Lost Bike

Look at this sign I saw taped to a church. Adorable isn't it? I especially love the "fawnd". I can just picture a little girl sitting at a table sounding out each word painfully slow as she writes the individual sounds on the poster. Fawnd. Cute. I also enjoy the random capital "f" in iF. Very cute.

And this adorable pink bike. I think it looks more like two people going in for a hug but then, I've never seen this little girls bike. It may be an exact replica for all I know. I love kids!

weekend

This weekend was so busy! I should get used to it though - only three weeks until I leave for Africa... and there is much to be done between now and then.

My birthday was yesterday, as Erik kindly mentioned. Erik brought me breakfast in bed and then we spent the day shopping and cleaning our house. Lindsey and Adrian (sister and BIL) took us to Ric's Grill for dinner. I don't know if any of you have heard of or been to Ric's Grill, but dinner was so delicious! I had mixed seafood (halibut, salmon, prawns, and scallops) and Erik had lemon lemon butter halibut. Oh my goodness, the food was incredible! Yummy!

Cheerios to entertain her in the car.

After dinner we had some friends over for games and appy's. Board games... That's how exciting my life is! I actually LOVE playing games (much to Erik's dismay). I think I was always on the losing team, but it was fun anyway.

She loves the camera and always tries to grab it.

I got to play with Bean yesterday! I was so excited because I hadn't seen her in 3.5 weeks!! Far too long.  That is the longest I have gone without seeing her since she was born. It was awful!! I am sad to be leaving her for 7 weeks but I am sure Africa will be worth it. Sawyer will still be here when I get home... and she will hopefully be out of her cling-to-mom-stage (fat chance). I steal her anyway and we deal with the separation anxiety. The key is to ensure she can't see her mama. Three and a half weeks! Seriously!! She is as adorable as ever.

Pocket-sized Bean - almost 9 months.

Abdul Danie Blizzard

Little Abdul has a name... a real one. 

Allow me to introduce you to our littlest nephew, Jamie Sterling.

Jamie Sterling

Born January 4, 2011 @ 1026

Weight: 8lb 7.5 oz

Height: 21 inches

The List

This is a list of the things I need for Africa, in case you are interested. If you have more suggestions let me know! Especially those of you who have been to or who currently live in Africa.  I am so excited to cross things off the list as I acquire, borrow, find or purchase them. Each item brings me one step closer to my trip to Ghana!

• Bug Spray (K and I are sharing one and then we will buy more there)
• Bug Repellant Lotion
• Sunscreen 40 spf
• Sunscreen 50 spf (sharing this one too - we'll use it for our face)
• Sunglasses
• Ciprofloxacin
• Anti-fungal Cream
• Multivitamins
• Fish Oil 
• Electrolyte Powder
• Towel
• Bed Sheet
• Travel Pillow
• Hand Sanitizer (hope I have enough!)
• Antiseptic Wipes
• Mosquito Net (I had to order one in because they were out)
• Plastic Bowl and Spoon
• Travel Journal
• Pen Knife
• Ziploc Bags
• Travel Kleenex
• Wet Wipes
• Camera
• Camera Charger
• Extra Memory Card
• Small Mirror
• Pictures of family, friends, home, scenery
• Money belt
• Tank Tops (5)
• T-shirts (3)
• Sarong
• Swimming Suit
• Long Pants (for the animal reserve)
• Comfortable Sandals
• Runners
• Sports Bra (3)
• Underwear (haven't decided how many)
• Light sleep wear
• Scrubs (3)
• Name Tag
• Plastic Gloves
• Head bands and handkerchief
• Hat
• Shampoo
• Hair Elastics
• Tampons
• Playtex Wipes
• Granola Bars
• Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter
• Water purifying tablets
• Head Lamp
• Flashlight
• Rope
• Nailclippers
• Batteries 
• Tide to go Pen
• Pen/pencil, paper
• Hobbies (knitting maybe?? so hot!)
• Card games and books
• Dutch Blitz
• Pepto
• Afterbite
• Immodium
• Benadryl
• Ibuprofen, Tylonel
• Sennokot
• Polysporin
• Bandaids
• Gravol
• Visine Eye drops
• Q-tips
• Canestan
• Moisturizer Cream
• IV Set
• First Aid Kit
• Needle Stick Kit
• Sewing Kit
• Safety Pins
• Universal sink plug
• String
• Removable hooks to put up mosquito net
• Comfy clothes for the plane
• Rolling suitcase
• Pack
• Skirts (4)
• Socks (6)
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Photocopies of passport, visa, and ticket (5)
• Laundry detergent
• Metamucil
• Aloe Vera

The Signal

Ashley is always asking me to post on her blog.  I am not apposed to it completely except for the fact that I know that if I ever started I would face never ending requests from her to write about this experience or that experience.

