Happy 2014?!?!

I am so happy to see the end of 2013. It was a trying year for our family. We said good-bye to our beloved nanny, Rose, as she moved away and prepared to return to college. We welcomed a new nanny into our family. There's been a rough adjustment period (that's still on-going) but so far, and most importantly, Quinn has taken to Arlyn well. Rose left some mighty big shoes to fill, but I'm confident Arlyn will soon blend into our crazy household well.
Aisling started hockey and piano lessons. Devlin continued with hockey, cubs and piano. Ceilidh started voice lessons, while continuing with dance and piano. All three are still in Tae Kwon Do with Dad, while Quinn and I are trying to keep the household together. We spend the evenings when everyone else is out, doing laundry, preparing the next day's meals and tidying up.  My promise to Quinn is to enroll him in a parent and tot gymnastics class or something. Although, I'm sure he'd rather do hockey.
Don't get me wrong, 2013 had some great moments too. We welcomed twins into our extended family. Cousins Jacob and Hannah arrived August 1st. The kids loved cuddling the babies, and Quinn adjusted to not being the "baby" anymore. Quinn went on two plane trips with Mommy, and developed a fascination for all things "boy" - like Thomas the train, dinosaurs, hockey, hockey, hockey and cars. Especially Disney's Cars. Devlin developed a love for reading stories with mythical creatures. He completed the Percy Jackson series and is now into the second series by Rick Riordan. Ceilidh finished the Monster High trilogy and is now checking out Nancy Drew. Aisling is starting to sound out words, and Quinn? While he can't read yet, he demands a minimum of 5 stories a night. Thomas or Choo-choo, Cars, the bunny book (The Runaway Bunny) and at least book involving hockey.
Two days before the great ice storm hit the GTA, our roof sprung a leak. The ceiling plaster by our sky light started coming down in chunks. Then roof froze, thanks to the ice storm, so the leaks and dripping stopped. But our majestic maple trees in our front and backyards lost several limbs. Our house is surrounded by fallen branches - still - since we decided to get the heck out of Dodge and play ostrich. But, we never lost power and we had heat and hot water throughout.
No, really, we left for two weeks of quality holiday time with the extended family down in Windsor. Auntie Shunaha and Uncle Nowell, cousins Mia, Jacob and Hannah were all there - having escaped the no heat, no hot water land of the GTA from their extended family. While crowded at Grandma and Grandpa's, it was loads of fun with plenty of food and laughs. There were seven grandkids under that roof! That's how many of us actually grew up in that house. We even had Rose join us all for Christmas.
There were some disagreements, mostly between Quinn and Mia. One afternoon,  Wayne and I took our four kids and Mia to the movies. The looks and stares we got from other folks as we trooped in and took up a whole row of seats was entertaining. There was a morning spent tobogganing on the hill I tobogganed on as a kid. And many meals of indulgence for both kids and adults. Quinn celebrated his second birthday down in Windsor with a Cars cake Mommy decorated and he blew out all the candles by himself! Only Jacob stayed up to ring in the new year while the rest of the kids slumbered.
Now, the holidays are over, kids are sick, and it's time to head back to school and work.
But as much as I'm glad to say good bye to 2013, I don't know if I should be so eager to welcome 2014 considering its start. While we returned home to a fixed and patched up roof, the fallen branches remain (okay, that's our fault since we could have stayed home to clear them). It's frigid here in the GTA, and yesterday,  I came home from my weekly Costco trip to a burst pipe and water in our basement. After several moments of sheer panic, and despair, and several hours without water, I've calmed down a bit. We lost a garbage bag of toys, but that's okay, since we've got so many. The futon mattress is toast. And the carpet will likely have to be replaced. There are holes in the ceiling since the plumber and Wayne were looking for the shut-off valve (there wasn't one) and had to create one for the affected pipe. The kids are without basement for a few days which means they will constantly be in our face upstairs! The nanny's room wasn't affected (thank gawd!) and I can still use the washing machine and dryer (double thank gawd!). The plumber was Devlin's Beaver leader who came out as a favour since he doesn't do residential properties. He also left us the use of his shop vac so we can try to dry out the carpets.
Tomorrow is soon enough to deal with the insurance people. Today we've got to deal with the fallen branches and make room in the garage for the basement furniture and stuff, which is 90% kids' toys and games. I've got no place to exercise in the mornings. I guess I could take up winter running again, but for the 20cm of snow expected today and the frigid temperatures to follow.
When I start to curse at our string of bad luck, I have to stop and remind myself, it's only property. While we may not be rolling in the dough, what's been lost is replaceable and what's been damaged is repairable. My children are healthy, well-adjusted and happy. my spouse and I are healthy (except for age-related aches and pains), we have a now-leakless roof over our heads, the fridges and freezers are packed with food, and we are both gainfully employed. I have a good relationship with my siblings and parents, and I have great friends. I have so much to be thankful for, and with that, I am going to sign off while wishing you all a wonderful 2014.