coming late... Halloween and Beautiful BC!

Hi hi! These days I seem compelled to start each blog with a "I can't believe how long it's been" but maybe I should just set some new standards or goals for myself with a once a month post (could I do twice a month?). Life is busy - almost to the max - and I'm wondering how I'll do it all next year when I'm working full time. Balance... I'll keep striving for it and do my best to keep a no stress attitude! Here are a few pics of the last few weeks (or more) of our lives...

We watched Steve play hockey last week - super fun!

candy!!!!

Halloween 2019! Alana dressed up as a unicorn, I was a mommy unicorn (found a cheap adult-sized costume at the thrift store), Jordan was a robot (homemade costume by Steve the costume master), Hendrik was Harry Potter and Steve was Darth Vader... so fun! It rained all day and wasn't looking good for the evening haunt, but the weather cleared up and everyone and everthing (the candy!) stayed dry. Alana, Jordan and I spent some time at a friend's house before heading out, and after a short circuit Jordan wanted to head to Liz's to help hand out candy and warm up. I took Alana, Abiella, Audrey and another friend out and about and Steve went out with Hendrik, Owen and Owen's mom and met up with another family... and they hauled in the goods! It was fun to see everyone spread out their loot, both under the table (Alana) and at home (all!).

face painting - getting ready

on our way out early

all dressed up

candy dump!

pumpkins and faces :)

at work scooping pumpkin guts

I also haven't blogged about our trip to beautiful BC! Jordan and I spent four days visiting my parents in Comox a few weeks ago, and we had a great time. The weather was amazing, and it was such a nice change of pace to just hang out and explore the local beach, see family, eat great food, and spend some one on one time with Jordan. We left Thursday and came back on a Monday, and then it was back to life as usual with school for me and for Jordan. Next week is my last week of classes and then I'm in a grade 2 French Immersion classroom for three weeks before Christmas break (which, for me, is one week longer than the kiddos). Time, as usual, is flying!

donuts after an afternoon stop at the bakery

tractor riding with Grampa... love!

low tide beach walks

beach walks with mom 

gorgeous views in Comox, BC

a blog: started last weekend, finished this weekend!

I am so out of the loop of writing that I'm not keeping track of what I should be blogging about! And we've been horrrrrrible at taking photos - is it because we don't have a functional standalone camera? I'm thinking no - cell phones are always close at hand (but often ignored or hiding somewhere unknown). Anyways, I'll post what I have and go from there?

Jordan loves working at the craft table - and works in his planner just like his big sibs... so cute!

homework time

before (with carpet & lots of wallpaper!) and after (with J) - Steve did a great job!

We spent (last) weekend finishing some things and starting others. Hendrik wrapped up a tryout for a select baseball team and started a volleyball program, and I had my first Western women's game. Steve spent the weekend in Manitoba with the McMaster team and Bob and Marg were here to help with the kids (hurray). Before he left, Steve finished the front entryway - no more carpet and wallpaper! The next project is undetermined, but there are many to choose from. We've had several contractors through to get the ball rolling on the attic conversion (from an empty space to a master with a bathroom), but people are so busy we've only heard back from one guy - and his quote was significantly higher than expected. So we'll wait! I just finished my first practicum of year two of teacher's college, and it was fantastic - I'd rather continue teaching at the school than go back to classes! The best way to learn is by doing. It was great getting to know the students and staff at the school, and I'll definitely go back and visit. I start school on Tuesday for six weeks, and then it's another short practicum before Christmas holidays - already! Time is flying, as usual.

growing up - and fast!

We're in Bowmanville for Thanksgiving weekend, and the kids are loving it! We went for a nice walk this afternoon, and will enjoy a big meal with family tomorrow... if only Comox and Kamloops and Denver weren't so far away! Jordan and I are heading out to BC for a long weekend in a few weeks, and I am really really looking forward to seeing my parents. The bigs are a little jealous, but we are going to Orlando in November - so I can bring that up (and the fact that they're missing 8 days of school) to effectively douse any jealous concerns. I'm sure there's more to write about but since I started this blog last weekend, I'll just get this posted! Maybe with practicum finished and school only two days a week, I'll be better at getting posts posted... but maybe not! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Halloween costume almost complete! and he's ready for Universal... YAY!

