camping +

We took an impromptu camping trip to the The Pinery last week, and despite the torrential rains and a few small (ish) leaks in our tent, had a great time. Everyone loved the outdoor meals (no rain at mealtime), the close-by beach, and the beautiful drive through farmland - fields of corn and "whatchamacallit", a crop we now know to be soy beans. The kids loved sleeping in the tent (when I asked them if they'd like to live in a tent all the time like gypsies, they said YES, "that'd be AWESOME" (Hendrik)) and eating marshmallows for breakfast, and much fun was had exploring in the woods and amassing rock collections. There was but little semblance to the camping we did growing up so it's hard for me to really think of this as camping (there are other people right there - and a road too! And cars everywhere!) but it's the perfect kind of camping for us, with the young kids. If it had been a disaster, we could have hopped in the car and been home in an hour and a half.

Other notables:

Alana turns four this week and we're having a little party/gathering at our place - complete with pizza, a unicorn cake and her best friend Chloe... should be fun!

School starts in one week! Hendrik is ready and Alana, I think, is not. Well, she is ready for school but maybe isn't ready to leave the nest... and I feel the same way. I'm ready for some more time just with Jordan, to get things done while he naps (I hope) - but not so ready for my bird to fly the coop. 

The kids are signed up for gymnastics, swimming and basketball, though we might simplify and just do the first two. We were sort of surprised that Hendrik wanted to do the gymnastics thing but he seems pretty enthused, so hopefully he enjoys himself. Inspired by the Olympics? Maybe. A 6'8" gymnast? Not so much. 

We booked a trip to Denver! Two of my sisters live there and I am pumped to be heading down to see them with the whole clan. Neither of them have met Jordan and I haven't seen where they live and it's been a while since I was there and I haven't met my youngest sisters fiancee - !! They recently got engaged (exciting!) so we'll get to talk weddings and maybe even look at dresses. It'll be great to get the cousins together too. Yay!

This fall will be busy for me: I'm doing the last course of my master's and coaching and have a newborn. When is a newborn not a newborn anymore? I'm not sure how these days can get any busier but they will. 

I have baby spit up on my shoulder and was up last night at 2:30 4:30 and 6:30 so I need to do two things: shower and go to bed. Signing off! Enjoy the pictures and more importantly, the last week of summer freedom and fun!

 3 1/2 months and growing cuter by the minute

fun all around

As per usual, we had an incredible time up at the cottage - this time with the Tukker-Reid clan from BC, the Bowmanville Tukkers and Grandma and Gramps. Alana and Hendrik loved playing with Kai and Nyla and the rest of us enjoyed games and tournaments with kids and adults alike. We did miss watching the Olympics, but got some good info from Steve (his trip to Rio was amazing), and streamed a few events. Back in town we were once again glued to the TV as much as the kids allowed (we need to get out so they don't/won't fight too too much), but now that Rio 2016 all said and done, we feel like we have our lives back. We're back in London and ready to get settled into a routine of sorts - first, an end of summer at home run followed by the get ready for school routine. It'll be old hat for Hendrik, but Alana might be a little more hesitant when push comes to shove (there will be tears for sure) - and Jordan will just go with the flow. Hopefully he'll get a few more solid night sleeps under his belt and realize that longer sleeps are better than short choppy ones. Time to catch some zzzzs!

watching volleyball | exersaucing | hendrik picking blueberries

rio pics

fishing and water fun

me and my babes!

closing in on three months...

