In Between Naps

 

Aiden is in the in between stage of napping. He sort of needs one and sort of doesn't. So the default day now holds no nap for him, but if the day is full, or we're in the car at the right time, he will fall asleep.  Wherever he happens to be.

This last weekend was particularly busy, so by Sunday he was pretty all-round tired. That morning, after a hard morning's play at church, he fell asleep in the stroller on the way home. A bit later, he woke enough to get out and lie on the floor by Jasmin (Mommy not in sight). But the next time he woke a bit, Mommy was in the room so he crawled over to her and promptly fell asleep at her feet nearly under her chair... too tired to even bother getting into her lap.

Firsts We've Done Before

We've done this before

and it is a new one for us

Early to bed, early to rise

Starting school new

Out the door

Up the road

New friends

Routines

Lessons

Rules

Jasmin slipped into grade 2

with hardly a ripple

We've done this before

And it's a new one for us

Hats, mitts, coats, and boots

Kitting out kids for unaccustomed winter

Pestered with eager questions

Impatient longing

Improbable plans

 

A swirl of wet messy first snow

A whirlwind of giddy three

Hats, mitts, boots, and coats

(after the first aborted foray in barefeet and short sleeves!)

Giddy laughter and loud experimenting

trying of everything they know about snow

Catch a flake

 make a snowball

 Roll a ball, throw a ball

 Taste a ball

Soggy mittens

Tingly nose, fingers, toes

 Kids rediscovering snow!

Lists Revisited

Before we came, we compiled a post of what we'd miss of Penang and what we were looking forward to in Canada.

Now we've been here over a month, this is what our lists look like:

What we miss of Penang:

1. Visits to the beach
2. Multilingual, multi-ethnic environment
3. Hot weather
4. Fruit
5. Consistent sunshine
6. Cheap yummy street food
7. Roti
8. Chicken rice
9. Biking as our transport
10. Uncomplicated dressing - it's always hot!
11. Tropical insect and bird calls
12. daily runs
13. Swimming
14. Train travel
15. Chinese school
16. Cheap airfares
17. Our friends
18. Chinese church
19. Needing tile floors to keep you cool
20. Home

What we're enjoying in Canada:

1. Baths
2. Sharing life with grandparents and other family
3. nature walks
4. Fall: colors, smells, crisp air with blue skies
5. Backyard bird feeders
6. Bunk beds
7. More time to do things
8. Free babysitting from family
9. Always clean air
10. Wide open wild spaces
11. "Real" school (Jasmin)
12. Participating in our home churches
13. Community activities
14. Quiet
15. Star gazing
16. Better quality assurance on purchases
17. Cheerios
18. Imma's cooking
19. Real milk and affordable dairy
20. Home

We weren't that far off in our lists...

Timidly Bold

...the perfect oxymoron for the only visitor to our bird feeders that stays long enough to get a decent photo!

 

 What else can be described as timidly bold?

Aiden on the "big kid's playground" joining in after school play

Random kids asking for underducks from "Aiden's mom"

Sidewalk poppy sellers

Hockey team fundraising door-to-door chocolate carriers

Tiny costumed candy seekers

Scared girl at parents'  bedroom door

Greeting new yet old friends with real questions

Inviting new friends home for lunch

Young ones looking longingly at Timbit box

Jasmin on her first day of local school? (on the 10th)

Ourselves approaching the Throne of Grace with a request?