New tooth alert!

update - new front tooth coming in . pictures to follow. This fairy is for Aunt Nicole - who won't facebook. yes, facebook is a verb.

Swimming!

This was our last trip to the wading pool for the year. Little did we know. Willow loves the water now, and tried to run off in the lake last week. So brave!

All by herself

When daddy takes care of her, willow puts herself to bed some nights. Seen here with the book she read herself and dolly, all tucked in.

When I'm home, it's all "nyuk" (milk) all the time. She knows I'm a newbie!

Finger painting!

Willow loves finger paint - but not in her fingers! In this, she is more like her dad and less like me. Or, just her I guess.

Global News BC - Randene Neill Accosted by Dog

Sweet and funny. Not violent. Thanks Fraulein Falkenburg

back to blog

Time to blog again! I relied on facebook over the summer because it was easier to post pictures there and with all of the kids in this smallish space we call home there wasn't much quiet time for blogging. Quiet time was for napping!

Then the kids left which left me in avoidance mode. No blogging, no looking at pictures of the summer. Just a lot of doing to keep me busy. Baking and cooking mostly. Looking for a new home to make room for growing kids who need to romp and for me as I'm too sensitive to noise but want to let the kids run free. Two words:Wreck Room.

The fever has passed now though and Willow and I are back to our routines. I ran into Fraulien Falkebburg yesterday and she chided me to get back to the blog. Aunt Nicole mentioned that this is where she comes for updates so no more avoidance. Back to blog.

On the plus side, in avoidance mode I started reading again. I read some Ian Rankin cause nothing is as soothing in a " I'm doing better than these guys" kinda way as a murder mystery being solved by a scotch slugging loner. I just finished " Me talk pretty one day" a series of essays by David Sedaris. It made me laugh out loud and I'm comforted by his assertion his IQ tested low. Why? Look, I'm surrounded by geniuses. I'm not one. It's good to know that those of us with average brains can be witty writer types. There's hope. You know, that one day I'll be a witty writer type. Or at least that I could be something other than a all centre employee and infatuated mother.

Now to deal with my low self image, demonstrated above, I'm reading " Feeling Good" by Dr David D Burns. I don't normally read self help books; generally I find them cheesy and condescending. So far I like this one though. It is practical and does not encourage me to analyze my childhood. It is meant to help with depression but I'm interested in the bits on turning negative thoughts around.

Parenting wise, I'm reading "calm and compassionate children" by Susan Usha Dermond. I've only gotten as far as a discussion about the difference between happiness and excitement and I'm excited to read more. Or am I happy about it? I'll get back to you.

I'm knitting again. Squares and washclothes.The smell of yarn reminds me of life before Willow. Dusting that off too!

And now some pictures. Really thats the best part!




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Boss Fight!

These exciting scenes were captured while a daring band of adventurers delved deep inside a kobold lair to rescue their loved ones. To their surprise the true master of the kobold plot was in fact...
Entrance to the dungeon.
Tiger Chomp corners two kobold ambushers.
Valna Dancefletcher gets some help choosing her power cards. Note DM wearing DM tee-shirt.
Valna and Applie decide on a strategy.
Epsolus plans a valiant move.
Day 2: Applie needs some help with her tiefling horns.
Valna and Tiger Chomp assemble!
Epsolus asks Applie to roll big numbers.
Holy carp! What's that lurking in the back of the cave?
Me, knaves! I didn't have a dragon mini, white or otherwise, so I sculpted one out of modeling clay. I was aiming for hideous abomination but ended up with kinda cute and doughy.
It's a bushwack! Tiger Chomp and Epsolus go toe-to-toe with winterface while the rest of the party tries to move as far away from another blast of frost breath as possible. Notice the bloodied squares.
Valna Dancefletcher shooting the dragon full of holes from across the cave.
The dragon backs Applie into a corner but Epsolus and Tiger Chomp come to the rescue. This was the scene when our heroes claimed victory and slew their FIRST DRAGON EVER!

Family DnD sketches!

For all you munchkins who want to relive the glory of taking down a white dragon in the boss fight, here are some character sketches from our family DnD game this summer.
Valna the elven ranger in mid-action. A mild-mannered forest dweller disguises a deadly sniper and master tactician. Think she won't find a way to mess up your day with a swarm of arrows? Guess again.
Tiger Chomp doin' what dwarven barbarians do best: goin' berserk.
Apply the tiefling wizard, about to s'plode some kobold heads.
Epsolus, eladrin swordmage; a picture of grace, and if you try to escape him he'll teleport next to you and put a sword through your face.
Nyx, proving gnomish bards don't comepletely suck. Watch out kobolds or she will taunt you a second time!