a weekend away!

After 10 months of maximum three hours away from baby J, I got away for an ENTIRE WEEKEND and it was amazing. Okay it wasn't just amazing it was aaaaaaMAAAAAZZZZing! Yes I missed the kids but I didn't FaceTime anyone and I didn't feel sad - I just had tons and tons of fun playing ball, hanging out with friends, and making decisions based on my life instead of little people's lives - like What do I want to eat? instead of Will the kids eat this What time is it Who is hungry? and Where's my beer? The basketball team I'm playing on that's going to Auckland (for the World Master's Games, link here) hosted the Ontario Master's Basketball tourney in Kitchener this weekend which involved an early afternoon departure on Friday and an earlier afternoon return home on Sunday. We had one game Friday night, one Saturday morning, and then the finals on Saturday night (which we WON!) and then a night out on the town (okay it was a night out at one bar) that culminated in a hotel room dance party and the front desk never even called to tell us to turn down the music. The team is comprised of a great group of super fun women - and they can all play basketball too. YAY! And the big trip is less than three weeks away... incredible. Okay, and it turns out that Jordan was fine without me - even though he still won't take a bottle or a sippy cup or have anything to do with formula (or cow's milk). Steve got him to take small bits of water out of a cup, and gave him runny rice cereal (made with formula and masked by mashed banana) before bed in place of his regular nursing appointment with mom. And Steve did it! He was fine with three kids for 48 hours - hurrah hurrah. When I got back on Sunday the family was just finishing lunch, and Jordan was doing this:

Hilarious! He can really get the spray going, so clearly he's not that dehydrated.

What else what else what else... I'm sure there's more but this past weekend wasn't exactly loaded with sleep time so I have some catching up to do. I can't believe it's almost April!!

2017 champs!

spring break happenings

There is so much to write about! And so little time. The kids are still awake (it's 9:45) and have had a few early mornings and late nights, so they must be tired and running on fumes (but they're still running instead of sleeping, bah!), and both Steve and I are still pretty tired after a busy week of volleyball and kid-care (for me). Steve was in Edmonton with McMaster where they won bronze, and I was back and forth from Bowmanville to Toronto where Western finished a respectable sixth. Jordan was always with me - well actually I should say that he came in with me to games but spent time with Bonnie (yay Bonnie) in the stands during the actual matches; then it was back to me and then back out to B-ville where we were welcomed home by energetic kids and their grandparents. I definitely couldn't have done it without Bob and Marg so I'm very thankful that they held down the fort with Hendrik and Alana - I'm sure they're in recovery mode after a week of non-stop fun (non-stop fun!). The kids love love LOVE it there, and had a fabulous time as usual. For me it was great seeing lots of familiar faces at Nationals (the volleyball world is a small one) - but I didn't take any pictures! Not a single one. I think I was at mental capacity with the volleyball stuff, the kid-juggling, figuring out Jordan and his needs and driving and making it work to go to the next event and the next one after that... ugh. I really could and really should write multiple blogs about the weekend - about the team, the volleyball, my role, my coaching presentation, seeing friends, the juggling - but I just can't right now, and probably won't. I'll get a few photos up and then get to bed - I need to catch up on some zzzzs!

brotherly love :)

happy in the bath!

hendrik and alana were pretending to be mom and dad with jordan as their baby - great photo!

this one LOVES being on his feet and is constantly pulling himself up and shimmying around... big boy!

a welcome home sign for dad - love!

one of many beautifully coloured princess creations :)

"ghost dragon one step ahead"

marching on: family update on the fly

After the last week of rocky rock-bottom-ish sleep (Jordan Jordan Jordan), last night's four hour stretch felt like four-ty-eight hours of shut-eye (you know it's bad WHEN...). But (sigh), he's been sick (runny nose, mild cough) and is teething, and maybe he knows that I'm going away sort of soon - and he's protesting. This will make those all-night New Zealand sleeps (I hope) even sweeter, unless that strange thing happens where/when you finally get time and space to do something and you can't because you're missing what you left behind. Anyways! I'm hoping the littlest hub starts feeling better and sleeping better and drinking from a bottle... we still haven't had any luck on that front.

