General Update

Just a few updates on general life for all.

First, Ezekiel. I want to post this while I still can... Ezekiel is growing like a weed! He's been amazingly healthy! Except for a very scary episode when we first got here (we didn't have the proper transformer for his nebulizer), he hasn't had a neb since! I want to get this posted because Ezekiel has not had a cold/flu/RSV season in his life that he's not been on his nebulizer. Even when we haven't been in winter, he's NEVER gone 3 months without nebs. Since September, he's been on just a vitamin. We're pretty excited and very thankful. We knew the steroid affected his growth. But, when given the option between letting your son breathe, or making sure he's a starter on his college basketball team, we always chose breath. To some extent, his body would catch up depending on how young he is when he's not on it. Well, when we left Champaign he was wearing 18 month clothes, and most of them were loose. I refused to bring anything smaller than 24 months for my 2 and a half year old. I'm glad I didn't! He's soaring past 2T and I'm having to borrow pants from Xavier's drawer! So, yes, he does look much bigger in the pictures because he is!

Other news for Ezekiel. He's loving not being in school. He enjoys our mornings alone and was really thrown off the past two weeks when Xavier's been home for holiday. He wants to ride a bike. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one that fits him well. This week we went to a ludoteque. It's like a toy library and it's very cool. We borrowed a bike without pedals and a scooter. He loves the bike with no pedals and is doing great on it!

Coming down the hill in front of our apartment with no training wheels and no pedals - just balance! It's a good thing they have helmets!

Xavier loves school! I think he's learning french. At home he will count for us and tells us everything in the house that is bleu. He's not really speaking much, but his teacher tells me he's doing fine. Last week he started going to language classes before school in the morning. Now he has a 7:55-4:30 day. He's very tired, but happy. Xavier's also becoming a socialite. He's buddied up with a couple of other CERN boys in his class. Their birthdays both happen to be in early November, so he has two birthday parties in the next two weekends! I'm hoping birthday party etiquette isn't different, but I'll soon find out. Xavier can write his name, legibly and by himself. His V is sometimes upside down, but you definately know it's his name. He's really gotten into art and works on his letters every day. He likes to run to our poster of the alphabet and then run back to his paper and write a letter for me to identify. The capital letters are much easier for me to figure out.

Xavier helped me wrap the presents for his birthday parties. He's very excited to give his friends 3 feet of cars!

Ulysses is finally settling into his job. The first couple months were very difficult because of all the start up neccessities at home. He was constantly coming home to help deliver furniture, kill huge spiders, or help me with getting Xavier to or from school. We've started to fall into a pretty good routine and he's able to get to work most days by 9 and then comes homes about 5:30. He's still biking the 3 miles and planning on doing it through the winter. We're told there's usually not too much snow and it doesn't get too cold. He works about 5 shifts a month which throws everything for loop, but we're starting to get used to those evenings and nights too.

I am still in sticker shock most days that I go shopping. They tag items "Prix Choc!" which is like "Big Sale!". I hate to tell them, but I wouldn't pay their Prix Chox price for the same item retail at Macy's. I'm getting to be a better cook. I convinced the boys to let me make their jack-o-lanterns into pumpkin bread and it was really good. We had fajitas tonight. Mostly peppers and onions for Ulysses and me, but the homemade tortillas make it all worth it. I can't believe how easy homemade tortillas are and the taste difference is unreal. I've still got quite a bit of weight that I'd like to lose, but I have lost over 20 pounds. It's been really nice to not have to stress on Sunday mornings. Now I just have to change my outfit because I don't like the color, not because I can't button it.

For all of us, we've set up monthly date nights with our friends that we lived with in July. We take turns cooking dinner for each other and watching each other's kids. This Friday we watched the girls. Since everyone (except me) has been pretty healthy, we let the boys hold Joelle (born in August). As you can see, they were pretty excited. Ezekiel is facinated with her and Xavier just wants one. Joelle wasn't so sure about being passed from a two year old, to a three year old, to a two year old (her sister had to have a turn too) and then back to not daddy, but she was a good sport.

I think that's about all the news I've got. I'd love to hear from you all!