Garage Sale

We are having a garage sale Saturday to try to lighten our load before we run down the road. Every year since we've lived here Josie has said she would hold a mighty garage sale. Six springs, one garage sale. It hasn't actually happened yet so we may still be zero for six. I think the kids will have fun but Josie wants to ship them out for the day. i feel it could be a great lesson in commerce and a real social event for them, but you know whose opinion will prevail. I will leave and Josie will hawk all of our best treasures. Madeleine's feather collection, will Flames game program collection, my hockey cards and albums, I am worried.
We have kind of got ourselves into a routine of mayhem trying to get packed. The kids don't seem to care as and do pretty well even as all things in the house disappear and dwindle. I just hope the positive attitudes remain and this is a successful and fun family adventure.

Moving sooner

We are moving up the date of departure and will be gone by July. We better get to work as we just gave away two weeks of readying time. We are having a garage sale this weekend if anyone wants to sift through our stuff. Everything is for sale at the right price. This picture is from Prince's Island Park where you can actually get some really neat sight lines with park and skyscraper, and kids I guess too.

Fun with kids

Hey I don't mind getting dirty but I hate a big mess. Like our garage, basement, and generally our life. No that isn't right, I like that kind of mess. Messy kids stuff is what I mean. Friday we celebrated Josie's 40th birthday, and I let her stay in bed of course. I fed the kids cream of wheat for breakfast, no problem for Will and MadB but CC was coated in what came down to basically glue by the time she was done. Remember, she has a cold too so add the snot for reinforcement. For lunch we had risotto, again babies love smearing soft goo into their hair and all available orifices. Then lasagna for dinner. Another smear able meal of primordial sludge to wear on your person. Luckily I was in good a physical state and and state of mind and simply cleaned. Yesterday it was home made play dough which leaves behind a big mess and seems to stick to everything. I will buy the dollar cans from now on as that cleans up much easier. The play dough does usually afford a space of time to accomplish grown up things, like read the business section of the globe and mail from may 15th. Anyway messes aren't really that bad I guess.
jh

Part two

I forgot this.

They call it Spring

Hey it is snowing wet and cold in Calgary. Finally I am back to fill everyone in on all the excitement around here. The week was OK family wise. We have all been sick and under rested, but I hope are all better now. Believe me it sure was a grumpy household. Madeleine was the only one to escape the malady and kept up a great attitude with all grumps here. As I mentioned last week we cancelled a party due to Bill puke, but it went off today without issue, apart from wet cold weather. I am sure all kids had fun, Moms too.
Josie turns 40 Saturday and our friend Mary Ellen as well. Happy Birthday to all and did you realize I am exactly six months from 40 as well. I look great too just like Mary Ellen and Josie, combined, with a beard muscles and other manly things. So not like them at all really except the beard. I am just joking, about some things there. See if you can spot the jokes from the truths and let me know the tally and the best will get a prize or a joke or maybe even a hug. No I am not drunk but did just have coffee and some wine too. Not mixed but in sequence.
So I am obsessed with getting little Bill riding bikes and scooters but cannot find a good ride. He loves bikes too, but his big bike doesn't quite fit and his kick bike is awkward still. I work myself into a lather over this stuff but he is happy and loves pushing them along anyway. I maintain composure 99% of the time and remind myself he is happy and I shouldn't worry. But I still do. Madeleine has no issues as we didn't start her on a bike until last year and she doesn't care, anyway I think we got Bill biking too young, but I will stay calm and deal with it. He has a lifetime ahead and so does MB and CC to bike, and bike they will as Revelstoke is a cycling paradise. The Photos will come soon.
The last picture is Mad B as a baby, try to guess the creature. Today's picture is for our freind down the street and has no real creatures.

jh

The lease

We are all set up in Revelstoke. Nice view of the mountains which I was going to photograph for this but I forgot. More on this later tonight.

Road trip

We have a place to live now, well for eight months at least. By then the plan is to have jobs and our own place. I will be signing Madeleine up for kindergarten, arranging our lease, getting a post office box, and going for ride with Tom or whoever else. Lisa tells me Thursday is a big bike ride night in the community so I hope I can keep up.
The two big kids had trips to the doctor, all is well. Madeleine is in the 75th percentile while little Bill is in the 50th. I don't really know the value of this except to, well I can't think of what. I guess as a gauge that they are relatively healthy. I don't know if Will will be a 6'4" 225lb. power forward for the Flames but we won't make him stop skating and focus on mathematics just yet. CeeCee is fine I think I bathed her myself for he first time today, no that isn't right, maybe in the big tub. I have used the baby tub and shower before. She is very funny. She has lots of big smiles and laughs, and always reaches to be picked up for hugs.
We are having a kid get together tomorrow, which I will miss part of. Josie's last count was 15 kids. Good luck I say and break out the chardonnay for the parents. Wouldn't that be fun. It will be Breakfast Blend and lemon grass tea all the way, don't worry .
We had a good trip to the Inglewood Bird sanctuary Saturday. Highlights were Redhead and Harlequin ducks. Madeleine has learned well about geese as a Canadian goose family of 13 climbed out of the pond about 12m ahead of us on a narrow trail. She has been told their wings are very strong and the dads are very protective so they might hurt a kid if they felt threatened. There is a of goose traffic in our parks and at the zoo especially so she is very aware. The way she reacted on the trail would have made a stranger think that we had been cut off by a momma grizzly and her cubs. There was a lot of patience and calming and crouching in the tall grass waiting for them to clear out but she insisted we stay back even hike back the other way to get home. Luckily a guy did walk by us and by the geese without either missing a beat thus reassuring Madeleine we were safe.