Ev'ybody

I always thought that "transitional objects" were toys that children carried around to help them get through toddlerhood (ie, transition from baby to little kid). I learned in a psych class in university that the objects have a more direct and immediate use in children's lives: they help children transition from one activity or space to another. Maïa had Clicky, whom she took everywhere. Solanne has Cat (aka, Vanille) and Baby (aka, Baby Rachel). Their respective friends became very important around the age of 12 to 18 months.

Then, around the time Sol turned 2, she expanded her group of friends. Suddenly, she started carrying around Jacka Monkey and the gorilla; Solanne calls them "the mommy" and "the daddy," respectively. Soon, there were a number of other stuffed animals involved, including a dog and Snowman (they're the regulars). One day, out of the blue, Solanne dubbed the group "ev'ybody." Now, if we're busy playing in the living room and call her into the kitchen for a snack, she first must gather up ev'ybody (it's a full armload for her), bring them to the kitchen, and dump them on the floor. I found this a really odd thing, to expand her cast of characters. And then I remembered Maïa.

Around Christmas two years ago, when Maïa had just turned two, she began asking to bring more friends to bed with her. The group became quickly established. There were five of them, a number we had to remember so we could find them all at bed time: Clicky, Dodo (a receiving blanket), Chick, Snowman (now Sol's regular friend), and Pillow (a little doll pillow that had been mine when I was little). There was no title to the group, however.

I'm not sure if it's just my kids who do this around the age of two; after all, many children don't even have one special friend, let alone a whole group of them. But there must be a reason for it happening around the age of two. For Maïa it lasted about 8 months. By the time we moved here, she was back to having just Clicky with her at bed. For now, "ev'ybody" is going strong at our house. There is one saving grace in all this: at least she doesn't take them all to bed. I don't know if we'd be able to find her in her little bed for all those friends.

Trailers on the run

I promise to write soon, when I have a moment, when I am not editing someone else's writing... I guess I can't complain about having paid work (for once)! A little preview of future entries:

Ev'ybody

Misunderstood lyrics and other malapropisms

School registration

Inspirational song

This is the song that uncle Mike wrote for the wedding. It was performed (by Derek, and sung along by all) instead of having a traditional reading.

"It's Great to Be a Pirate"

It’s great to be a pirate
And live a life of pleasure
We fight with swords and swing from ropes
And hunt for buried treasure.
We make our families walk the plank
Ignore them while they’re pleadin’.
We’ll wear those patches on our eyes
So we don’t have to see ’em.

CHORUS
It’s great, it’s great – To be a married pirate!
It’s great, it’s great – To live in wedded bliss.
It’s great, it’s great – Shackled to our partner.
It’s great, it’s great – A life of strife as man and wife our
Freedom we won’t miss.

Here’s to getting married
Our vows we’ll be a’heedin’
We’ll fight all day, make up all night
Our sleep, we won’t be needin’.
We make our families tow the line
When they will come a-sailin’.
They’ll swab the deck and clean the head
And that’ll send them packin’.

CHORUS

The pirate wedding

The pirate wedding was one of the highlights of our holidays. When Derek and I were approached to help plan this occasion (unbeknownst to the bride and groom!), we were happy to chip in. We had no idea how out of hand it could become!

Derek's aunt Susan (Sandie's sister) has been with Dan for thirteen years, and they finally decided to tie the knot over the holiday season. The timing wasn't great for most of us, but they chose the date because it was the first time in about five years that Susan's daughter, Megan, and Dan's two daugthers would be in town (Toronto) at the same time, before heading back out to their respective corners of the planet. Most of us couldn't make it, and Susan and Dan were very gracious in understanding. It was, after all, a few days before Christmas and four days after Pat and Julie's wedding, and short notice.

But Derek's uncle Mike, Susan and Sandie's brother, felt that we couldn't let the occasion pass by unnoticed. He thought we could host a wedding: more than just a dinner to celebrate, he wanted to have the whole thing done right here in Montreal, before the whole family. Since Susan and Dan sail, a pirate theme was tossed about. I don't think Mike knew what we were going to do with that idea!

Derek and I planned out the ceremony, casting my father-in-law, Ken, as the officiant: a crusty old pirate captain. Ken is somewhat of a ham, so he was very excited when he got the script. He even added some of his own touches. We were inspired and helped along a little by the Talk Like a Pirate website. Everyone in the family got into the spirit of things. Some made the pirate hats we were all required to wear.

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Uncle Mike and his wife, aunt Robin, hosted at their home (and Robin made a feast). Sandie and Ken helped with the costumes. And everyone was game to sing along and play their parts.

The ceremony opened with Mike playing a wedding march. (Keep in mind that Susan and Dan only knew they were going to have a celebration in their honour: they didn't know about the ceremony). Dan was ushered out by Megan who forced him forward with a plastic sword (to create a pirate version of a shotgun wedding).

Susan came down the stairs, and headed for the "altar."

Ken played up his role as Cap'n "Scurvy Bilge Rat" Ken.

The rest was rather like any other wedding, only done up in pirate-speak and with a great deal of laughter. We sang "It's Great to Be a Pirate" and then listened to the bride and groom's vows. Throughout, we called Dan all names but his own, such as Dick, Don, Doug, Dale, and Donovan. (We have only known him for thirteen years, after all.)

After the ceremony, Susan and Dan opened up their wedding survival kit (including ear plugs, sleeping masks, various how-to guides, jumbo condoms, band-aids, and Centrum Silver vitamins). The gifts were followed by the first dance. Then we devoured the delicious supper as well as the wedding cake, made by Gramma.

