April & May (& some of June)

Once again it has been way too long! We were looking through some of Alana’s baby photos for her graduation (from elementary school) on Tuesday, and it was nice to take a trip down memory lane. I am amazed at how often I used to blog! I was definitely motivated to write something before another two months disappear before my eyes. 

Both of the older kids wrapped up successful indoor club volleyball seasons, with Hendrik’s team WINNING Division 1 Tier 1 gold! Incredible. I wasn’t at the game, but this clip from the last point of the match has been shared quite a bit, and Hendrik is right in there making things happen. He came home happier than I’d seen him in a while which was a major highlight for me!

  

Hendrik will start up with Team Ontario in a few weeks (for the first time), training at Nipissing with a group of kids who are hoping to be selected to go to the Canada Cup in Saskatchewan at the end of July. Alana’s season didn’t end with the win we were hoping for, but we competed with some of the top teams in the province and showed a huge amount of growth and development. We also got to go to Ottawa for Nationals in early May which was great - it was nice for the three of us (me, Steve and Alana) to get some time together. Since then, Alana has started up with beach volleyball and is loving it! Team Baby Deers are back again, and are set to compete in quite a few tourneys this summer. Last weekend they won silver here in London and will compete on Saturday out of town. Fun! Also fun - and completely unrelated to anyone playing volleyball - some of the Mahogany moms went to Bingo last weekend, and we had a blast! We dressed up, danced, didn’t win anything (ha!) and photo-bombed a few people on our way out. Good times! 

                 

Alana is also doing Team Ontario this summer, and her program gets to go to the Ontario Summer Games in Waterloo! I have some great memories of doing this program in BC (I need to find a photo) - I think I still have my t-shirt jersey somewhere… will have to dig that out too. Jordan will keep himself busy with baseball, and I have a few volleyball camps and clinics to go to and I just booked a trip for myself to head out to BC for a week. We’ll fill in the gaps here and there with some trips to the cottage and chill out at home too. We need to plan for some down time!

I played in the Ontario Master's bball tourney with this group - so fun!

J turned 10!

Birthday laser tag and arcade fun

There are a few more big highlights to share, one of which was a whirlwind weekend trip to Denver to get together with my sisters and their families. We hadn’t been together since 2017, and it was the best to see everyone! The cousins had a great time together, and we all picked up right where we left off. Hopefully we can get another visit in before too long (Jordan asks me almost daily when we can go back - love it). The last big bonus is the fact that we only have SIX days of school left, and Hendrik is finished with classes today! Time is going way too fast, and though I sure don’t want to wish any of it away… this last week of teaching needs to be over!

Easter, March break, and sports galore!

Yay long weekend! A few weeks ago I was happy it was March break, and I'm happy to have another few days off to put my feet up a bit and let go of the mental mania that drives our everyday busy routine. Steve booked a last minute spring break trip to the Caribbean, and it did not disappoint. He set the bar high with the Cayman Islands a few years ago, and this year he picked Turks & Caicos and an Airbnb in a quiet, more suburban (but low-key) area far away from Grace Bay, the main tourist hot spot on Providenciales. It was amazing to feel the heat of the sun for six days, and the same goes for all of the great beaches we visited, the sea turtles we swam with, and more. We spent most days at a beach or hanging out by the pool, exploring parts of the island and its beautiful scenery, and swimming, eating, and relaxing. We rented a car, had some good tips on what beaches and grocery stores to go to, and enjoyed daily paddle boarding from the dock (on a tidal lagoon - it was full of sea turtles, fish, birds), outdoor coffee/meals and a break from the go-go-go pace of this winter and spring. This weekend has been great for that too - it's always nice to spend time with family and get some chill out / relaxation time. Here are some vacay photos!

We stayed near Thompson Cover Beach; Grace Bay is where most of the big resorts are, and our favourite beach was Taylor Bay! The kids loved the big waves at Grace Bay.

a morning paddle from the dock

Taylor Bay beach

Lunch at Omar's - a beauty spot right on the water!

love this photo! an action shot on a rainy day. big waves and big fun at Grace Bay...

my favourite moment : fun in the waves on a sunny day... the best!

exploring Chalk Sound

the view from the porch

this jet ski tour was also a highlight - it was so fun! and Hendrik has his own :)

Back at home things are the same as they were the last time I posted (I think); the kids are full swing with their sports with the exception of Jordan who finished his hockey season last weekend. Alana and Hendrik have about a month left of the club volleyball, and then it will be into beach season for Alana and a first season of no baseball for H. I'm guessing he'll stay busy with umping and working out, but we'll see... he's doing one night of beach so might get into that too. I will enjoy some time off of coaching before really getting into planning more for next year - something that is hard to avoid doing too early on! I'm coaching some volleyball this summer, but aside from a few weeks of camps this will be my first summer of no coaching soccer in 10 years maybe? Yikes! No I never played soccer but yes I somehow always got roped into coaching. With Alana not playing it's a definite no-go!

And I'm officially the second shortest person in our family; Alana is taller than me! We did an unofficial kitchen measure and my bun wouldn't even help me out. I might be shrinking, but she is definitely growing. Hendrik still has a ways to go to catch Steve - we'll see what happens there. I need to do a separate update post on the attic renovation - I have no photos, and I know that's what people want to see! I'm hoping anyone reading this is enjoying the warmer (ish) weather wherever you are! :) 

Mid-Feb already!

