upcoming adventures!

The coming week is going to hold a few adventures for the man of the house, who has taken off for northern lands and the town of Kuujuuaq - ak! He'll be on his way up there in the morning for a week of coaching and volleyball-talk in a community that is apparently crrrrazy about the sport while we try our best to get by without him. This means I'll have some assistant coaches on the bench with me this week for some basketball games (maybe) and I'll likely have to take the week off of playing and coaching volleyball; Western WVB has a game this weekend, and I might just have to spectate instead of coach (who will I really be watching though? Hm.). Anyways, I can't wait to hear about Steve's experiences up there, especially since there may be an opportunity for me to go to another community to give some clinics and do some coaching later this year... we'll see!

My upcoming adventure is still a fair ways away, but I am getting excited about New Zealand and the World Master's Games... I should tally up the days - then I know how little time there truly is to get myself in basketball-competition-primeO-shape. Will it be the same number of days I'll have to wait for a good night's sleep? After a good stretch of through the night sleeps, Jordan is back to multiple wake-ups and I'm back to feeding him - he gets himself in such a lather that it's the only thing that'll calm him down. I'd hoped those night wakes were over but they probably won't be for another 18 years... let's just tell it like it is, right? Harumph. I must get to bed at a decent time tonight since the stores of patience were in the red tonight after the kids pushed and pushed and pushed a little too far with the rambunctious bedtime behaviour at 9:00 - after a full day of school and play and more play... aren't you tired?! Sheesh. I am. With that I'll jet; here are a few pictures of life around here over the past few days...

the kids are obsessed with bey blades - they could play all day!

the tiger needed a few stitches - thank goodness dr. alana was available!

jordan trying to sneak some popcorn ;)

movie night! we finally watched totoro and everyone loved it

a bit of a weird face from A - presenting a picture of a dragon in a sock 

kid-train home from school

a january jaunt

After last week's mini-vacation to Niagara Falls and the Great Wolf Lodge, one of the kids was excited and one reluctant to head back to school - can you guess who's who? Alana couldn't wait to see her friends and barely said goodbye to me this morning whereas Hendrik stayed close and put on a downer face... at least until he saw his friends on his way into school. They had an amazing time at the GWL - we all did really - until the flu hit. Yup, the flu. Alana was the only one to come down with it while we were there (night #1 - lots of puking and that was it) and the rest of us had some version of it back here at home over the weekend. Steve was definitely the worst and Jordan and I weren't hit too hard, thank goodness. Hendrik was only sick once - when? Get this - he puked while I was carrying him upstairs to bed on Saturday night; thankfully I was also carrying a small bucket that I was able to sling over my shoulder and catch the puke IN the bucket yes while carrying him up the stairs. You better believe I gave myself a pat on the back for that move. Anyways, we aren't sure if we caught the bug at the water park or if it was passed on by Alana as the news after school on Tuesday was that someone "kuped" at school, and that someone is in her class. More importantly really, the kids had tons of fun at the water park (the slides and wave pool were their faves) and staying in a hotel always goes over well. Steve's parents joined us and took care of breakfast and lunch and we ate out both nights we were there so it really did feel like a little vacation - minus the sickness and sleeplessness that plagued night one. A few pics:

the kids were more excited about the idea of the falls that the actual experience - very impressive and nice to not have to battle crowds to get a good look! love the look on hendrik's face...

I've been reluctant to write about Jordan's sleeping habits for fear that they might change but here goes - he's sleeping way better these days... and by way better I mean he's sleeping all night. Eight months of night feeding has (apparently) come to an end and I feel like a new person after a week of nearly no night wake-ups. Nearly means he still wakes up every other night or so, but a soother and some white noise will usually get him settled back down - and this is amazing news. Amazing! May it continue and continue and continue some more. And may the flu continue to take its leave from our house and stay away! More soon - the babe is awake and needs his mum. 😊😊

the oldest babe

January is motoring along...

this one is ready to move - but hasn't quite figured it out yet... that'll be a game changer!!

I can't believe - no wait, YES I can believe - how quickly this month is motoring along. It's been mild and the kids needed little convincing (which came as a surprise) to head out for a nature walk Sunday afternoon in Arva, where we found the frozen bog dotted with dead little tadpoles AND a frozen-to-the-surface little salamander. The kids were very interested in the salamander, and Hendrik asked me to take several pictures (close-ups) of the poor creature before he hid it under a bed of leaves where, to quote Alana, it might warm up and get better. The snow was almost all gone and with an icy path (no mud) we had to tread carefully (Steve and I did - the kids were slip-sliding all over the place on purpose); but the warm sun meant we could spend some time on the swings and the playground at the end of the walk (yay). Afterwards we checked out the Arva Flour Mill, the oldest continually operating flour mill in Canada, where we picked up a big bag of flour; will we be able to taste the difference? We got to peek in the back doors for a brief explanation of how the almost 200-year old machinery works (still partially powered by water) - check out this video that explains their operations and history. 

dad and alana

Alana had a friend over this past weekend and Hendrik surprised everyone (especially me) with what I'll call a random act of sweeteness; while the two girls were upstairs looking for Barbies to submerge in a pool of water on the kitchen table, he cut out two hearts, placed them by their seats, and then hid under the table. Oh what a guy...

siblings read 

happy birthday dad! 

