getting there...

Du-du-du... We have less than TWO weeks to go! Apparently I'm making a habit of writing on Thursdays, which isn't often enough. Regardless, I'm a week and a half away from my due date and according to my doctor there are no impending signs of an early arrival from baby #3 - so it seems I may have totally invented the feeling that he'll make an early appearance. The room is ready (but needs some additional decor), clothes are washed, diapers stocked etc. etc., and the kids seem excited and ready. I'm excited and ready, but do I want him to come now? I want to soak up all the time I'm spending with the older two, as I know moments will have to be split further between all of my little (and big) loved ones.

baby's room is coming together (h and I were playing bball - not sure if that hoop can stay put - ?)

We made a quick trip to B-ville last weekend for a big birthday party chez Pam and Bob, and it was so great to see family. A long Saturday (Pam's birthday bash) was followed by a long Sunday - we left for home just after lunch with the intention of making it back to another birthday party (Hendrik's classmate), and Steve and I were cooked; we ran errands (Costco, Ikea, Winners) while he ran around playing frenzied fully-crazed (I imagine) laser tag with 8 other 5-year olds, and we were all ready for bed by 7:00. The kids - with the best of intentions I imagine ("let's get mommy ready!") - have been up in the night every night for something or other, and I've been staying up too late reading which means that I'm tired and am failing my bed-by-10:30 mandate. But when your neighbour (who happens to be the best neighbour ever) throws you a baby shower and you lose track of time over good conversation and a table smothered in delectables, what can you do? This happened last night and it was a great combination of a neighbourhood ladies gathering and a baby shower and everyone left wondering when can we do this again? I was spoiled with gifts (baby was spoiled with gifts) and had a ton of fun playing the few games that Sandra organized. There were three activities, all of which were enjoyed by the eight attendees:

1. Tell everyone about your name - significance, history, etc. (There were some great name stories!)
2. Fill out an index card with birthday predictions: date, weight, length of labour, length of baby etc. 
3. Write out a little something on "Our Wishes For Your New Son" All of the notes are lovely - but my two favourites are the following: "I wish your new baby, when he gets to school, to meet friends or buddies that he will have for life" and "I wish for your son wisdom, friends and risk-taking" (okay I also like the "I wish you full of love, joy, lots of smiles and laughter... and lots of sleep!" - especially the last part)

Will next week be baby free? Will it be the last one? There are quite a few kid events coming up - a dance at Alana's school, an open house (kindergarten) for Alana, a family math morning (Hendrik), and more (I think), but everyone knows who's in charge when it comes to baby's arrival... baby. Until next time!

Hendrik's first attempt at writing (/copying) a book - love the text...

celebrating Pam!

collecting sticks

birthday balloons = a hit with the kids

3 weeks to go

37 weeks

Spring is here! We put the trampoline up on Saturday and the kids have spent at least 2 hours / day on the thing, and there's no time like right after a meal (take your pick, they're out there RIGHT after eating). Today was the first rainy day we've had since the rain was snow, so we spent more time inside - and had to say no to an after dinner park + baseball trip - a popular (with Hendrik) new pastime we've enjoyed three or four times since the weekend. I think we are getting close to being ready for baby, but I do wonder how ready one can reaaaallly be. At least we have all of the basics in the house - diapers, wipes, a place for baby to sleep, some clothes etc., so we're off to a decent start. We're trying to figure out whether or not to get a comfy chair (and if so what kind of chair) for the nursery, but after several shopping trips we are still unsure. We need the furniture store for tall people! There are a few chairs in the running, but for the most part we are way too big for gliders and recliners (and most other things). Anyways! Steve made a bench, we bought some wall stickers and a few pillows (a first for me - I'm not a huge fan of decorative pillows), and there are just a few things left on the master baby list. Other news: we head to Bowmanville this weekend for a quick one night visit to celebrate Steve's cousin's 50th birthday, Alana's preschool's annual fundraising event is tomorrow night (I'll go and Steve will babysit), and my neighbours (Liz and Sandra) are throwing a little neighbourhood baby shower for me next week - !! Events galore. And then baby! I still have a feeling that he'll be early, but who knows. Time to go and catch up with my hubs - we've been busy in different directions all day. Until next time!

relaxing on the porch with gramps

yard workers!

rooms transformed!

