Life Got Busier.

We seem to have lost that slow pace of life we were enjoying so much. This Fall, we have:

• 3 kids playing for the local football (soccer) club
• 2 kids playing on the school football (soccer) team
• 1 child playing on the school uni-hockey team
• 1 child wait listed for a dance class

Balancing practices, games, and other commitments is challenging with one car, distances to travel, and language barriers. But, a hectic life also shows that we are settled and enjoying life to its fullest. It should be a great sports season. C.J., with his beloved coach from last year, and Brendan, with a new coach, both have coaches who take the time to translate pertinent instructions and make the boys feel a part of the team. Abbie is one of two girls on her team, and her practice is conducted entirely in German (or Swiss German). She noticed the lack of girls first and the lack of English second. I'm not sure if that supports my theory that she doesn't listen half the time or just goes to show that young kids don't need verbal communication to follow instructions and make friends.

In other news, Brendan spent the weekend building a robot to deliver a soda from the kitchen to John on the couch. Of course, in the amount of time it took to program the robot, he could have delivered about 1,000 sodas, but no one cared to hear my statistics.





Today, Brendan brought home a trumpet from school. Ever the supportive parent, I told him that I guaranteed he'd get better over the next few days. Being a smart cookie, he asked, "Why?" and I was forced to answer, "Because it can't get much worse."




There was a bit of stress yesterday when Abbie lost the first of two front teeth. You see, picture day is tomorrow, and while two missing teeth look adorable, I was a bit worried that one missing tooth looked a bit.... shall we say Hick? Abbie was delighted to lose the second tooth tonight, and I'm excited that she'll sport this adorable smile for school pictures this year.