Fam-dam-update day? Sure. This is completely unplanned so here goes.

MOI
Quoi de neuf? Our volleyball season at Western is in its last legs - the team left for the OUA Final Four in Toronto last night, and I'm spending the weekend at home with all of my chickens. I made it to two practices this week and one club practice, and that felt fairly maxed out with nary a second to spare between one practice, dinner prep, dinner, dinner cleanup, feeding baby and rushing out the door to get to the next event. I'm trying to get multiple workouts in every week, with varying degrees of success (and consistently sore legs) - I should have hit the gym this morning but opted to stay home and hang out with Steve and do some housework (oh yeaaaaah) since I'll be alone for the next few days while he's at the men's Final Four in Hamilton. I've been working hard to get a presentation in order for a coaching conference that's coming up next week in conjunction with  Nationals in Toronto, and I'm hoping that the time I've put in will combat the mild nerves I'm feeling about presenting and knowing my stuff. This will be my first solo conference presentation (1 hour), and I hope it's a good one! There must be more but that's all the information my brain feels like producing about myself.

Steve
This one heads to the Hammer this afternoon for Mac's Final Four games, and then will likely be on a plane heading west early next week for Nationals (if Western makes it I'll make it into Toronto where the Women's Nationals are being hosted at Ryerson) - hosted by the University of Alberta. He's been working a bit with some contractors, dealing with the usual random house and car issues, and has put in a few more hours with Mac's volleyball team in the lead-up to the end of season.

cute!!!!!

Jordan (almost 10 months)
The youngest of the fam one gets an A+ in eating, and a near F in sleep - though it could be worse so really I should give him a C-. As my dad says, he's in Search and Destroy mode, crawling everywhere and immediately finding whatever item or piece of flotsam that is the least appropriate for a small baby: plastic bags, cords, tiny objects etc. I keep meaning to look back on the other two and see what they were doing/eating at this stage, but, well, I'll add it to the mental list. He's eating a variety of mush: rice cereal, applesauce, yams, squash, chicken, egg yolk, pureed fruit; and little bits of small food - Cheerios, blueberries, kiwi, orange, cheese... maybe more? Probably. He's super happy and easy going (at least during the DAY he is) and couldn't get much cuter. LOVE him but hope he starts sleeping better again soon (how about tonight!).

it was wear green day today at school - Hendrik got an A+ for spirit!

Hendrik
Oooooh Hendrik - Hendrik's latest thing is pushing limits as far and as hard and as often as possible, with whoever happens to be there (or not there). It's frustrating... exasperating... and so difficult to stay calm and collected to respond appropriately (whatever that means) - without TOTALLY exploding like a crazed psychopath. He's in bed now, reading, and I'm not far behind him. What else is new with him - hm; he aced his spelling test today (50/50, woohoo!), is SUPER excited for Spring Break (because he doesn't like all of the sitting he has to do at school - I get it), and still picks Bey Blades as his toy of choice. Next.

with one of her besties, ngawang

Alana
Alana is a social butterfly and LOVEs school - she loves spending time with her friends and comes home with notes and pictures from people and notes and pictures for people. More of these are created at home - for her friends and for her family members; she drew a trophy for Hendrik the other day because he won a family BeyBlade Burst tourney (that's right, we had one) and then drew and coloured in a beautiful heart for Steve just because. She also likes playing with Barbies and stuffies/toys at night before bed (while Hendrik reads) and she's probably fallen asleep in the spread she had laid out all over her bed, with doll arms and legs sticking out willy nilly. She's into Barbie books (she brought home Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale from school - ugh!) but thankfully she hasn't discovered the show. I picked up a few movies from the discount bin at Best Buy this afternoon and has to pass over a few Barbie DVDs... Even though I know she would LOVE them, I just can't! There must be more to say but I need to go to bed. Fingers crossed that tonight is flooded with SLEEP!