September & Summer catch-up

I can't believe I haven't written about the first day of school yet! We've made it through the first two weeks, and everyone is much happier and much more at ease... day one was a little rough! Well, week one was rough. It was an adjustment for me with earlier mornings and making lunches (those lunches!), and for the kids too. Hendrik is in a grade 4/5 split with a few of his friends, and he seems to be loving school (though he won't admit it); getting a two-inch binder was exciting, as was getting a recorder - bah! It isn't driving us crazy (yet), but we have had to kibosh some of the 7:30 a.m. practice sessions. Day one for Alana was hard, despite a very sunny start. She is in a grade 2/3 split and none of her close friends are with her, so she was quite upset and very reluctant to accept her fate. We know her teacher and love her - she had Hendrik for both grades 2 and 3 - so we knew it would be a good place for her (even though we do wish she was with some other girls she knows!). Day two was a little better, and now she seems to be in the swing of things, hurray. Jordan started preschool last Thursday and was sad and teary to say goodbye to Steve, but has improved with the dropoff and now seems to be loving it. I got home from school on Wednesday and told the kids that their swim couldn't be too long as there were thunderstorms in the forecast, and without missing a beat Jordan said "when there's hot air and then when there's cold air and they go together there's thunder and it goes BOOM!" I was amazed! I'm mostly in the swing of things as a core French teacher helping teach grades 4 through 8 at a school in Old South - which isn't too far away from where we live. I'm learning a lot and am having a great experience, so here's to hoping my last practicum is as good as this one!

Other big news is our girl's birthday! We had a double celebration - a birthday end-of-the-summer barbecue on her actual birthday, and then a pool party with her friends a week later. There were amazing treats, great presents and of course, fabulous company! She has a great group of friends, and we celebrated summer with an amazing group of families ... maybe we can make it an annual tradition? Yes!

And it seems as though putting in 12 hours at Canada's Wonderland is becoming an annual summer tradition - we did it again! Towards the end of the summer we took a break from unpacking and renos and spent a solid day at the amusement park. Hendrik was so excited to go on the newest and biggest coaster, the Yukon Striker - and since Steve is too tall and Gramps wasn't interested, I got to go on it with him! It was pretty intense, especially the part where the coaster pauses at the top of a huge incline right before it takes a 90 degree turn and plummets straight down. Hendrik wanted to sit in the front seat but we were in row two which was fine by me... though next year he says we have to get there even earlier, so we can walk right on and be at the front of the line to have our pick. We'll see!

Jordan's Run the Runway is another annual tradition, and we did the 5km race last weekend at the London Airport. This year all three kids ran too, and Hendrik and Alana did pretty well overall. Jordan ran and got a medal, and he is very proud (he calls it his necklace still... cute!). I bid on tickets to the London Airshow, so that's what we're doing tomorrow afternoon after a morning volleyball practice for me and an engineering club program for Hendrik. As always, there's more to write about but I'll leave it at that. Happy Friday!!

at the airshow... HUGE plane!

we didn't take any after pics without the furniture! the top two are the same room and the bottom two are the same room. wallpaper remains in both closets... as a reminder of what once was! 

with wallpaper and old carpet (R) and without (L)

(last Friday's post!) news and new house

I’m finally writing! We have had such a great summer so far (it’s not over yet!) and I thought I’d finally make it a priority to get a post written and posted - there has been so much going on. 

Thanks to Steve’s parents - and some good timing with meetings - we went camping! We spent four nights in Rondeau Provincial Park and the kids LOVED it. Days were spent outside on the beach, outside eating, outside cooking, outside doing light shows (with dollar store glow sticks)... it was fantastic. Steve, Jordan and Hendrik bunked up in the tent, and Alana and I stayed in the tent trailer with Grandma and Gramps. We had great meals (as usual), fun-filled days of swimming and playing in the sand, and, for the most part, good sleeps - everyone was tired! There were some crazy rainstorms in the evenings, but the last day was all clear… good for a sendoff back home. 

The biggest deal of the summer, without a doubt, is the new house. Possession date was supposed to be the 15th but because the previous owner’s family worked so hard to get things ready for their move, we were able to get in on the 2nd. I’ll post some photos of before, because the after sure is coming along. We lucked out and found an electrician who was able to start almost immediately (to replace the knob and tube) and then attacked the wallpaper. Even the kids were enthusiastic about helping, so they put in several hours of work in two of the three rooms. Hendrik’s room was covered in four layers of wallpaper (grey stripes, antique boats, teapots and cakes, brown and orange flowers), our room had just the one pink layer (to match the pink carpet and pink curtains), and Alana and Jordan’s room had two layers. We found plumbers to come replace the antique and sparsely used pipes, a plaster guy to skim coat and sand the walls, and carpet goes in later today. Steve and his dad have done SO much work there - priming, painting, replacing things, ripping up flooring - and replacing an entire wall in the front red shag carpet room. And Steve’s mom and aunt (Tante Sis) have been crazy hard at work too - painting, cleaning, cooking and childminding. We get a moving truck on Sunday, so between now (Friday afternoon) and then many things have to happen, including clean up (and packing - !). Anyways, the kids have been loving the pool, and we are excited for more space. I will definitely miss our house and our neighbours but at least we’re only a block away.

some of the main floor spaces

bedrooms and upstairs bathroom

so much wallpaper!

helpers

I’ve been in Toronto coaching all week (something I committed to long long ago), and it’s been great. I love being in the gym, but I’m excited to get home and see the kids. I stayed with Val, a teammate from the World Masters Games team, and that has also been fantastic; we’ve had some great meals and good chats, hurrrrray! I’m sure, as always, that there’s more to write about but I’ll try to get this posted before times gets away on me again.

