Finding the Perfect Tree

This was our third year of finding a live tree for Christmas, and we really feel like we found the perfect one this time! 

Since we were away the last weekend of November and then really sick the first weekend of December, yesterday was our first opportunity to go find a tree. We planned to go to the same farm as last year and the year before, but when we got there, we saw that it was closed--the sign said they'd run out of trees!

We quickly looked up other tree farms in our area, and there was only one other with a website, so we followed Google Maps to find it.

Soon after we started walking through the beautiful, big trees, we discovered a huge ginger cat, who Janae quickly befriended.

After countless shouts of "This one!" followed by "Yes, let's cut it down" by Eric and "Noooo" by Alaina, we finally all agreed on the perfect tree. Jason cut it down in no time with his new handsaw,

and then everyone helped carry it to the truck.

This tree farm offered a few extras, including hot chocolate and s'mores, with a fire for roasting marshmallows, so everyone loved that.

And since it wasn't raining this year, we could take the tree straight inside when we got home and start decorating.

Now we feel like Christmas is really on its way.

Our Trip to Montreal

Jason's grandpa passed away September 30, at the age of 103. Jason was with him in his last moments, which was a really sad experience.

We knew that at some point Jason would have to take him back to Montreal to be buried, and we looked at different options, including having Jason go with just Ben or waiting until the spring and going as a family.

In the end, we found a flight over a long weekend in November when all of us could go. It was Eric's first time going on an airplane, and he was really excited and nervous.

  

 

When we arrived, it was already dark. We checked into the house where we'd be staying and then went out for pizza. At the restaurant, the menus were completely in French and the server didn't speak very much English, so we really felt like we were in a foreign land! 

The next morning we got to look around a little bit more.

It was -12 degrees, and we found some pretty impressive icicles outside on the deck.

Jason took us to a beautiful park called Mount Royal where we took some pictures and the kids got to play in the snow (something we hadn't seen for a while!).

In the afternoon we went to the cemetery, where Great Grandpa was buried with his wife.

Then Jason took us see Old Montreal.

There were some amazing old buildings and churches, some of them dating back to the 1600s. 

At one church we were able to climb the bell tower--where it was pretty cold! 

The following morning we took a three-hour drive out to Ontario to see some of the places where Jason grew up. He took us to Don's Fish and Chips in Brockville, where he used to go with his dad.

And then to Athens, where he lived from ages 4-12.

We saw his elementary school

and the house his parents built (and that we've heard so many stories about).

After that, it was getting late, but we wanted to see the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.

On Sunday we went to church in Jason's grandparents' old ward (Greenfield Park). The person who greeted us even knew Jason's grandpa.

After that, we met up with Jason's two cousins, whom he hadn't seen since he was a teenager. One of them had children around the same ages as our kids, and--even though everyone was pretty shy at first--they ended up having a nice time together.

We had most of the next day left, since we wouldn't have to be at the airport until 5 p.m. We decided to go back to Old Montreal, where we were able to see some of the places we'd missed the first time.

Then we went to a park called Mount Bruno.

Ben had been sick all day, and things just got worse on the airplane (and throughout the rest of the week once we got back). 

We had kind of a rocky landing, but we were happy to see all the familiar sights of home.

Our First Remembrance Day at the Fine Arts School

This year, Ben and Janae started attending a fine arts school. We'd heard over and over again that the Remembrance Day assembly at this school was incredible and that it was something we shouldn't miss. Ben told us that some of the Grade 12 students were planning to build a trench for people to walk through to get into the gym, which sounded kind of intense, and then Janae had been given a part in her class's play--she'd be singing a solo of "Memory Eternal"--so we had even more incentive to go.

When we got there, we saw art that the students had created based on a World War I theme, including Ben's French flag collage.

We lined up with a huge crowd of parents to walk through the trench into the gym,

and then we watched and listened to the songs, poems, dances, slideshows and skits the students had prepared. 

Janae portrayed an angel who was singing to a prisoner of war. Afterwards her teacher sent me an email saying, "Janae was stunning on stage. . . . Your daughter is a phenomenal student with so much creative talent."

