SEASON’S GREETINGS!!

Once again it is time to share with you the things that have (mostly) warmed our hearts over the past year.

Keelan was true to Mom’s word: creeping by Christmas, climbing in the spring and walking before summer. We are constantly amazed at how different he is from Mickey with his own strengths and challenges. He was riding (and standing on top of) cars at barely a year and while not as fast as Mick, they do enjoy racing around the house. He doesn’t seem to understand that he’s 2 1/2 years younger than Mickey at all when it comes to physical things. Keelan is a great eater and “asks” for what he wants with very expressive cries of satisfaction or dissatisfaction…and just try to tell him he’s too young to eat something. Keelan has no compunction at all about helping himself to crackers and cookies in the cupboards. He has a twinkle in his eye at all times and is just beginning to develop a vocabulary. He has lots of sounds and sometimes the combinations leave us wondering i.e. “Daddy   –thhhhhhhpht”.   The tough part with Keelan is that he’s still awake at least once a night and often more…Deb’s favorite Christmas song this year is “All I want for Christmas is a full nights sleep”.

 

Mickey has become a very caring older brother. He loves trying to show Keelan something new or having a game of peek or hide and seek ( although he still tells the finder where he is). Mickey loves playing computer games with Dad as well as ones like Magic School Bus on his own. Mickey’s biggest challenge (or maybe that should be Mom and Dad’s biggest challenge) came this year with toilet training. He has been very cooperative on everything else but this was one thing that we couldn’t control and Mickey made that perfectly clear. However, he has the issue mastered (after a mere six months). He still loves dinosaurs and at last count there were over 200 in his room if you count pictures. Mickey is becoming more social and with that come the habits of other children. The other day I caught him with a friend eating potato chips, taken without permission, hiding in the laundry room (unlike Keelan – Mickey would never help himself to a snack). The now endless task of resisting peer pressure begins.

Being ones never to be happy with the status quo, Pat and Deb began house hunting again this spring. Deb was not overly happy with the colors and layout of the house and the full flight walk up to the kitchen/living room made visiting by Grandma Boyle more difficult than we’d like. After about a month and a near deal on an older “log home” in town on three lots we began to look at the hard economics and figured out that we could spend $15,000 on renovations and still be ahead of the game (real estate fees, moving expenses etc.). We went through our usual seeming endless arguing and changing of plans. Then one night at 11 PM Pat said “well then why in the h— don’t you move the d— kitchen downstairs?” Deb stopped dead in her tracks and then went downstairs and back up and down and said “yep I think that will work.”  We organized a contractor and went for it. Our little three week job stretched to six weeks, imagine that with no kitchen, no stove, no living room and all the extra furniture in the bedrooms. We cooked using microwave, electric fry pan and barbeque in a half built spare bedroom downstairs and did dishes in the laundry tub. Pat and Deb slept in Keelan’s room with him as our room was torn apart waiting for the carpet from the living room. Deb knew she was in serious trouble when the safest place for the kids to play was in the bathroom. After all was said and done however we have a main floor kitchen and dining area from which Deb can watch the kids in the backyard, be 15 steps to bring in groceries and take out garbage. Our formal living room is right when you come in the front door and hopefully always in reasonably presentable condition for guests. There is now also a guest room on this floor. Upstairs we had a wall torn out and the view (for which we bought the house) is visible to a much larger area. This family room is where the kids can play to their hearts content and their mess is not apparent if guests come to call. The old kitchen area now houses the computer and one can still be part of the family goings on.

Work wise Deb returned to the Family Center in Creston in January.  She quite enjoyed the commute and had no bad roads. Except for the odd occasion in the summer she’d take the kids over on Monday afternoon and spend two evenings with Grandma. She’d work Tues. and Wed., eat dinner at Lisa’s (Deb provided one dinner a month) and then drive home.   It worked quite well and provided Pat with some nights when he could work late and not have conflicting feelings about wanting to be home with the kids.  Mick, Keelan and Deb got to spend time with Grandma and Lisa so the arrangement worked out well for all.

If you remember, Pat began as Executive Director at the Cranbrook Family Center last year having left MCF. Well in late Feb. they advertised Pat’s old job at MCF with lots of added responsibilities, managerial status and half again as much salary as he had been making. So, of course he applied for it “just out of curiosity”. He was offered the position and after much soul searching, (its still a rapidly changing to the political wind ministry with little knowledgeable direction) he decided to take it. It has been a tremendous challenge but he has been able to have some of his ideas taken on at a provincial level and although he is often frustrated he is creating some beneficial changes.

