christmas in vancouver!

     

Christmas in Vancouver has been quite a slice so far - we've had a perfect balance of busy and relax, and the kids have been loving all of the activities West Vancouver has to offer (drop-in gymnastics, swimming, bouncy castles and plasma cars and gym time). Santa managed to find us, and we woke up Christmas morning to find stockings by our bedroom doors, just like when we were little (it bought my parents a bit more time in bed maybe?). I have some pretty strong memories of Christmas morning, and it all started there - creeping out to see if stockings were propped by the door, and then opening and re-opening with all of the sisters gathered in one room. Hendrik was pretty excited to receive more Pokemon cards from the big man, and before he'd even gotten to the bottom of his stocking proclaimed, "I can't WAIT for next Christmas!" We had the usual Osberg Christmas day breakfast of croissants and scrambled eggs before heading into the living room to dismantle the gifts wrapped up beneath the tree. Some of the gift highlights:

Alana: a new stuffed doggie - named "Teddy dog", a star night light projector, a glitter wand and doctor dress-up suit (adorable), new jammies and a lantern
Hendrik: a remote-control T-Rex, shoe light up thingies, mini walkie-talkies, a dino puppet, jammies, and a lantern
(We gave both of them a few books: Bedtime Math (which is a bit hit, surprisingly enough), The Utterly Amazing Human Body (super cool book) and Curious Creatures: A Mix and match book (also amazing)

Steve got new socks, some edibles (smoked salmon, beer, nuts, chocolate, etc.), a calendar, a t-shirt (pic to come) and a pair of gloves, and I was gifted some beautiful pottery, a scarf, a cookbook, and a personalized album of my childhood, made by my mom and dad. This last gift is pretty special, and I have yet to take the time to look through it from cover to cover.

Both Sarah and Claire left this morning, and it was so great to spend time with them and with my parents, especially over the holidays - we haven't been here for years and years, and I'm thankful that they were both able to come for several days. We have just three days left here, and then it's back to the mild east coast - it's actually colder here than it is in Toronto! Crazy. We had a nice walk up in the snow on Christmas day, and the kids loved it. When asked what their favourite part of Christmas was (after an incredible dinner), they both said "the muck" - from the walk. Sounds like familiar chimes from my childhood, when we'd say that the wrapping paper and the oversized boxes were the highlights of Christmas day (!!). Oh! And we went on the Stanley Park Christmas train last night - which was awesome. AND there were no incidents on the plane, and we were able to arrive in Vancouver mostly healthy; Hendrik was on the last remnants of his sickness, and somehow I managed to evade the bug. The kids have been sleeping well and my mission when we get home is to get Alana a twin bed - so she can sleep well and so I can sleep well. Even though she's 21 months younger than Hendrik, she's only 5 pounds lighter - which means she is too big for her bed (and too big for me to carry her around). She'll buy into the new bed idea, but not being carried around by mom is another story.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and Happy 2016!!

     

       

    

almost christmas!

Christmas holidays have begun! And so has the flu season in the Brinkman family. I was thinking this past week would be relaxing and less hectic than the few weeks previous, but I was mistaken; instead of having both kids in school, Alana was home sick - up sick all night and sick all day too, and the yuckies are making their rounds - keeping Hendrik and Steve close to home (and the bathroom) all day (and all night). All I'm really hoping for (besides not catching it myself), is that it's moved on by Monday. We fly to Vancouver Monday night and for the sake of all of the other people on the plane, I'd like everyone to be cured.

Anyways! We're feeling ready for Christmas - treats have been made and eaten, presents purchased and wrapped - and some unwrapped too. We arrived in Bowmanville yesterday afternoon and the kids have opened a few presents, as we're not lugging everything to Vancouver and back again (I'm sure we'll have enough stuff as it is.) With just a few major purchases made by mom and dad this year (new windows for the house, new swank minivan, trip to Vancouver), we're not exchanging gifts - though I did ask Steve to get himself a library card and insist that we find time to get out for a walk or something while in Vancouver when the kids are tucked in tight and sleeping (all night long I hope). We've been seriously sleep deprived with sick Alana, so I really really really want some good sleeps in the next two weeks while there are minimal must-do activities ruling our lives.

at the science centre and aquarium

LOVE this pic. science centre gold!

