Pictures from September and October

 September started with the Kingston Fair..we went three times over the weekend, it's just down the street and perfect for a kid like Diego...

 There were Mighty Machines,

 animals,

a crash up derby, (I expected this to be either boring or scaring for our little man but no such luck. It was all he talked about for days, and he will still sometimes tells me "Mama, carro, boom!". I continue to explain that Mama's car should NEVER go boom! Our neighbor with the race car suggested that perhaps his interest was a good thing and he would get it out of his system before he is 16. Here's hoping.)

 and to finish off a great big slide!

 Later on in the month we got a visit with a friend of Rafa's from Barranquilla who is now living in Germany. She and her husband rented a HUGE mobile home and did a little tour of Ontario, finishing up in Barrie for a wedding. They stayed with us for two nights and it was great to see them.

October brought Thanksgiving and a great visit with Isaac and Sue at the farm they were 'farm sitting'. We had a lot of fun running around, visiting the animals, picking tomatoes (for a lovely salsa), and throwing rocks into the water. Mom came in the evening after her craft show and we had a sumptuous dinner prepared by Sue and Isaac. Definitely a thankful thanksgiving.

Pictures and Updates

I will now attempt to update on some of the things that have been happening in the last two months: in short form.

 I am now back at school in a new position. LPS (Learming Program Support). It's an interesting role because I don't have a classroom but float from room to room offering support to students with special needs, and hopefully helping their teachers cope better along the way. On my 'ticket' are all the students with MID (Mild Intellectual Disabilities) and all the kids who are using AT (Assistive Technology, or specialized computer programs to help them with their communication). It's a big job and my brain hurts a lot of the time, but in a good way. I'm also taking my Special Education Part III online which will make me a 'specialist' and also bring a pay raise. It's a lot but I'm managing to float along (if not write in the blog very often).

Rafa is also back at school taking Civil Engineering Technologist. While he wasn't thrilled with the idea of going back to school he is finding the program very useful and feels like he will be very marketable when he is done. We're doing a lot of 'tag team' child care to get homework done, but at least we're not in med school.

Deigo is back at daycare and loves it. It is nice to drop him off and have him run away to play, with only a few small looks back but no tears. What is sometimes less nice is the negotiations needed to get him to leave at the end of the day - but that is also a good sign. The daycare is housed in the school where I am teaching which couldn't be more convenient. He is bringing songs and stories home now, and it is wonderful to sit at the end of the day and 'talk' to him about what he has done. "Coby, push, no" (with a shake of the head) Whether this is he pushing Coby, or the other way around is not clear. My suspicion is that it is some of both. We are definitely approaching two.

After a long silence

We have been silent for a long time, and it is not because nothing has been happening - a lot has been happening, hence the silence. My new motivation? I recently found out that an old friend of Rafa's who is now in Australia is reading the blog. I really didn't know I had such a wide 'fan' base. If you have never left a comment would you today, please. It is an interesting thing, online blogging. I sometimes wonder if it is a phase or if we have created a whole new way of communicating with the world. It is a little like sending out a bottle into a giant sea....