not a good blogger

I don't seem to be a very good blogger these days. I read many other people's blogs and am sad when they don't update regularly...I know...
I would like to say that not much is new. But there has to be something.
CO looks forward to snow and winter so much. This morning it snowed a bit and the boys spent almost an hour playing with shovels on the deck before the snow all melted away. CO is EAGER to build a snowman.
J is blooming SO much. His language skills are growing at a crazy fast rate. He has a little temper and hates it when he is told 'no'. Today he got a time-out in his crib as he took a tube of cream from my bedside table (I was in my closet looking for something) and he took it to the bathroom and then proceeded to squeeze it and smear the cream around. Because he took the cream to the other end of the house and hid behind the bathroom door, I knew he knew that it was something he shouldn't do. I told him 'no thanks for the mess' and put him in his crib. A minute and a half later I went to take him out of his crib, he was not there. Or in his room at all. Seems his brother found him crying and took him out of his bed...what a helpful brother :(
I am in a de-clutter mode these days. I am tired of the piles. I am hoping to clear out all the 'extra' stuff out of the livingroom/diningroom/schoolroom/kitchen by the end of next week (and this means every shelf, cupboard, etc.) before the Christmas tree comes. We are going to be later in getting it this year as we always go with out pastor and his family. The pastor is on a mission trip for a week with his third eldest daughter so we are waiting until they return. CO tells everyone these days that we are going to get our Christmas tree once Pastor Peter comes home. :)
We started an advent book this year. It is called Jotham's Journey. CO is paying attention to it after supper each evening quite well. My father on the other hand, he commented that the reading this evening was on the long side :) I am hoping to get thing ready for some Christmas decorations this week so I can unpack things like the advent candles.
I took out Ernest the bear for CO today. I bought Ernest when I was living and working in Stratford (right after highschool). He LOVED it. As did J. I tied one end to a door knob and CO practiced getting Ernest to go back and forth on the rope without falling.
J...well court happened the middle of November and the judge asked for more paperwork from CAS. Next court date is the beginning of March. This week a lawyer called. She will be J's lawyer and she is coming to meet him the week before Christmas. I didn't realize that things had progressed enough for him to get a lawyer yet as the judge has still to declare things are going to trial. This is going to be a LONG process. I kinda had my heart set on a MAT leave next summer (even though I know that this isn't a guarantee) but the likelihood of having next summer off are nil.
CO is loving cubbies. He sings their theme song throughout his day. Tonight he actually participated in all the singing. Usually he just sits and sometimes sings a bit but tonight he did all the actions to the songs they sang and during the cubbies song he hopped and jumped with the rest of them.
Me I am itching to craft these days. CO and I have been working on Christmas presents and it is SO nice to get into creating mode. (though I guess I am not creating because according to one of the first hugs in the cubbies book, creating is making something from nothing and I am making crafts out of craft supplies)
I look back at my 2011 goals and I have NOT been reading as much as I had hoped. I am tempted to just add to the 2011 goals and declare them to be 2012 goals.
That is all for tonight. I should have been asleep hours ago but I got side tracked scanning photos that belonged to my grandmother. My goal is to scan them all and then save them to USB for each of my dad's siblings. I am also scanning documents and stuff that she kept in a tin. Included in that are telegrams that she received from my grandfather while he was serving overseas in the war (they were engaged but not married at the time).