We spent the night in a hotel in Toronto last weekend, and the kids LOVED it. I had a coaching thing to do on Saturday so Steve, the kids and Grandma and Gramps went to the Ontario Science Centre and were there for SIX hours - I thought they'd be waiting for me but I ended up waiting for them... there was so much to see and do and so much fun to be had. Another perk of membership at the London Children's Museum is free admission (until Dec 31st at least) to Ripley's Aquarium, so we stopped in their on our way east yesterday, and again, the kids had a great time. Now we're getting a few last minute things done/purchased (headphones for the plane, I found sheets and a duvet cover for Alana at Home Sense today - she needs a regular big bed so that when she comes to our bed and passes out, I can go to hers!) and then off we go. It's been a while since we've travelled together on a plane, so with the kids a bit older than last time we made a (mostly complete) family trip (I think it would have been home from Greece in April 2014) it'll be a different ball game. With that, I'd better go get them into bed... Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!

our neighbour's friend sets this up every year - magical!!!

quickpost

I've fallen off the face of the earth! Not really, but for the rest of this week my time is dominated by end-of-term schoolwork, end-of-term schoolwork and end-of-term schoolwork (and family and house stuff). This afternoon I'm going on a field trip with Hendrik's class before a Christmas movie showing in the gym at school - that both kids are interested in (is it the juice box and popcorn or the movie?). I have completely failed my annual Christmas devotion to baking, with just ONE Christmas goodie made to date (jam diagonals). With some time available on Sunday (schoolwork should be finished and I have no coaching obligations), this year's list of treats (nanaimo bars, butter tarts and gingerbread cookies) might just get the attention it deserves; bake and EAT! This should be my one and only weekend goal. We go to Toronto on Friday afternoon as I have a coaching thing on Saturday in the city, and the family will come along and head to the Science Centre while I talk volleyball with other die-hards. With only a week, really, before we start our Christmas travels, there is much to do - but I don't want to think about it; first, schoolwork - second, relax; third - Christmas and travel prep. People are talking about the upcoming break but - and maybe I shouldn't be thinking this way - there's so much to do and so many things waiting in the wings that I'm not sure the break will ever really come. Maybe a self-imposed break is the only one I'll really get? No, Vancouver will be a break and I can't wait! We have a few things planned (Stanley Park Christmas Train), and I am really looking forward to seeing my family and friends there. Yay Christmas!

under a tree in Victoria Park - great Christmas vibe there, enjoyed by all!

Reading Planes, a comic book - a newly discovered movie/book enjoyed by everyone (even the tiger?)

in a cycle of nap + stay up late, Alana has been into Hendrik's bday lego... she loves it!

everyone under the tree!

we have a 5 year old!

Our little guy turned five over the weekend and it was one fabulous day - Hens had Fruit Loops for breakfast (best birthday breakfast evvvver), Grandma and Gramps were here, he had three of his friends over for a party, and - AND... he "finally!" got a Pokemon EX card (his words - said with mucho gusto). It really was an awesome day, complete with a visit from Darth Vader himself - the kids got to battle him with pool noodle light sabers and then took them home (along with noise makers - accompanied with profuse apologies from the two of us). Some pictures:

first thing on his bday - fruit loops and pokemon!

bday eats - another amazing cake from g&g!

darth vader action

hockey hype!

river's getting wider...

the boys

We played pin the light sabre on the Darth Vader (all of the Star Wars interest is because of friends at school), the river's getting wider, hockey, and of course the kids battled Darth Vader himself. They loved the noise makers (we didn't) and the cake and the basement battles, and we were all pretty darn tired at the end of the day.