With the bathroom finished and the kids in a room together (and only four weeks to go until my due date), we feel like we're starting to make progress in terms of baby prep and general organization. We've also put together several pieces of Ikea furniture to create a new desk/craft area for the kids (Steve says it can be my sewing area (or his sewing area for that matter) - a good point... but when?), and Alana has a new dresser that fits perfectly into a nook in what is now Hendrik and Alana's room (!). Putting them together has been much smoother than either of us expected, and they're both sleeping well - though because I'm writing this I'm sure they'll both be up multiple times tonight.

Ikea desk/craft configuration | painting away the grey | our girl! | excited to Ikreate

The baby's room (a boy; we have a few names but nothing nailed down) is also slowly coming together: the crib is up (yesterday), diapers have been purchased (this morning on impulse), and there are some clothes in dresser drawers. We're getting a rocking chair from my neighbour, Steve is going to make a small bench, and we're going to pick some wall stickers from Lowe's impressive offering to decorate. We need to put up a curtain, get a few more things on the list, and then I should really pay attention to my intentions of going to bed early (can I bank sleep?), read, and be social. Steve's parents are coming this weekend and Steve and I are hoping to go to the movies (or just get out by ourselves), I have a team dinner on Thursday and another on Monday, and with warmer weather maybe just maybe I can start walking a little more - though I might hit that uncomfortable stage soon. We've had several days of SNOW over the course of the past few days and I am so so SO over the cold weather... I'm OVER it! Apparently by this weekend the better weather will be here to stay - but I'll believe it when I see it.

Tower building at a STEAM fair | Bravo on the outfit Alans | (silent) drumming!!! @ the STEAM fair

Taking down the tree to paint | Bowling!

There are a few other things I know I could write about - but I'll save them for another time. Hope you enjoyed the pictures! There's not much time left for us as a family of four (eek!)... excitement!

These were my last three reads (all YA): Rebecca Stead kick! When You Reach Me is my fave of hers...

a first april posting

I'm seeing all sorts of West Coast spring pictures in my Facebook feed these days and after this afternoon's full on blizzard (BLIZZARD), I'm jealous. Jealous jealous jealous! I know I can be patient and that spring will arrive and I know that before we know it we'll be enjoying the cool of the basement, but ... I don't want to wait any longer! But I also don't want to wish time away, namely because that means we lose much needed baby prep time and valuable time with just two kids.

before: tile floors, icky grout, old jet tub, old vanity...

The bathroom is DONE, and it looks ah-mazing. Really, really amazing. I'm going to try to get a before picture from our house tour on move-in day (how'd we forget to take a "before"pic?!). We just need a shower curtain, some organization in the drawers and cupboards (and repopulation of stuff) and Steve is going to make a cabinet for above the toilet... and then it is done done and done. Priority here soon is getting Hendrik and Alana in a room together which means painting the dark somber grey off her walls and just ripping the bandaid and throwing them in there together. Hopefully this can happen by next weekend - no, not hopefully; it WILL happen by next weekend because I need this baby's room to start coming together pronto. I'm 35 weeks on Monday (!!!!!), so it might be nice to have some diapers available and a few clothes in drawers and such (you know, just maybe).

after: new floor, re-fabbed vanity, new counter, new sink, new nicely subway-tiled tub... looks amazing!

Easter! Watching the kids hunt for Easter eggs is one of the best things ever... they love it and we love it. They were spoiled with chocolate and candy and Indigo gift certificates and treats from Grandma and Grandpa B (both kids were running around like wild monkeys shouting "Indigo out-ya-go!!" after their "calming" warm bath tonight - hilarrrrrrious) - and they even shared some of their Lindt goods with mom and dad. The day after the Easter bunny made his/(and)/her appearance another special visitor came... the tooth fairy! While I got my haircut last week (I love it - went here, will keep going here) Steve took the kids to the park, where Hendrik lost his first pearly white. He was nervous at first, and then hurrah! excitement. He's been staying up late reading Lego Chima books and getting up earlier than usual, so it was an extra early morning that day - to tell us that the tooth fairy had somehow managed to access his tooth without him waking up (I remember wondering how the tooth fairy did that too).

