I'm baaaaack!

Whoa Nelly! So much has happened since I blogged last, I don't think I remember it all, but I will do my best to give a recap: ~Isabel has lost two teeth...big fan of the tooth fairy (who became reacquainted with her sewing machine during a 4-hour marathon to make a tooth fairy pillow about two years earlier than she expected). ~Orin could give most public speakers a run for their money...little chatterbox that he is. ~As per his doctors, Orin is still doing smashingly well! ~We have lost one of our family members-Goliath, our oldest cat-very recently. :( ~We can see the finish-line in the effort to finish the basement and are expecting to put it to full use come the summer (if not earlier). ~Isabel has been registered and assessed for kindergarten (or her five-year-old-school, as she likes to call it). ~We got rid of cable television and use a Boxee box for our television fix...it has revolutionized our lives. ~I've gotten into cake baking and decorating - haven't done a ton since Christmas, but Orin's birthday cake caused a bit of a stir. ~I am back at school, taking a diploma program in Autism Intervention - I am finding it fascinating and so incredibly valuable. ~My face is slowly coming around after my surgery in July and the lengthy recovery period that follows. I expect to get the braces off in the summer. ~Dave continues to fly model airplanes and amaze me with his ability to create solutions to problems that, at times, I didn't even know we had. ~I've joined a Zumba class and have a fantastic time at every session. ~Isabel continues with her dance classes - she is now doing tap and jazz. I very much look forward to the dance show in May. ~We discovered that Isabel loves roller coasters and that Orin is a little daredevil after a trip to Crystal Palace. ~Orin has developed a love of robots and trains. ~Isabel, when asked by her teachers what she wanted to be when she grew up, revealed that she aspires to be a Princess Firefighter Mom Teacher. ~Orin is potty training. ~Isabel is learning to read. ~I've begun reading again - oh, how I've missed reading for fun. PS: e-readers are awesome! ~Most recently, the excitement has been the trip to Disney World we are planning for this Christmas. It will be a surprise for the kids, so *shhhhhhhhh*. I have been having *the best* time planning how we will surprise them, all the fun stuff we will do and all of the wonderful crafty endeavours that will accompany the trip (I am making some personalized t-shirts, the kids' autograph books, pj pants and a few other things). I've also been stealthily prepping/testing things out on them via YouTube and the WDW website...so sneaky! That is, most definitely, not a comprehensive list, but it gives you some idea as to what we've been up to. I think my next post will be a picture collage of the last few months, but it will have to wait until tomorrow because it is time for me to head to bed.