We're back in Ontario and it is hot. HOT! And humid. Walking out the front door yesterday I felt as if I were walking into a bowl of soup, ugggh yuck. But we have to remember that winter is cold and awful and summer is warm and amazing and just carry on and be thankful that we have an air conditioned home where we can beat the heat. I so enjoyed devoting all of my attention to Jordan last week, and while it is great to be home I feel somewhat guilty that I can't give Jordan more - but in all honesty I think the siblings might make up for it. I thought I'd look back and see what was going on with the other kids when they were closing in on three months. 

guess who? Jordan, Hendrik, Alana all around 3 months

It was at the same age that we took Hendrik on his first trip out west - and I wrote about how concerned I was about flying and included pictures of him with his boarding pass; with Jordan (sorry bub), I was buying food for myself and picking up the newspaper on my way down the ramp - no pictures! He'd been in the Jolly Jumper, and we have yet to give Jordan the chance to jump away; we'll either have to buy a frame or jump somewhere else as the trim around all of our doors is too big for the top brace. Sleep, it seems, was a bit better with Hendrik when he was 3 months old - apparently he slept through the night sometimes and other times was up just once. Jordan, on the other hand, is up twice most nights and while he will sometimes go right back to sleep he's often awake and fussy for longer than I'd like him to be. (See here for Hendrik 3 month posts.) Apparently Alana was also sleeping through the night when she was 3 months old - Jordan, you have FIVE DAYS to get your act together... just kidding! (Or not.. whatever.) We were in Beijing - maybe it was the intoxicating air pollution? Or the cute diapers? Jordan is as big as she was when she was 3 1/2 months (weight, approx. 17 pounds), though she may have been a bit longer. See here for her three month posts. (Looking back makes me want to look back more... and take videos! We have minimal vids of the kids these days and there are so many golden moments, every day.) 

Jordan has been chatting a bit more (baby noises) and has a strong pair of legs on him - when you sit him down on your lap he does a little ab crunch and you can tell he wants to be pulled up to sitting and then standing. He loves eating and blowing bubbles and has been a great little traveller, both in the air and on the road. The heat doesn't seem to bother him too much, though feeding him when it's 36 degrees with 100% humidity is not enjoyable for me, no doubtaboutit. He's had his worst day of sleep today with teeny 20-minute cat naps instead of hour long snoozes so I have my fingers crossed that he'll sleep tonight please please please please please! He's really focusing on people and objects and has started grabbing things, though I'm not sure if it's intentional or not. I will be intentional about going to bed right now because this kid may have me up here shortly. G'night!

from one home to another

Will BC always feel like home? Jordan and I are en route from Thetis Island to London, and when I woke up this morning I found myself wishing for a few more days - with my parents, with the west coast, and some more one on one time with baby J. The house I grew up in is no longer the Osberg family home, so where is home? London? Yes... but coming back to BC and my parents still feels like home too, and it was so great to spend a week with them on the island close to the sea. Jordan slept with me in the big bed and not once did I get out of bed in the night - not once! He travelled so so well and was a happy boy throughout our trip, smiling a lot and giggling a little, getting lots of time in with his grandparents and their friends on Thetis. We walked almost every morning, sometimes in the woods and sometimes on the road that leads to Overbury, our wedding spot of seven years ago. We also napped, explored down by the water, and went swimming... even Jordan! My dad was the only one who really went swimming; mom and I dunked and the babe just put his toes in (or had his toes put in by me) as the water was a bit chilly after a few days of cloud and cool - which was a nice change from the heat and humidity blanketing southern Ontario. We watched Team Canada make their entrance in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and it sure was neat to see people that we actually know - though I'm sure there were some other feelings swirling around for those closer to the team / athletes that aren't there themselves. And speaking of Rio - did I write about this? I bought Steve a ticket to go south to watch the guys take on Brazil and France this week... he's going to Rio! Eek. It was definitely an impulse buy, but a good one; he'll stay with friends who are there watching volleyball, and I managed to secure tickets before booking the flight (which wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be). I arrive home tonight and he leaves 24 hours later. I'll play zone D on the kids for a few days before we head to Bowmanville and then to the cottage for some time with extended family. And then summer is almost over! With my trip to Thetis and Steve's jaunt down to Brazil, are the kids are feeling left out? No way - Steve filled the week (Daddy Camp) with movies, waterparks, pools, sports and more, so I have a lot to live up to in the days before we hit the road again. I know there's more to write about, but baby stirs and security is calling. Hopefully the photos convey some of the fabulous-ness of our west coast visit!