Recapping March 2016

Literally all we did was go to volleyball tournaments. It was a lot of fun. I will say, I love volleyball. Kezia and I went to Calgary for gymnastics and had a quick 36 hour trip of visiting with grandma and oh, yeah, competing.

And I began thinking about starting on a new venture.......As if I don't have enough on my plate!

Recapping February 2016

February is the start of lots of fabulous things. First, gymnastics competition season begins and I love it. Although it can be tricky getting two girls to two different competition times, it's made easier knowing how much Kezia and Asha love gymnastics. Kezia set her mind to compete at a higher level than what her coaches planned in summer, and had the privilege of training and competing alongside a great friend.

Joel made a club volleyball team and so he was in full swing with practices. We were so proud of him considering that in the fall he was adamant that he wasn't going to play volleyball. But with his height of 5"9 by fall and steadily growing, we knew that it had to be either volleyball or basketball. He played for his school team and at his last tournament, a friend asked if he wanted to try out for club. We had never heard of it and thought he might enjoy it. It was amazing for his self esteem to be offered a spot before tryouts were complete. However, he still loves his track and field.....

We celebrated another family birthday. Our oldest turned 13, officially a teenager.  He has thrived in the French program and made some pretty good friends. All in all, 13 looks good on Joel.

Recapping January 2016

January was a full month and had its ups and downs of emotions. I was pretty tired from Christmas festivities and it felt like I needed some time to recovery from the holidays.

However, my Spanish Bilingual project was in its final push as the division had approved the start and now we were recruiting families to actually register at the school. The weeks were exhausting as we contacting families only to find out they had changed their mind on Spanish education, or the school was too far and they couldn't transport their child, or they weren't comfortable with bus transportation.

Elena's 5th birthday was bittersweet for just a moment when we thought the program would not be viable as a result of insufficient enrollment. But the division extended the deadline and we cried tears of relief.

On to celebrating our youngest. She has been really keen on gymnastics and wanted to have her friends at the gym. Miss Linda did a great job of corralling all the youngsters in an hour class. She had a fabulous time with her friends. I will say though that five year olds are pretty wild!

After a long absence.....

It's been over a year since I've blogged and 2016 has been quite the year. I don't know why I stopped writing here; maybe because life got complicated and it's hard to take time to do some things. Maybe I wasn't sure how to articulate the journey I'm on, and frankly online isn't the place to let it all out!

But I have been aware of my absence and I have missed blogging here. I'm also working on a little online project, which also has been neglected for 13 months. But I think it's a good thing to start back and so I'll post a little update of each of the months of 2016 to catch you up. Plus, it will be a fun way to look back on the year and write about it, without having been in the midst of it all.

2016 really has been something else and I'm looking forward to sharing with you all about it......

Birthday Man

Carl is quite an amazing fellow I must say. Happy Birthday to the best husband a gal could ever ask for!

Let's Dress Up for Halloween!

New Rhythm for Me

My position at the University ended in the middle of September, and even though I knew it was coming and had applied to countless openings, nothing came of it. At first I was quite distraught about not having another job, but as the time came closer, I was almost relieved to be able to have the time off. It ended up being really beneficial for our family as Carl had a very busy fall with meetings and conferences.

The children really enjoyed having me at home and every day after school I was the one to pick them up and shuttle them to all their activities. But I was also there in the morning to help them get off for school. I realized though that I needed something other than keeping house.

I registered for courses and of course I was busy with my community project with Spanish Bilingual programming. I could volunteer at the school and also give rides other kids from various families. I also decided that I would begin on painting the bedrooms. It makes me feel good to be able to paint because everything is fresh and different. A new beginning.

It has been a blessing to be able be at home. I've felt that the time has been a positive time for me and our family. This is the first time I have ever been home without being on a maternity leave! It's given me a chance to rest, to study, to work in the home, to volunteer, and above all, reflect on the last few years and to think about the next chapter.