the last post of 2-0-1-7!

Jude and Jordan

lego play!

fun in the backyard (it's been so cold!)

the girls!

the oldest (can't you tell?) :)

One of the best things about working in a school (the best thing?) is having school holidays – I am loving spending so much time with the kids! The kids like it too, sometimes too much maybe; in the mornings, Jordan clings to me like a barnacle to a rock, and Alana has her barnacle-y moments too (in temperament and physical proximity). Hendrik and I have spent lots of time reading and playing games, and we’ve had fun on the few outings we’ve had since we arrived in Bowmanville. After several days of Christmas hibernation (more on that in a minute), we made it out of the house twice yesterday (the 28th) for a morning skate and an afternoon swim. Jordan stayed home with Grandma, so we had a bit more freedom to play and dive and waterslide (sorry Jords but this means it was more fun without you). We got out to the library this morning (Jordan hadn’t left the hosue in a few days) where we played with blocks, dabbled on the computers and picked out a few books. The clan left for a skate with the Paw Patrol and I’m left at home to read, write a bit and maybe lie down. Jordan has been up every morning by 6:15, so even though I am very glad and thankful he’s sleeping through the night, I could use a few more hours (even one) of sleep in the morning. Beggars can’t be choosers though, so I think I’d better just take what I can get.

Christmas! It was great. We opened presents at our place last Friday night, and this is what people received: Me a cast iron pot (from the kids), and coffee (from Dave); Steve toque and cap (from Sarah); Hendrik: books, a new beyblade, E.T (movie)(from mom and dad), K'nex (from Denver folk) and a puppet (from Sarah); Alana: Frozen (movie), books, a new beyblade (from mom and dad), clothes (from Denver family) and a puppet (from Sarah); Jordan: bath toys, books (from mom and dad), bath toys (from Denver family) and a puppet (from Sarah). We also gave the kids a National Geographic rocks and crystals discovery kit which they’re pretty excited about, though I think the bey blades are the number one gift of the year. I posted pics of presents the kids opened earlier in the week from my parents, and they also received some books from Sandra and Bruce our neighbours across the street, and some gifts from Liz. And guess what... in Bowmanville there were even more gifts! Some from Santa (he found us!) and some from family. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and settled in a bit before the Calgarians arrived.The next few days are a bit of a blur, but included a Christmas Eve candlelight service (Hendrik was SO well behaved, Alana whined and complained and Jordan ran around), and the traditional Brinkman dinner fare of beef and rice. The kids were up pretty early on Christmas day, and were delighted to see that Santa had filled stockings to the brim… it was a jackpot year for stockings (!) - Santa was on par. I can’t remember everything that was in them, but highlights were candy (tic tacs, gum, ring pops), books (the newest Bad Guys, Plants vs Zombies), a whoopee cushion, silly putty and SOCKS. Just kidding, socks weren’t a highlight for the kids, but they were for me. There were more presents in the afternoon – clothes and books and a toy or two for each of the children (Alana got a Lego set, Hendrik got a motorized Knex toy, and Jordan got a digger and a dump truck which he immediately tried to ride). We headed off to the Tukkers for an incredible Christmas dinner, and were home for an on the late side bedtime for the kids and an early one for the parents. Everyone is gearing up for New Years Eve tonight, and since my computer died and I forgot to bring my charger, I'm finishing things up on Marg's computer - which means there are some pics missing. More to come (soon) next year!

another pre-Christmas post... it's a miracle!

