Do you think we’ve forgotten about you?

I have the camera, but Sydney and Katherine are in the new place.  So don’t expect much in the way of pictures from Nova Scotia.  If I can remember the camera on our local outings, I may be able to take more pictures of Nathaniel in all his cuteness, but I make no promises.

I can report that Sydney and Katherine arrived safely at the Penner grandparents’ house, with only some rebellion from Katherine along the way, and that she quickly made herself at home.  She apparently now spends her days tripping down the paths in her grandparents’ garden, going from house to field and back again, roaming from one family member to another.  She quickly adopted Sydney’s brother, Nelson, and seems disinclined to listen to Sydney or to come to the phone when I call.  So, no, she doesn’t seem to be distraught at the changes afoot.

Nathaniel is enjoying having a house to himself.  He spends his time at home dragging out pots and pans and toys and stuffed animals, making a series of piles on the floor.  I think he’s getting reacquainted with his things now that his big sister’s no longer here to take them away every three seconds.  He’s also crying a lot less than usual, also because Katherine’s not here to harass him.  We take long walks through the parks and head to playgrounds for some time with other kids (he’s learning to queue like an Englishman when waiting for the slide), and in-between I take him out to the shops to stock up on household items for what I think of as the upcoming storm (a busy fall semester, full of daycare, two jobs, job applications, and the usual classes and lectures of the school term).  Oxford is quiet this time of year, with everyone off on summer holiday and no playgroups or children’s activities running, so we’re on our own for fun.  But the town is also full of visiting American students whose home institutions hold summer sessions here, so I am surprised to hear my own accent ringing out all throughout the town.

Erin