February News

Please note - there are two picture albums this month:

February 2009 follows the standard format and features miscellaneous pictures of the kids and our activities in February.

Mudroom Project - February 2009 is dedicated to showing a blow by blow of our project this past month. Some folks will be more interested in this one than others, and I certainly understand if you don't want to view all 150+ pictures in this album. We are very proud of the product of our work and wanted to show it to those interested.

To enjoy a walk through of the new mudroom, click

For me, February is the most dreaded month of the year. Typically the coldest, it seems winter will never end. Valentines day rarely provides any relief from the doldrums of the day to day grind during this month. For many years, I 'got through' February by looking forward to the time Stephen & I would spend snowmobiling on the weekends.

This year, February seemed somewhat unusual. Yes, we still had the cold and snow. However, the days seem to be getter longer and the sun feels slightly warmer in the afternoon. These are refreshing signs that the winter, while certainly not over, are waining.

A departure from the norm was the pace in which things seemed to happen this February. My meetings, the passing of Stephen's grandmother, and dad's 8 day stay with us - now seem like a blur.

Dad stayed with us for over a week to ‘hammer out’ the mudroom. Literally, he worked around the clock – sleeping for just 1 or 2 hours at a time, most of the week. He set a pace that I could not keep up with, and Stephen struggled as well. At one point Stephen said to me when referring to Dad, “He’s like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going.” Having done hours & hours of work before he even arrived, the truck came loaded with custom made trim and cabinetry. Before it could go up, we had to finish electrical, heating, studding, drive wall, carpet & paint. It was an amazing accomplishment given the fact that Dad was working with half a crew (or none at all at times). My biggest contributions was running to the store, running after the kids and running the stove. It was a lot of hard work and one tough week, but the product of the work will be enjoyed for a lifetime – literally. The mudroom will suit the needs of our growing family for as long as it needs a mudroom. When the kids are gone, I’ll use the cubbies for canning jars or something! Anyway, it’s beautiful. A great improvement to the house overall and will be enjoyed by everyone (especially me) for years to come. We owe it all to Dad (and mom for putting up with no dad for 8 days). Thank you!

Jordan has been pushing teeth this month (6 in all now)– so we’ve been subject to islands of fussiness. The good thing is she seems to respond well to Tylenol, so I keep giving it to her. She is eating from a plate on her own, and she pretty much chows with the rest of us. I found she loves canned pineapple which is a welcomed addition to her limited choice of fruits.

Jake enjoyed playing ‘catch-up’ with Victoria & Edward while they were here. He loved having Pappa here, especially the time saved for wrestling. Pappa showed all kinds of new tricks and convinced him that ‘seyister’ is Spanish for sister. Whatever!

I made a couple of other posts earlier this month, so I guess that's it for now. I am planning to start seeds in the basement to get a kick start to a good garden this year. Haven't ordered yet from the seed catalogues, so how am I doin? Time to get it in gear because Spring is on it's way!

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9 month visit a breeze

Jordan had her 9 month inspection today. She weighs 20 lbs 12 oz, and is 28 1/4" long. Her growth has slowed way down. She ranks at the 75 percentile, sliding from 100 percentile last time we saw the doctor. Dr. Dewar didn't bat an eye. He said "you'll probably remember from before, babies slow down in growth rates at different times". I said "No, I don't remember, because Jacob has never slowed down so I thought that was the standard." He chuckled one of his chuckles and said "oh yeah, I forgot." I talked to him about her nursing, or lack of - and again said keep doing what you are doing, she is well nurished. Stephen's take was - well it's kind nice not having an oversized kid to contend with, and I tend to agree with him. Anyway, the most notable thing about our appointment is that Dr. Dewar is leaving the practice!!! This is very sad news for me, because I have been extremely happy with his care and will miss him dearly. He is like the old fashioned family doctor that doesn't seem to exist anymore. Plus it means change for us - and I don't want the headache. One plus is that we will see him again before he leaves (for Jordan's 12 month apt), and it sounds like we can stay with Dr. Bero, my doctor. Which is ok, I guess, just not my first choice! Poo, huu - pout!

In Loving Memory

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Stephen's maternal grandmother, Marion Mayhew today, February 5, 2009. Her health had been declining for several months following a stroke early in 2008. She would have been 93 this coming May. I have many found memories of Gram. She welcomed me into the family as if I was one of her grandchildren. She had great stories about when she was raising a family on the farm. Her beutiful hand work will be missed. I am so grateful for the sweater set she made for Jordan just before the stroke left her unable to continue. I will miss her phone calls and her beautiful spirit.