2016 recap

This is ambitious of me, for sure; recap a WHOLE year without missing anything? Yar right. I'll do my best though, so here goes. The first thing the biggest thing the most notable thing is the expansion of our family. Our immediate family became five with the arrival of Jordan in May; he was a week late and I remember that last overdue week feeling longer than the (almost) eight months he's been with us. I also clearly remember the details of the night he was born, including parking in the garage and finding the doors to the hospital locked, the labour and delivery (can anyone ever really forget that? really?) and, of course, holding him for the first time. Our extended family grew too - Steve's sister's family welcomed a baby as did one of my sisters, so the clan is growing; we'll get to see everyone this spring and/or summer here in Ontario and out west in BC for the big event of 2017, my youngest sister's wedding. Other notable events include first (of their kind) jobs for both me and Steve (head coaching a CIS team for her and solar panelling for him), home improvements (bathroom, kitchen), and Alana starting school and me finishing school. This last one is a big deal I suppose, but without final exams or a big paper/project it was all pretty anticlimactic; but I did it - a master's while coaching part part-time with two and then three kids full full-time... ouf. Steve's alma mater, the men's national volleyball team, qualified for Rio for the first time in what, four quads? I don't remember, but it was a bittersweet moment for us. Steve went nonetheless, so add a trip to Rio to the highlight reel. We enjoyed our first camping "expedition" - one night, all of us smooshed in a leaky tent under leaky skies in a very nice (though overpopulated) provincial park. It was a far cry from the camping we did growing up - I should blog about this some time - but the kids loved it. How did I ring in the year? I don't remember, but I said goodbye to '16 in my sleep, so here's to hoping for some more of that this year (at night - nighttime sleep, just to be clear!).

Tomorrow is a big day - not only do the kids go back to school after a two-week break, but Steve returns from not-so-sunny California where he spent six days with McMaster's men's team. It will be good to get back into the swing of things and hopefully get started on some of the "to-dos" on my 2017 list. Thing number one? WORK OUT. I can't wait to work out - somehow it's been a challenge over the break. All the regular stuff needs tending to too, and those things that don't make it on a list, per se, but are calling - like the two books on my bedside table upstairs (Salt to the Sea and The Nordic Theory of Everything). Oh and random thing = recipe. We made one-pot Mexican Burrito casserole in Bowmanville over the break and it was delicious! Tonight I substituted cooked chicken for beef and did it with regular rice and broiled instead of baked and it was easy peasy and I had all ingredients in the house without even meaning to. Recipe is here, but in French... Bon appetit!

a first of the year, non-new-years post

rare moments of apparent - dare i say it... love?!

A New Year's post will follow - I need to dedicate some time to recapping 2016 (so much happened!) and looking forward to the year that is just getting rolling, so I'll dedicate this post to Christmas and the events of the past week or so. As usual, Bowmanville and Grandma and Gramps (and Santa) have been so so good to us, and everyone has been spoiled with good food, presents, and (lots) more good food. Christmas went down something like this: we skipped school and arrived on the 23rd; on the 24th we had an early dinner and after an early evening church service (Steve stayed home with Hendrik - he was sick because of all of the treats he snuck) the kids opened presents and got goodies ready for Santa and the reindeer. On the 25th the kids weren't up as early as we were as kids, and everyone was excited to see that the treat plate was empty and the stockings were full. We went over to the Crockers for the annual GGG (Gift Grab Game) that saw Steve as the convenor for the first time in many years (or ever? I don't know); good food was had and excellent presents were exchanged and fought for (I ended up with a Canadian Tire gift card (not my first choice) and Steve came home with a digital meat thermometer and BBQ brush - woohooooooo). A feast followed here chez the Brinkmans, and we all went to bed stuffed to the gills. The kids opened more presents on the 26th (maybe just one) and have been enjoying most if not all of the presents they received from friends, family and the one and only Santa Claus. Highlight presents for Hendrik include a heavy duty yo-yo, a remote control car/dino, and a Pokeball. Alana's favourite gifts are probably a Sky Zoomer (Paw Patrol), a Barbie, and a new Robyn Doggy - which, though much requested, doesn't seem to take the place of the old Robs in terms of time, attention, or love (sad - I still miss the old Robyn Doggy!). Jordan received a few good gifts too - a lawn mower and a play table are probably his favourites, but some cloth books and chewy toys also find lots of playing time. I didn't take many pictures - either because I'm enjoying the moment or because I'm off somewhere feeding Jordan or changing his diaper etc. or because I have no idea where my camera is. But there are pictures, and here are a few - 🍻 here's to the holidays, hope yours were happy too! 🍻

people 💗 

happy outside in the snow!

