Falling Behind

Time is marching on at a pace I'm not quite in step with these days. I feel like I'm constantly trying to catch up on everything around me - the dishes, the laundry, the groceries, the kids' "homework" (how do 4 year olds get homework?!), emails, friends, blogging. Everything is either half done or not started or just being thought about at four in the morning.

I'm not sure what's making me fall behind so much lately. It might be that Elly has also been marching on. She's mastered the art of the army crawl and can get from A to B to Z in less time than it takes me to say "Where did you go?" You'll recall from my pregnancy posts that she was a wiggly, wriggly, kicky little bean in my belly. She hasn't changed a bit. She's a wiggly, wriggly, kicky little thing on the outside too, and into everything. I can't hold her in my arms for long because she's always arching this way and that to get down and go exploring. Needless to say the gates are back up and I'm following her around double-checking that there are no tiny toys on the ground, no tissues, no dog food within reach. Thankfully I've recruited Owen and William and they're excellent baby-proofers, if only because they don't want their toys to be slobbered on by Miss E.

And speaking of my guys, we get their progress reports back from school this week and then an interview with the teachers on Friday. I'm curious to know what's been going on in the classrooms and what kind of impression the teachers have of the boys. Since last year's preschool was a co-op, I really felt involved and aware of what was going on in Will and Owen's school lives. But now its all a mystery. I ask daily what they've learned, what they've had for lunch, who they played with and invariably get a shrug and an "I don't know" from the two of them. Seriously. They're teenagers already, didn't you know? Gah! But since they both appear eager to go each morning, I'm hoping I'll get the news that its a positive experience for both the kids and the teachers thus far.

I only have a couple of photos for you today, but I also have a video of my smiley girl at lunch today. You'll notice that I ask her to wave to Jack, the dog. He's her buddy, although he doesn't know it or perhaps chooses not to acknowledge this fact. Elliot absolutely lights up when the dog comes into the room, giggles and waves and seems to be trying to say Jack-Jack, although it comes out more like "Dag-Dag". If you ask her where mummy is, or daddy or Owen or William, she just stares at you like "I am so not into this game, people", but ask her where Jackie is and she searches until she finds him and then beams at him.

This is a bittersweet thing for me right now as poor Dag-Dag is succumbing to the usual Boxer fate. Our stinky puppy has mast cell tumours that have matastasized and have spread to his lymph nodes. He's on various painkillers and steroids to make him comfortable, but basically we're at that awful stage where we're watching and waiting for the moment we think his quality of life deteriorates to the point that a decision must be made. Elly's buddy isn't going to be around for much longer, I fear.

Anyway, enough of that sadness, let's just spend a moment looking and listening to a happy little munchkin. Hmmm, do you think maybe I'm not getting things done because I'm spending too much time looking and listening to a happy little munchkin?

Here are the kids with Elly wearing the beautiful balacklava that her Auntie Elle sent her when she was born. I love this hat on her!