to put sheets on it before she climbed in.

I've enrolled Bryn in a couple of activities again this fall which start next week. We're taking a music class with Shea and Caia and a gym class with Lorraine and Adia and we're really looking forward to having weekly visits with them. We've got so used to seeing Shea and Caia every week last spring at gym we've been suffering withdrawal all summer.

Bryn has really turned into a little girl this summer. She's grown up so much and seems so much more into everything. I'm continually amazed at the fact that at only 2-1/2 we are able to actualy have a conversation! Her latest saying is "instead". "I would like yogurt instead of fruit, please." Then she'll say "Did I say please in a nice voice?" We're still trying to work on the yes, please and no, thank you. She needs a little reminding but she's very good at correcting me when I don't respond right. The other day she asked if I was going to work that day and I said no. She told me I should say "no, thank you". She's also big on "because". Bryn, let's get ready for your bath. No, because I want to play a little bit. Bryn why aren't you eating your fruit? Because I have an owie on my leg. (We're going to start working on logic one of these days.)

She's also turned into a really good informant. When she says something I haven't heard her say before I'll ask where she heard it and she often tell me where. Usually it's from a TV show or something she heard at daycare. The other day she said "Mom, do you have a huge head?" Yes, Bryn, as a matter of fact I do have a large head, who told you that? "Dad said that." Ha! Busted!!

I wasn't expecting it to happen when she was this young but Bryn has already started asking a million questions. "Why does food make me grow? Does Jessie eat food? Why doesn't Jessie get bigger? Why is it daytime? Where does a cow poop? Why is Papa your dad?" And my favorite of the past week: "Why is the moon not a circle today? Because it's a half moon, Bryn. Where is the other half moon, mom?" Yikes.

No post would be complete without a couple of cute-to-me where does she come up with this stuff stories. One day Bryn was sitting on her bike and was having trouble getting going. She said the bike wasn't working very good and I should put new batteries in it. And a few weeks ago we went to see Sesame Street Live and since then we've been singing the Sesame Street theme song. She had her little broom out one day and was holding it up in the air and waving it back and forth. I asked what she was doing and she told me she was "sweeping the clouds away". If I had thought of that myself we might have had better weather this summer. :)

My big girl.