Things are going really well in our house and I'm pleased that everyone is doing well... dayhome, routines with work, etc. The kids are doing really great at the dayhome and Colby has even begun napping there again. This has been huge for his behavior and has made for much pleasant evenings and bedtimes in our house! Colby loves going to Becky's house and it makes working so much easier when you know your kids love going to the babysitter's everyday. We are so thankful to have such a great dayhome provider who truly cares for our kids! He is learning so much and loves learning a new letter and sound each week, along with increasing his counting in sequence. He can sing the alphabet song and tell us the sound that some letters make. Good job, Colby!! Colby is enjoying his time at 'Sports School' on Saturday mornings, which is usually followed by some time at the great playgym at the TLC.
Jenna goes to Becky or Liam (her son) as soon as we walk in the door and her coat and shoes are off! She loves playing there and I think really has fun with Colby and the other little girl there. I absolutely LOVE this age... she is walking more and more (not all the time yet) and is very observant. She's into pointing at things... pointing at everything! I think she likes hearing the names of things around her. So cute! She waves hello and bye-bye, gives giant open-mouth kisses, and great snuggles and hugs!!! Jenna continues to love swimming lessons... she's our little fish!! Our weekly lessons on Saturday mornings are going really well and she has a lot of fun! We are doing really well with no bottles anymore. Yay, Jenna! Colby didn't have a bottle or formula after the day he turned 1, but Jenna was a bit later. She's just about 13 months and was having 1 bottle just at bedtime. But knock on wood, for the past three nights, she has gone to bed without it :) Both kids are sleeping great, so we're very lucky, especially without her last feeding right before bed.
I cherish every minute I get to be at home with the kids, especially because there aren't enough hours in a day! I have reduced my FTE at work from full-time to 0.8, so I'm done earlier every day. While I'm still staying at school and getting my planning and prep work done, I'm able to stay at home in the evenings and not go back to work! Yay!! :)
With my reduced time, I'm hoping there'll be a bit more couple time and 'me time'. Everything else always comes first, but I am working on trying to make more time for me, including working out and staying healthy. This is really important and something I believe every relationship needs. Gerry and I are trying to plan a tropical vacation for Spring Break, so we're having fun making travel plans for the end of March. Luckily, Gerry's mom offered a long time ago to come and stay with the kids. Colby and Jenna always enjoy spending time with Grandma Cameron :)
Last Sunday afternoon, we visited Gerry's Grandpa Alstad at the University Hospital. He was flown here by air ambulance with heart troubles. Thankfully, they are taking good care of him and doing tests to ensure there are no blockages, requiring surgery. They were talking about a pacemaker, so hopefully that fixes things and he'll be back to normal in no time. We had a great visit for about 2 hours with Grandpa, Grandma, and Auntie Cheryl. The kids always do really well seeing their Great Grandparents and Colby sure chatted with Grandma and Grandpa! It was nice to see them, despite the circumstances.
We are getting ready for Halloween and look forward to decorating this weekend. Now that Colby is a year older, I think he's more into it already. The kids have their costumes... now to figure out what I will be at school......
Enjoy the wonderful fall weather we've been having. I hear talk of snow, but hopefully it will stay away a bit longer!! Have a great weekend, everyone!
Love,
Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna
