Well, I can’t really tell you the actual F because I don’t think that would be fair to the family… F is the first letter of the last name of the family I want to talk about. I babysit for them (back in Vancouver) and I have done for nearly 8 years. They have three kids now – 10, 8, and 2 – the girls are older and the baby is a boy.

My babysitter from when I was a kid still remembers my birthday and we chat by email. So while I’ve been in England, I sent them cards and small presents for their birthdays and a nice long letter. My babysitter used to write me letters and I’d write back — I was hoping the girls would do that, but they are so busy! The girls both play 2 instruments each (piano, violin, cello, double bass) and now that their brother is walking & talking, I’m sure he’s up to everything. They also go to gymnastics and field hockey. They are certainly action-packed and it’ll be nice to be back in Vancouver and play with them again. I certainly miss their smiling faces, their stories, and them jumping up and down excitedly when I arrive at the front door.

They didn’t have time to write back, but their mom sent me a nice email with some photos attached:

And here are some photos from earlier (excuse the quality, they are scans):

Halloween 2006