Dan's vows

I, Dick Osbold, take you, Susan Payette, to be my buxom sea lassie, my partner in life, and my one true love. I vow to be yours, in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow. I will love you when our decks are full of treasure, and when the rats have eaten the last crumb from our hold. I will cherish you even if you swell up with scurvy, or if your skin peels off in the scorching sun. I promise to stay by your side through renovations, redecorations, and multiple flagellations—even if it kills me. I vow never to get angry with you, even though you spend most of your time in far-off cities with strapping young football players instead of with me. In other words, I promise to cherish and respect you, to care for you and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, to allow you into my flight simulator whenever you want, and to stay with you, for all eternity.

Susan's vows

I, Susan Payette, take you, Don Osterwald, to be my gnarly ocean barnacle, my partner at sea, and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I vow to stay with you, through storms and high seas, though our mast might break, or salt water leak into our bed. I promise never to make you swab the deck unless you deserve it, and to let you clean out the head whenever you want to. Through it all, I will love you, honor you, and obey you when it suits my needs—and do my own thing whenever I feel like it. I won’t get angry that you have two Tauruses and only one of me, and I swear never to flush the toilet while you are in the shower. Doug, I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, my liver, my gall bladder, my left eye, and my love, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live.

"Gangplank to Heaven"

Here are the lyrics to Susan and Dan's first dance. Composed by Derek, to the tune of "Stairway to Heaven"

There’s a lady named Sue,
Who found her love true,
Now she’s walking the gangplank to heaven.
When she gets to its end,
Well you know she’ll find Dan,
And they’ll sail off together, hand in hand.

Oooh, oooh, and they’re walking the gangplank to heaven.
There’s a sign on the head,
It says "Flush, or you’re dead,"
Cause you know sometimes he leaves the seat up.
And she’ll say, "Swab the deck,
Or I’ll give you heck!"
And at times Dan will feel kind of beat up.

And it keeps me thinking,
How they keep from sinking.

There’s a feeling they’ll get,
When they’re both soaking wet,
In a storm off the coast of Saint Catharines.
And Dan will complain,
They should just take a plane,
At least planes have some half-normal bathrooms.

And it keeps me thinking,
How do they keep from sinking?

If there’s a rustle in your ship’s hold,
Don’t be alarmed now,
It’s prob’ly Susie renova-ting.
Just make sure she don’t knock the walls down,
Because you’ll both drown,
You’ll feel your ship slowly sinking…

And as they sail the lake so cold,
They’ll swab the decks and clean the hold,
And scrape the barnacles and mold,
Until they look all grey and old,
But still their smiles will shine like gold,

And if we listen very hard,
We’ll hear them hauling on the yards,
They’ll need a drink to get them through,
So here’s a toast to Dan and Sue…

Cause they’re walking the gangplank to heaven.

What I did on my Christmas vacation, or how I went mad in 21 days

Our Christmas "vacation" was perhaps the most hectic on record for us, which is no mean feat considering we have been known to have four Christmases in the space of two-and-a-half days. Here are some highlights (photos to come when I have time to format everything):

Dec 13: leave for Ottawa; meet Derek's mentor after a talk he has given

Dec 14: visit with my Mom, which is where we are staying; finish final adjustments on the flower girl dresses

Dec 15: rehearsal & dinner for Patrick and Julie's wedding

Dec 16: Pat & Julie's wedding; drink, eat little, take off shoes, dance

Dec 17: visit with Derek's extended family; drive back to Montreal in time to greet Matt, and old friend who's been in Korea for the past two years; visit

Dec 18: say good-bye to Matt; go to pilates class; run to daycare to set up the stage and room for Christmas concert; run home to shower; run back to daycare for a very adorable concert

Dec 19: recover

Dec 20-21: write script for Pirate Wedding; write lyrics for "Gangplank to Heaven" (actually Derek wrote that part); prepare lyric sheets and wedding programs

Dec 22: meet up with my good friend Catherine and her partner, Simon, in the Old Port (Catherine's been living in Australia for the past four years); go to Mike & Robin's for Susan & Dan's Pirate Wedding (more on this in its own entry)

Dec 23: The Great Payette Christmas Gathering, which is an annual event during which all of Derek's mother's family gets together to eat and exchange gifts... and visit, too; Derek's brother Nick and his partner, Naomi, stay over, and we chat...

Dec 24: gift exchange; Christmas dinner at our place, with our parents and Nick and Naomi

Dec 25: more presents; we go to church (right, that's what this is all about...)

Dec 26: my Mom and I go to the movies

Dec 27: my Mom leaves; laundry

Dec 28-Jan 2: we visit with Derek's parents (and brothers and their partners, at various intervals)

Jan 2: drive back to Montreal in time to visit with Sarah (who has been in Italy for the past year and a half) and Gen (who lives here, but whom I see far too seldom); I discover all-you-can-eat sushi

Jan 3: Derek is back to school, and Maïa is back to daycare

Shockingly, after all this activity, I feel quite rested and happy.

By the bye, today is Derek's birthday. Happy 29th, Babe.

All in one breath

The good and the terribly bad swirl around together today, in my heart, in those around me, in those I love. It's been a rough couple of days in my soul. And for the first time in a long time, I find myself praying, out of the blue, for grace, healing, freedom. For those I know need it so desperately. And for those I don't even know.

And in the midst of the horrible pressing down on my heart, of the tears of frustration and sorrow about to spill any second, I can only laugh. Because of my girls. Because for us, right now anyway, life is unbelievably, hopelessly and hopefully beautiful. We are blessed, in the simplest sense: we have each other, wholly. So I hold onto them, Derek, Maïa, and Solanne, literally, and I pray. Prayers of thanksgiving and prayers of desolation. All in one breath.