ME!
Oh busy busy. I started coaching today, and day one of thirteen went very well. I've put quite a bit of time into the planning and thinking of all things volleyball (and non), and am wanting to do things a little differently this year. I want these girls (14-16 years old) competing, gaining confidence and aiming high and far with both on-the-court and off-the-court skills - skill acquisition is joined by oh so much in my list of goals and ideas for this regional team program. I left the house at 7:15 this morning and was home apres crazy traffic from just about as far west as one can go and still be in Ottawa at 5:30 (rush hour, boo!). And oh how I missed my kiddies! The day was busy enough that I didn't think of them much, but as soon as I walked in the door I just knew it was where my heart belongs - with my family. Steve had dinner in the oven, and our friend - who went from managing one child to three (!!) - was still sane, with the brood-o-three all happy and behaved (kudos). Alana hardly looked up from her Franklin book, Hendrik was upside down on the couch, and William (my friend Jess's boy) was playing with a bus - no problem! I'd better knock on wood, seeing as how she's coming over again tomorrow afternoon to fill in the space between the time that Steve leaves for practice and I get home from the other side of the city.
What more? Can't quite say. My life is overcome with coaching... though I did finish Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings on Friday, and it pretty much consumed my life last week - I could hardly put it down! Tres good. I got a cute kid's book out of the library the other day, Hide and Squeak, and it also comes recommended, especially (or not!) if you have little ones around.
STEVE
Has been somewhat swallowed up by World Cup Soccer, and I'd be lying if I said that the games don't pack a punch. Imagine if volleyball were so huge? Imagine. Anyways, it's not and that's okay. He's also training, watching kids (he took them to the museum this morning), making dinner and making plans for next week's five nights of kid-free living... right?
HENDRIK (3 1/2)
I'll fill in the blanks with the kid-free living: we're all heading to the cottage on Friday night, and then come Sunday, Steve and I return to Gatineau alone while Bob and Marg watch the grandkiddies for the week (!!). They'll make their way here on Friday, after five fun-filled cottage days, and I know Hendrik will love it. There's been talk of fishing and sand castles and time spent with Grams and Gramps, and Steve and I are both a little jealous - of the company and the locale.
Hendrik has been big time into Dino Dan, and often pretends to be the Dan man himself, seeing real dinos: "LOOK! a stegosaurus! Mom, do you want to be Dino Dan's mom and I'll be Dino Dan?" He loved the new Hide and Squeak book, and soccer and hockey and bike-riding would count as his favourite activities (I'd ask, but he's sound asleep). Beef and rice and peanut butter (almond) and jam sandwiches are top foods, and he'll never pass up chocolate (dark is fine), smarties, or frozen treats (who would?!). He gets glasses on Friday, and hopefully he'll wear them; he was as good as gold during the selection and fitting process, and seemed excited that his chosen frames have orange alligators on the sides. Expensive taste, a la Lacoste? The frames were surprisingly cheap (plastic), and with the warranty I'm hoping we can keep them (or others) for the six-month duration of wear. We'll meet with the ophthalmologist again in December, and see if the specs have had any effect.
ALANA (2 in September)
This girl melts my heart with her cuteness. And vocabulary. I tucked her into bed tonight, where she gabbed away with her two newly-attached stuffies (as in they are attached to her at night), dog and bunny (she's also grown somewhat attached to her blankie, even though we mostly manage to keep it cribside). She was doing what she'd done on the bed with me five minutes previous, which is to rummage around in the dark with her hands - kind of on her tummy - and then say, "apple, green apple, FOUND IT! nom nom nom nom nom ... BURP" and giggle. Really. I mean, I wonder if you'd understand what she's saying - maybe not? but maybe. It was too funny. She has fabulous inflection, and with her teeny voice it's really just too cute (did I say that already?). She's wearing size 4 clothing, so that trip we're taking to Vancouver later this month is going to be really fun, with her on my lap and all. Favourite foods are blueberries, strawberries, frozen treats, chocolate and ham. She's into dinosaurs and knows the names of several, and is becoming fiercely independent ("ALANA do it"). Potty training has begun, and she gets excited when we get excited about things, which is adorable and usually involves at least three of us jumping up and down - imagine that. She's following in her brother's upside-down footsteps, and can often be found... inverted.
And for now, that's all! There's a full day ahead....
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