Hall of Fame! and parenting musings

When I only blog once every few weeks, there is so much to write about, and I know I can’t avoid leaving things out - but Steve’s Hall of Fame ceremony was unforgettable and I want to get it down first. Last weekend (for the third weekend in a row for the boys), we made for Bowmanville on Friday afternoon and were all ready and rested up for the big night on Saturday. The ceremony was at the Garnett B. Rickard Rec Centre and included those big search lights outside (the kids loved that), a red carpet, and a huge display for each inductee. Everyone dressed up, and there were two tables full of people to celebrate and support Steve. After some milling about, the inductees were escorted into the room with bagpipes (!); then there were some short welcomes, a long-ish dinner, and then… the speeches! Steve was the first to follow the keynote speaker, and he did an AMAZING job! He talked about his influential coaches growing up (Hugh and Michelle) and his parents (and family) and how they supported him throughout his career - and he cracked more than a few jokes that had everyone giggling. Steve stayed on schedule but not everyone before him did, but despite the lateness and all of the grown-up things going on around them, the kids were SO so so well behaved. We brought some books and colouring stuff - which Alana and Jordan used, and Aunt sat at our table, which everyone loved! I took the kids home after Steve’s speech and came back to catch the very end of the evening - photos and some mingling, and then Steve and I took advantage of the babysitters and went to Boston Pizza for a drink. Steve brought home a cool (huge) sketch of himself and a framed recognition of his induction; his induction plaque will be up on the wall in the Garnett B. Rickard Rec Centre in the next few weeks. Some photos…

The only other thing I’ll write about this time is the parenting challenges I’m currently facing. It’s been a while since I’ve written about anything other than the details of recent days and weeks; I used to write about holidays and special events (this makes me think of some of my Russia posts), and usually social media (blogs included - maybe?) portrays the positive - not the negative or hard parts of life. So, here’s what’s tough about parenting for me right now: 

1. The lack of sleep. Even though the kids are a bit older (almost 8, 6 and 2 1/2), at least one of them will wake me up at least once every night - and if it were just one kid and just one wake-up, I'd consider it a great night. Last night I was out of bed SIX times, and the night before three or four. I wonder when I'll get to go to bed at night and wake up in the morning... ever?
2. Unless the kids are watching TV or playing a game on the iPad, there is always someone making a demand or needing help solving a problem - literally always. Sometimes the problem or demand is small, but usually it is medium or large or extra-large, and it is so constant and so challenging, especially with the lack of sleep, the demands of the house, and school. I know that this means we're involved as parents, that we are valuing interactions with them and helping them develop abilities to solve their own problems instead of just using technology as a babysitter... but it's exhausting, and so hard to stay patient and calm.

I know that the days are long and the years are short - time flies. But these days the days are extra long (and the nights extra short); maybe I should use a few more of those hours for myself, and to acknowledge how grateful I am to have my kids in my life even if it’s more than full time. Thanks for reading! 

The girls go west - beautiful BC!

It is always so nice to get away and then so nice to get home too. The past week has flown by with visits to my sister Sarah in Kamloops (YAY!) and my mom and dad in Comox (double yay!). Well, I can say double yay to the interior visit too because the baby bump makes two to visit… baby (NOT mine - my sister's)! It was so great to see my sis and her place and get out and see Kamloops and her work - and to see Alana get to know her too, that was pretty special. Highlights of the first leg of our trip for Alana were the playgrounds (one was behind Sarah’s house - with a tire swing, and another fave was the downtown park with an amazing rope play structure), the painting, and the horseback riding. On Saturday afternoon we headed up to Erin Valley Stables and Alana went on a trail ride on her own horse without a lead. I really wasn’t sure how it would go, but she was ahhhhmazing! There were seven horses, and Alana was near the front, just behind the lead horse, while Sarah and I were near the back. She was calm and collected throughout the ride, and seemed at ease with the uphills, downhills and the trotting. “I like it when I went fast” she said after. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about some what-if moments, like… What if her horse just takes off? What’ll she do?! But she liked it so much that she put on a pout-pout face as soon as the ride was over - and asked if she could go again. And so we did! We went to Bear Creek Ranch on Friday where Alana rode a barrel-racing champion horse (really) - which made me wonder if and when it would show some of its speed. It didn’t (thankfully), but Alana did impress the owner of the ranch who said that if she lived there he’d give her barrel riding lessons… she was a natural! The dogs were barking in the bush on our way out and back, and my horse got pretty skittish; Drew (the owner) seemed to think there was something (like a bear) lurking. This made me imagine another what-if scenario that never came to fruition (thank gooooodness). Anyways, back to Kamloops; other highlights include an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, a great left-right-centre game, a trip to Adams River to see one of the biggest salmon runs in the province, many Uno games, LOL Doll mania, a trip to the pumpkin patch and corn maze, pumpkin carving, and lots and lots of scary pumpkin drawings. 