We had a "family field trip day" on Friday and took the kids to the sugar shack, and it was serious fun. They would have stayed on the tire swing all day - and I thought it would have been Hendrik's highlight-of-the-day for sure; but the meal apparently trumped the outdoor fun - a plate of pancakes, sausages, ham, baked beans, canned fruit, and home fries, all with as much maple syrup as you want... chowing that down that took home the first place moment of his day (mine too). My first place moment of this day is finishing (I think) my last assignment of the semester - wahoo yahoo! I still have some reading to do and a few comments to post online (prior to my last online class of the term), but as far as big assignments go... I think I'm done! This means I can just move on to the next thing which is prepping for a Performance Coach workshop I'm doing in June (with a newborn, yes) - but I'll take some time away from must-do school / professional development stuff (I will I will I will). Okay, I will also go and make Good Night Waffles now (if you have a waffle maker - you're welcome) as I promised the kids we'd have waffles in the a.m. Hopefully we don't wake up to more snow!

working intently on the latest masterpiece craft

tooth missing!

our girl

asked them to do this... it looks good on them!

bogs, blogs and babies

Somehow I thought I'd have more time on my hands when season ended, but it hasn't materialized. The second half of spring break was great - we were back here in London and ate lunch in our jammies most days, leaving the house in the afternoon if we felt like it. Spending so much time with Hendrik and Alana has given me the chance to spend more dedicated time with Hendrik, as Dad wasn't there to do the regular nighttime routine ("Daddy, will you tell me a story, charge up my (glow-in-the-dark) Octonauts book and lie with me?" - every night!). And since our week away we've established a new routine that is endearing almost all of the time - except when I have mucho work to do and it's late and I'm tired and the kitchen is still a mess and ... you get it. Anyways, we do the regular routine (read three stories, go to the bathroom and get in bed) and then he asks if we can talk; first, he'll tell me about his day (the parts that I don't know) and then I tell him about my day (the parts the he doesn't know), and then we talk about something else (a topic we come up with together), and really, I love it. When we ask him about school we get next to no information, and we don't always get the inside scoop on how he feels and what he thinks about things - so it's a gold and diamond-view into The Life of Hendrik, five years old. I was thinking that maybe I could somehow record it, but most of the time it's dark, and I don't think he'd be so talkative if he knew he was on camera. Tonight he wanted to talk about the new/in-progress bathroom - specifically grout and tiles, so we did that, and then we talked about the Easter bunny... coming tomorrow! Carrots were left out and I was told I had to go to bed SOON! in case he/she was waiting outside our door for all of us to go to bed and get to sleep.

working hard! the end is in sight... I think! (plus Alana showing her pic of the reno)

I really should be blogging more, especially with baby #3 on the way - I can't believe we only have 6 weeks to go! (If he decides to wait until his due date (May 9th), something both of his older siblings opted to do.) Are we ready? No. We have a few clothes, but that's about it; we need to paint the room Hendrik and Alana are going to be sharing, get them in together in the next few weeks, and get the few necessities that makes life with a baby manageable (diapers, soother, ?). I've been feeling good, but am getting larger and more waddley (boo)... and have had to slow down a bit - I'm more tired from the regular juggling of family and school than from the pregnancy, but it's not so bad.

almost 34 weeks

We made it out to Sifton Bog this afternoon and despite some grumbly "I don't want to gos" the kids had a great time ("this is so much fun!") - which made me happy happy. After an emergency call for more grout, we had to battle the busy streets and shop to get Steve some supplies - and then we hit up the grocery store for some more supplies yet before heading home to play and make dinner. That's all I've got for now - the kitchen is still a mess and the couch calls... I can do homework tomorrow!

spring within reach!

It's March! And winter seems to be on its way out - not that winter was that bad this year, but everyone is definitely looking forward to warmer weather... more time outside, the trampoline out, bikes out, kids outside, parents outside, lunch outside, and on and on. Alana and I ate lunch on the porch last week - Hendrik wasn't too happy to hear that he'd missed out:

We're spending at least the first half of March break in Bowmanville, and by we I mean me and the kids. After a tough loss in the finals of the CIS championships, Steve (who'd been assisting with the McMaster team) and his dad (there to watch) headed from Hamilton to London to tackle a full-blown bathroom reno. We're staying out of the way here in B-ville, but have to head back home on Wednesday for a Thursday morning class (for me). Here's the progress after a solid day and a half of work:

demo!