some at-home art

reasoning-to-have-a-bath lists

"hideout hendrik"

sugar shack, hoops + why i coach

Have I blogged since we went out to the sugar shack? I don't remember - but here are some photos. It was a beautiful sunny day (last weekend?) and we managed to get our fill of pancakes, syrup, sausages and the tire swing - we went to the same pancake house last March and the kids were on the swing for a good chunk of time then too... good times!

hendrik as horse!

jordan's new favourite thing = whole apples; hendrik loved these too when he was around this age... we just have to be sure he doesn't bite off more than he can chew!

some sleep in tutus

I had a pair of basketball games this weekend in Kitchener and thank GOODness I worked out last week (multiple times) - I can't believe I used to run like that every single day. On Saturday we played a select club team and on Sunday we faced Conestoga College, winning both contests. Jordan was with me (/us) on Saturday and was SO well behaved; he hung out on the bench and had his Cheerios and toys and lots of people to keep him entertained - he even made it into our team pic:

I made this vegetarian Thai Red Curry recipe the other day and it was SO so so so good... the kids didn't eat it but it meant there was more for us so haha! no big deal. Well, annoying a little as we had to throw something together for them but it was probably tortillas and cheese - a culinary molehill! Basketball season at the school is finito - we wrapped up with a tournament on Saturday morning and came away with 4 wins and 1 loss. The girls did such a great job and improved so much and I had a great time coaching everyone; it was a first for me (coaching basketball), but hopefully not a last. Just finding time to get to it all is the challenge, and I won't ever keep myself out of the gym if I have the time (and childcare). As I was leaving school this afternoon one of the girls gave me a card and I won't lie here - I got a little teary reading it; (from mom): "I have seen such a change in (her) since she started playing basketball - her confidence, teamwork and basketball skills make me proud. Thank you also for encouraging (her), teaching her new skills and for inspiring her to always give it her all. You are a truly wonderful role model." This is why I coach. Love it!

snowy runs and reflections

After a week devoid of exercise, I finally got out this morning for a run along snowy sidewalks (my first snow-run of the year) and managed to avoid slipping or skidding on the numerous icy patches along my route. Clearly I don't do this all that often (snow-running), but when I do I can't help but think of Russia; when we lived there (in 2009 - see here) I'd gingerly run laps around the snowy park close to our our house with layers and layers of clothing on and my pink and grey toque (knit by my friend Kelly) - my only alternatives for exercise were walks and 45-minute swims at the pool (where I met my friend  Margaret). It's fun to take trips down memory lane, and Steve and I both think the years and times we spent abroad often (maybe even daily!). We've incorporated little bits of Italian and Greek (and Indonesian and sometimes French) into our everyday language - the kids know what tidak apa apa means ("no problem" in Indonesian), and Hai capito? ("do you understand?" - Italian), Signome (syngnómi - "excuse me!" in Greek) and more. I still remember a few words in Russian (our address, please, thank you) as well as the standout memories: getting beat by birch branches in the traditional spa-fashion (yes, really), meeting Margaret and visiting her school; playing kopeeks (a drinking game), eating pizza and sushi, taking the bus downtown, going grocery shopping and being followed by security guards in the grocery store due to my suspicious and very unladylike (unRUSSIANladylike) attire (Sorels, loose jeans and a down coat - alert!) - and of course there's more.

So the big game-changing news around here is that Jordan is on the move. Ak! He's going after cords and bits of paper and chapter books from the library - we need a big rearrange and more talk (more action, really) about picking up after ourselves and no bits or bobs (my mom says this I think 💓) left lying about. We'll probably pick up some gates this weekend and until that moment the kid will be in the backpack or exersaucer if we're not prepared to monitor every moment of his activity.