love this photo of us!

on a horse!

what a beautiful ride

painting with auntie sarah (door decorations)

turkey time :)

We made our way to Comox on Tuesday morning where we were greeted with beautiful blue skies… and my mom and dad! It was so so so great to see them, and of course their new place too. They are still in the throes of a kitchen renovation, but other than that their place is done and it is beautiful! The beach is just blocks away, and so is an incredible sushi restaurant that we visited on Tuesday night… it was SO GOOD! On Wednesday we walked around downtown Courtenay and visited my Aunt Zella’s place where Alana and Grandpa picked apples. The rest of the visit blends together, but we visited the park a few times, took Maggie on some walks, carved another pumpkin, ate some fabulous meals, shared books, went horseback riding, played Uno (there were some great victory dances) and I got a haircut. And then we were up as early as can be on Saturday to make the long trip back home. It was great to get home to see the boys, and we enjoyed the Sunday buffer before life and all its busy-ness got going again today. It was a great trip - I can’t wait for the next one!!

beautiful BC!

picking apples with Grandpa

Uno mania!

September - school and life updates

from Run the Runway - so fun!

Oh hi! It's almost OCTOBER already (whaaaat) and everyone is settling in to the new routine (hurray). Week one was a shock to the system, but everyone managed (it was extremely overwhelming for me); week two was better and I made a mental shift to chill out a bit with all of my readings, assignment, home/kids stuff and volleyball commitments (which are extremely minimal right now). And now that we're nearing the end of the month I think it's safe to say that everyone is fairly settled with the back to school thing. Both Alana and Hendrik like their teachers (and so do we), and Jordan is happy at home with Dad. I'm at school four days a week so get to spend Fridays with the little (which I love!). That Monday to Thursday thing involves going to NINE different classes; some are two hours and some are three hours, but all of them have lots of reading required and assignments galore. When do I get work and reading done? I still don't really know. I have an assignment due tomorrow (not finished), a quiz on Thursday (haven't studied for it - yet) and a coaching presentation to prepare for a small coaching conference Western Women's Volleyball is putting on this weekend. Oh, and Friday is a P.D. Day and Steve is out of town this weekend. Bah! It's all good though. Steve is heading to Brandon with the McMaster men's team this weekend, so I'm sure he'll enjoy some volleyball immersion - and on the prairies too! There is much more I could write about, but if I don't post this now it may never reach my readers. (Are there still people visiting? I know it's sparse postings these days!) I hope that life is treating everyone well...

classic first day of school photo

oh hi!

from this past weekend at the cottage... it was a beautiful long weekend for us up at the Crowe

two front teeth GONE!

runners in the sunners

august update

Can you believe it? The summer is coming to an end... boo! We closed the last week off with a fabulous trip to the Pinery, one of Southern Ontario's popular provincial parks. We lucked out with a great site last year and Steve was able to snag it again - but this time Grandma and Gramps joined us! Steve, Hendrik and Jordan slept in the tent, and I slept with Alana on one side of Bob and Marg's tent trailer, and it worked pretty well except for the last night; Jordan woke up crying for Mommy, and I spent a few hours in a camp chair in the tent before sneaking him back into his crib only to be woken half an hour or so later for the day. We ate really well (camp dinners were tacos with all the fixings, BBQ'd chicken thighs with beans, broccoli and corn, burgers, and pasta) and it sure did help that much of the work was done beforehand be it cooking or chopping. If only all meals could be so easy! Desserts were also fabulous (of course) and everyone enjoyed s'mores and Alana's pre-birthday celebration cupcakes. She turns six tomorrow, so we did a mini bday celebration on Thursday. We spent most mornings and afternoons at the beach where we were handed a good mix of water conditions; it was calm for the first few days, super wavy the third (which Hendrik and Alana LOVED), and calm again on the fourth (Jordan was scared away by the big waves). We came home with a few rocks, not too much sand, and only a minor poison ivy blister on Jordan's leg. It was a great week!

And now... now it's back to reality big time. I fit in a quick grocery shop this morning and passed on the $2 cupcakes at Superstore to come home and make my own with Alana... but despite the extra grease they all stuck to the pan. The universe is telling me to simplify! Oh well. I didn't listen and went out and bought cupcake paper liner things and made another batch - which made me think of the Fancy Nancy cupcake story (her dog eats them and after an exhausting day she listens to her parents and goes straight to bed). Anyways! With school for me and the kids starting Tuesday things are going to get crazy busy. Speaking of books, I absolutely devoured The Orenda this week... I was totally captivated, and think it was one of the best books I've ever read. It gives lots of food for thought, and I finished it with tears in my eyes at midnight last night. It's not the lightest or easiest of reads, but I loved it.

