List-Post (in no particular order):

1. Hendrik, our guy, is scheduled to have surgery #3 next Friday, and hopefully the it'll be a third time's a charge type o' thing. He had his pre-op appointment on Thursday and it went well - though the doc did surprise Steve (who surprised me) with a prescription for glasses (!) for our not-yet four-year old. I don't totally get this but apparently - even though Hendrik's vision is very good - because he has a tendency to use one eye more and/or because his eyes aren't working together all of the time, a very mild prescription might encourage his eyes to work in synch. We have a few questions about all of this and will fire away either on Friday or at his post-op appointment a few weeks later.

2. It was Christmas in May when we returned to our Gatineau-home last week, and the kids are still rediscovering their long, lost-for-two-months toys. We put a box of things away downstairs with the intention of swapping toys out every month or two, but I'm kind of wondering if we couldn't just take it all to the Salvation Army and forget about it. Less is more... right? Right Hendrik?

3. Bob and Marg forwarded me a few pictures from our visit with them upon our return from beautiful Greece, and here they are:

bubbles, Gramps partaking in Hendrik's favourite thing (being upside down), our girl, and in-a-tree

cousins: Alana, Lennon and Hendrik

4. Mother's Day: The best moment of my Sunday was seeing Alana, and having her run up to me and give me a huuuuuge hug, after having pulled into the driveway from our weekend away. The kids (with much help from Grandma) also made me some very cute crafts... how I love them!

5. Hendrik was back to preschool on Tuesday, and was a bit tentative... but slowly warmed up and moved away from me. Both Alana and I stayed - and she loved it. My favourite part of the morning was reading to a small pod of kiddies; I was surrounded and smothered by six of them, and they were all transfixed and happy to make requests and pay attention to stories and more stories. And then it was cleanup time and we had to disband... otherwise I would have stayed there until the bookshelf ran dry.

6. Speaking of children's books, last week was National Children's Book Week, and I've been meaning to check out the website. We still haven't been to our local branch, and I'm not sure if there was anything going on there. I've been spoiled by a few fabulous local libraries, and I have to say that while I'm very thankful for the Bowater branch, it doesn't have the best selection of tomes in town. (I would say otherwise if I was a francophone I'm sure.) Wherever it is that we settle, I'm hoping we have a fabulous public library...

7. Regular radio stinks. With the purchase of our vehicle some four years ago, came a free one-year subscription to Sirius XM - that ended up lasting until last week... but now it's gone! Gone gone gone. I have no idea how much it costs to pay for radio, but it's something I'll definitely consider, seeing as how commercials and bad music infiltrate each and every station we dial in to... boo!

8. Alana had her 15-month/18-https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=776151006586619354#editor/target=post;postID=1346284789371301389month check-up the other day, and it came as no surprise that she's over the 99th percentile in weight and over the 100th in height. What can I say? Big people make big kids.

9. The latest funny with our children is hilarious for all... even though we (try to) laugh in secret; they say garbage and poop and then go into hysterics. I mean, how can you not laugh?