I have no excuse really and I am now wondering why time is flying by me so quickly. I have allowed myself to join an online community called Face Book where I have found mostly all of my old school pals and some long lost friends so I assume that is what has been eating up my computer time enough for me not to keep up. So without further adieu...the long awaited update!
Aidan has been busy as usual, he is so very excited that his 5Th birthday is coming up and is really grasping the idea that he gets to have a birthday party. He has already managed to invite half the neighbourhood, his entire soccer team and pretty much anyone else that will pay attention long enough for him to ask them. We are going to make it a special one as we feel this is a big milestone in his life and he will start a new chapter when he begins Kindergarten in September.
He is preparing for this next chapter diligently as his teacher has given him a portfolio full of preparation activities and he had his first meeting with a Literacy Links worker this past Monday. It is a program offered by the St.James school division to help pre-schoolers get interested in reading and involves the parents in helping them to develop their children's skill set. They also do a small assessment with letters, comprehension and preliminary math and give it to the Kindergarten teacher so she will know what level he is at before he even walks into class. We think it is a very involved, well thought out program but can't help but feel the pressure that Kindergarten with the St.James School Division has imposed on us. We are enjoying all the activities and books that they have given us and are attempting to take it not so seriously as we don't want Aidan to feel any negative emotion surrounding school. He has already charmed the lady that comes here as she left telling us that he is such a sweetheart and has such a beautiful face. It is amazing to watch him interact with strangers, he really knows how to woo people right away.
He has played almost all of his soccer games now and he will get pictures done next week. The last 2 games have been quite interesting as they are all getting much better at the game and it is much more exciting to watch. Aidan is definitely not a "natural" talent at soccer but he enjoys getting out there and really likes the social aspect...ahh our little social butterfly! He managed to score 1 goal in the first game and hasn't come close to a 2nd yet although before every game he tells us he will score "50 hundred this game" and yes we always instill the age old lesson "It's not about winning or loosing or how many goals you score...and so on"
He passed his first level of swimming and received the Salamander badge. He volunteered to be the first one tested and was the only child not to have to be told numerous times what to do or have the aid of the instructor, so we were very proud as was he. He is looking forward to receiving his Sun Fish badge this July.
Other than that he is busy being Aidan, drawing pictures for everyone, being a kid and having fun with life. He is talking a mile a minute to everyone who will listen and amazes us on a regular basis. We can't help but feel so blessed to have him and out hearts are always full when he is around. It sure is hard to stay mad at that little guy for long! He will have to prepare himself for we just got his daycare schedule for the summer months and they have a field trip scheduled almost daily so he will be really busy!
Judd and I are doing great. We are happy the nice weather is finally here and not so happy that we are getting so much rain...especially Judd as it delays precious working on the house time! The reno's are in full force and one quarter of the house has already been ripped of, insulated and is ready for stucco and siding. We ordered all new windows for the whole house which are coming in a few weeks thanks to Uncle Al so we are very excited to see those go in as currently we can only open 4 out of the 10+ windows on our main level and I can be a tad bit claustrophobic at times! I can't wait to see the finished result and Judd is having a nice time learning all this home renovation stuff with my dad. It's really nice to see them bonding and it's nice to have Papa around here more to talk to as we don't do that very often and tend to become very detached from each other. I am definitely in awe of my father as I watched him work in 30+ degree weather and humidity like crazy up on a scaffold hammering up plywood from 9 am until 6 pm only stopping once to eat a peanut butter sandwich. I can not even pretend I would be able to do that for half the time, those are the moments I am proud to have him as one of the halves that made me whole .
This is getting long so some other quick things are that I lost my engagement ring at the pool...luckily it was covered on our insurance and I will get to pick out a new one next week (2 rings without getting a divorce...lucky me!) I am hoping to get something similar to the original as I loved the one we picked out the first time.
We have booked out Bud, Spud and Steak for the wedding fundraiser (instead of a social) for October 13th so keep it open on your calenders as we would love to see everyone there! More details to come with that of course.
I have opted out of the Doula thing for now as the demand on my time was far greater than I was willing to give. My family is the most important thing to me and I have plenty of time to chase dreams a little later on. I found I was missing and was going to miss a lot of Aidan and I am not prepared to sacrifice much of that time when he is still this little. I am glad for the experience and I learnt a lot...it could still be something I may pursue further when I am able to fully commit to it.
The wedding plans are on their way, the photographer is chosen, the deposits for those who are coming are in and I will begin the ever so exciting task of picking out my wedding dress shortly and Judd's attire as well (although he is far less excited than I and just continually gives me high 5's when I talk about the wedding plans)
I am still swimming and have now added running to the roster...oh yes I will look good in a bikini in Mexico I am determined! Judd is not worried about his growing pot belly as he figures he will sweat it off this summer...hmmm should I be so lucky! We are both working and enjoying being parents (well most of the time)...We turned another year older and celebrated another year together (6 to be exact) and looking forward to a lifetime of celebrations to come!
Kneesaa is enjoying all the trips to the dog park and not enjoying that we have had enough of her teenage antics and are becoming more stern with her. Ichabod is MIA most of the time and usually only comes in to eat and enjoy the air conditioning for a "cat nap" He is looking trim and fit from chasing all the mice around outside.
That's it for us...I'm sure I missed out a lot but hopefully included the key highlights. Not too many photos as I haven't been inspired lately to take many, but none the less a couple to please the eye! As always we hope you are all healthy, happy and in good spirits and if not, know that we think of you all often even though our presence can sometimes be minimal. It is one of our shortcomings to be so busy all the time and one thing we are constantly trying to improve. Glad we can at least give little updates here and there, and love to hear back!
Love: Judd, Sarah, Aidan, Kneesaa & Ichabod
Ps - Thanks to Jason for taking the soccer pics of Aidan...we are lucky to have a friend that is a photographer!
