February Wrap-Up

When I look back at pictures from the month of February it looks like we spent the month outside. We didn't. There was so much screen time! But we did get out for walks and a few little outings here and there. The pictures are from the creek near our house, Rotary Park, the beach at the end of Pickering Beach and Willowtree Farm - but not necessarily in that order!

 

Kate was able to participate in YWs activities - online and one outdoor Sunday School class adventure too. I'm so thankful for her leaders who are really trying to help the kids have some sense of normalcy. Nicole - Kate's YW's president dropped off kits so the kids could design their own fingerprint. The YW theme this year is "A Great Work", and how each of us has an individual part in God's plan - like our individual fingerprints. No one else can take our place.

We celebrated Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, Family Day and Pink Shirt Day.

The girls went back to school on Monday, February 8th and I went back to school on Tuesday, February 16th. Online school, what to say? There were moments, days, weeks when it was SO hard. The girls had major ups and downs. I had ups and downs. We survived. Somedays were awesome and some were awful. The girls missed their friends. They missed lots of things. I didn't miss yard duty... We did eventually get into a rhythm, but it was hard.

When it was time to go back to school, it meant actually following public health policies properly lol. We hadn't been wearing shields, and now everyone has to wear their shields pretty much all the time. They are ridiculous to teach in. I was screaming to be heard (what it felt like) and then I'd have a sore throat. It didn't take more than a couple of days to figure out what made sense. When teaching at the front of the class - socially distant, I didn't wear the shield. When I was walking around between and near students, I wore the shield. Yard duty with a shield, that was a whole other ball of fun!

I think that covers it! The covid vaccine rollout is going very slowly. The daily numbers are high - a thousand a day give or take. We're not exactly sure what March will bring, but we've got each other and we have our faith. I still feel safe and happy and well, we're muddling through!

Alice's 10th Birthday

Last night was Zeera by the Bay for dinner, delicious Indian food, that Alice wanted to eat. 

After the girls went to bed Ken and I set up the birthday fun. Alice made her own birthday sign.

This morning Alice opened her family presents. Alice and Fiona had primary on Zoom, we had our last home church for now, and Linda Morin - one of the counselors in the Primary stopped by with presents for Alice. 

Next up was a tobogganing adventure! We went nearer to our house today and it was pretty busy. Alice and Kate had lots of fun, Fiona, not so much. She's pretty terrified of going down the hill and then terrorizes everyone else by getting in the way... Mom and CJ met us at the hill. CJ was pretty worried about how safe it all was. It was mostly safe?!

When we got home Alice opened up the mollusk that had a pearl inside of it - and popped it into the necklace it came with - pretty unique gift!

Alice also had lots of fun doing her hair and Fiona's hair with all the accessories that she was given from her Primary Leaders!

Then it was dinner and cake. Ken made pulled pork - Alice's request, and veggies and cheese sauce. I love that Alice knowing that Kate doesn't care for pulled pork, requested her favourite too - veggies and cheese sauce. Alice is such a peace maker and so loving!

Alice also designed her birthday cake, and Daddy executed an adorable narwhal birthday cake for our narwhal loving ten year old!

I'm glad Kate and Alice had real birthday parties last year. I'm glad that Fiona's was real enough. And I'm grateful that even though we're all pandemic exhausted, the girls can still feel loved and special and celebrated on their birthdays! 

Oh one more note... the gift I ordered for Alice didn't come on Friday. I hoped it would, but it didn't. So there is one more bit of birthday fun to look forward to this week!

The Birthday Questions - Alice - Age 10

1. What is your favourite color? Orange

2. What is your favourite toy? Turbo – remote control car

3. What is your favourite fruit?  Peaches

4. What is your favourite tv show? Project Me

5. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch? Instant Noodles

 6. What is your favourite outfit? Jumper and Matching sweater

7. What is your favourite game? Minecraft

8. What is your favourite snack? Strawberries

9. What is your favourite animal? Narwhal

10. What is your favourite song? Peace In Christ

11. What is your favourite book? Wizards of Once Twice Magic

12. Who is your best friend? Adelyn, Leila, Izzabelle, Jessica, Grace

13. What is your favourite cereal? Reese’s Puffs

14. What is your favourite thing to do outside? Build snow tunnels

15. What is your favourite drink? Shirly Temple

16. What is your favourite holiday? Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Big Bunny and Fuzzy

18. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast? French Toast

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pulled pork and veggies and cheese sauce

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Hairstylist

Back to School

The girls went back to school on Monday, February 8th. What a difference it made to me teaching from home without the distraction of my three little people! I feel like they're still coming down, but it's so good that they're back in school. I miss them, I do love being with them, and them being around, but online learning, ugh, it is not something that is good for everyone.

Sisters playing cards. The girls sure have their ups and downs, but watching them play together, I love it more than I can express.

After winter break the numbers were really high and so we didn't get to go back to school face to face. I can't remember now how much notice we got either, I think it was a week? We had a week of holiday time to reinvent our programs! My covid music program face to face is very different than online, needless to say, the planning and reinventing, it was a lot. Google classroom, google meets, it took a while to sort that out too. 

I remember with google meets I couldn't figure out why sometimes I had teacher controls and sometimes I didn't. Only to realize, I'm not even sure how many days into it, that if I wasn't the teacher that started the meet, I had no control. When I learned that, I created a bunch of new google classrooms, and started using separate links for all of my classes. I think the biggest frustration though, was not knowing how long it would last. Starting units and not knowing if we'd be able to finish them! 

There was one week in January - I think I was up to midnight every night planning. It was exhausting. However, once we knew when we were going back and it was time to wrap things up and do some fun things online, it wasn't too bad. The last week was lots of fun actually - taking advantage of everyone having a screen.

I'm not sure what the future holds for the rest of the school year, but I go back Monday. We all hope that we are back for good, that there won't be anymore interruptions, but who knows. The vaccine rollout has barely started, it will take time for numbers to be affected. Here's to our health and safety!

The Lim-Anderson's Move To Ottawa

When we moved to Tottenham we would see Toronto friends, but not too often. Traveling to Toronto with babies was a long adventure. When we moved to Ajax and no longer had babies, seeing Toronto friends was simple. When you find friends where there's a kid for every kid and the hubbies and the wives get a long really well, it's a match made in friendship heaven. That is until they move to Ottawa.

It was time for a change for John Inca's career and that meant relocating to Ottawa. They sold their house in the fall but rented another house and with the Pandemic and people working remotely, I didn't think they'd move until the spring, but then they bought a house in Ottawa and they gave up their lease in Toronto and all of a sudden they were coming in to pick up the rest of their stuff and this was it.

I'm not really ready to come to terms with them leaving. But here it is. We've been in second lock down since the winter break. We've seen my brother Andrew without masks in our home on Christmas, but that's it. We've been away or masked from the world, so when Emily told me they were coming back to get the last of their things did you want to hang out, the answer was YES!

Fiona is already asking when we can see them again. We're going to rent a cottage together in the summer, but beyond that, who knows. I keep telling her it isn't that far, but it is kind of far, and there's a pandemic. I know that they are forever friends, and that we will see them, but it won't be the same, and that's hard. Change is hard. We love you Lim-Andersons!!!