Samantha

Matthew and Samantha took some swimming lessons this summer. Some good friends of ours have a pool and wanted to put their son, Alex in some private lessons. Matthew and Samantha had the opportunity to join in also. Samantha had one on one lessons with the instructor and Matthew and Alex both had instruction at the same time. Both Matthew and Samantha showed great improvement in only one week of intensive lessons.

This summer, we have had lots of visitors here in Ottawa and we have travelled ourselves to see friends and family. Cynthia's grandparents from Montreal came to visit early this summer and we all met for a wonderful dinner out. My mother came to visit for a weekend and Cynthia's dad and Nannette also were in town at the same. You can see some pictures at a park where many of us took turns on the swings.

Samantha had a great time this past year in a ballet class. She attended weekly classes and was working towards a big dance recital at the end of the term. Before the recital, they did a dress rehearsal and parents were allows to attended the rehearsal and record the show. You can see some of that footage in the movie.

This spring, Samantha finished preschool and Matthew finished grade two. We don't really have any pictures related to Matthew's last day but on Samantha's last day, there was a big party. It was a chance for the kids to say good bye to each other and their teachers. Cynthia and I both attended and it was a great time. There was a pool party and it was a great day to spend an hour or so in the water.

Samantha misses Connie who was a very special teacher for her. But soon enough, she will be starting junior kindergarten which is a big step for her.

In April, Matthew and Samantha's dojo held a karate tournament. Matthew did quite well at the previous one but Samantha was sick and couldn't attend. She was very impressed with the trophy Matthew brought home so she was determined to make it to this one.

We do things a bit differently at Easter at our house. Because Samantha is diabetic, the Easter Bunny doesn't leave as much chocolate here. He does hide some chocolate eggs around the house but there are no chocolate bunnies. Instead, he gives a little gift to Matthew and Samantha.

A short distance from our new house is a great tobogganing hill. So, we picked up a couple of sleds and took the kids a couple of times this winter. It is a reasonable walk for Matthew and I from the house to the hill. The walk becomes unreasonable when you end up having to carry Samantha and pull the sled though. The second time we went, we drove if only to avoid a cold walk back when everyone is tired.

Months ago, Christmas Day came and went and although we took a few pictures I hadn't gotten anything up on the website. Until now. Matthew was very happy when he found a couple of Lego sets under the tree. But, he also got some other interesting toys like some Snap Circuits which lets you make simple electric circuits from some standardized snap-able pieces.

With Matthew's birthday past, Christmas was coming quickly. So, I took an afternoon off work and our plan was to take Matthew and Samantha to see Santa and pick out a tree. Thinking that getting to the mall early would beat the line for Santa, we arrived to find that Santa didn't arrive until after dinner time. So, instead we went in search of a Christmas tree.

In early December, we made our first trip since getting back to Canada to Montreal to see Cynthia's family and celebrate Chanukah. Many of the people there we hadn't seen in a very long time and it was great to catch up with everyone. Although the winter months aren't the best, being back in Ottawa and close to family and friends is worth it.