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!