10 Years

...since my mother passed. I've been thinking about it all month. I don't really have the words to write anything appropriate. I wish I could have marked 10 years somehow, but I have no good ideas. I think when the right idea comes to me, I'll do it. Maybe that'll be this year, maybe the next.

B and I celebrated our 5th anniversary earlier this month. We had steak at a local restaurant. It was rammed on a Thursday night and we soon found out why - the food was great. It was strange to be out, childless, after dark. Felt a little bit like I was breaking a curfew or something.

Lots of stuff happening around here... insignificant stuff, for the most part, but it's our life, and it's happening now, and I keep meaning to write it down so that I can look back on things in later years. So... I won a book in a competition for the kids. The weather has been mild, especially for February, almost shirt sleeve weather really. We've been playing more in the garden.

Last Saturday we went out to Ockham Common, had a pub lunch, hiked.

Lots of stumps to climb on.

B seized the camera and took this dodgy photo of me. I am sandwiching it in between other photos so that people can more easily pass it by.

Got the camera back, only for it to be snatched by someone else! Ignore the grubby face - she had been scavenging lunch off our plates. For her, it is mainly about the thrill of the hunt than eating her spoils. Ketchup? That's just edible warpaint for this little lady. Note the two bottom teeth - she's long past due for more down there, but what pops through first? Her molars - we're still waiting on the other incisors.

Found a swampy bit. You want to entertain a 3 year old for an hour? Go to a pond and make sure there's lots of rocks/debris nearby.

Really nice weather for February. "It feels like it should be May," B said.

A shot of the two wild ones gadding about the pub playground.

Apart from that, we have mostly been....

...keeping a certain young Miss out of trouble (well, mostly....), playing in the garden, reading lots of books, watching Tom and Jerry episodes (E's current favorite show, and he's into Scooby Doo now too, which was my favorite at around his age), visiting the library, going to the park and having a "picnic" as E terms it - wrapped up warm on benches eating sandwiches and cinnamon rolls, throwing a frisbee back and forth, blowing bubbles, cooking, doing dishes, laundry...

C is saying "Mama" (constantly!) and "Hi" and "Bye" and "Wow" and "Dat" (that). She says "dat!" so vigorously, with lots of pointing, and is understanding lots of what we tell her. Except "no," of course - that results in insta-tantrum. Her brother was never as intense as she seems to be, with the lying down and head-on-the-ground angry zero-to-60 wailings!

E is continuing to enjoy his preschool - 5 mornings per week, 8:45-11:45. And he goes to his sports class once a week on a Wednesday - he came back with a special medal last week. He's reading lots of words now - the other day he read his first sentence to me, apropos of nothing, at the supermarket: "Does that say... 'Food To Go?'" Why yes... yes it does... excuse me while I faint right here in the aisle.

The kids had hand-foot-and-mouth disease (Coxsackie Disease or something) which is basically a high fever for a day or so and then spotty sore type things on the hands, foot, and in/around the mouth. Wasn't much fun for them but at least they're now immune to that strain. C had what I figure must have been rotavirus - vomiting and other... well, I'll spare you the details. Let's just say I'm going to have difficulty going back to that bookstore anytime soon. And my coat has been dry cleaned.

In closing, here is a photo of the kids in the garden, sharing a bag of kiddie tomato puffs. Note the intent, hunter-gatherer expression on C's face.

And that's all for now. I'll continue to try and update at least twice a month. I've broken 55k on the latest novel and hope to have around 75-80 when all's said and done. I think the rough draft will come out to around 65-70 and revision will probably add another 5-10k.