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| Jude and Jordan |
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| lego play! |
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| fun in the backyard (it's been so cold!) |
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| the girls! |
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| the oldest (can't you tell?) :) |
One of the best things about working in a school (the best
thing?) is having school holidays – I am loving spending so much time with the
kids! The kids like it too, sometimes too much maybe; in the mornings, Jordan
clings to me like a barnacle to a rock, and Alana has her barnacle-y moments
too (in temperament and physical proximity). Hendrik and I have spent lots of
time reading and playing games, and we’ve had fun on the few outings
we’ve had since we arrived in Bowmanville. After several days of Christmas
hibernation (more on that in a minute), we made it out of the house twice
yesterday (the 28th) for a morning skate and an afternoon swim. Jordan stayed home with
Grandma, so we had a bit more freedom to play and dive and waterslide (sorry
Jords but this means it was more fun without you). We got out to the library
this morning (Jordan hadn’t left the hosue in a few days) where we played with
blocks, dabbled on the computers and picked out a few books. The clan left for
a skate with the Paw Patrol and I’m left at home to read, write a bit and maybe
lie down. Jordan has been up every morning by 6:15, so even though I am very
glad and thankful he’s sleeping through the night, I could use a few more hours
(even one) of sleep in the morning. Beggars can’t be choosers though, so I
think I’d better just take what I can get.
Christmas! It was great. We opened presents at our place
last Friday night, and this is what people received: Me a cast iron pot (from
the kids), and coffee (from Dave); Steve toque and cap (from Sarah); Hendrik: books, a new beyblade, E.T (movie)(from mom and dad), K'nex (from Denver folk)
and a puppet (from Sarah); Alana: Frozen (movie), books, a new beyblade (from
mom and dad), clothes (from Denver family) and a puppet (from Sarah); Jordan:
bath toys, books (from mom and dad), bath toys (from Denver family) and a
puppet (from Sarah). We also gave the kids a National Geographic rocks and
crystals discovery kit which they’re pretty excited about, though I think the bey blades are the number one gift of the year. I posted pics of presents the kids opened
earlier in the week from my parents, and they also received some books from
Sandra and Bruce our neighbours across the street, and some gifts from Liz. And guess what... in
Bowmanville there were even more gifts! Some from Santa (he found us!) and some
from family. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and settled in a bit before the
Calgarians arrived.The next few days are a bit of a blur, but
included a Christmas Eve candlelight service (Hendrik was SO well behaved,
Alana whined and complained and Jordan ran around), and the traditional
Brinkman dinner fare of beef and rice. The kids were up pretty early on
Christmas day, and were delighted to see that Santa had filled stockings to the
brim… it was a jackpot year for stockings (!) - Santa was on par. I can’t remember
everything that was in them, but highlights were candy (tic tacs, gum, ring
pops), books (the newest Bad Guys, Plants vs Zombies), a whoopee cushion, silly
putty and SOCKS. Just kidding, socks weren’t a highlight for the kids, but they
were for me. There were more presents in the afternoon – clothes and books and
a toy or two for each of the children (Alana got a Lego set, Hendrik got a
motorized Knex toy, and Jordan got a digger and a dump truck which he
immediately tried to ride). We headed off to the Tukkers for an incredible
Christmas dinner, and were home for an on the late side bedtime for the kids
and an early one for the parents. Everyone is gearing up for New Years Eve tonight, and since my computer died and I forgot to bring my charger, I'm finishing things up on Marg's computer - which means there are some pics missing. More to come (soon) next year!
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