Hopefully everyone is enjoying their summer!

cottage and city summer living

There is so much going on! And there was so much going on the week before last - in a good and chill-out way - at the cottage during our first visit of the summer. The kids LOVE it there, and told us several times. From dawn until dusk they are occupied and having fun and there are no complaints of boredom and no requests for technology. And the best part is - they fight less and get along MORE! They live in their bathing suits and spend most of their time at the water, swimming, fishing, and canoeing, reluctantly coming up to the cottage for meals and snacks. Memorable moments from our trip include Jordan's bellyflop "dives" off the dock (he would NOT jump feet-first even though he nodded "okay!" when we explained how we wanted him to jump), a Jordan, Mom and Hendrik canoe trip up the rapids to an island where we swam and planned more island trips, Alana's newfound love of fishing, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, Steve's lunker catch, playing "tip the untippable" with Hendrik (we try to tip each other off of an air mattress) and... there's more I'm sure. We played games, watched a few movies, and had some five-star meals, and we can't wait to get back. Planning this summer has been difficult - mostly because of the new house, and I'm glad we didn't book too much too early because as it turns out, we get our next house NEXT FRIDAY! I still can't believe we are moving (a block away). Anyways, it's been a plan-as-you-go affair (something I'm not used to with all of this time), and it looks like we'll go camping for a few nights next week, then spend the next few getting our new place move-in ready, or as move-in ready as possible. This means stripping wallpaper (that's been there for 60+ years so this may not be so straight forward) and hopefully replacing carpet, but the first order of business is finding a contractor (and packing). Bah! At least we have a sizeable window to do work and move, so hopefully we'll be able to get things done and transition smoothly to our new place.

We've been keeping busy with little day trips here and there, mostly in town and close by. We went to East Park for the first time last week, and the kids loved it - Jordan and I hung out by the splash pad for most of the day while the bigs enjoyed the waterslides and wave pool; we could have stayed all day! We went blueberry picking in Mount Brydges (at the Olde Drive Blueberry Farm) yesterday afternoon and then hit the park in Ilderton on our out-of-the-way home. We picked up a pizza from For Pizza's Sake (it was delicious) and picnicked in between skate park (with scooters) and splash pad visits... fun fun fun. This is one of Hendrik and Alana's newest favourite things - going to skate bowls with their scooters, and as long as there aren't any big kids or hard core skaters/scooters, it's fun and safe and entertaining for all.

What else what else... I have a heart monitor for two weeks right now (a Cardiostat - it's tiny!), so after the results get processed I should know more about how my heart is recovering / has recovered from the ablation, and what the next steps are. It sounds like I might have to have another procedure, but we'll have to wait and see what the docs say in the early fall. Steve's foot has fully recovered, and he's in throes of the last week of baseball, so is out at batting practice with Hendrik a few times this week before the playoffs this weekend. Alana is still loving soccer, and it's so fun to see her out there. And Jordan starts preschool this fall - so that will be a big change for everyone (I can't believe he's three!). The only constant in life is change, right? We have lots coming our way, but we're doing it together... lucky us!

as Alana's pet rat, in his home :) 

just before her last baseball

with a teammate :)

our trio on the 5 foot long space puzzle

summer fun so far

School's out for summer!! And we've had an amazing first week. It feels like I will be going back to something soon (work), like it's just a long weekend... but it's not! YAY! The kids are finished school (Hendrik just finished grade 3, Alana finished grade 1) and I'm finished work, and everyone has thoroughly enjoyed the first week of summer holidays. It's actually been kind of busy with errand-y things - doctor's and dentist appointments, some coaching, and meeting with electricians and pool maintenance people at the new house (we take possession mid-August but the owner is being very kind and accommodating) - but we have balanced it out with some solid summer activities. Highlights include swimming at Thames pool, spending Canada day out in Komoka (where we watched the parade and then hit the splash pad), and today's trip to Pinafore Park in St Thomas, where the kids played and splashed for FOUR hours... I had to convince them to hit the road (the sun was HOT today, 39 degrees with the humidex). Our summer plans are still a work in progress, and I'll chalk it up to moving house (I still need to get a good picture of our new place - and post it!); it's been difficult to plan. I am hoping that we get out to BC (if not now then at Thanksgiving), and I am also hopeful that I'll be able to scoot down to Denver to visit my sister and her hubby and their new baby (when she comes - any day now). The kids have been so happy to have the balance of out of the house activity and in the house blob (TV), and we are so far so good on a balance that is mutually agreeable / satisfactory to all.