We didn't waste much time on Sunday getting into the Christmas spirit - or, at least getting a Christmas tree (with the help of Grandma and Gramps). I realized I had to get the advent calendar out this afternoon - whilst skipping class after falling asleep on the couch (Alana joined me mid-nap), and the kids got the first ornament up before we left for swim lessons late this afternoon. Lights are up outside (pic to come) and we're planning on decorating the tree on Thursday. Steve spent the last few days in Bowmanville as some sad events took him home with his parents; his aunt Janna passed away last week and the funeral was this afternoon. Her death was the result of an accident, and it's just prompted us to reflect on how easily life can change, how unpredictable it can all be.

There've been some good quotes from the latest Mma Ramotswe book, and if it were downstairs I'd find a few of them... but I should get up and get reading, since there are just a few people on the waiting list, and I've been enjoying it just as much as all of the other books. Oh, and there's homework! Better go...

tuesday newsday

Christmas is coming! It's Hendrik's fifth birthday first, and we won't be doing anything too Christmas-y until after this coming weekend, but I should definitely prioritize and find time to get started on Christmas baking. On the list (off the top of my head) are nanaimo bars, butter tarts, sugar cookies, and jam diagonals; I'm sure I'll have to add a few others into the mix (chocolate shortbread? gingerbread cookies?), but that's a good start. I'll add a few pounds of butter to the next Costco list.

whenever this one falls asleep in the afternoon, she's up late late!

So big news in the Brinkman household - we're getting a minivan! I never thought I'd say this (or hear my husband say it), but we're excited. They are SPACIOUS and PRACTICAL and offer so many options for seating that I think all four of us will be jostling for the best cabin seats. Le van of choice is the Honda Odyssey, but we took a good look at Kia and Toyota too; the new wheels are ours on Friday... yikes! I won't reveal any of the other swank features, but instead save it for a tour. Alana is excited about the push button sliding doors, and Hendrik hasn't yet laid eyes on it - but I can tell you what he'll be happy about: the built in TV.

We took a family trip to Hamilton last Friday and surprisingly, we didn't need either of the movies I downloaded from Hoopla - the kids were happy colouring pictures printed from Quiver (Hendrik spent almost an hour doing his). We met up with Steve's parents in Hamilton and Hendrik was disappointed I couldn't get the iPad to magically 3-dimensionalize (is this a word?) his drawing - as seen in the video... maybe that's something I'll get to figuring out tonight. It was a Mustangs vs Marauders kind of night, and we didn't even take a picture of the kids in their purple shirts! They cheered for mommy's team (we lost) and then for Daddy's team (they won) and then fell asleep on the way home. Thank goodness Sunday was free from early morning coaching and obligation... we stayed in our pyjamas all morning.

class picture!

After too many late late nights reading A God in Ruins, I finished it - and liked the story and the writing quite a bit. I'll look for some of her other books but not until the semester is over. I feel like I have to repeat this to myself every time I'm on the library website or nearing a branch as I really do not have time to stay up late and read. It's getting late now (well, sort of - 9:00), and I haven't started any of the piles of work that need tending to tonight. So on that note, off I go. Hope the weather is warmer where you are!

a few (tired) thoughts

It's Monday tomorrow - and it feels like Thursday or Friday night right now; sadly, there was no rest for me this weekend. I'm not saying the kids didn't sleep well (because they actually did), it was just a very full, very go go go weekend from the moment the kids awoke to the moment I finally fell into bed. We had two home games this weekend - our first double header - and went 1-1 (though we really should have been Queens today... darn). Steve was in Toronto (with the car) all weekend so there was some juggling involved - babysitters, friends, great neighbours... I am lucky to have what my neighbours (they're the best!) call "a village" to help us through this busy time in our lives.

playing octonauts at the park in early saturday afternoon sun

This week saw Hendrik fired up to get invitations out for his 5th birthday party, happening in two weeks. He's invited six boys from his class, one 8th grader (I think he's in 8th grade) and one fifth grade brother of one of his classmates. He requested Star Wars invitations, and addressed them all himself (and hopefully distributed them too - at school), and the theme has morphed from dinosaurs only to a dinosaur/Star Wars hybrid, though I'm fairly certain his Star Wars knowledge is as sparse as mine is. Decorations and activities are yet to be planned... 

we made apple pie - from SCRATCH, all of it. it was goooooood....

