Long Time Coming!

It ,has taken a week of false starts, but I've finally found the time to write a posting for my blog. And it has only taken eight months since the last one!! Shame on me.

As you all know, time does fly, especially when you have a three year old in the house. And so, I apologize profusely to the few followers I have left for the huge wait for an update.

What have we been up to in the past eight months, you ask? Plenty, as usual!! Henry has grown in leaps and bounds. I put pants on him last week for the first time since spring, and his size three pants were almost three inches too short! He has been eating huge amounts of food at the dinner table every night only to wake up about three a.m. saying, Mama, I'm hungry! I thought middle of the night snacks were only for pregnant ladies!

Henry keeps us on our toes. He is a very active child, with a very active imagination. It gives me great joy to watch him now that he can entertain himself for an hour or so creating all sorts of scenarios for his various trains, trucks and rescue vehicles. He has sword fights with Daddy, loves the park, the beach and playing golf in our backyard. We have had a great summer here on the island. There is a little amusement park called Centreville that is aimed at the three to seven year old set, and we have made it our destination every Monday with our good friends Nataliea and Lucien (her three year old son).

Summer is our slow season at work, so Henry and I have been Daddy's only helpers at work since spring. It has worked out wonderfully. Henry goes to daycare at a home here on the island on Tuesday and Thursday where they have daily outings to the aforementioned beach, park and amusement park. On Wednesday and Friday he comes to wash cars with me and Andy, playing with his boats in the buckets while we work! He has his favourite secretaries, and loves to deliver the keys with Dad at the end of the workday (which is finished by noon on these hot summer days!) Then we all enjoy the island again for our three day weekends as we don't work on Mondays in the summer. Life is good!

As some of you may know, Andy has been negotiating with the insurance company for quite some time now to get our engine repaired or replaced. We sucked up a garbage bag in the Erie Canal on our maiden voyage, which caused a catastrophic engine overheat. Well, they finally settled!!!!!!!

Andy decided to replace the engine himself for two reasons; 1) he wanted to learn the new engine inside and out, and 2) we are frugal!  I'm glad he has decided to do it himself because I have seen what that man is capable of, and I have more faith in Andy's ability to do the job right than in anyone else!

After two days of working with our local island mechanic Andy has our old engine out! We are waiting for the new engine to arrive and are hoping to get it in the same way the old one came out, without cutting any new holes in our boat!

I still can't believe eight months have passed since I last posted! So making a long story short...New Years Eve was spent at another great party at the Heathcote's, complete with a Beatles tribute band! The winter was mild, and easy for us live aboards!  Easter was fun, as Henry loved the whole idea of the Easter Bunny, and had an egg hunt here on the boat and joined in the huge egg hunt through the woods on the island! Our move back to the island was uneventful and happened as planned on May 1st. The spring and summer have been lovely, although a little too hot for this winter lover, and a little too dry for the grass and the water level!! We will be out of our slip for the remainder of the season, as it got shallower and shallower and there is only so far you can back up on a dock! It's a good thing the water is a little deeper further down the lagoon!

Well, that's all I can think of to tell you for now. I will try hard to find the time to blog again soon, but have learned that I'd best not make any promises!

 It's hard to get our boy to smile for the camera these days, he has developed a real aversion for some reason. This was one of the few times he actually said, "Cheese!"

The family Oakes.

 Henry playing jack-in-the-box in his built in toy box!

Daddy looks great in Henry's swim goggles and bicycle helmet!