sunny september

a few shots from the last week or so: H & A in the trunk of the car with oranges and their books, fall in Gibbons Park, our lawn-mower, the tree finds a new home, house shadows, more park views and tucked in tight for TV

After a few weeks of chilly fall days, we've had some sunny summer weather - hurray! Hendrik was home for lunch today, so we made our way to Gibbons park for adventures in the woods, and the colours were beautiful. We'll definitely get back there as much as we can before the weather gets cold and the trees bare their branches; if we keep up the half-days at school we'll have the time. With him home sick last week we noticed major improvements in his demeanour/behaviour - we're not saying he's learned any bad-boy antics at school (yet), just that he's so so so tired when he gets home after a full day (9:00 - 3:30). He's three! I enjoyed having him home too, time with my little guy and gal is golden - except right before bed when I'm at my low and they're at their scallywag highpoint of the day (invisible muted volcano erupting spewing lava all over the place = how I feel in those moments).

adventure is out there!

Steve was away this past weekend at an Athletes CAN conference in Calgary, so we had to find adventure without him (see above pic); we went to the Archaeological Museum of Ontario (where the kids picked out a book each at the book sale: Hendrik chose Memoirs of the Society for American Archaeology - Archaeological Survey of Northern Georgia with a test of some cultural hypotheses (because it had lots of writing) and Alana chose The Megalith Builders of Western Europe (really). They both insisted on reading their books when we got home - whilst they waited for me to conjure up some lunch. I agreed, and let them read in the sun on the porch.

We also took a trip to the local fire hall, and I found some time (late at night when I should have been sleeping) to read about Lillian H. Smith, the Commonwealth's first children's librarian (in the 30s I believe). She's from the Forest City, and the Toronto Public Library branch that holds her name is also where I've spent some time looking at collections of Margret and H. A. Rey books, as well as original Margaret Bloy Graham artwork (the illustrator of Gene Zion's Harry the Dirty Dog books). I have more on my to-read list after finishing the short Believing in Books: The Story of Lillian H. Smith (Hendrik and Alana's archaeological picks are not on it).

Schoolwork calls - first papers went in last week, and I'm not holding my breath for the first grades back (okay, I am); we'll have to wait and see....

house tour - times two!

Finally, here's a house tour... wait, here are TWO house tours! I took one in the early days (I think it was five days in) and then another one this morning. The first is a bit long - with Hendrik as le tour guide, so skip it and go to #2 if you want the moved in Apartment Therapy ready tour...


And it's true - school makes kids sick. (And smart too, right?) Hendrik was home today with a cough, and Alana was sick to her stomach two nights ago after being cough-cold-hacky for a week or so. Since Steve is in Gatineau for the weekend, I spent most of the night either cleaning up puke, consoling a whiney girl, or talking to a friendly Telehealth nurse - take her to the clinic? hospital? Waking up to a two-year-old (or any-year-old) puking in the hallway and then puking again in the hallway isn't fun for anyone, no it is not. Hendrik said his tummy wasn't feeling great this evening, and he was one tired little pup tonight - so I'll have a bucket on standby in case he catches the midnight barf bug.

Que mas? The kids played with stickers and pens and glues for a large part of the day, and played "I'll lock you in the shed" (so named by me). This is something that started outside, and Hendrik would tell Alana to, for example, stop digging in the dirt or else: "I'll lock you in the shed!" Cue appalled look on my face - right? Well the game came to craft time this afternoon, and Alana was in on it too. Hearing her tell him "I'll LOCK YOU IN THE SHED!" was so awful it was almost funny; I just hope that if and when people hear them say that to each other (shocked neighbours? horrified gym teacher?) they don't think it's standard practice chez nous.