Alana had two friends over for her first play date on Friday morning and she had loads of fun - showing them around the house, showing off her toys, being a troupe leader upstairs for a game of alligator (what is? no idea.), and more. I'm so so glad we put her in preschool - she is loving it.

And as for France, I am so sad and so sorry that there is such evil and ignorance in the world and that regular, good people are killed and their families ripped apart because of hatred and fanaticism (and in the name of religion). I read a story yesterday while the kids were running around and couldn't help but get emotional, and for the rest of the day Hendrik tried to make me laugh by putting silly things in front of his face so he couldn't see (haha - right?). I don't have very many deep thoughts about this (or anything - right now), but I do hope that security and intelligence teams around the world can continue doing good / better work, and that families affected by this and other similar tragedies around the world can find peace and healing in their future. 

travel, tabs, and tagliatelle

This past weekend saw the Western Mustangs Women's VB team on the road to Ottawa, and I got to go along... for the win! We won in five after losing the first two sets, and the six hour ride home was that much more enjoyable because of it. Having spent several summers in Gatineau/Ottawa, it sort of felt like going home; I saw some friends (at the game, for dessert), family, ate some amazing food (I got to go to Art Is In!!! - and wanted to eat EVERYTHING), and got some work done on the bus ride there and back. I also came home exhausted and had to skip out on women's league last night - only to get woken up by Alana five or six times throughout the night/early morning... boo. Good thing I went to bed early! Actually. I actually did go to bed early last night - with Kate Atkinson's A God in Ruins, and so far so good. I'm hoping I can get a bit of work done tonight and then get to bed on the early side again for some more reads. 

My desktop is totally cluttered with screenshots that I've been meaning to file (and share), so here you go - some of my favourites from A Mighty Girl's Facebook feed:

I have what must be a record number of windows and tabs open and I don't want to close any of them! Here they are:

• The University of North Caroline Women's Soccer Team: Core Values
• Amazon: Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better
• Coaching Perspectives: Getting better at getting better (article)
• 25 Ways to ask your kids "How was school today?" without asking how was school today?
• The Most Important Question of Your Life (article) - a good one! 
• Huff Post: The best thing you can do for yourself - and all the women around you (article)
• Nat'l Geographic: Grit trumps talent and IQ(article)

And the rest are school-related and probably boring to most readers, so I won't include them - but I definitely know which ones need attention! (SCHOOL TABS.) 

Steve and the kids had fun over the weekend without me - they made fresh pasta, from scratch! I was putting away some new books last week and came across The Silver Spoon for Kids, a cookbook I'd purchased at last year's LPL book sale. I showed it to Hendrik and he latched right onto it - reading it morning and night, talking about recipes, imploring me to make lists of all of the recipes we'd make etc. etc. So the kids put their aprons and chef hats on and got to work, producing edible Italian eats:

What else what else? The kids are enjoying school, I'm mostly enjoying school, and Steve has been hard at work around here getting a barn door made and up and shelving made and installed (it's dark downstairs, so I'll try to remember to get pics up next time). There are a zillion other projects (okay, maybe 10) that could be done around here and I think he's still trying to figure out what's next. He coaches (with McMaster) in Toronto this weekend and we're home - so the kids might be spending the weekend in the gym, we will see! We're trying to plan - wait, we're trying to think about planning Hendrik's birthday party; we have a list of people he wants to invite (all boys, all from his class save for one 8th grader - really) and a few ideas for games and activities (le par-tay will take place here). We're hosting Alana's first play date this Friday with a few girls from her preschool, so she's excited about that - should be good! And I think I'll end the random thoughts there. Until next time!