I drove down to Hamilton with the kids on Friday afternoon with plans of watching the semi-finals on Friday night, but it was not to be. The game was sold out, the gym was hot and super noisy, and the kids were none too happy after just a few points / minutes in the gym... SO, change of plans - we watched the game in our PJs in the king-sized bed back at the hotel. Steve was in town (Hamilton) all week, so it was great to see him - and I would have loved to have stayed to watch (just as I would have loved to have: participated in the coaching conference, had beers in the VIP tent, and networked/chatted/caught up with the slew of coaches in attendance), but mom duties trump any and all volleyball "want-tos" so hotel it was. Hendrik fell asleep during the game and Alana followed suit soon after the lights went out - but somehow they both managed to practically push me to the borders of the enormous bed, and I ended up sleeping at the foot of the bed to escape them both. On Saturday we visited a park, hit up Grandad's donut shop (highly recommend if you are ever in Hamilton and looking for a real-deal donut), and spent some time at the gym before heading to Bowmanville to catch the finals online. So far we've had a fairly low-key spring break with lots of board games, hide and seek, crafts, puzzles, play dough, and a few outings to the creek/park and store (woohoo).

A second place finish for the McMaster men's team was a definite disappointment (expectations were high!), but our third place finish at OUAs left our up and coming squad pretty happy with the result. Despite a disappointing loss in the semis, we battled hard in the bronze medal match and came back from an 8-12 deficit in the fifth set to win 15-13... crazy! Crazy crazy. We finished the season 18-4, which I think is a program best in recent history. Also worth more than a mention is the fact that an OUA team won Nationals on the women's side; the Varsity Blues (U of T) finished with a perfect record, beating Trinity Western in the finals in Brandon 3-0. I think it's a first for their program (a national title) and a definite plus for our league, as not only does it lend some credibility to the level out east but it also gives us another berth to Nationals next year (Ryerson will host). Anyways, enough volleyball talk. A few more pics to round out the blog and then I should get to my fast-accumulating list of homework jobs....

H&A both chose the Ghostbuster donut... pretty darn delicious!

aren't sleeping kids the cutest?

leap day leap day!

Despite the number of should-dos on the list tonight, I thought I'd better get to the blog before February runs out - I even have an extra day! I love the Google image today, full animation here:

Does a day go by without a Google visit? For any readers? If I go online I visit Google... I'm pretty sure that's a given. Anyways! Steve just walked by me with a bowl of last night's dessert - which was ah-mazing, and I'll give you the recipe link here; Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake WITH ice cream, delicious. We had the Duerdens over for dinner so I doubled it up, and though I did cut down on the topping pre-boiling water, I could have done a bit more cutting as parts of the sauce/cake were a big too sugary. Anyways, you won't be disappointed if you make it... yums yums yums.

So after beating Guelph in the quarter-finals on Saturday we're in the last two weeks of season; we go to Toronto on Friday for semi-finals vs. Ryerson and then hopefully a Saturday night finals repeat of last weekend's match against Toronto. If we beat them, we've earned a ticket to Nationals in Brandon the following week - which would be AMAZING, and there's no reason why we can't do it. Toronto is strong, but we're strong too, just lacking some of the consistency they're able to display match in and match out. Steve heads to Hamilton this weekend for the men's OUA tourney, so Gram and Gramps are in town to hold down the fort with the kiddies. Hendrik has been pretty glued to Steve, asking him to do everything with him (sometimes for him) - and he insists that Daddy does things that I could very easily do (pour him milk, help him get his jammies on - while Alana is doing it all on her own). I'm not foreseeing any problems with the g-parents here as the kids are already excited about the upcoming visit.