 As usual, I made a list of things to try to get to over the weekend, and blogging was one of them; it's the 11th hour (ish) and I'm doing it! I had a pretty low key weekend for once, and it was great to be at home and enjoy a slower pace with fewer activities especially with the extra day off (today - Family Day!). Steve and Jordan were out of town for Jordan's first ever away hockey tournament (Jordan had a blast), and Hendrik and Alana just had volleyball practice on Sunday; other than that, there wasn't much going on. I read a book (that I loved : The Correspondent), exercised a few times, and then had more time to tackle the usual laundry-groceries-cleaning trifecta. 

So what's new since I last posted? The days are long and filled with many things, but it's much of the same (I think). Hendrik and Alana both picked their courses for next year; they'll be back to being at the same school in the fall, and Jordan will be the only one in elementary school - !! Seems just wild. All three kids are growing like crazy, and people will usually ask if they've grown since yesterday. Alana is almost as tall as me, Hendrik measure 6'5" with his shoes on and tells me I'm short, and Jordan is stretching out too. They're growing out of their clothes left right and centre and I need a tall person store more readily available please. It really is a wonder that there isn't more out there for taller people, and I know there's more than there used to be, but really, buying long-enough pants shouldn't be such a hassle. I found some for Alana, but getting Hendrik what he wants is a bit more challenging. Anyways, doesn't matter! What matters is we made it through the long month of January and everyone is off to a good start in term 2 of school / the back end of winter. It has been nice and mild the last few days here, so people are hopeful that winter is on the outs, but I know it's a false sense of spring. I'll take the sunshine and above-zero temps though! 

Everyone except Jordan has been keeping quite busy with volleyball. Alana has school and club volleyball happening, and the club ball keeps us busy 3-4 times a week I'd say. We have had quite a few tournaments, and a big one coming up this weekend. Our team also had professional photos taken which was so fun, and funny to think about how a boys team would approach things. I only have our team photo and some head shots for now, but will share more when I get them. Our team (grade 8) has improved SO much, and I'm very proud of the girls. They have so much potential, and I'm really hoping we can put a few more aspects of our game together in time for the season finale of Provincials and Nationals at the end of April / beginning of May. It certainly keeps us busy. Steve and Hendrik's team has been doing very well, competing in top divisions in their age group and the year above as well. I need to figure out how to see them play; somehow we are always in different places on the same days! Hopefully before the year is out I can get out to see something, somehow. 

Jordan is loving his hockey and is getting geared up for baseball season already too. Indoor workouts started a few weeks ago, and he seems excited about it. There's no baseball for Hendrik this summer, so hopefully he won't miss it and will find something else to fill his time with! He applied to one of the Team Ontario programs (Alana too), so hopefully that works out! Hoping for another post soon - maybe there will be less snow next time... fingers crossed!

not the best resolution but here's Hendrik and Steve's team

Maddie and Alana played in an indoor beach tourney a few weeks ago and won!

trying on grad dresses!

Happy holidays & a shortie...

Here I go, playing catch up again! There is just so little free time for anything, so writing here takes the back burner to the rest of it: work, kids' sports, coaching, feeding people etc. Ha! But really, life has been quite busy and we are all SO happy that winter break is here. We're in Bowmanville for a few weeks with a mid-vacay trip back to London for some volleyball (of course). When we're here we really do get to slow down and put our feet up a bit, and of course we appreciate that immensely. The kids are over the MOON to be here; they love spending the holidays in B-ville, especially when the Calgary crew is also here - which is the case again this Christmas. We arrived Monday, and Alana and Jordan quickly unpacked their stuff and then waited at the front window for the cousins (and their parents) to arrive. Since then, they've been together constantly! I've exercised twice in two days (record setting), and Steve and I worked on a puzzle and slept in - bliss! We don't have too many other plans while we're here other than the regular Christmas dinner and family time family time family time! 

The last few months has been busy with school, work (me at school, Steve in the attic or at reno jobs), and kids' activities (H volleyball, A volleyball, J hockey). I'll sift through my camera roll and get some pics up - I can't even remember what I missed! Alana had a few high school visit nights and is mostly decided on joining Hendrik at Central SS; we enjoyed the holiday concert at their school this last week - Alana's last one! We cut our own tree down this year instead of buying it at a local church, and it was great! The kids took turns with the saw, and we enjoyed some hot chocolate around the fire before heading home with it. I think that was at the end of November; since then we've had a few heavy snow days - unfortunately no school cancellations for us city folk though! Hendrik turned 15 at the end of November, and is in full teen mode. He's loving volleyball and doing well, yay. Alana is also loving volleyball, and gets to enjoy the more abundant training opportunities (for girls) around the city; she's also doing a Volleyball Canada camp thing in early January, so hopefully she likes that! Jordan is loving hockey and consistenly works hard and hustles out there, so its fun to watch him. Better get some photos up and this blog posted before it's too late - it's almost dinner time. Happy holidays to all!

big icicles!!

clearly thrilled to have his photo taken

happy holidays! tree decorating day...

hauling out the tree!

look at these big kids!!

happy 15th!

with his "sad nuggies" (google it if you don't know) - he loves them!

the start of the candy belt: Halloween haul

Halloween haul!