As soon as I posted last time I realized that I didn't post any of the dress-the-tree pics, so I'll be sure to include some of those this time. I can't believe it's only FOUR days until Christmas break! The kids are excited and I'm excited too...

with our neighbour Liz 

Jordan has been so good with the tree (to our surprise), and usually stays away unless it's to marvel at the lights. We're in a bit of a morning routine where he wakes up a little earlier than I'd like him to (6-6:15), and then the two of us come downstairs, turn on the lights and sit by the fire (which is really quite Christmas-y). He does his best to set things straight if/when I deviate from his plans and try to do something crazy like make lunches or coffee or have breakfast. He whines, grabs my hand and brings me back to the fire and shows me where to sit down (pat-pat on the mini kid chair he wants me to sit in). Unfortunately, despite the early wake-up it's still a struggle to get out the door on time for work. And with the snow - the snow! We had a few days of serious snowfall, so we had to budget morning time for snow removal. The kids have been loving it (Jordan included), but thankfully we've had a bit of a break - there's been no new snow in the last few days.

just a little snow to shovel... !!

first sleigh ride :)

first presents! from grandma and grandpa O... thank you thank you!

friends over! the girls made t-shirts

and the next day we decorated sugar cookies (again)

merry christmas!

I started this post DAYS ago and here I am to finish it. You won't get much more out of me because school is OUT and holidays are here and the last thing I want to do is sit here and look at the computer (even though there's much more to write about and even more pics to post... ). I'll do my best to get another blog posted before the new year. Merry Christmas everyone! xox

first December post (!)

Every night that I lie in bed with the kids (which is every night) I either fall asleep with them or I am tempted to go straight from their bed to my bed and fall asleep without tending to the grand mess of downstairs. And one of these nights I'll do it - ignore the jobs and go to bed early... but tonight, I'm finally getting to Thursday's list of things to do - blog! This is my overly ambitious list from Thursday:

And what did I actually get done on that day (other than the usual stuff)? Let's talk about priorities: I did laundry and I made nanaimo bars, and 2017 Christmas baking is complete (laundry, unfortunately, is never complete). The sugar cookies with the candy cane icing are by far the most popular this year - they even trump the jammy-ds, though for me, nothing beats a good nanaimo. (And YAY! Today I finished off the rest of the list - two days later ain't too bad...)

Anyways! There is much to write about, and I think I'll get to the last few days before I try and catch up on the last few weeks. Steve and I got a babysitter last night and went out... ALONE. I had a work party and we enjoyed a rare night out downtown at a bar. We had a few drinks, mingled, and enjoyed being out with other adults (!) - it inspired us to do it again some time, even without a specific special reason (i.e. an organized event/gathering). Friday - I have to write about this before I forget - on Friday, after a week of 5:00/5:15 and then 6:00/6:15 Jordan wake ups, I either forgot to set my alarm or turned it off and was woken up by Alana playing in her room... at 7:30! And since I'm supposed to be at work at 8:00 there was a minor major panic and frenzy to get ready and out of the house - after 8 1/2 hours of sleep for me and 12 for J-bubs - !!!!! The irony is that with the morning pedal-to-the-metal I was at work earlier than usual... go figure. And today Alana's mega-wiggly tooth finally fell out (lost tooth #2) and we battled the crowds to get the last of our Christmas shopping done (Alana and I went to the Y to go swimming but found both pools drained and closed so there was a change of plans). I took the kids to the dentist on Thursday and everyone got a clean bill of health, hurray (and I used my insurance - double hurray)! Aaaaand the mood around here is quite festive; we have the tree up and decorations all over the place, Christmas music can often be heard over the whining and crying and fighting, and the treats are stashed up on top of the fridge since Jordan will move the bar chairs to any kitchen location to help himself (he actually does this on a regular basis). Only a few more weeks of school and then it's Christmas vacation, woohoo! And I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking...

cupcakes on Hendrik's birthday :)

how I wish this happened more often... love and lego!

opening presents at his party.. fun fun!

bedtime stories

saturday market walk

we should adopt new house rules: EAT IN A BOX. cleanup is much easier.

not staged. i loved this...

we went skating and after watching his big sibs on the ice  - and by VERY loudly showing his enthusiasm (it was adorable) we let him have a try... it started well but didn't end that way. still, he made it out on the ice!

tears and a total lack of cooperation from Jordan, but Hendrik did well! He was doing laps by himself after 15 minutes. And despite a shaky (teary / terrified) first lap, Alana did well too - she even ventured out on her own. There sure was a lot of gear to cart around! 

decorating sugar cookies (Jordan discovers icing)