Updates! I could do a family post but I don't have much more brainpower sooooo I won't. I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago now (time is flying), and it was great to feel the love from everyone! My last few weeks of work were busy with straightening out the library and making sure records matched up, books were in their homes etc. etc., AND it was so nice to feel the love from the kids in our last assembly. Steve has been through the ringer with a recent bacterial infection in his toe. He had to go to Emerg, and was sent home with an IV to self-administer antibiotics for a few days; thank GOODness his toe/foot responded... it was ugly. They're not sure what it was but we were on high alert as our neighbour was hospitalized with a Strep A infection in her leg and was close to losing it - !! So very shocking. He recovered just in time for an annual golf trip (GTA - local) with his friends, and is away for a few nights with buddies. AND! We celebrated 10 years of marriage yesterday! That warrants a post on its own, no? I'll throw in a few pictures - we went out for sushi and the kids didn't eat much (Hendrik did, Jordan and Alana didn't - though J ate lotus root...!?). There's more, but it's late and I need to shut down. More soon... for real!

yay, 10 years!!

our audience

a few pics from july 4, 2009

this afternoon 

with the crew at Thames pool - snacktime!

saving the best pic for last here - look at the POSE!

mid-June update

Again, I've left this way too long! The blogging. It's been on my list for at least a week - and I really thought I was going to get to it last week buuuuuuut I didn't. The days are so so full and the kids don't fall asleep until way too late most nights because we're out and about and busy all day (which for some inexplicable reason does NOT help them fall sleep any earlier). So anyways! Here it is. First - happy father's day to the fathers!!! I am so thankful for my dad and all that he did and continues to do for our family (I think about you all the time Dad), incredibly thankful for my husband's father for all he continues to do for his/our family and of course to Steve - !! None of this I can only blog once a month business would be possible without him. He's such a great father to our kids - and we all love him like crazy. I could go on, of course, but I won't.

Another thing we loved like crazy? Our solo trip to Palm Springs last weekend - !! On account of our 10th wedding anniversary coming up (and my birthday this week), we decided to jump the family ship for a few days and enjoy some sun and free time and friend time and afternoon margaritas and NO COOKING. Steve golfed and I hung out with Shanti and another Heather and we swam and explored a bit and just chilled... it was incredible. We arrived in Toronto late Sunday night and I made for London while Steve's dad picked him up to rendez-vous with the kids for a Monday afternoon drive home. It really was great to see them after work, and now it's like we were never gone! We spent lots of time outside today - a trip to Heeman's for strawberries, afternoon baseball at the park, and then basketball in the driveway after dinner. I was on my way to Costco this afternoon when I spotted a decent looking basketball hoop lying curb-side ("How close to the curb exactly?" Steve wanted to know), so I whipped a u-turn, parked in a friend's driveway and proceeded to awkwardly roll the heavy thing a few blocks home. What a hit! The kids fought over basketballs for at least 20 minutes before the two younger ones decided on back yard trampoline volleyball with mom. (This involves kids on the trampoline vs adult on the ground - we have much more ground to cover. The best part about trampoline volleyball is Hendrik and Alana's handshake - I think it's on film somewhere and it shows them getting along and having fun together... the best!)

Other big news - we are moving! We bought a house a block away from ours and sold this one while we were in Palm Springs. This home that we're moving into in mid-August is twice the size of ours, and the lot is twice as big too. It's old (built in 1904), has a huge wraparound porch, high ceilings, and original finishes (like the dishwasher - there isn't one!). I have been so emotional about selling and moving, mostly because of our neighbours - I don't want to leave them! Sandra and Bruce and Liz are as close to in-town family as we have, and we love them and the kids love them. When I explain this to people they confirm that we are only moving a block away and really, that's the saving grace. We're still so close! Phew. And we'll have a pool so hopefully they'll want to come over. A pool! I have so much more to write about this (how we got this house - it never would have happened if it had hit the market), how I really feel about the pool, what is on our to-do list, and much more. However, it's getting late and I need to get ready for a busy Monday SO... hopefully I'll get to it before the middle of July. Happy summer everyone, it's almost here!