Grace came running, all breathless....
"A Christmas card for you, Mommy!"

"It says b-i-b-l-e!" she told me triumphantly.
Not bad, eh?

Christmas declaration of the magi... a song from the Christmas choir presentation at the Met.

We have come
Traveling so far
Following a star
To Bethlehem
At last
We have found God's son
Such a tiny one
We worship him

Some call us wise
Because we see,
But from our hearts
We now believe
We believe
This is the Christ
The hope of heaven sent to earth
We believe
He ruled on high
But came in lowly human birth
And we believe
This king will reign
And all the world will know will know his name
And those who bow
He will receive
We believe

Now we offer
The gifts we bring
Merely token things
From a servant's heart
But what he will
Give to men
We now understand
Only in part
Of all the wisdom
We profess
There is no greater
Truth than this:
We believe
This is the Christ
The hope of heaven sent to earth
We believe
He ruled on high
But came in lowly human birth
We believe
This king will reign
And all the world will know his name
And those who bow
He will receive
We believe

Sledding adventures
Are very short
In wintery weather
With Asian-born girls.

A neighbor's discarded sled
With a holey bottom
Excited girls
Wanting to know where's the hill.

Crisp biting cold
Warm winter wear
Clear skies and bright sunshine
Perfect day for outdoors.

A sled-run already made smooth
The thrill of speed
Tumbles at the bottom
Slipping steps up the hill.

"By myself!"
"turn the sled around then"
"Uhoh!"
"Why did it go by itself, Mommy?"
Proud success
Wide smiles
Up and down again
Grace only now.

"Home, Mommy. I'm cold"
"No! I want to go down again!"
"One more time; Jasmin is cold"
"Home, Mommy. I'm cold."

Sledding adventures
Are very short
In wintery weather
With Asian-born girls.

I've discovered a secret:
Let Jasmin choose her spot for a nap.
Then there is no fight
No tears
And much more often
A sleeping child

Once it was the top of the stairs
I had to persuade her this was better than an actual stair!
Today...
She arranged herself in the cupboard
Closed the doors
And fell asleep
In a matter of moments
A lesson in Mommy flexibility -
or desperation?

Last Sunday Grace was in her first Sunday School Christmas Concert. We were thinking that she'd be rather lost as she had only been practicing a few Sundays, but at the dress rehearsal on Saturday, she flabbergasted Mommy by marching out on stage as if she'd been doing it all her life and sang both songs all the way through! She didn't do quite as well on Sunday - there were quite a few more distractions! - but she did well for such a new experience.
The theme was Jesus, Light of the World. Different groups sang songs from different countries around the world - the preschool choir was Canada.

Occupying herself backstage


Enjoying the last moments on stage

At Sunday School on Sunday, Jasmin and Grace made angels. Jasmin was very taken with hers. She carried it around all day - panicked if it got out of sight and mourned when it got squished or torn - and even insisted it go to bed with her! This continued into Monday... and Tuesday.... it's a pretty tatty angel now. Mommy tried to trace it and make a new one but it wasn't acceptable as "her angel"! So, her beloved green angel is still her constant companion, and will be until it is in pieces, I think!

The sheep Who Is Lost. by Grace Hu
Once upon a time there was a sheep with me. I was a shepherd and my sister was looking after the big ones. Then a sneezy wolf and a hungry lion came and wanted the lamb. Grace and Jasmin shepherds were so fast going to protect them. The sneezy wolf and the hungry lion they run away. Jasmin shepherd throw stones at them. I will look after the little lamb. The little lamb got lost. Ohno! Grace shepherd went looking for the little lamb. And it was lost. And then the hungry wolf came again. Then I throw stones at it and it went away. Grace shepherd found the little lamb in the woods. She gave it a big hug and carried it home. Then the big sheeps are so happy coming out of the cage.

Last Christmas the girls got dolls and strollers. All year they have been used for all sorts of things... a kind of an anything but what they are meant to be used for play... but just recently Grace began properly playing with her dolls: giving them picnics, bathing them, putting them to bed, asking Mommy to make clothes for them, - and finally using the stroller to take them for walks. And what Grace does, Jasmin will do,- although for her no doll will do; it has to be Lambie. So, we've taken outdoor trips to the mail and shopping. Rather more difficult for Mommy to keep track of everyone and everything, but at least they were content to trail her around the stores - and even asked to go to another one when we were all done!

We did make it to Halifax. Jasmin was still recovering, but well enough to go. The trip there went really smoothly, despite flight delays because of fog. Jasmin spent the extra time aquainting herself with how the seat belt worked.

