Update

Well...since my last post was entitled "Halloween" and I'm making a diligent effort at keeping this thing somewhat current (though still haven't gone back to blog about the Canada trips...one day!), I just thought I'd write an update on the latest in our lives.

We've all been recently hit with a bit of a cold/cough which of course is quite typical for this time of year, when the temps take some serious downturns and rains and winds set in. Robert and Ryan got it the worst, while Andrew and I escaped with just an endless cough.

We have booked another ski vacation, at an all-inclusive ski resort called Les Villages Club du Soleil, in the Hautes Alpes. Since we've already booked with this resort before (at a different location), we know not to expect 5-star service, or ultra luxury accommodations. However, what it does include, and for what you get for what you pay, well, you just CANNOT go wrong. I am most looking forward to: 7 days of meals that I don't have to cook or clean up after, in addition to 6 days of absolutely incredible skiing, exposing Andrew to skiing for the first time (he will have a one-hour lesson each day), kids camps for the boys that are open from 8:30am til 9pm at night (sorry Ryan, you'll be stuck in camp, but we promise we'll get you on the slopes when you're bigger too!), playing in the snow with the kids, and chilling out in our cozy little ski cabin at night with a good book in hand.

Many of you have asked how my mom is, and for those I haven't yet had a chance to email/call, she is doing fine...as I would expect the strongest woman I know to be. She has now undergone the first of 4 chemo treatments, and although she was hit hard for about 5 days with pain, nausea, weakness, mouth sores, etc. etc., she's now feeling significantly better and confident, though not keen obviously, on the prospect of 3 more rounds of treatment. She had her entire head shaved off before treatment began, as they suggest it can be less emotional to do it that way, than to find chunks of hair in your pillow, etc. Mom of course got a wig, and I nearly died when I found out how expensive they are, but even Susie says she can't tell it's not my mom's real hair. Susie also says that Mom makes a fantastic Sinead O'Connor, and I've asked to be sent some photos so that I can post them on my blog, on my facebook account and everywhere else I know, but for some reason, they haven't sent me any yet! I think the biggest source of comfort for my mom, throughout all this, has been Baby Haley's visits, and I'm eternally grateful for that.
We've been busy socializing lately, picnics, brunches, dinner parties, birthday parties, girls nights, etc. and I'm feeling way more back in the swing of loving life in France again than I was just a few weeks ago. We will be celebrating American Thanksgiving with our American friends again, and even though Robert is not a huge fan of turkey, I CANNOT wait to sink my teeth into the yummy bird!
Ryan remains an angel. He had a couple bad nights when he wasn't feeling so well, but now that he's on the mend again, he's his happy little monkey self. He is actually even starting to cooperate in diaper changes, and I was shocked the other day when he lifted his legs for me when I went to put on his pants. That said, he has taken to throwing absolutely anything and everything in the garbage or toilet, or even worse, pulling things out of said fixtures! Last weekend, I lost my favourite blush and foundation when he decided to empty the contents of my cosmetic bag in the toilet. Things keep mysteriously disappearing too, like all of a sudden there are only 3 plastic cereal bowls when there used to be 4, and now that he can push the stool to the counter, and then subsequently reach pretty much everything on the counter, I have a pretty strong suspicion that bowl is now sitting in a landfill site!

Andrew has achieved another milestone. He can swim now! To be honest, I'm still a little reluctant to not be right by his side in the water, but today at the pool, he swam away from me, not toward the side of the pool or to Robert, but to the middle of the pool, then turned around himself and came back. A first! Now that Halloween is over, the obsession about Christmas has begun for Andrew. A lot of stores have the decorations up already, the lights have been put up in the city (though not yet turned on), and the tv commercials are already advertising the Christmas sales...enough to get Andrew completely fascinated and obsessing over how many days til Christmas Eve. I'm so mad that I forgot to tell Robert to pick up Christmas pyjamas for the boys while he was in the States cuz it's officially now a tradition that we all wear Christmas pyjamas throughout the month of December and I'm not sure how easy it will be to find a nice, cute pair here for each of the boys, when Old Navy/Gap, etc. always have such adorable, cheap Christmas-themed pjs every year. Andrew is also excited for his Pirate birthday party, but most excited about the fact that there will be a Treasure Chest pinata to bash, just like at Karl's party. I hope he lets the other kids have a go at it! We decided to have it in a park/playground as we just wanted to do something simple for his first real party in France but I wanted to include lots of friends and since our backyard is a total state of mud all winter long and our place is just not very big, we opted for the playground. But since weather is very unpredictable at this time of year, it is highly possible there will be one or more postponement. Fingers crossed.
So that about does it. One day soon, I hope to get around to calling or at least email those I feel like I've been neglecting forever! I just find it so hard to make a lengthy phone call these days, as the best time for me is in the morning after Andrew goes to school and Ryan goes down for his morning nap, and of course that is around 3am in the morning Eastern time...and as much as I know you would just love to hear from me, there's something telling me you wouldn't be all that thrilled waking up in the middle of the night for a chat with me! And trying to carry on a conversation with one or both of the boys at home and awake totally does my head in; either Ryan is very grumpy that I haven't given him the phone I am holding and carrying on endlessly over it (despite the million toy phones he owns) or Andrew decides the minute I get on the phone that he's hungry, or wants to know whether a giant dragon is bigger than the beast from the beauty and the beast, or whatever!