Soon after the Grade 6 play, the school's fire alarm went off because of some of the smoke effects being used on the stage (although Ben told me later they'd used similar effects before without any problem). The entire school had to be evacuated, and everyone waited outside for the fire truck to come. Luckily, Janae had already changed out of her white dress, because it was cold and rainy outside.

Aside from all the added drama, I left the assembly marveling at the opportunities this school has provided for Ben and Janae. They have so many chances to be creative. Janae's teacher has combined art, science and English, having them create extended metaphors while building anatomically correct representations of human lungs using flowers.

Janae plays the piano in the hallway after school, takes classes in music, art, dance, and drama, and enjoys going to school. Jason actually got to go to the school's fall music concert while I was in the hospital, where Janae's class played the ukulele, and he thought it was spectacular, as well. 

Ben has also found everyone really friendly and welcoming, and he has many chances to be creative in his art and English classes. He has great teachers, and he's happy with the school.

I'm so glad that they're both happy there, and I'm looking forward to all the wonderful performances we'll get to see in the months and years to come.

I'll Be Home for ... Halloween

A few years ago, Eric was in the hospital with the flu a few days before Halloween,

but this year it was my turn.

A few weeks ago, I started having some strange symptoms. I felt like I had the flu one morning and was so nauseous that I had to have Jason drive the kids to school. A week later, I had chills that got worse and worse throughout the evening--I was shaking so much I thought I was having a seizure, and I couldn't warm up even with a heating pad and several layers of fleece and blankets. 

Then about a week after that, I had such intense abdominal pain that I thought I'd try to make a doctor's appointment. I carried on with my day, though, making cookies and picking up my kids and Alaina's friend from school, taking Janae to her violin lesson and watching the kids play at the park.

By the time I got home, I was in so much pain I had to lie down. After Alaina's friend got picked up, I called Jason and asked him to come home and take me to the hospital. While I was waiting for him (only 15-20 minutes or so), I almost called an ambulance because I was in unbearable pain.

Jason took me to Emergency, and they found through a CT scan (with me throwing up all the while) that I had a large kidney stone, which had created an infection. The ER doctor was going to send me home with pain killers, but then I told him about my previous chills, and he decided to keep me in the hospital overnight.

During the night, my blood pressure dropped very low (60/40), and the nurses realized my infection was sepsis. They were already giving me antibiotics through IV, and they started giving fluids to try to raise my blood pressure. They also arranged for me to have surgery as soon as possible to remove the kidney stone in hopes of clearing out the infection. The doctor put in a central line (in addition to the IVs I already had in both arms!) and sent me to intensive care while I waited for the surgery.

The surgery went well, and the infection cleared up quickly, but I was in the hospital for six days. 

The sixth day, October 30, I told my nurse that I REALLY had things I needed to do at home, and she arranged for me to leave on a "day pass," with an appointment with a specialist that afternoon. I was supposed to return to the hospital that evening to find out if I could be discharged.

I still had an IV port in my hand, but the nurse covered it up with a meshy cloth. I had to pick up Ben for an appointment that afternoon, and I was worried the school secretary would be suspicious of the plastic tubing coming out of my coat sleeve, but she hardly looked up, and things were fine.

I was so happy to be able to pick up my kids from school, and when we got home I quickly dyed Janae's hair red for her Halloween costume (just in case I'd have to stay one more night at the hospital).

The specialist ended up saying I could be discharged, so I went back to the hospital to get my antibiotics prescription and went home to sleep in my own bed.

The next day was Halloween!

I was so relieved to be home to help the kids carve their pumpkins and get ready.

All but the smallest of these were from our own garden!

We'd already put together Eric's Bilbo Baggins costume,

but he wasn't allowed to wear a costume to school, so he just wore his skeleton pajamas :)

Ben was the Riddler, Janae Black Widow, and Alaina Anne of Green Gables.

That night it was trick-or-treating as usual, with Ben even joining in (since his cousin Luke was coming, too).

 

I stayed home to give out candy and then got to see what everyone had in their bags when they got back.

I'm glad I didn't have to miss it!