Grace got caught up with the available kid shows, and was a proud "growing up girl" sitting across the isle from Mommy and Jasmin.
Despite Mommy's initial reluctance to show her how to use the seat-back TV's, they were very useful to fill in all the extra waiting time on the tarmac before takeoff. When drinks arrived, Mommy watched Jasmin carefully, as she always spills at mealtimes... but this day it was Grace who had difficulties. I don't think she got to drink any of it! Mommy had to then convince her that it was better to wear Jasmin's change of clothes than wet, sticky, orange juiced ones. She had no problems getting rid of the wet ones, but wearing Jasmin's??!! That's just wrong - they're Jasmin's! She consented in the end, as she decided wearing no pants wasn't a nice idea either. Whew!

Descent was tricky as they were tired, and their ears hurt and Grace wouldn't suck her thumb to make her ears pop. Jasmin then fell asleep just as we get to the gate... so deplaning was a bit tricky. Thankfully we were at a close gate so I didn't have far to carry her and keep tabs on Grace.

We had a wonderful time with Abba and Imma. Grace and Jasmin didn't seem to mind that it was foggy and rainy the whole week, and Mommy didn't either, as we still managed a few walks. There were plenty of new toys to discover and a cat to delight in.
One day Grace asked for 9 pony tails...! Mom had fun concocting a hairdo that incorporated 9 pony tails that didn't look like a forest had sprouted on her head.
Saturday we left at 4:30 am and drove home, arriving at 9pm. The girls did marvelously well on such a long journey, with only a protest once or twice about getting into the car yet again.

It is good to be home feeling so much more well-rested and ready to face December and onwards. Thank you God for providing this short break away!

We've ended this week rather intensely...
Jasmin had been coughing and getting sicker since Wednesday, and then yesterday her fever was hovering around 104 and refusing to come down for more than 1/2 an hour, and she wasn't eating or drinking well. Daddy left for Alpha at 6 with instructions to call if I needed the car to take Jasmin to Urgent Care. By 8 o' clock last night Mommy was pretty worried as her sleep was very restless, her breathing rapid and the fever pushing 105. Mommy called Telehealth, where you can talk to a nurse about the need or non-need to go to an Urgent Care. The nurse was concerned enough with what Mommy could tell her that she recommended we take Jasmin to CHEO (the children's hospital). But it was after 9 before Mommy could get a hold of Daddy on the phone! The plus of having to wait so long was that CHEO Urgent Care was not busy at all. Still, it was 1 am before we got back home.

Mommy took Jasmin and Daddy stayed home with Grace; how we wished we knew neighbours well enough to ask them to watch Grace so we could both go! At first they treated Jasmin as if she had H1N1, trying to get her to wear a mask (which didn't really work at all, despite colored dinosaurs on it, and Mommy wearing one too). Thankfully the waiting room was nearly empty so Mommy didn't bother fighting to keep it on. NiNi and YeaYea showed up just as Mommy realized she'd left precious Woofie in the previous waiting room. Perfect timing, and very much appreciated! Long waits in night hospitals with a sick child is very lonely. Woofie retrieved, Jasmin snuggled with NiNi while we waited. The medicine the triage nurse had given Jasmin worked well, and her fever cooled off noticeably. In fact, by the time the doctor saw her, it was normal!

Still, he asked lots of questions and took a long listen to Jasmin's lungs and sent us off to get chest x-rays, thinking it might be pneumonia. A much longer wait, and a traumatic experience, but the staff were efficient and gentle. The x-rays were clear, so we were sent home with instructions to give Jasmin so much rehydration drink every 10 min for the next day or so, monitor and medicate the fever if it returned and to bring her back if this, this or this happened.

Every 10 minutes!?! What about sleep? or any other activity, for that matter? But what is needed is done... We've survived the rest of the night in shifts of sleeping, and Jasmin seems to be doing okay. Her fever has returned, but not to such worrying heights, and she is fairly cooperative with the 10 minute dosing of not-so-nice tasting drink. Mommy is not coping so well with such a fragmented schedule on little sleep, but is counting her blessings that Grace also has a cold and is content to join Jasmin's snuggles on the couch, and other low key activities. Hopefully we will be still able to fly to Halifax come Tuesday; we've all been looking forward to it for so long! God is good so we wait in hope.

Some good friends of ours gave me a rest day earlier this week by taking the girls over night. I spent the morning in the woods with a camera and a Bible. It was a wonderful morning of listening to the small sounds of the woods and the quiet voice of God. I freely took pictures of everything that caught my eye. later in the week, I rediscovered this poem and realized I had taken pictures well-suited for it:

Autumn Leaves
by LCF, 2004

Does my long-held hope hold such golden glory
When it breathes and sighs and dies?
Does my passioned prayer burn purple and vermilion
When it pours and falls, falls silent?
Does my loud longing love curl burnished bronze
When it swings before a winter wind, hanging helpless?
Do my footsteps leave and autumn auburn dust
When I walk in woods I would not choose, to follow?