I know I have more to write about (I'm hoping to get out west in early October to visit my mom and dad and sister, the house hunt - no updates, had a great visit with a friend from uni last weekend, ummm I don't know what else) but this is it. I need some sleep!

so goooooood to see this ZAG for life... love!

summer fun

The summer sure is rolling along! Even though the bulk of summer vacay is behind us, we still have a solid three weeks (right?) to enjoy the weather and freedom that the season allows. Highlights from the last several weeks include a trip to Canada's Wonderland with the bigs, some cottage time, day camp fun, and a few weeks of work for Steve. I'll break it down with a family update - it's been a while!

catchin' lunkers

Hendrik
I could have should have written about his foray into baseball in my last post, but I forgot! This year's commitment was a big step up from last year's t-ball; the team got together three times a week and hit off of a pitching machine that delivered a fairly fast-paced ball. He had a great time and did really well, despite being the youngest on the team (some kids were almost 2 years older than him). The season culminated in a two-day double elimination tournament that found the whole family at the diamond for most of the weekend, and we loved it; there were snacks and toys and sidewalk chalk, and Alana and Jordan played at the playground while I double-duty watched baseball and Jordan (he wants to climb every climber - even if it's way way waaaaay big). They were knocked out just before the finals, so should be very proud of themselves. He also spent a week at Spencer Lodge, an outdoor day camp run by the YMCA, and loved it. He came home tired and dirty every day, having spent seven hours outside with his best friend Edward. But if you asked him what the highlight of his summer has been (so far) I'm thinking that he'd say Canada's Wonderland. We were unsure of what rides the kids would be up for, but Hendrik met the height requirements for all of the rides (I think), and took pride in the fact that he didn't scream on even the scariest of rides. He rode the Behemoth with Steve (a crazy new coaster with an almost vertical drop) and the Drop Zone with me (I screamed). And even after 12 hours (yes 12 hours) he was still asking for more. Did I mention that we were there for 12 hours? We arrived just after 9:30am and left at 9:45pm... we were so spent but we had so much fun! More recently Hendrik has spent hours and hours in the water at the cottage, jumping off the dock, snorkelling and fishing. Summer is FUN!

Alana
Having fully recovered from her sling-wearing days, Alana has also wrapped up her summer activities - t-ball and soccer. She had fun, but wasn't super into it which I understand. She was most excited about spending time with her friends, and it was the most adorable to see them out on the big field on Colman Day, held at Labatt Field (Canada's oldest continually operating baseball park). She also had a blast at Canada's Wonderland, and it occurred to us that she must be one of very few 5-year olds that can ride the big rides - with no fear! We went on some pretty intense roller coasters together, and all she wanted was more. She was game to keep going even at 9:45 - and we rode The Bat (my favourite) when there were no lines, and Hendrik, Gramps and I had to peel Steve and Alana off of one of the roller coasters... there was no line and they could have kept going and going and going (until 10:00). She too spent the week at Spencer Lodge with a few friends, and came home covered in dirt (yay for outside fun). This year she's been a little more squeamish about swimming in the river at the cottage - she's boycotting dock jumps (I think she's afraid of the weeds in the water), but has become an avid frog catcher ("Mom, I'm a frog expert you know") and angler. She caught a huge pike during our first cottage trip, and will take sunfish off her own line. She loves playing Uno and is a huge fan the Owl Diaries and the Princess in Black series. Her birthday is coming up soon, and she starts grade 1 in the fall... yikes!

Jordan
Jordan... you are in such a cute stage! He is talking so much more and has an emerging personality that is becoming more and more evident. He loves saying "own too" still and speaks in almost complete sentences. Oft-repeated phrases include "put in garbo" or "put in compost" - he loves doing jobs (but doesn't say "more jobs" like Hendrik did); he'll set the table extremely haphazardly (how else does a 2 year-old do this?) without being asked, but he will ask for TV - Shimmer Shine or "ipady." He is often very grumpy when he wakes up from his nap, and will cling to whoever gets him out of his crib - or he'll just cling to his crib and blanky. He still loves listening to stories, and current favourites are the Octonauts books, Harry the Dirty Dog, Corduroy and In the Night Kitchen (love the classics!). He LOVES swimming, and fishing and creating frog aquariums at the cottage. We need to take more videos of this one because he really is the cutest with his little voice and his funny faces.