our own frosty

this was the beginning of the too many treats on the 24th... 

more love!

this is the one and only family shot we have so far... our clan, our first christmas with five

"mom, i don't want to have any more babies because i just want to have jordan as the baby in our family. mom, can you tell the dentist that i don't want to have any babies? i just want jordan to be the baby." she loves her baby brother, and is a bit unsure about what it means to be a dentist. 💓

GGG time at the Crockers

sibling love

skating has been SO MUCH better this year for both kids as they actually skate (as opposed to flop, fall and hang on us). we have no idea  what prompted this change - the first time we hit the ice they were just better... both of them!

A pre-Christmas short

we renewed our membership to the children's museum in london and it was like the kids had never been there... yay!

People! Merry Christmas! We took the kids out of school a day early and beat the traffic east to Bowmanville where hopefully Santa will find us tonight. We're already enjoying good food and company and everyone is ready to make some more Christmas memories with family and friends. The Christmas spirit has been coursing through our family for the past few weeks with carols and events (school Christmas concerts, under-the-bed sleepovers with Christmas lights, treats, presents, and more) and now the big day(s)... we are excited! I love Christmas. 

making hearts in the almost dark; an under-the-bed sibling sleepover, under christmas lights

le little

I got a game in with a women's league team this week and it was SO fun... I love the running (and like the physical part) in basketball - I am guaranteed to sweat, to feel like I need to do more cardio (my lungs burrrrrrn), and feel like I really exerted myself - all with a good group of women my age (and older and younger). I'd love to get out on a regular basis but basketball runs the same nights as women's league volleyball and coincides with my once-a-week night at volleyball practice so for now I'll have to be a part-time player and get games in when I can. 

sporting #22 I thought of my GU teammate TJ - I can't believe how much we used to run, every DAY!

I'll round out this short post with a few photos - Merry Christmas everyone! xoxox

alana's christmas concert - so cute!

can you find hendrik? red grade ones!

opening presents in london - the puppet (and wrapping paper) is a hit

hendrik playing with his fancy new yo-yo and a fan-fave for alana!

merry christmas!

Christmas + family update

Winter is here! And I've had this (blogging) on my to-do list for several days - just like working out; somehow these things get bumped to the next day and then to the next day by must-do errands like getting groceries and picking up children and doctors appointments etc. But they don't get bumped by sleeping or showering - two things that maybe I should (?) put on to-do (MUST-DO) lists... will they happen then? Not sure. Okay, so what's new... We're in the Christmas spirit around here with Christmas tunes on on a regular basis and the tree and stockings are up (new stockings too - check out the pic below) and shopping is almost done. Christmas baking is on offer too with a total of way too much butter and sugar that I can't! stop! eating! The nanaimo bars are my personal favourite, but it's all good (I also made peanut butter balls, pistachio-cranberry-ginger sugar cookies, plain sugar cookies, and jam diagonals); I should give some away before I eat them all. Maybe I'll do a family update post? I'm making this up on the fly.

me
I finished school! It's been so long since I've blogged that I forget whether or not this happened the last time I wrote but really, these days I'm wondering how I ever went to school at all with the lack of extra time on my hands. Maybe Jordan was sleeping more? Probably not. Anyways, I'm done and even though it was/is a little anti-climatic (no final exams or projects or anything) it feels good. The next step is to look for ways to stay involved until Jordan is a bit older and I want to look for work; I have ideas and they are on the to-do list. (Maybe I should just throw out all of these lists. Maybe?) I read the latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book and it was sooooo good, just like all of the other ones. I'm onto a Kate Atkinson one (Behind the Scenes at the Museum) and am so-so on it so far. Switching gears - I played in a basketball tournament this weekend in Kitchener with my Master's team (see article about us here) and it was so fun! So hard, but so so fun. I'm not in the best of shape by any means but thanks to my diligence (twice a week) in working out (apparently this has gone out the window, at least for this week) it was much better than it could have been and it was still reeeeally hard running up and down a full-sized court with people that obviously do this on a regular basis. I wasn't horrible, but the lungs were burning and I tired very easily... we were all saying how amazing it is that we used to do that (run and practice hard) every day and think nothing of it. In other related sports-news (for me), I'm coaching the grade 8 girls basketball team at Hendrik and Alana's school and it's been fun - and interesting, since I've never coached hoops before. I'm remembering all sorts of lingo (is it out of date? I don't know) and drills and thinking of things to work on etc., so it's fun for me (and hopefully for them too). We practice 3x/week after school and starting in January have two games a week until the end of February, so it's a bit intense but only for a few months. What else? Bu. I don't know. Onwards....