We have home games this weekend - we beat Trent tonight in three and face a strong Toronto team tomorrow night, so hopefully we manage to put a good game together. I suppose I should also say something about Valentine's Day other than the fact that I took zero pictures of the kids and the pile of cards that they MADE (they spent quite a bit of time on them) for all of their classmates; I also failed to take pictures of the mini-scavenger hunt we sent them on to find their Valentine's Day treats. Hendrik can be a bit of a know-it-all sometimes - when he came down on Tuesday morning and saw the heart tin on the table he said sullenly "I KNOW I already KNOW what's in the tin it's CANDY." Oh well don't you just know it all there little mister - ha HA! You don't. They loved reading the clues and hunting around for the next heart and the next heart-clue and then finally finding a goodie bag full of chocolate and sugar (YUM).

The night before last was a good night with all three kids sleeping all night long BUT... last night saw multiple wake-ups from multiple children so I'm tired and need to go to bed. I think I should also make a February resolution to take more pictures with the camera; not everything I snap needs to migrate to Instagram! I can take pictures for the blog and for the wall(s), I can I can I can. Oh, last thing - I read Melissa Sweet's biography (for children) of E.B. White and it was great; quick and interesting and with a good bibliography (LOVE a good bibliography) it was well worth my time. Over and out!

feb family update

Steve was away for eight days last week (he was coaching in Northern Quebec) and everyone survived and I managed to hold on to most of my sanity; despite a few rough patches (kids not listening, fighting), they were really well-behaved. Other challenges of me playing zone D on the three kids was trying to follow through on coaching commitments - at the school (where I'm coaching the grade 6/7/8 girl's basketball team) and at the university. Otherwise I just had to make myself go to bed at a reasonable hour (this was only somewhat successful) and prioritize: who needs what the most? Jordan has been sleeping a little bit better - some nights he manages to get through the night without eating, but he's usually up once WHICH I can handle (even though I yearn - yes, yearn (Seinfeld anyone? @ 1:20) - for through the night sleeps once again). I thought I'd do a family update post and I'm kind of mangling it so far, so let's switch it up and give people their own piece of property. Here goes...

Hendrik

This guy has been reading up a storm - check out his two piles of bedside books:

Reading is one of a few subjects / skills that, as per his recent report card, he is exceeding provincial standards; he also seems to be ahead of the game in math, data management and probability, and P.E. In the last month or so he's buddied up with a friend that lives just two doors down, and it's great to see him with a friendship that appears to be as strong as the one he had with Grayson last year (who moved schools). We signed H up for baseball (Tball) again this summer, and are in the process of thinking about a few camps that he might want to go to this summer (we're thinking Spencer Lodge again - an outdoor camp run by the YMCA and a Pokemon-themed STEM camp). What else what else... he is still obsessed with Bey Blades and asks us to battle morning noon and night. He loves swimming and his swimming lessons and is so far so-so on the Acorn volleyball that he’s going to on Friday nights. We’ve been talking about the summer and summer plans, and both kids are excited for the cottage – I can’t wait either. 

Alana

This one has been loving the social side of school, and she's been having friends over on a fairly regular basis - Audrey was over today, and the two of them dressed up as Elsa and Anna and then as Elsa and SuperGirl and her room was turned upside down and the windows were open ("we want fresh air!" - what am I supposed to say to that?!) and the only let down was the fact that they didn't get to make cookies. Like her brother, Alana has gotten right into the Valentine's Day crafts, and she's been tracing and cutting hearts and making cards for her classmates; she also made a "Family Book" this afternoon, with drawings of all members of the family (pics coming next time). Steve took both kids skating on Wednesday (Jordan stayed with me at school basketball practice) and it was a success! Alana is usually a bit hesitant with activities that are either new or challenging to her, but apparently she did just fine - and even accepted help and assistance from her dad and brother (he skated the whole length of the rink to get her a skate assist thingy... how kind!). She's also into Bey Blades but this activity is complemented with Barbies and Barbie play - I just went upstairs to ask them to turn their lights out; Hendrik is reading (Boy vs Beast) and Alana JUMPED into bed and lay as still and as stiff as a board as soon as she heard me coming up the stairs... she was playing with Barbies. She'll talk to herself and play out loud and whisper and sing and it's oh so sweet to see her get right into the pretend play. 