And if my ravished cry of praise is heard,

Does God Almighty turn aside to see
This bush burning in the wilderness?
And does He find here heaped the harvest
Of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied with me?

A powerful meditation... it's questions and underlying desires call me to search my heart often this week - and onwards, no doubt! - how have I handled, and how will I handle to tough stuff God in His loving-kindness sends my way?

We've been dog sitting for the last little while. Pepper finally gave up following Michael around, as he couldn't give him much attention as he is allergic to them. Pepper chose Grace's bed to sleep on instead... thing is, he more or less pushes her off during the night!

Auntie Sarah visited us last weekend. it didn't take too long for her to be roped into (quite literally!) playing (being) doggies with/for Grace...
Saturday Morning we went to the Museum of Natural Science (free!) because it was raining and we couldn't go for a walk in the woods as Mommy hoped to do. It was surprisingly not too busy, and we stayed a good long time. Who would have guessed we'd spend the longest time on the bird floor? There were a number of computerized challenge stations (matching songs with birds, recording your own copying of bird songs, matching the bird calls with the onomatopoeic words, etc), as well as a child-sized sick bird hospital station, and other kid-friendly activities. Jasmin got quite excited when she found this display of flying birds at her level!
Grace tried out the seal holes in the ice of the polar bear display...
When we went hunting for the cafeteria for lunch, we discovered the window into the rescue lab... thee were two cages of walking sticks - even babies. They are fascinating!
Since the cafeteria held only vending machines and a boisterous birthday party, we went out to eat. Jasmin spent nearly the whole meal laboriously trying to pick things up with her chopsticks. We were amazed by her level of concentration and stick-to-it-iveness - and the number of times she succeeded!

We actually managed to get in a walk by the river just before supper, but since I didn't take any pictures, if you want to hear about that, you can go here to see what Auntie Sarah has to say about it (and get a different perspective on the weekend)...

We're dog sitting currently.
Jasmin decided yesterday that the dog bed was a very comfy place to take a nap...
Grace anxiously tried to get Mommy to rectify the situation: "That's Pepper's Mommy. Make Jasmin get out. It's not a people bed!" She wasn't chuffed I wanted to take a picture instead!
"Everything has a place and everything in it's place" definitely is an important thing for Grace!

Out and about today we saw a few flecks of snow trying to make a flurry...

"Can you make it cover the grass, Mommy? I want to make a snowman." pleads Grace excitedly.
"You'll have to ask God, Mommy can't make it snow."
"Okay. God? We need snow for the grass please."

Just before supper was cooked, Mommy went to close the curtains...

"Grace! Where are you? Come see! There's snow on the grass!"

A mini stampede to the back door to look. Jumping up and down with glee, voices with rising pitch, chattering away....

"Because I asked God! Snow on the grass! Can we make a snowman now?"

Mommy dressed the impatiently dancing little ones and out they went - for a whole 45 min of snow play before supper!
Mommy's happy that Jasmin likes the snow this year :O)

Desperate to coax the girls outside so I could get some part of the house tidy and staying tidy, Mommy bribed them with raking leaves.... a very Fall thing to do, right? But even if Mommy has to shake the leaves of the tree first? Worked fine - except they kept calling for Mommy to shake more leaves off! They did a pretty passable job. don't you think?

Tidbits:

Jasmin figured out how to make a dog with the Lego. For a few days that is all they made and played with, and even slept with! Now they're onto being dogs, but that's another story...

Doing laundry yesterday I opened the washer after the first load and pulled out - a paint roller. That made my heart jump as I considered the implications for this load of wash (I've been painting the girls' bedroom)... but it was not as I feared. The paint-loaded roller is still upstairs; this was a spare that they'd been playing with and "tidied up" by putting in the washer!

Yes, I finally tackled more painting! We've been here just over a year and I still haven't finished painting the place! I have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms to go. The girls and I began their room last week. Managed to get all one coat on, but haven't tried for the second yet - the girls really enjoyed "helping" by painting smiley faces and animals on the wall, but that won't be so harmless for the final coat! Finding time with energy and distracted girls isn't easy.

Jasmin had all of 4 days free and clear of cold then began again, so now as she is again improving, grace has succumbed and Mommy isn't feeling that great either. I hope this is not to be the pattern for the whole winter! If so, let's get to Asia quickly...

Needing to apply for new passports, we began the process of getting pictures taken. Grace did really well, but the specification of not having any hair clips or elastics showing in the picture made for an interesting hairdo... we're growing out her bangs and they are just at the too long-too short stage.
And Jasmin? Took us three visits to the studio before she would even get on the stool! Then it went like this:
"Close your mouth like this..hmmmmm"
Jasmin closes her mouth with her tongue between her lips.
"put your tongue in"
She puts a finger up to push her tongue in.
"put your hand down"
She does and opens her mouth!
Took us a while but we did get one we hope will pass. Now for the downtown bus ride and wait in line...