The last few weeks have been a serious struggle with sleep, so a night away will hopefully mean at least one night of solid sleep for both parents (away at hotels in separate cities). Hendrik was pretty sick last week with a weird flu bug, and Alana has been up between 1 and 5 times every night with dreams, fill-my-water-bottle demands, and/or intentions of sneaking into our bed in the middle of the night. I had to lay down the law and put an end to the sleep with me thing because both kids were doing it and we'd end up waking up bleary-eyed-exhausted with four of us in the bed, or two or zero, and it was way too exhausting. The trade-off is this; once a month (or ???) we can do sleepovers with the kids but ONLY if they sleep in their own beds during the week. So after a few days of successful alone sleep by the little dude, the boys had a sleepover in the living room on Saturday night and Hendrik fell asleep while watching a hockey game with a HUGE smile on his face. Thought I should have been in bed (Alana was unaware of the sleepover) since I've had a pretty bad cold/cough, I went out to meet up with some basketball friends, and it was great to see them, great to talk about plans for next year's World Master's Games (the plan is to go and play bball and repeat the gold medal the team earned in Torino) and great to just step away from mom/school/family for a few hours. 

Steve finished the floor in the kitchen and it looks great - but we don't have before pics! After pics are below:

new tiles going over old ugly stickies

ta-da! it looks SO much better in there!

We're starting to think about summer plans, and it looks like we'll stay fairly close to home, with a few trips to the cottage (hopefully), Bowmanville, maybe camping, and maybe Chicago (or somewhere close-ish). Both kids are signed up for baseball, Hendrik is in soccer (starting in May), and Alana will do a spring gymnastics and possibly a soccer something. My beef with the programs that are offered is that they're ALL at that time when the kids (especially 3-year old Alana) will be close to hitting the pre-bedtime wall. Three-year old soccer at 6:30? Ugh! We're undecided, but the enthusiasm was running high after some living room soccer (with a volleyball) last night - until Alana threw it at the TV. We moved the sports down to the basement where we continued with some tennis, volleyball lessons (Hendrik and Alana were the coaches), and then came the major meltdown when Steve left for his Sunday night hockey. We survived, but it wasn't pretty; I think it was a combination of fatigue and a sugar low after the chocolate pudding cake ice cream chowdown. 

in her new bathing suit - she's loving her swimming lessons

Anyways, this is getting lengthy and I have schoolwork to get to and some vb stuff to do - I'd better jet. It's been beautiful here but I think it's supposed to snow again tomorrow... winter isn't over yet!

looking grown up in his new glasses

pictureless post

It's Sunday night at 8:30, the kids are sleeping, and the house is a complete disaster zone - there are books and toys everywhere, most of the kitchen furniture/stuff is in the living room (Steve is putting a new floor in in the kitchen), and the kitchen is a mess. Despite the incredible need to organize, tidy, and clean up, I am going to throw in the towel and go to bed. I will. The kids were both up multiple times in the night last night in tears and tantrums because we wouldn't sleep in their beds - and they wouldn't take no for an answer for at least an hour (at 4am). In all fairness, Hendrik is sick, but he didn't seem at all sick in the night, just stubborn and ready to push boundaries way past any and all  tolerable limits. They finally fell asleep - and so did we - but were up and ready to squeeze us out of bed at 7:15 (why they don't do this on school days continues to baffle us). Hendrik spent the day in the down and out doldrums (on the couch, sick), and Alana and I made it outside to sweep, play with sidewalk chalk, hit the mall (to order some new glasses for Hendrik) and then do some snow and water experiments in the front yard. After our last two regular season games in Toronto, it was a nice day of nothing and no obligation- despite the fact that they are there, calling constantly (now, mostly school). The head coach of the team is back and ready to lead the way again, so I have resumed my role as an assistant even though I'd have liked to see the season out at the head of the bench. If all goes well in our quarter-finals next weekend we'll be back in Toronto in two weeks for semis and hopefully finals - and then who knows! Maybe we'll win a ticket to Nationals in Brandon (mid-March); this is the ultimate goal, so we'll keep working hard to get there. I really enjoyed the experience as head coach, but the only way I can see myself doing it as a career is if there are more family friendly practice times; without fail I missed dinner and/or bedtime every night we had a practice (key word = night). I know it's different south of the border (though I think there are some teams in the CIS that train earlier in the afternoon), but when I went to school we trained in the early afternoon - allowing for some semblance of normality in the everyday lives of our coaches and their families.

Anyways, bed. The list for tomorrow: clean up, do homework and volleyball stuff, and tend to the sick kid. My fingers (and yours too please) are crossed that our babes sleep better tonight than last.

update...