Hendrik has also picked up, "Wanna fight?" at kindergarten. I say, No, no Hendrik, that's not a nice thing to say. Fighting isn't a nice thing to do or play, and he says "I'm just joking you mommy, I'm just playing." What to say? PEACE! Flowers! Love! Right....

update du jour

Events of note from the last week (or so):

We went to the fair! On Sunday we caught the last day of London's Western Fair, and it was great. The kids held little chicks, we wide-eye watched cows eat their lunch and people eat over-stuffed over-topped funnel cakes - and there were rides! It was adorable, seeing their gleeful little faces on the cheesy monster truck ride (flying bees, flying swings, airplane ride), smiles and laughter radiating.

School (for me) doesn't have quite the same fun-factor, but it's all going going going. The content is super interesting, and I'm slowly getting into the flow of getting things done and getting my method down (maybe) - but it's a work in progress. First assignments are due next week - so we'll see how I feel about it all after the 24th (eek!).

There were two big kid-lit birthdays this week: Robert McCloskey (Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal) and H.A. Rey (most famous for Curious George). I've looked into the library holdings here for Rey and Bemelmans (Madeline author), and there's some interesting content available - but I don't have time! No time for leisure reading; my list of must-read-for-school is much too long. Maybe I'll get to it between semesters? I hope so.

There was a meet the teacher BBQ at Hendrik's school last night, and it was cute (small school, lots of small people). The kids had a blast playing and zipping around, and we talked to a few other parents and met the principal and bought baked goods. I meant to take a few pics (of school, classroom, playground) but forgot (woops). However, I did! snap these two gems:

Hendrik seems to be liking school - and this makes both mom and dad very happy (especially considering the fact that several kids are inconsolable parent-leeches at drop-off). Franklin Goes to School has been a popular bedtime read this past week, and there's a part where Franklin tells his dad that his tummy is "too busy flip-flopping to think about breakfast" (on his first day of school) and that he felt as if he had frogs jumping around in there. Hendrik, it seems, identifies: he tells me that he felt that way on his first day too (heart - melt!), but continues to say, "but it was all okay." What a brave little guy!

from the kindergarten info board outside hendrik's classroom

Grandma and Grandpa B are here for the weekend, and the kids are pumped. Steve and I are so happy to have them here too - to share our new place and get some ideas and get a few things done. Hurrah! Hurray! Now, BED!

family updatelog

There are books to read! Class assignments to research, read through and write! Cleaning, cooking, child-rearing! If only I didn't have to sleep... there is just so much to do, always. Since my thoughts on where to start and what to write about are all over the place, I'll family-update log this post - and start with...

the schoolkids

ME!
School. Coaching. Family life. How to balance it all? By not taking a full course load, by limiting my in-the-gym time to a few times a week (but remaining flexible), by not going to bed on time, by planning and making time for... for what? Everything. Somehow. I'm enjoying my classes and going with the ebb and flow of it all. Things have changed so much since I was in school 12 years ago (!!!) with that omnipresent thing called le internet. Class platforms and research tools are entirely online, and getting to know these tools is something wholly independent from class content and assignments - there is much to learn. I'm hoping I can get into the flow of writing soon, but finding time for it all and delegating time for it all (kid-free) is not the easiest of things to do. What else? I'm still loving the house, the gas stove, the yard and the neighbourhood, and I'm looking forward to meeting friends and making some connections. The neighbours that we have met are amazing: friendly, welcoming and kind (Liz, our neighbour to the east, brought us a housewarming gift of wine and a homemade beautiful blanket). Being (and feeling like) a part of a community is something I've been looking forward to for a long time, and it will be great once we really settle into the swing of things and start spreading roots.

STEVE
Steve isn't as busy as I am in the sense that I'm out there with external commitments - but really, he is just as busy as I am with the kids and around-the-house jobs (internal: he works in-house). When I have school commitments and/or practice, he's in charge of drop-off, pick-up, and Alana. He's also thinking of little jobs and projects he can do around the house, and upcoming trips to Gatineau (to ready our place for renters, deal with our car) and Calgary (Athletes CAN conference) mean his schedule is about to get busy. I think he's enjoying time away from volleyball, but there are aspects that you can't help but miss, and hopefully he can either join a knitting guild or a hockey league to get some of that team aspect that has been such a big part of his life.