How I spent my Thanksgiving Monday:

Using up material leftovers in a practical way: backpacks for the girls for when we travel. They really like sheep right now, and it will be a good reminder for them to always follow - hopefully
:o)

Last week was a sick week in our house. All of us had our turns with our first main winter cold. These are pictures from one of the times Daddy was looking after the girls so Mommy could rest...

We've been reading this book a fair bit (among others) at bedtime lately.
Leading to a Mommy challenge to make baby girl hair stay in ponytails in odd places. Jasmin was mighty proud of hers looking like a tree.

Grace was disappointed hers didn't stand straight up too!

Grace was teaching Jasmin! She was saying the letters and the sounds and making Jasmin repeat them. Of course, but the time I got the video going she was on to something else - but just as sweet. She's singing all the things we put up on the wall in preparation for Thanksgiving. We began with coloring "thank you God for..." and then have been drawing a new thing or two each day that we thank God for. Grace is singing an impromptu thank you song.

Jasmin's favorite pastime - when Grace will allow her to do something different than her! Not a bad tower builder when she doesn't get dragged off to play Grace's games.

Last night we went to Grace's best friend's birthday party. It was wonderful for us all to be out of the house, with friends, in a boisterously loud and happy home. Isa is now three like Grace. Grace had a bit of a hard time accepting that it wasn't her 3rd birthday all over again! Despite being in a houseful of French-speaking strangers, the girls quickly felt comfortable enough to be off playing.
Isa's Mommy had tiaras, glasses, and glow stick bracelets for everyone to wear. Then she turned off the lights as we danced to an African Children's Choir DVD. It was a blast!

Jasmin with great solemnity trying to follow the dance moves.

The birthday girl dancing away.

Grace seeing stars...

Daddy having fun with Mommy's long hair

and a short video to see what it was like...

thank you for inviting us Isabella!

A $1 t-shirt sale
+
leftover embroidery thread
+
a week or so of snatched moments
=
a new shirt for Grace... next summer (it's a size 4)

Grace begged for school. So we sat at the table to practice writing. Mommy made a sentence for her to trace. "I can't do it, Mommy. You do it." She said after putting her pencil crayon to the paper. But with a bit of encouragement, she proceeded to do it perfectly and quickly. And then read it!Jasmin also wowed Mommy with her drawing. She drew animals: ovals with legs and arms. And told stories about them. But she wouldn't let me take a picture of it. Rather insisted that Mommy picture her hands...

Turned to Grace again, and saw this in progress:
"Grace and Jasmin are sisters. They are friends. They play together. They have long hair." She wanted help with the shirts, but even as Mommy held her hand, it was Grace moving the pencil.

AND today, Jasmin made it t0 the potty 3 times! Cooperating with Mommy!
Definitely a day of surprises!

When the week's plans go well...
Thursday is fantastic.
The house is left behind.
Tidy. Clean.
Ready for the next day.
Stroller loaded.
Where shall we go?
The flower fields?
The woods?
The river?
The park?
Old place or new?

Flowers?
Okay.
Uh Oh.
Not already!

No more flowers here for us.
But watch and learn.
Clanging, banging, beeping.
New hills and new holes.
I wonder if we'll get to explore them.
Use them for fun in winter's cold.
When yellow beasts are stilled by chill.
When ugly hills are made beautiful with white.

The woods, shall we try?
Access denied!
And sorrow and horror:
The wood is to be going as well?!!?
Hopefully only a trim....?

"The river!" they cry.
But 'tis too far on foot.
A new place perhaps?
Wander and whine.
Push and puff.
Is this good enough?

Jockvale Landing.
Not far from the road,
Whizzing with cars.
But peaceful green.
Reflected glory.
A picnicking place.
Peel that egg, Jasmin!
Tastes much better then.
Enjoy your food.
Wait!
I know you like to feed the duck,
but what about you?
Save some for yourself!
No, ducks won't eat egg.
Why? Because!

Too cold for paddling now, my loves.
This water, not healthy either, too bad.
Need a boat to enjoy it.
Here, let's fish.
Or monkey around.
In trees.
On the ground.
Loud laughter.
Bossy sister.
Happy afternoon.

On the way home now.
Shadows creeping longer.
Hoppers peeping.
Jasmin slipping,
Sliding into sleep.
But wait!
Our park!
Can't we stay longer?
Sandy alphabet.
Sailing through sky.
Watching friends.
Mommy in the sand.

When the week's plans go well...
Thursday is fantastic.