This past Sunday, we celebrated Lucie's 2nd birthday. Here she is admiring her presents (by standing on the kitchen table, of course).
In addition to being a big kid now, she is also quite the sneak (as my comments in the above video indicated). Proof of this claim a little later in the day when we caught our little sneak red handed.
Having very clearly communicated to us that she was ready for the birthday celebrations to commence, we acquiesced and finally had some cake.
The girls prepared a cool present for my birthday (a package of picture frames so that I can decorate my office). The even personally wrapped and decorated the box for me!!!
Here's what happens to your windows when it snows at -10 degrees Fahrenheit. It may be hard to see, but you basically get these long ice crystals growing across the glass. Who would have thought?? (Certainly not a couple of people from the Gulf Coast).
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Deep winter has finally arrived in Montreal. This means that our heating bill will soon sky-rocket but, more importantly, it means that the ice skating rink (or "patinoire" in french) has been installed in our local park. As you can see in the videos below, the roller blades that the older girls got from Honey this summer seem to have paid dividends. They both look much more stable on the ice. Not bad for a couple of Cajun-Hispanic hybrids!!!
This past week, I took a short trip to Waterloo, Ontario - Canada's tech hub and birthplace of the nearly defunct BlackBerry smart phone/tablet enterprise. I was there to give a talk about my research (how enzymes make antibiotics) at Wilfrid Laurier University. I snapped this picture during my walk to the local coffee shop at sunrise on an otherwise pleasant Canadian morning (only 5 degrees Fahrenheit).
Work has been steadily progressing at McGill. I had two students just recently submit their Masters theses, and my lab is now up to four Ph.D. students. My department has just nominated me for a "Canada Research Chair" which, if awarded from the Canadian government, would provide a nice influx of cash for the next five years. Along with a colleague, I was awarded a grant last semester to develop methods to deliver disinfectants to bacterial biofilms. We are collaborating with a company that develops products for the sanitation industry. I am also in the process of applying for/writing two additional grants that will help keep various other projects funded.
Finally, no blog post is complete without updating Beatrice's antics. Here she is decked out in her fancy lady outfit complete with pink ball gown, pink fur coat, sparkly head band, and tiny dog.
We have a big week coming up - dad turns 39 tomorrow and Lucie turns 2 next week. Oh man - I just referred to myself as dad without giving it a second thought - a sign that I truly am approaching 40. Not to worry, we Thibodeauxs age like fine wines. In accordance with our normal birthday celebrations, I'm sure we'll load up on cake and other sweets just as our bodies are recovering from the diabetic shock they received over the holidays.