Jordan
It could be worse but oh man, the sleeping could be SO much better! After the weekend in Kitchener (we had games Friday and Saturday nights and Jordan was with me or a teammate on the bench during the game) he's somewhat thrown off the haphazard schedule he sort of had, and the last few nights have been a serious struggle (with numerous wake-ups and a lot of crying). When he wakes up in the morning, he is happy as can be - so he's obviously not as negatively affected by this lack of sleep as I am. He's rolling front to back and back to front a bit more, and babbles more and is sitting up on his own. He's eating mushy solids, and I'd say he favours pear and rice cereal. He has a pre-op appointment in early January for a surgery that will follow in February to get tubes in his ears, something that will hopefully alleviate the fluid and hearing issues going on at present. What else can we saaaay about this little one hmmm.... he's cuddly and happy and so so cute - I still love him even though I barely sleep because of his night habits. Ooooooh well.....

Hendrik
The latest craze with this big little is dragons - or serpents, the difference being (according to him) that dragons do land and sky and serpents do land and water; we have lots and lots of dragon/serpent drawings and even one of "Nessie" - check it out:

notice the fish in the bottom right corner - "aaaaagh!"

He seems quite happy at school and as far as activities goes, just finished swimming and will round out the gymnastics session tomorrow afternoon. He's still super into Pokemon and is getting excited for Christmas and the trip to Bowmanville (sleeping in the same bed as Steve is a big highlight). He's loving the snow and ? not sure what else.

Alana
Alana asked me if I could give her peas in her lunch some time (peas!) - all because her best best friend at school has them (!); better than the fruit-to-go request! She's made some good friends at school and has asked us several times when we're going to start going to work all day so she can stay at school longer. We took the kids to the optometrist yesterday and Alana was quite disappointed that I was taking her out of school early (15 minutes) - there were almost tears. So yes, she loves school and has met some good friends. She's also excited about Christmas and Bowmanville too, and has been rehearsing for her upcoming Christmas concert so stay tuned for some cute pics/vids. Like her brother she spends lots of time at the craft table where her latest activities are concentrated on a certain colouring book - she'll colour almost everything the same colour (pink usually) and then move on to do the same thing on the next page. She still loves helping take care of Jordan and holds him and hugs him and rocks him (sometimes quite enthusiastically). She's also growing at a fair clip and has surpassed her older brother on the scales, but he still has a few inches on her. I love her!

Steve
And I love this one too. He's on a work hiatus as the next buildings in line to be outfitted with solar are still being approved or who-knows-what so he's been home for the past few weeks, staying busy with house stuff and Christmas prep. He's responsible for the Jordan's stocking and the personalized Christmas trees on H and A's stockings as well - the other two we made for each other years and years ago (when we were in Spain maybe?) before meeting up for Christmas (I think it was the year I played in Castelo da Maia and he was in Tenerife - I remember shopping for those buttons!). Not much else is new!

the art wall - lots of dragons/serpents and some flags - all by Hendrik

deco the tree!

on a snowy walk in weldon park on saturday

love!

birthday picture-post plus: Hendrik is 6!

Finally! Here are some pics from Hendrik's birthday party. It was definitely wild - and our house was no arena for the energy these kids brought, so even though Steve and I were a bit "meh" about having a party at a playgym, 'twas the right choice. I'll let the photos do the talking and get a Christmas post up soon (we have a tree! and I've baked! aaaaand the kids fight over the advent calendar!)...

camila, alana, edward, lucas, grayson, hendrik and ahaan

these pictures show a fairly calm and collected boy, but silliness reigned!

a taste of the sillies, far right. loading up on pop, pizza and cake.

playing!

on his actual birthday Marg did a Pokeball cake - it was great!

fruit loooooops for the birthday boy + opening presents

Oh! And the annual birthday interview:

Who's your best friend? Grayson
What's your favourite colour? Golden
What's your favourite food? Ice cream
What's your favourite book? Captain Underpants
What's your favourite song? Weird Al's Just Eat it (and Shut up and dance with me)
What's your favourite sport? Baseball
What's your favourite subject at school? Math
What do you want to be when you grow up? After a long pause he said, "I want to be what you are (to me). And then. I just want to be like daddy." We asked him to elaborate but he said again, "Just what you are." 💕

Links to previous birthday posts are here (so fun to look back!!):
Turning 5 (London)
Turning 4 (London)
Turning 3 (Gatineau)
Turning 2 (Beijing)
Turning 1 (Trento)