halloween run-down

Did we eat all of the kids' candy? No. Did Steve pretend to steal it all? Yes. Were we tempted to pull a Jimmy Fallon we-ate-all-your-Halloween-candy joke on them? No. Way. Actually I think the thrill of the hunt was more exciting for them than the piles of loot, but I'm probably wrong - even though they're not beelining it for their candy bags first thing in the morning, nor are they constantly asking or sorting or pawing the goods. We had a great 'round the block trick or treat - which included a trip to the local firehall (never done that on Halloween before) and a momentary consideration of a trip through a fully done-up haunted house (I mean FULLY. I should have taken pictures.). People were seriously impressed by Hendrik's costume - so impressed, in fact, that our neighbour across the street brought over an apple pie this afternoon in honour of Steve's best-constructed-costume work on the backpack. We ate big slices of it while it was still warm - which makes all of his hard work totally worth it (okay, Hendrik loved it too - THAT was what made it worth it). This Halloween may be extra memorable because of the events that followed the candy sort and stuff (we let them eat maybe 6 pieces of candy each? Hendrik asked every time with glee and happiness in his little candy-soaked eyeballs) - which involved extreeeemely hyper kids, poop evenly distributed throughout Alana's new pyjama pants (tracked up the stairs - she took them off before coming up to the bathroom) and Hendrik's vomit on the carpet at the top of the stairs, induced by the stink from his little sister. At least (at least) the kids were calm post-poop/puke, and were in bed and quiet within 20 minutes of cleanup and stories. 

More soon (really!) - I can't believe it's November!

visit + halloween-ready

We are less than a week away from Halloween! We have decorations up (and out) and Halloween books are evening go-to reads AND costumes are almost finished. Alana wanted to be Franklin (again), and somehow the suit doesn't need any alterations size-wise; some felt and fabric needs replacing here and there but we can attend to it any time now that Hendrik's costume is finished. It is AMAZING. Amazing. He is going to be a Dinobuster - as in Ghostbuster but Dinosaur Buster - which is a takeaway from Dino Dan (Trek's Adventures); this is what the dinobusters look like on the show:

And here's Hendrik - with his blue coveralls and backpack extraordinaire (complete with flashing lights, flashlights, dino zapper, dial and more):

Basically how it goes (on the show) is this: there's a great big haunted house that's riddled/haunted with pesky dinosaurs, and depending on whether the dino they spy is a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore, the dial on the front of the pack is adjusted and the appropriate dino-busting spray shoots out of the dino zapper. Hendrik's costume is complete with dial, zapper, tubes - wait, I already said all of this. It's pretty epic, and I'm looking forward to getting some more photos up (plus an explanation of construction materials). Moving on...

We had visitors last week (my parents!) and it was so so so great having them here - to have them see our house, visit with the kids, and get a snapshot of our life and daily routine; spending time together was something I wish we could do more often. This is the only picture I took - of Grandpa O reading a new Halloween book to the kids. I love it!

Life has been so busy with school (it's going well - lots of assignments), coaching (we had our first win on Saturday against Windsor; we're 1-0!), and family life (the kids are sick right now, but have been so good and are SO excited about Halloween), that it's difficult to fit all of the extras in (blogging, working out, reading). On Friday we put Alana in a program at the YMCA that we call Gym & Swim; there's an hour of gym followed by an hour of swim, and then we pick her up. Both Steve and I worked out (first time in months!) and then watched her splash around and play in the kiddie pool... it was great. We'll try and make it a weekly, Friday thing - I don't have class and it felt so good to sweat and get my heart rate up. I also get to exercise tomorrow night... women's league has started! We play Monday nights and it's something I look forward to every week.