(Also, he's pretty pumped about the fact that we have TV (as of this morning), and that he can watch all World Championship matches ON TV. Poland and Italy are playing right now in front of 30,000 + people. Crazy! Amazing.)

HENDRIK (3 years + 10 months)
Our school boy! I swear he's getting bigger every day. How's it going? I think it's going well. He seems happy at pick-up and eager at drop-off (better than unwilling, sad, etcetera etcetera), but it tires the little guy out, we think. He's been pretty well-behaved at home in the evenings, but we've had more challenging moments in the last week than in the previous two, and I think it's just because he's tired. Going from zero hours of school to a full five and a half hours of different is a lot for a three year-old! Also, he won't tell us what he did - a la teenager: "Hendrik! How was school? What'd you do today?" HIM: "eh, not much." This is the extent of his answer, and it (the complete lack of information) was/is unexpected for me. His teacher told Steve that they did a little project on worms the other day, and that Hendrik knew all about them; he told the teacher (Mrs. B.) about how worms poop out the leaves that they eat under the ground and their poop is called casts (learned from Outside Your Window - a fabulous book that I'm in LOVE with) - he gave us nothing on the subject! I suppose we'd better get used to it... right?

We're hoping to get him into swimming and skating lessons, but we'll take it one thing at a time. He's still super into dinosaurs, books, riding his bike, and doing things on his own; he loves chocolate, dessert, pasta, thinking of words that start with "B" and he asked me the other day if I would still look the same after I finish library school. There's more, I'm sure, but I'd better move on to....

ALANA (2)
This girl - this beauty! I love her to bits. She can be pretty whiny though, and I certainly don't love the whine factor. She does mostly everything that Hendrik does, and it'll be no surprise that she also loves dinosaurs, books, and riding her bike. Cheese is still a big hit on the food front, but she'll pound back sandwiches and wraps, ham, granola, grapes, strawberries, avocado... nearly anything you put in front of her at mealtime. We're not big into the snack thing, so perhaps that's one of the reasons our kids really put it back at the table. She wants to do things by herself and gets right into the dirt and smears it all over her face and we practically have to bathe her after any and all backyard sessions. She's still napping in the afternoon (save for right now - boo) and she loves loves loves babies and other kids her size and smaller (she's in awe of the biggers). And just as keen as Hendrik's sense of smell is Alana's tendency to sympathize with and encourage others when they are sad, injured or expressing dismay. Really! You stub your toe and scream OUCH! and she'll come over and put her face in yours and actually ask if you're okay. It's adorable, and exactly the opposite reaction you'll get from Hendrik (he'll run away or remain oblivious).

That's all for now folks - I need to go make dinner. And then study. Arriba!

a big week

It's been a big week around here - big things happening. I'll get to them in the order they happened, though the lunker-news comes last (I think).

ALANA TURNED TWO!
Our babe is two-years old. How'd that happen? She's BIG! We had a great day - up a few times in the night to get the party started, and then a good morning with balloons and breakfast and presents. Auntie Sarah sent an orca puppet, my mom and dad gifted binoculars (they were a huge hit), and mom and dad gave the girl a book (I Like Me) and a pair of sunglasses that lasted all of six hours before an arm was ripped out of its arm-hinge. We went for a lovely morning walk around the block and I had to take off around the noon hour for an orientation to the computing lab (eek!)... so Steve got the minis fed and watered and Miss Birthday all tucked in tight for her afternoon nap. We made a special birthday trip to Costco, and we were all excited to spend lots of money on food and food and more food. "I LOVE Costco." - Hendrik. "I LOVE it here." (Why? Not sure. He doesn't even eat that many samples.) We made it home in time (NOT) for an early dinner (we're trying for an earlier evening meal time with the hopes that the kids will get to bed earlier - goal = 7:30) of chicken, beans, a tomato salad and yam fries. AND cupcakes! Kari and Maeve and Reina came over for mini-cake goodness, and brought even more gifts! Spoiled. Alana got a lovely second-hand stuffed doggy (PERFECT gift) and Steve and I received housewarming gifts; thoughtful - very! We sang happy birthday, she sort of blew out candles, we took pictures, and then tried to get everyone in bed at a reasonable time without the energy volcano + resistance... but no dice there. For some reason I'm having difficulties uploading videos here, so I'll have to transcribe Alana's birthday interview:

What's your favourite colour? PINK
What's your favourite thing to eat? BEANS (no hesitation - but then, thinking...) and cupcakes. (When I asked her with the videocamera rolling she said BEANS ... and then cheese.)
Who's your best friend? Ellie.
What are you going to be when you grow up? Alana
What's your favourite animal? Ummmm I like lions. (Surprise!)

MOM STARTS SCHOOL
That's me. I had my first day of classes today (why didn't anyone take a picture of me with my backpack on? Next time :)) and it went really well. It's all a bit overwhelming, the new systems, structures, expectations, content, pace etc., but I think with just three courses (and two kids and coaching and real life) it's all do-able. The big challenge for me will be maintaining a balance - something that's a challenge without academics or work, but again, I think it's something I can at last strive for (right?).

LUNKER-NEWS: HENDRIK STARTS SCHOOL
Yoiks! This was a big day for everyone - even for Alana, who wanted desperately to join Hendrik at school. Steve and I have really been on the fence about sending him away (all day!) when we don't really have to, but after two days of junior kindergarten everyone is feeling good about things. We'd done a decent job (I think) prepping him for his first day of school, and he had zero qualms (no quivery lip!) at goodbye time - he even held the door wide open for all of the other students entering the classroom for the first time. He was up and dressed by himself both yesterday and today, and even though we're not totally ready stuff-wise (he has no indoor shoes, we had to run out and buy him a lunch bag thing), our little guy seems more than ready (for now) for full days of school. We haven't been able to get much out of him in terms of what he did, whether he met any friends etc., but he's in good spirits at drop-off and pick-up and we love his teacher... so yay! Fingers crossed that all keeps running smoothly.

We're still loving life in London - hopefully we can finish getting settled this weekend and I can get into the groove of school and studies and time and resource management, and all will be well!

(House tour coming soon... stay tuned!)

from forest city

Moving is exhausting. Kids are exhausting (especially overtired boys who won't quit). MOVING WITH KIDS IS EXHAUSTING. But we did it, and with the unpacking and settling in not quite being over yet, we are still doing it (did I mention anything about being exhausted?). We're loving the house (yard! space! natural light!) and loving the neighbourhood (Old North); TBD - loving school? Hendrik starts Thursday, so I'll keep you posted.

After a week without internet, we are finally connected. Here's a quick-post list of thoughts and things, and then I need to get to the list of things to do when we get internet.

1. I had orientation last Thursday, and it was information overload - but in a good way. My first day of classes is on Wednesday and I'm taking Perspectives on Library and Information Science, Information Organization, Curation and Access, and Information Sources and Services. Do I feel prepared? Sort of. Moving and the need-to-get list (such as beds, a dresser, groceries etc) has for some strange reason (survival! sanity!) been at the top of the list. With time running out, I'd better get ready... right?

2. The yard is amazing. The natural light in this house is amazing. I love our neighbourhood - quiet, side-walked, and within walking distance to the grocery store, Hendrik's school (St. George's), the university and our friends (the Duerdens). And people say hi! It is great.

3. Alana turns TWO tomorrow - !! Crazy. We planned a huge party and invited all our friends. Kidding, about the big party, but not about the friends - Kari and her girls are coming over tomorrow.

4. I can't think of anything else so I guess I'd better go and pay bills and catch up on at least a few emails. If this long house tour from a few days ago loads, you'll see it below; if not, you'll catch the all-moved-in house tour within a week or so!

Happy trails from London xo!!