Catching Up

I don't mean to be distant, but I guess I have drawn back a bit lately. I've been dealing with an annoying and persistent health issue which is finally resulting in minor surgery tomorrow. So that's been on my mind.

And, as usual, we're just busy. We spent last weekend at the cabin and had our Nexus pass interviews on Monday morning. We "passed" and should expect our new passes in the mail in the next week or so. I really am so excited about these passes and what it will mean for us. I feel like so many new adventures are now a possibility. I know we always could've gone across the border, but with a car full of little kids we just didn't want to risk waiting in a long line. And now we don't have to!

We also signed all our paperwork for refinancing our house. I've had some doctor's appointments. And all the regular home stuff on top of that.

The big news of the day is that Ember is walking! It's been gradual, but now she's walking more than crawling so I think it's fair to say it's official: we have a toddler! Her birthday is on Saturday and we will just have a small family gathering for that. Sometimes I think about the day of her birth and wonder about it. Was it easy? Did her birth mom have any friends there to support her? And what I was doing here on that day?

Speaking of Ember, as I type this I can hear her screaming in her crib which is very unusual for her. Ear infection? Teething? Will I get any sleep tonight?!

Anyway, here are some beach photos from last weekend. It was unusually warm and the kids got busy working on this beach fort. This was Ember's first time on the loose at the beach. She ate a little bit of sand, but then realized it wasn't that great and stopped. I could spend hours just sitting back and listening to the kids doing their thing - working together, making discoveries, noticing things. It is beautiful.