Jordan (almost 9 months)

This little bub sure is close to crawling - but isn't yet (maybe he's waiting for us to get baby gates). He's bubbles and razzes and knows how to clap, but he's still fairly quiet which is likely due to his hearing challenges. His next appointment with the specialist is in May, but if we decide to go ahead and do the tubes thing it's possible that he'll get in before then. He is happy - smiley and easy-going as long as his food isn't overdue - unless it's the middle of the night and he fully wakes up and doesn't get what he wants (food). Food! It's all about the food. I feed him five times a day (when he wakes up, 7:30ish; 11:00ish; 3:00ish; 7:00 and 8:30) and he eats lunch and dinner which is squash or sweet potatoes or baby cereal and fruit and sometimes meat and almost always baby mum-mums. We're going to make a more concerted effort to get him on the bottle, but Wednesday night's attempt was unsuccessful - we just have to keep trying. And like I said, he's sleeping better, but there's still room for improvement. His favourite things to do (besides eating) include playing at his little play table, putting things in his mouth (anything that he's not supposed to put in his mouth is preferred - like Bey Blades), and he loves listening to stories, being in the water (baths mostly), and being held. 

just after he ate raw caribou - WITH the raw caribou

that's a coooooold gas station

Steve

I should ask Steve to guest-blog about his time up north where he put in quite a few hours in the gym with a variety of age-groups; there were sessions for kids, for adults for teenagers etc., but they almost always seemed to meld and mold from one designation to no designation, and he had to adapt and go with the flow. The town of Kuujuuaq was bigger than he expected, and apparently there weren't just one but two bars - one of which was in the hotel where he was staying, and it was quite happening (live music some nights, full of people etc.). So he had to go to a remote, Northern Quebec town to experience night life again - ha! He also trekked out a few times to catch the Northern Lights, had a truck freeze on him (despite being plugged in), ate raw caribou, went on a snowmobile excursion with a teacher from the school, and played Inuit games. It's possible that he'll head up north again to give clinics in another town, but as of right now nothing is planned. He's adjusted to the southern climate (there were days when the temp dipped BELOW -50 up there - !!) and is back in the swing of things with dad stuff and other commitments. It's good to have him home!

Me

Time time time - there isn't enough! And I'm on Jordan's clock, so at least with Steve home I've been able to get out and do a few errands and go the gym more or less when I please. We are members at the YMCA here (Stoney Creek - it's so nice!), but the last few times I've put Jordan in the free child minding, he has more or less lost his mind and I've had to cut things short to console a red-faced and very upset little dude. But the clock is ticking, and my trip to New Zealand is only two months away (!!!!!) so I need to get myself into shape (and get Jordan on the bottle). I'm loving coaching the girl's basketball team at the kids' school - it's a great group and they're learning and improving so so much, mostly in the skills aspect as opposed to game play (spacing, vision, and running plays/an offence is challenging). With practices Monday and Wednesday and games every Tuesday and Thursday, it's fairly intensive as far as a commitment goes, so I'm guessing I'll feel blessed with a little more free time come the end of the month. Coaching up at the uni is going well too, though I feel a bit out of the loop with the once a week commitment; I'd love to go every day and to every game, but with family and practice times it's a deal-breaker... no can do. And I'm also at a point where I'm thinking about looking for work - where and when is the question (the fall I think), and how to find child care and what to do with the kids... ugh. I don't know! I'd love something part-time - so I'm going to try to keep up to date with public library postings in the area (London and Middlesex County too) but look more seriously come September. I finished On Such a Full Sea last week and despite some enthusiastic recommendations, I didn't love it. Next up is Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White - and I have a few Ontario travel books out of the library that can easily provide me with the 2 minutes of reading I manage at night before sleep takes over. And (for now), that's all folks! 

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!