i don't think there's really anything to say.  the death count keeps on rising...  by the thousands every time i hear it, and all i want to do is hug my children close to me.  i thank God that he chose me to live here.

i don't think that there are words to encompass how much people are suffering right now, but i felt it was necessary to acknowledge how some people are not celebrating anything right now.

wow.  we have spent the last three days running hither and thither and yon.  it was crazy, i tell ya, crazy!!

Christmas day had us off to my parentals for dinner and presents, boxing day was the annual gigantic christmas party for ja's extended family, and yesterday, (which usually happens on the first) saw us in cobourg at ja's immediate family.  we are TIRED today!  i'm still in my pj's, ja's in his undies, and keyzia's been naked for most of the day.

it was fun, but way too much in way too short of a period of time.  it won't happen like this again next year, that's for sure!  at the very least because we are demanding that everyone come to us next year.

the leap pad is a fabulous hit with the doodle-girl, and our handsome boy has finally got over his paralyzing fear of the geo-trax.  although, i do think that ja might be enjoying it even more than the kidlets are....

i was spoiled rotten, as i should have been...  ja got me some beautiful gold sleeper ear-rings...  the gold won't even come off in the shower, and me ears will not turn green, and he got me the bottom half for my toolbox!!  i, actually, have a much better toolbox than most men i know! 

my parentals got me this crazy Rolodex Touch-Screen PDA.  it's pretty neat.  i can even hook it up to the computer and download stuff onto it.  i even added a dictionary to it!  how funny is that?  i haven't figured it out totally yet, but i sure am hopeful that it will help me remember things better.  i can set an alarm to remind me of stuff, put in addresses and phone number, has a lot of little gadgets.  very cool.

we just have a few more people we're hoping to see soon, my great aunt joyce, and then new year's eve is at my friend jen's place.  then we take down the tree and start packing!!  a new year definitely calls for a new place to live!

as i reflect on what Christmas truly means, and how we celebrate the greatest gift given to us of all, i was sent this lovely poem...  not sure who the author is...

 The Christmas Gift

Born this night a world of sin,
The Prince of Peace the Redeemer of Men.
This child of God, that was sent from on High.
To be born of Mary to suffer and die!

Rejected by men from the day of His birth;
To suffer and die on Calvary's tree.
For the sins of the world to set me free.
From Bethlehem to Golgotha, he never complained
Laughed at! Spit on! Mocked in shame!

He was born of a women, but He knew no sin,
This babe in the Manger the Savior of Men!

wow.  God came down from heaven as a little baby, suffered as we will never know, all to bring us closer to Him.  that is truly the greatest gift i will ever receive.  eternal life, just waiting for me to reach out and grab it.

this website, Marnie MacLean, has some really sweet free knitting patterns!  too cute!

ephraim has been pretty up and down this week.  poor guy.  first he gets his eye teeth, and then i discover he's a super boy, and decided to cut molars at the same time!  not one, but two!!  so, his total tooth count is four on top plus two molars, and still two on the bottom.

he's gonna do great with that turkey!

me:  hurry up, keyzia, i have to go too!

keyzia:  you have to wait your turn!  you have to learn to be patient!

right now, at this very moment in time, i have not one, not two, but three children sleeping in my apartment.  it's at moments like these when i think i could handle another one of my own.

then they all wake up, and i come to my senses.

so, i'm struggling with going out to the family's for christmas this year...  especially after all the rigamarole that has gone on lately.  however, if i do stay home, it's mostly because i'm being a jerk.  i really do need to suck it up and go...  even if it is horrible, and my mother ignores me.... 

on another note, a happier note, my daughter is the cutest thing in the entire world!!  the Christmas concert was held at our church last night, and my daughter was a present.  she had on one of those giant gift bags with the bottom cut out, and i put a tonne of ribbons in her hair.  she was a doll! 

all day yesterday, she kept asking me, "i just follow the Christmas trees, right momma?  the big kids look like christmas trees?"  she was supposed to parade around and up and down the aisles to this song that they were singing...  she did great.  at first, she tried to unwrap the present standing next to her, then she did a little dance to the music, then she got distracted by the nativity on the set and forgot to follow the Christmas trees for a minute!  she gave us a little wave every time she walked by us.  adorable.  i could have eaten her up!

that sure makes up for the crappy day we had with both her and her strong willed brother.  nasty children.  won't even let their mother have a much needed nap!! 

they sure are lucky that they're cute.  it's really their only saving grace!

yuppers!  we're moving!

it's quite amazing really, a true Christmas miracle.  We've been on this list for subsidized housing for about three years now, and we call them occasionally just so that we can annoy them into giving us a house...  last month when ja called, we were still something like 60 on the list.  and then.... AND THEN... last thursday we got the call!  they had a three bedroom townhouse for us, would we like to look at it?? 

ummmm....  YES!  now, we were a little wary.  a while ago, i guess it was late summer, we looked at a place that was a little odd, then we ended up losing it.  we were pretty disappointed by that.  so, we pick up the key, and go to look at this townhouse.

three bedrooms, good sized kitchen and living room, and A FULL BASEMENT!  you heard me people.   I WILL NO LONGER NEED TO HAVE A WAGON IN MY BEDROOM!!  we're even allowed to paint!  wahoo!  hooray!  personally, i want to PAINT EVERY INCH OF WHITE WALL THAT THERE IS.  but, unfortunately, ja is drawing the line.  he thinks that might be too much to start with. 

it has a little postage stamp backyard, fenced in, and our unit fronts on a big field.  I WILL EVEN BE ABLE TO GO BIKING WITH THE KIDS BY MYSELF!!

we are so totally pumped.  ja has big plans for making a workshop in the basement, and i have big plans for making a toyroom in the basement...  there's even laundry hookup!  mind you, we don't have a washer or dryer, or a fridge and a stove that we also have to provide, but, the possibility is there.  ahh yes, how lovely.  we won't even have to have the cat litter by the front door!

so, we have two months to pack our stuff.  there is still some rigamarole with the application procedure, but God has made things smooth thus far, i see no reason as to why they won't continue to go smoothly!  the subsidy people were even more than willing to hold this place for us for the two months.  wow.  we actually won't be saving any money, we'll be about breaking even, but that's fine.  for double, almost triple the space, it will be worth it.

we are accepting volunteers right now for moving duties, looking after the monsters duties, and painting duties!

to wear purple girls boots and carry a purse filled with mega bloks.