A few days ago there was green grass all around us and I was actually thinking about putting my snow pants away - but goooood thing I didn't! We woke up to 30 centimetres of fresh snow this morning, and it didn't stop falling until 4:00 this afternoon. Steve shovelled three driveways twice (not that you could tell he'd done anything this morning by this afternoon), and we were convinced that there should have been a school snow day (apparently they don't cancel school anymore). The kids loved being picked up in the sled, and we spent some good time playing in the snowbanks in and around our place before dinner. Other accomplishments of the day include baking valentine's day cookies, making (and getting rid of) valentines for the kids' classmates, and making a pretty good breakfast-for-dinner dinner (pancakes + fruit smoothies). Somehow Alana kept herself awake and occupied until 10:00 tonight, so I didn't get much work done... maybe tomorrow? Schoolwork and coaching are always calling - and competing - for my attention, never mind the kitchen and house and laundry and yadda yadda yadda. Our team is doing really well - we've won 10 in a row! Here's an article featured on the front page of today's London Free Press; hopefully we can get another win on Sunday and then bank a good week of training before we play two of the league's top teams next weekend (Toronto and Ryerson).

Steve took the kids to Bowmanville last weekend for some QT with Grandma and Gramps and Erin and Lennon, and I missed out - on crafts, some amazing meals, and good family time. I did get a big assignment done, slept all night long every night (this is no longer my reality), and had two games (win and win!), so things were busy (but quiet around the house) here too. Some pics from the weekend (thanks G&G!):

As usual, I'm sure there's more - but I'm tired and people will probably be awake soon enough; Alana's battling a cough, and Hendrik hasn't been sleeping like he usually does. Are they training us for baby #3? Not necessary. On that note I'm 27 weeks, feeling good, and looking pregnant; I've been getting looks from people at school that I don't know but see all the time - do I need to make an announcement? I don't know. Okay, to bed!

february post!

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, we have had a new round of seasonal books out (LOVE them), and craft activities (galore) have been happening at all times of the day - morning, noon, and night. After grocery shopping yesterday Alana and I hit Michael's for some 50% off Valentine's Day craft decor, and now there is no shortage... though with the number of glittery hearts that get plastered/stuck/taped on any given Valentine, we may be back for more. The kids have been showering both Steve and I with early cards (I have five on my desk alone) and getting a few done for their classmates as well... fun times!

26 weeks (below) - better pics to come!

10:03pm and she's still making valentines (she napped today)

Since I last wrote (which feels like weeks ago - was it?), we've had a few more matches - against Guelph (win!) and McMaster (win!) - with more coming up this weekend (against York and Nipissing). The team is working hard in the gym, and I'm working hard (trying my best) to get good practices out and to get them prepped for opponents (film film film!). Thank goodness it's not just me doing the game prep - with school and family it would be way more challenging to feel prepared for every weekend's match(es). School is going fairly well, though I'm still finding it a challenge to keep everything in balance (I stay up too late, never exercise, and am always tired). We have one month left of season / post-season (approximately), and then I should be able to meal plan, exercise, do schoolwork before midnight, etc. Oh, and get ready for the baby! Things are going well in that department, and I have my first appointment with the obstetrician next week at the hospital where I'll deliver (Victoria General).

It's been crazy mild here - so mild, in fact, that Alana was out riding her bike yesterday... on February 1st! The snow family we made last week has melted away, and their snow fort / snow home looks more like snow chess pieces than a dwelling. I've briefly considered getting Steve's bike out to get to and from practice, but it's still a little bit chilly and I've been starting to feel (like I've swallowed a pumpkin) more and more pregnant over the past few weeks. At 26 weeks I am definitely showing, and definitely in stretchy or maternity pants at all times. I haven't had any real cravings or aversions, but I do have more of a sweet tooth than usual... blame the baby! Hehehe...


There must be some kid updates I should include  - they're both in swimming lessons and loving it, school is going well for both of them, we registered Alana for junior kindergarten (starts this fall), and Hendrik has been reading up a storm (early chapter books). Alana requests Shreddies for breakfast every morning, while french toast has been a go-to for Hendrik; lunches are standard PB&J varieties (sandwich, wrap) while Alana still lives off of her lunchtime dose of cheese. Nothing much else is coming to me at the moment, so I'll leave it at that...

