Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Happy 14th Birthday, Anikka! It is getting harder and harder to find pictures of *just you* because you love to be with your friends, whether it's taking the bus to hang out at the pool, have sleepovers, or get together at the mall (?? that's a new one, and even though you don't like the activity you don't care because your FRIENDS are there!), we are now to the point of cropping people out of public photos so we can post them! You have grown in confidence, ability (on pointe shoes!), and beauty and you continue to put in the practice for any goal you want to accomplish. "Slow and Steady Wins the Race" is a motto I'd attribute to you because  you take your time, do things with intention, and make progress over time that you are proud of--an excellent life skill!  We love you so much and look forward to your next year!  Ani showing off her cozy hoodie, toque, and socks What is your favorite color? green Who are some of your friends? Marie, Anya, Audrey, Mya...

I have *so* many trips to attend to on the old blog. I am now keeping most of my traveling records on my Instagram, but this geriatric website seems a permanent spot for some of the excitement. It's my goal to (this Christmas break) catch up on many years of travel!  This trip was a GSW to where our friend Ali was stationed - in Albuquerque, NM, along with some close-by Sante Fe adventures! We did 4 states, 2 national parks, a protected wilderness, did an international event, took horse rides in the desert, tore up Moab on a side-by-side, went to a million (?) museums, and had delicious New Mexican food.  Every single one of these photos, I believe, was from my friend Emily or Ali. The only one I took (I think?) was the picture OF them during sunrise at the Arch.  Nothing is in order, either! Just bear with me (wipes brow from 2022).  Day 1:  We drove to Sante Fe to visit Meow Wolf (WEIRD and I loved it), visited historical Sante Fe (the buildings are beautif...

 Although this mini-vacation for our family was near 6 months ago, I'm catching up on my blogging over Christmas break, and hope to reach back into two years (wince) of vacations as I'd like to document them here, for my own purposes. I'm setting the publishing date to the day after we returned. It'll be our little secret.  The pictures aren't in any particular order.  a short and easy hike: Hidden Grove in Sechelt Day 1: After dropping off our dog at the kennel in Aldergrove, hopping on the ferry and finding our airbnb, we rode our bikes around Kinnikinnick park twice and then around the neighbourhood for the only off-road biking (the good stuff was too hard for 3 out of 4 of us). We hung out at Sechelt Pier before eating at PKLS Burgers.  Best unique milkshakes:  PKLS  Burgers. The long list is a bit daunting but every single one was absolutely worth the exorbitant cost.  view from the Soames Hill hike lookout, an easy hike with final steep incl...

 Finally, I'm sharing just a few photos and bits about our 2021 family vacation to Sooke, BC (only 18 months later!). Sooke is on Vancouver Island; near the southern most tip. It is about an hour's drive to Victoria, the biggest city on the island, and about an hour's north-westerern drive to Port Renfrew, which touches the tip of the Carmana Walbran Provincial Park .  We stayed at this wonderful little house (fawns! quail chicks! hummingbirds! in the morning) right outside and it had a great ocean view and was so tranquil on a bit of property. Because we found this listing last-minute and it was brand-new, they had offered it at a discount and we scored big. I think we paid roughly 100$/day. It's now quite a bit more, but if you have the budget, it's a beautiful house.  an orca skeleton at the Royal BC Museum Orcas: Our Shared Adventure exhibit was at the Royal BC Museum, and the first section was all about the science of the whales, and the second part was about...

  late summer beach time with long-time friends Well, we are already down another month in 2020. It is September. The year where time is so bizarre it's equally surprising that we're rotating into Fall and wishfully hoping we'd fast-forward into a new year with better realities. My attention and focus has taken such a hit in the last 6 months that I barely have any books to share, so I have to double up months for my list to look normal.  The pandemic (et al.) has affected everyone differently, but my lack of ability to read deeply, or well during this time has been an interesting shift in my normal life. I expected things to look differently.  Now, each book feels like a small victory! Over the last month, I've felt a shift in my ability to consume literature; it's creeping back. I'm starting a lot of books but trying to really push through the sleepiness, distractions, and restlessness that have marked my reading year.  *Edit in December* The inability to com...

Anikka is 11 today! This year she has grown in so many ways--she is so tall (!) now, and has started to love dance again, after many years haitus. She is always moving: kart-wheeling, bouncing on her huge yoga ball, or jumping around on our mini trampoline. She still loves reading and art, and does both of those in the majority of her free time. She has gained more friendships this year and has been practicing bravery and is seeing the fruit of that in various aspects of her life. We're so proud of her! We love you, Beaner! Ani practicing flexibility    What is your favorite color?  blue  Who are some of your friends? Lilah, Audrey, Anya, Marie, Kate, Ophelia, Charlotte, Charlee, Summer, Emily, Isla, Kathryn, Anna, CJ What do you want to be when you grow up? a mom What makes you happy? kittens What makes you sad? movies about dogs dying! What is your favorite animal? cats What is your favorite book?  The Girl Who Sailed the Stars What is your f...

Every year I type out a list of 10-20 items that I want to complete in the year. Some are silly, some are big, some are (potentially) life-changing, but they are written here, and written in my journal at home that I use near-daily, so they are around and 'out there'. It helps keep me accountable to plan intentionally our weekends, fitting things in I want to make space for, whether they're an afternoon roller-skating or following a specific way of eating for 30+ days. If it matters to you, make space for it.  People ask me how I accomplish so much, and I *know* it's because I plan ahead of time, and am intentional about putting it on the calendar weeks, if not months in advance. Maybe once in a blue moon it's days in advance. Having the life you want takes a lot of work and a lot of thought, it doesn't happen by chance. How few things in your life that you're proud of, that you worked hard for, just fell into your lap? Yeah, I can't think of very m...

I literally can't believe I read this many books in July. Now, mind you, I probably finished three the first week that I had been reading for some time, so that feels like cheating a bit, but I found myself very busy, with a lot of restless energy, and very little desire to read especially towards the end of the month. My brain is feeling overloaded from so much. I'm specifically not planning any outings for myself or the kids the last two weeks in August because hoo-boy do I need to actually start planning our homeschool year.  The Wondering Years by Knox McCoy - This is a memoir from a co-host of the popcast , which isn't a podcast I listen to, but a friend of mine does and she loaned me the book because hello! 80s and 90s pop culture references! It was funny and I enjoyed it but the Christianese message at the end of most chapters I found to be a bit corny. Start From the Heart by Kathy Koch - This was a book I got from my mother-in-law at the beginning of the ...

Happy Birthday, Anikka! It's hard to believe our baby is now fully in tween-hood and double digits. We love you and love who you are: an artist, a good friend, a deep-thinker, a cuddler, and someone who shows courage. We pray health and joy over your next year! Candid of Ani checking out Frida Kahlo's art and self-portraits during a co-op Art class   What is your favorite color? blue and purple Who are some of your friends?  Isla, Kathryn, Rachel, Nyah, Marie, Anya, Phoebe, Audrey, Charlee, Charlotte, Ana, Anna, Ashlyn What do you want to be when you grow up?  a mom What makes you happy?  art, and Copper What makes you sad? death  Ski bunny Ani! What is your favorite animal?   cat, dog, horse, unicorn , bird What is your favorite book?  Wings of Fire (series) What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?  read or bake What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?  play games What is your favorite thing to do with Lukka?  bou...