Livin' in the fast lane....

Yes, we are all still alive and kicking, though some are kicking more than others. I have no great singular reason for being such a blog slacker. But here might be a few contributing factors:
*all settled in (unpacked) except for 3 rooms: office, guest room and storage room
*hosted a successful visit with my parents for 6 days and celebrated an early Christmas with them

*been out and about to the Royal Alberta Museum a couple times and loved it, buying year passes to a tune of $30 for the family (GREAT deal!!)
*been out to the Muttart Conservatory a couple times and had a blast (yes, purchased passes as well)
*been to our local library a couple times and have read umpteen good kids' books, then brought them all home to do it again.
*been to the Valley Zoo one morning, but didn't see many animals, so decided it'd be better in nicer weather when the animals return outside
*picked up our new dishwasher whiiiich we can't use until we renovate our kitchen after Christmas (after we upgrade our electrical aaaaand call a plumber... hmm.)
*had playdates with Lucas, Kassidy and India at various locales
*been to the first monthly meeting of our new bookclub and started the book Sweetness in the Belly to be read by the beginning of January: how exciting to be surrounded by other intelligent gals without kids for a whole evening!
*been to the mall to see our "local Santa"

*we all went to a Christmas open-house of a girl who's in the book club... and had a good time (despite being in a new location with many new people: this type of situation is not my forte.)
*went to this fabulous institution to bring home six tasty dishes for the holiday season
*took Natty to a potential new pre-school (or "pretty-school" as he calls it) to check it out one morning. He LOVED it: now he just needs to get toilet-trained over the holidays. Prime time, n'est pas?
*been to see our potentially new family doctor about Natty's newly diagnosed peanut allergy (just in time for the holidays...)
*been to the pharmacy to purchase his Brand New EpiPen
*surfed the net and found a whole whack of cool allergy items for kids (well, as cool as this situation permits) like this or these or even these simple reminders. Lots to see. Lots to take in. I just never thought I'd be one of those parents. But I am. Just like that. What a scary position to be in.

Just a few off the top of my head. But maybe I'm just blowing smoke. I'm sure you all are crazy-busy this time of year too. Well, just in case I remain apathetic where blogging is concerned, I do wish you all a wonderful Christmas. May you relax, laugh, eat good stuff, hang with loved ones, and just enjoy life. Love to you all.

....and we're in!

We made it! Sure we're living in a state of disarray and too many boxes, but we are all here, in one place, being a family...together. And I wouldn't change it for anything. Even the part where the Uhaul got stuck 2x on our street for hours at a time {before and after unloading}, the part where the other people's lawyer's were late getting the whole deal together and we waited out front of a locked house for hours with a full Uhaul waiting for the keys and watching our sunlight disappear, and when we found all the junk and old appliances the people left us. But I loved how loved and welcome we felt by all our friends and family that came to help us, care for our boys, chauffeur us and feed us. Thank you! You guys are the best.

The boys have taken quite well to being here: their bedrooms are "up and running" and are a big hit, as is the massive "toy room" (i.e. basement) that they have both taken over. Dan is still trying to actualize that we're here: he takes a while to internalize things. Poor Natty keeps asking if Dada is going for "a couple days" every time Dan leaves the house. It will take him a while to get it, I think. I am busy, busy, busy like a little hen. Peck, peck, pecking all around. I have trouble making myself relax and stop. Understandable, n'est pas? But I am so content here. I love this little house. It has so much potential. I love our location. I love the view out all our windows. Lucky, lucky us.

Yesterday we bundled up and walked all around the Legislative Grounds to view the Christmas decorations. Very fun, albeit cold. Then we made it to Boston Pizza for a warm dinner. Natty ate more spinach and artichoke dip than all of us, and all in all, another successful restaurant experience. A great end to a great evening. Then home to our new house!

My parents are flying here from Ontario this Friday for a six-day stay. It's proving great impetus for cleaning and unpacking. I'm looking forward to their visit. Especially when my mother sets up my kitchen for me... the part I'm procrastinating! And I thank ya, Mom.

At any rate, here are a few shots of our life of the past few days. A picture is worth a thousand words after all.


Angie's Dan and real-estate agent Brent trying to unstick the Uhaul.


The packed-to-the-hilt Uhaul and pickup (and our new home!)


Living room mayhem. I couldn't go to sleep until it was resolved.


...resolution!


Messes don't matter; there's music in the air.


A place to eat breakfast our first morning: very important.


Natty and Maya watching Dan go to work the first day from "home." : )