Deb decided not to continue to work in Creston come winter time and was able to get a part time position at the Cranbrook Family Center ( now that Pat was gone) starting at Thanksgiving. She is working as a School Family Support Worker and although not her dream job, it fits the lifestyle currently and even gives her summers off.

Speaking of summers, way back in March we bought a couple of rooms that were extensions for a trailer to put together to make a cabin out at Moyie. We checked and got the building inspectors approval this time and then hired a contractor to move the buildings and have them placed on a foundation hoping to have a cabin by mid-summer. Well first we had to wait for the movers “rails” to be used for another job. Then there was a big problem getting a septic system approved (even though we’d been told yes last year). Then there was problems with the moving permits, road construction and differing priorities but after much pushing the buildings got to within a mile. But there were problems with the truck tires and a new truck inspection was required. Finally in late AUGUST the buildings were at the bottom of our hill. A “helpful” passerby in a gravel truck tried to give the mover a push from behind and successfully jackknifed the truck and buildings across the road and into the ditches. The buildings then had to be winched by hand, foot by foot until straight so they could be hauled up the hill. Once there the excavation for the basement could begin. However this was a long process and then the buildings were still too far forward. Anyway, it is now Dec. 3 and the foundation is poured and framed and the mover is starting to pull the buildings forward on top of the foundation, hopefully by the end of the weekend he says. But then again Deb had been under the misconception that she was going to be in her cabin this past summer so we’ll wait and see and try not to “raise the roof” too much.

On a happier note, Deb took the boys on their first camping trip up to Loon Lake this summer (is she nuts or what??? A 3 1/2 year old and a 1 year old in a tent for five days???) She did have the help of her siblings and the kids had a blast as the weather cooperated with only one day of rain. All of Mickey’s cousins were also there and they are his new best friends. He loved playing in the sand with their army guys, having water gun fights and watching them play game boy. He has really enjoyed having Cam, Harley and Devon near enough to Calgary that we get frequent visits in and has lucked into three visits with Benny this year.

We liked camping so much that we all (Pat included this time) went camping out on Vancouver Island at the end of September. It was great!! The kids played in the sand at long beach, walked along boardwalks, discovered giant slugs and beach combed. We boiled fresh crab, sauteed prawns and fried oysters at our campsites and ate cooked baby shrimp and candy smoked salmon in the car on rainy day drives. Our kids might not like hot dogs but both like any kind of seafood – Mickey even ate snails on our last trip to Edmonton. We were also able to visit Pat’s old boss Beryl in Victoria and Mickey made a new friend of their son Will. Will went with him to the Bug Zoo and taught him about pill bugs. We had a great visit with their whole family and miss having them in this area. After our camping visited with another of Pat’s buddies Steve in Nanaimo. We went for a great hike along the beach shore and invited ourselves to stay and extra day when the rain socked in.

Pat hit the big “Four-0” this year. It was fittingly a Friday the thirteenth. We celebrated at a function called Friday Night Therapy in a local lounge. “Someone” – who shall remain nameless arranged for people to bring joke gifts and we were able to come up with a fitting number, 40.  Many laughs were had and look out if we have your name in the tacky Christmas gift giving exchange.

Deb and Keelan may be on the verge of medical history. Deb took Keelan in to the pediatrician to what the cause was for his bald spot and if there was anything they should be doing. She was told that it was linked to a dominant gene. She then asked him to check Keelan’s blood pressure and sure enough it was significantly high. This got her thinking. We went in to Children’s Hospital to check that there was not some physical problem causing the high BP and there was not. Deb then asked the specialist if the two (essential high BP and bald spot) could be related to the same dominant gene. After all, her dad had both, it appears that his father had both, then Deb and now Keelan. No one else in the family has one with out the other. So they are checking it out and we’ll wait and see if there is a new syndrome discovered. Meanwhile, what it means for Keelan is medication for likely the rest of his life but we’re thankful that we caught it this early.

Mickey says “you can send me mail on the computer.”  Yes we have finally moved into the 1990’s, and have gone on the Internet. You can reach us at:     spiritridge@cyberlink.bc.ca

At this time of year and always we extend to you our wishes for your good health and joy in the wonders that life provides to each of us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Pat, Debbie, Mickey, Keelan, Sabre (the dog) and Jackknife (the cat).