A few random thoughts to share before I go; we had one of our go-to dinners tonight and it was so good I have to share. Maple-glazed salmon (sauce: reduce 1/3 cup of orange juice, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar - pour over cooked salmon once on your dinner plate!) with... well it doesn't really matter what it's with, that's the part of our staple meal that we most love (rice, carrots and caesar salad - that's what else). My mom and dad gave us a Foley Food Mill and it is my new favourite kitchen appliance (behind the ultimate fave, the toaster); we stewed apples the other day and made applesauce - no coring or peeling required! Just stew up them apples and mill out the sauce. It was so good I didn't even have to add sugar - and it's Alana's dessert of choice. Once I get this girl to sleep (she napped in the car this afternoon - she has a pile of books on the couch and it's 9pm), I'm going to check out the glow-in-the-dark Halloween fabric for future trick-or-treat bags. I know there's more to write about but I'd better tap out - Alana is adding more books to her pile and the clock is ticking!

thanksgiving +

Fall has hit here in Forest City, and with possible SNOW on the weekend, winter may be just around the corner. This has me scrambling to make sure the kids have boots and snowsuits that fit - and it also has me reminiscing about Palm Springs on a near daily basis. I do like this season, and I'm trying to appreciate it for what it is (the colours, the fresh air!) instead of what's coming next (freezing cold, cold all of the time, gear everywhere, etc. etc.). I'll work on it....

With Steve away in Poland for 10 days on a McMaster Men's Volleyball tour, the kids and I scooted up to Bowmanville for Thanksgiving and had an incredible time. They just love it there - there are new people to play with (/harass), and toys and places to play are instantly new again. Plus, there's always amazing food (meals, treats, goodies) and Watson's farm is just around the corner, and (I know I've mentioned this before) it may just be their favourite place on earth. We arrived Thursday and left Monday, and I think the kids went to Watson's four times (??); we/they picked apples, rode on a wagon, played in the playground, fed animals, manhandled pumpkins and gourds, and rolled around in hay (literally). I admit that I do like Watson's, but it's mostly because the kids love it so much there. We had an amazing family dinner on Sunday afternoon (preceded by the best appelflappen you'll find ... maybe anywhere), I got away for coaching and catching up with a friend on Saturday (Western was playing in a tourney at McMaster), and everyone left feeling refreshed and ready (sort of) to get back to reality on Tuesday. It's been a bit of a struggle this week to get the kids to school on time - or, I could put it this way: it's been a struggle (not a bit of a struggle but a struggle) to get the kids out of bed, to get them dressed, to get them to stop arguing, to get them dressed, to get them to come downstairs, to get them fed, to get them to put on their shoes, to get them in the car etc. etc. Some mornings have been better than others, but there have definitely been smoother days.

the blood painting

This afternoon the kids surprised me with a request to do some painting, so I got the watercolour trays out and they went at it. Hendrik drew BLOOD... he drew several drawings of blood - and he was sure to warn me in a sweet and gentle voice (that I wish he used all the time) that I might think it was gross: "Mom, this might be kind of yucky because there are spatters and big blobs of blood all over the place." - !!! Alrighty then. And get this - after his first request for "Uptown Funk You Up" (a family favourite), he asked for Opera. For real. So I found this opera collection on Youtube and when it started playing, guess what Alana said... In her sweet and gentle voice she said, "Is that Grandma at the cottage?" HA! I had to suppress extreme laughter. And then she says, "At Bowmanville?" And it was just audio. So there you go Grandma B, you've got the voice of an opera singer. (!!!)

After a trip to the London Public Library's annual book sale tomorrow morning (you better believe I am some excited about it), we will have what I hope will be a relaxing day before a very busy weekend. On Saturday morning we'll head to Toronto to visit the aquarium, and then pick Steve up later in the day - and then drive home (ugh). Sunday will be no less busy: I coach in the morning and then will head back to Toronto for a scrimmage between the 'Stangs and U of T whatever-they-ares... Sounds relaxing, right? Not. With all of that said I'd better get to bed. Reunion pics to come - I can't wait to see the kids see Steve!