Steve 
What's new with this one let me see... When Hendrik wrapped up his baseball Steve also put a lid on the coaching. I think he had a good time with it and was happy to be able to give the players a positive experience - some of the other coaches had very different styles, and I think all of the kids (and their parents) were grateful for short meetings and a positive spin on things. He'll continue coaching at Mac this fall, we just have to work out the details. Earlier this month he put in a solid two weeks installing solar out of town, so I was on my own with the kids while Steve sweat it out in Stouffville putting panels on the roof of a Luongo's. After week two we had a quick turnaround at home and then made for the cottage where Steve will try to max out his time on the water (fishing) and with the kids. They love it there, and I think it's pretty special for Steve to see the young'uns enjoying the same things he did when he was little, and making similar memories. The big news - mentioned briefly in another post - is that he's being inducted into the Clarington Sports Hall of Fame this fall... this is a big deal! How many people can say that they are in a hall of fame? Not many. So I think everyone in the family is excited for the ceremony and weekend in October. There must be more but I am running out of brain power... agh!

Canada's Wonderland before...

Me
I have also wrapped up the coaching - I filled in as the head coach for Alana's soccer and baseball teams and like Steve, I was happy to be able to give the kids a positive and constructive experience. We both know that we will likely be at odds with the kids' coaches at some point (right?), and are motivated to be involved now to give them and their peers a good experience. I'll help out again at Western this fall but it may be more challenging given that I'm going to go to teacher's college - I'll be a student again. I'm really hoping that it will all be manageable, and that once it's all wrapped up after year two I have a job and a career that will stick. In trying to figure out the job thing, I'm (we're) lucky enough to choose and to make choices around what matters most - family. So... first day is September 4th! It's back to school for three bigs this year. (And I'll go back to my library job at St Anthony in May thanks to a leave of absence.) What else what else... I'm in Toronto this week running a volleyball camp, and it has been great to be in the gym, great to have some free to-myself time after work every day (in Toronto too), but I miss this kids! (Steve too.) They're wrapping up a sunny cottage stay and I'll meet them at home on Friday. Yay!  I've read some great books this summer - the Prince and the Dressmaker (graphic novel) and  The Alice Network are two of the most recent. Summer is still going strong but I know that the countdown to the school year is on (/starts soon). I hope you're enjoying your summer too, and thanks for reading! 😊

... and after 12 hours of fun

bedtime stories

reading the classics to / with Jordan

playing 'struction site

cousins - first removed - or something like that (?!) and their SLIME... fun for all!

a photo-heavy summer update

The first few weeks of summer have been good to us. We've spent quite a few days staycationing in London, enjoying pools, parks, splash pads and our own back yard, but the highlight of the summer so far would have the be the cottage. We met up with Erin and Fred and family in B-ville for a few days before continuing on to the cottage where days were filled with swimming, fishing, boating and relaxing... it was amazing (as always)! If I were more on top of writing this blog I'd be able to give more details about the day to day (maybe a family update post should come soon), but some noteworthy news of the last two weeks includes:

• We spent Canada Day at a friend's pool where Jordan discovered he has no fear of water or sinking and the two bigs spent six hours in the water. This means we are on major high alert around water and equip Jordan with a life jacket pronto!
• Our house hunt continues and despite some better clarity on where we might want to be... we still don't know. 
• We bought a bike trailer and have been out on a few family rides - it's amazing! Both bigs are envious of Jordan; they want to be towed around in comfort too!
• Plans for the fall might include me going to teacher's college (more school = !!!) ... stay tuned.
• Steve is being inducted into the Clarington Sports Hall of Fame - !! The ceremony is in October but he found out relatively recently. This is a big deal, and I'm so excited to celebrate him in the fall at the ceremony. Yay!

There must be more but I'll leave you with some photos and I will TRY to post more often. Now that I'm not working all day I know I can do a better job of posting and exercising - I might have to register for a race or event to hold myself accountable. We'll see... Until next time!

the dinosaur books resurface - and everyone gets along!

beautiful weather at the cottage!

cousins

we had to go to Watson's...

people must be eating dessert :)

H on deck at baseball - only a few weeks left... he's loved it!

hair salon

touching a wooly mammoth tooth at the children's museum this morning

we went to Rock Glen Falls in Arkona yesterday and had a great time (a few more photos below); Steve and the bigs scrambled down the creek in and out of the water, sat under one of several waterfalls - and we found fossils! 

Owl Diaries is Alana's favourite series... she's beginning her foray into chapter books - sharing the love with J!

a cottage pic - everyone on the boat! (I need to print this one)

ice cream!!