Our Family Web Log

For some unknown reason, Istra decided all the people needed to go into the attic. When i showed her how they were sticking out the window, she decided it was time to play "the people falling out of the window game".



Out they fell. The old lady. The cripple. The babies. The daddy. All plummeting the 2 toy stories.

Then it was time for a cookie.

As the rest of us stood in awe and fright, Emeth came up behind the fearsome creature and, lifting his arm and pointing, asserted loudly: "Bummm! Bum! Buuuum! Bum! Bum! Buuuuuummm! Bummm. Bum. Bum... bum."





Luckily, that's one of the few words he can say. It sure came in handy for him this day.

We got in to our new place-to-be on Tuesday and took some pictures to try to help us get a sense of the place, and reassure ourselves that we haven't made a terrible mistake. We realised after signing the lease that we really hadn't looked at the place very closely when we'd previously viewed it. We were overwhelmed by the convenience and novelty of the location, and such trivialities as a back door. But as we packed we started to fear: will we fit?

Well, look at the map. See the park. That park will be literally next door to us. How does a person with kids resist that alone? The park is smallish, but it is nice. There are swings, a wading pool, slides and a climbing structure. There are trees and rocks. We've spent some time hanging around that park now (see pictures), and it's well stocked with urchins, for Emeth and Istra to play with. It'll be basically our big back yard. And if one gets tired of this park, there's one about 4 times the size just one block north, overlooking the city. Yes, only one block north! And there are other interesting and significant parks not too much further, despite the intensely urban setting.

Anyhow, as I say, after signing the lease we arranged to get back in and take another look. We did reassure ourselves that there does seem to be adequate floor space. However, after drawing some rough floor plans based on some measurements I did... it's a bit scary again. There is a fair bit of space, but the space is extremely bizarre. The angles in this place have to be seen to be comprehended... and even then it's hard to comprehend even while looking at it. The strange angles and generally long narrow aspect of most rooms make it hard to imagine how furniture can be arranged. I think we'll just have to figure out out after we get in there.

We'll be moving during the last week of May... though we still don't have firm plans on how we're going to accomplish it, we will accomplish it. By June 1 we will be in the new place.

If you look at the pictures here's a quick tour...

Look out the window: there's the park!



Weird angles in the living/dining room.



Tiny little back "yard", with garden already trying to grow despite the cement tiles. (Though Selena has also already secured a plot in a (very) nearby community garden, with probably less cement tiles to work around.)



Strange little kitchen nook: more interesting strategic challenges.



Front porch is fairly large. The park just immediately to the left.



The back gate opens onto this little private court yard. Another cute element.



There's still some more work to be done on the place before we take possession. The bathroom is a mess. Some light fixtures are missing in a few places. But in three more weeks, we will begin to try to solve the puzzle of organizing ourselves into these peculiar shapes. While a bit nervous, we remain excited...

We really love our bikes. Their beauty exists for us on many levels. Aesthetics. Practicality. Efficiency. Economy. Fun. Exercise. Environmental friendliness. So it was with a fair bit of excitement that we finally were able to take our kids outside on their own bikes for the first time ever in their lives.

As previously posted, we had gotten them bikes a few weeks ago. The riding has all been indoors, though, as we didn't have helmets for them. Today that last detail was remedied. And despite the periodic showers, we headed out to a nearby schoolyard for a spin..

I think everyone we passed by were stunned to see a (just turned) two year old whizzing along confidently under his own mechanical power. A few even commented on it to us. Istra, for all her loudness and bravado, turns out to be a much more cautious cyclist. She carefully gets off her bike for curbs and downward slopes. She worries about going too fast. Good for her. (And great bike clothes!) Emeth gets upset when we interfere with his heading, determinedly, towards stairs. Good for him too! (His helmet and heavily padded crotch will doubtless save him, if we aren't able to!)

We, ourselves, never would have imagined that when Istra took her first two-wheeler out that Emeth would be right behind her on his at the same time. Actually, Emeth was ahead. Mommy had to run to keep up with him sometimes. But anyhow, here we all are.

Despite having to wait out some rain under evergreen trees (and a tiny playground roof), it was a great day. And the leaves are just starting to green the skies...

(P.S. the slideshow may work better now than it has been...?)

As of 3:41 in the morning on Saturday, Istra and Emeth officially have a new cousin. Congratulations, Istra and Emeth!

No, wait, congratulations are supposed to go to the new parents, Steven and Megan? Ah yes, that's right, the world doesn't revolve around Emeth and Istra. Must try to remember that. Must try.

Congratulations, Steven and Megan and little Meisie.

Meisie had a bit of a tough time making her premier appearance, but when we saw her Sunday evening she looked like she was doing very well, and planning on staying out here with us.

---

For those who want high-resolution images of the new peanut (or future photos of older peanuts) I wanted to relay a quick tutorial on how to download the full sized images from the new interface on the photo album linked above. When viewing a photo in the album:

1. First get to an album index page (where you see thumbnails) by clicking the title of the album in the top right "breadcrumb" links.
   
2. Now click the icon on the top left of the page that says "show sidebar" when you hover over it.
   
3. From the sidebar select "Add Album to cart" (alternately, for individual pictures, you can click the shopping cart icon when viewing the individual photos you want to download).
   
4. Now you'll be on the shopping cart page: notice the dropdown control that says "Cart actions" in the top right area of the screen. Click this and select "Download in Zip" and click the "Go" button.
   
5. Your browser should now ask you to download or open a file called g2_album.zip. Save or open this file, and then "extract" the contents to where you want the pictures to be on your computer. Then you can delete the g2_album.zip.