Group 268

Actually, it is a bit early as his birthday is not until Wednesday but we celebrated yesterday so I am typing this up tonight.  We did our usual thing and drove up to my parents house so that we could all go the party at the Midland Legion.  Katrine was so excited about going to dance and hear the pipes that she even had me put a bun in her doll Lily’s hair (anyone know how to get bobby pins to stick into fake hair? Mine kept falling out).  Elspeth was a bit over whelmed and spent most of the night in someone’s arms clutching her penguin Meme and her sheep Aleigh.  That said, she looked super cute in tartan, bounced along when the pipes played (vs crying), waved enthusiastically when Katrine and I danced AND not only tried haggis but gobbled up a large serving.  Guess we will make a Scots out of her yet!  She also learned a new word which will come in immensely handy this summer but little else…piper.  Our other girl?  Glowed from all of the praise about her dancing.  I think that she particularly enjoyed hearing from the lady who told her, “I remember the very first time you danced and jumped side to side.  Now look at how big you are and you were wonderful.”  By about 9:00 poor Elspeth was hanging on to wakefullness by sheer will power so we started to pack her up.  Well, Katrine would have none of that because the pipe band had yet to play.  So, I drove Elspeth back to my parents house and ended up with a whole hour to myself…happy sigh.

This morning we enjoyed the snow.  Elspeth got to go sledding for the first time sitting on my lap.  It was only a wee hill but she was clapping at the bottom.  She was also much more willing to actually walk in the snow and touch it.  After tobogganing she pulled the sled around and when she got tired she put Glenn to work pulling her all around the yard until a dog barked, scared her and she insisted on going inside.  Katrine has fun trying to coax Elspeth into walking on the snow but lost interest after tobogganing for a bit.  Then the neighbour kids came out and she was off.  More sledding followed as well as using riding on their ATV.  I thought that she would find it scary but not her, “Awesome” was her description.  Her only disappointment about the visit was that the ice was too thin to go ice fishing with Grandpa and we weren’t staying long enough to go skiing.  Guess we will simply have to head back up soon.

As the Year of the Rabbit draws to a close, I will finish off with one of Burns’ graces (kindof symbollic of the melding of cultures in our family – Burns one day, New Years the next):

SOME hae meat, and canna eat,
	And some wad eat that want it ;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
	And sae the Lord be thankit.    Bringin in the haggis Not a bad job on the buns aye? "Haggi(s). Mo(re)" Gonna use this in our 6 month update for China "Must not fall asleep. Might miss something."