SNOW FAMILY! 

spot the 8 valentines on my messy desk

from northern climes

It's been a busy weekend here in Thunder Bay, and we get to go home bright and early tomorrow morning - with two wins! Last week's preparations for this weekend's games included repeated advice from a number of people warning me/us of how difficult the road trip was going to be - cold dry weather, a scrappy team, a long trip up... I felt as if we were traveling to some remote town in northern Siberia (which, just to note, Steve did when he played in Russia). We prepared well and came to play, and after last night's five set thriller (we won the fifth 15-13), we did a better job of sticking to our game plan, keeping the ball in play and finishing things off when we had to. I also did a better job of mixing things up, so feel like I'm getting more comfortable in games - in  making decisions for subs, time-outs etc. I am SO excited to get home and see the kids, and we have Monday off; hopefully I'll be able to get a bit of schoolwork done and get some quality time in with the family (yay).

It sounds like it's been an exciting weekend in London: Steve got the kids signed up for baseball this morning and then took them through the car wash TWICE (oh yeah) before setting up new beds for both of them. I'm excited for them - and excited to get the in-person intro and tour to their new night-time digs. Here's what I'm coming home to:

There must be more to write about, but it's late and I'm thinking I might get a little work done (or at least get some readings loaded) before bed, before the drive-fly-drive trek home in the morning. Until next time!

can't wait to see these three!

ps. Article's about our weekend games can be found here and here... yay!

speed update

It's the middle of January already! EEEEEEeeeeeek... And life isn't going to slow down until season is over - or maybe even until school is over, and I sure hope I can take a vacation (albeit a mini one) before baby #3 arrives in May. Have I announced this on here yet? I'm ashamed that I don't have a single baby bump picture, but at 24 weeks the little guy in there (yes, guy!) has forced me into maternity pants. I haven't had many aversions or cravings, but I'm definitely more hungry than usual (I think) - though this could just be an eat more want more thing... you know? Anyways! Moving on, speed-blurb-update style:

Winter has hit, and Steve has been shovelling snow like it's his job. He does our driveway and our two neighbours' driveways, and they deserve it; they help us out so much with the kids (watching for an hour here and there) and bring us baked goods and, well, regardless, they should have their driveways shovelled by us younger folk (I've helped, but not intensively).

Steve is another year wiser! I surprised him on his birthday with a birthday lunch complete with his boy home from school, and I think it was the highlight of his day. I was up baking his heart-shaped birthday cake (Hendrik's idea) at 11:30 the night before, iced and decorated by Hendrik and I (covertly and in our pyjamas) the next (birthday) morning, and then there was cake and ice cream after lunch that day (YUM).

Loft bed coming up! We've figured out what the sleeping arrangements will look like come this third babe's arrival, and it's going to be a not-so-high loft bed staggered over Hendrik's current bed, which will become Alana's. We're thinking we'll get them in their new beds soon-ish (Hendrik in his loft, Alana in Hendrik's old twin bed) and then make the transition to roommate living (which was once oh so very fun) in March or April.

Volleyball. Oh what a chance the guys had to get that ticket to Rio, but it was not to be. In front of a sold out crown in Edmonton last Sunday, Canada fell to Cuba in three straight sets, and it wasn't pretty. They hung tight with them here and there, but Cuba had standout players and a sense of urgency - and we were lacking both (in my opinion). They've got another crack at it in May, but the odds were more in their favour in this last tourney than in the next; still, they've got an army of supporters behind them!

School. Coaching. Motherhood. I'm wearing many hats, all at the same time. I'm still figuring out when to do what and how, but it'll come - because it has to! We have our first league game of the second half this weekend against Waterloo, and I sure would like to win it! One pregnant coach replaces another, and hopefully we can keep our positive record (7-2) looking good!

The kids have been LOVING the snow, and they've also been loving the truly Canadian ride home from school transport of the trusted double sled. We've schlepped them home from school multiple times, and they love it. Pictures to come...

For now, that's it! I have a pile of cards and photos and papers and who knows what else to go through - we've been trying to organize and de-clutter, but eating, showering, cooking, cleaning up, working, studying, etc., comes first. Until next time!