I would like to take the opportunity to write about The Signal, something I've been amazed with for the last year and a bit.  The Signal is a radio show on CBC radio 2 which plays weekdays from 10pm-12am.  I don't get to listen to it all that often anymore since moving to a day time job but I still listen to past episodes using the CBC radio 2 website.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/thesignal/listenagain.html


This radio show has been a source of fantastic new music for me and I very much appreciate the hosts stories, thoughts, and musings on life and music.  They play songs you may never here from any other source but once heard they become instant classics.  Songs can range dramatically; alternative, classical, jazz, contemporary, folk, blues, and more are all represented.  Each show I hear at least one song that I absolutely love and at least one song that I don't like at all.  I especially love the songs I don't like because they are not bad songs, just not my style.  I do not dislike them because they are devoid of creativity or obviously written by some other person and sold to the newest teen sensation, I dislike them simply because it is not something I'm not interested in at the moment.

Ashley has posted some of the songs of the Signal I'm into once in a while but I really felt like I should share this little gem with everyone, perhaps even some adventurous people will check it out.  I often put it on when I'm doing paper work.  I'll be focusing on something and then all of a sudden my brain will register that a certain song is actually amazing, usually half way through the song; those moments are my favorites.

Maybe I'll post every so often with some of my signal favorites past and present... maybe.  Here are a couple from this last week that I can't get out of my head.

The first is "Way go lily" by Sam Amidon.  Love everything about it.



The second is "Group autogenics II" by the Books.  Some background is required for this I believe.  This group takes audio recordings, whatever strikes their fancy, and makes it more interesting.  They have a song called "Cold freezing night" that is taken from some recordings one of the members found from when they had stayed at a friends house and recorded stories on tape when they were 10 years old or so.  This song is taken from some relaxation tapes they got a hold of.  I love how absurd it all is; creepy, disjointed, nonsensical, and yet somehow extremely relaxing and fun!



"Look out their now.  Look.  There's an L and then there is an O and then there is a V and then there is an E.  A box, of love, in the matter, of your mind, keep a lid on it!"

Hah!

Hope you enjoy!

By the way, tomorrow is Ashley's birthday.  I think she's turning 20 or something?  Make sure to wish her happy birthday.

E

Packing

Africa has consumed my thoughts for the past week. I have been busily trying to purchase things I need and now have a corner of the house devoted to Africa. To be honest, I have things for Africa strewn across the entire house, but I am starting to put them all in a designated location.

In 25 days I will be boarding a plane and bidding Canada adieu. 25 sleeps. Only 25 sleeps.

I still feel like I have no idea what is going on. We don't know our rural practicums and we are supposed to book hostels etc when we arrive, but we have no idea where we will be or for how long. It makes things difficult! And a little bit stressful. I am trying to adopt a very flexible attitude already because I know things will not go as planned when we are in Ghana.

Ghana. Africa. I can't wait!!! Thinking about being there, experiencing the culture, meeting the people, and being warm (well, sweating my rear end off) helps me get through all this packing. And the dreaded classes I am taking. And all the disorganization. In one month none of that will matter.

Today was pretty successful. I purchased a compression bag for my clothes, deodorant (which I don't wear here), hand sanitizer, a couple head bands, some sweet underpants, sunscreen, shorts, a lovely loose breathable tank top, bug repellent lotion, and a spork. I ordered a mosquito net because they were sold out and I started my trial run of malarone. There are still so many things I need to do and to get! I'm confident that it will all get done. It has to. And if it doesn't, then I have three girls I can share with and borrow from. It will all work out, of that I am certain.

25 sleeps.

future knitting.

I have been awake for over three hours already. And no, there are no babies sleeping over at my house. I just woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. After about an hour I got out of bed with the intention of reading in the room by the Christmas tree (yes, it's still up), but my dear husband wanted me to stay in bed. I fetched the laptop and spent the morning looking at knitting patterns on ravelry. I decided that I have to knit this sweater for Erik one day. It will not happen anytime in the near future, but I absolutely adore this thing. I would use the exact same color even. Yummy.

What I was really looking for was a pattern to knit for he-who-is-not-yet-named, our newest nephew. I think I have settled on this little vest. I don't know when I will have time to make it, but it is sized for 6-9 months so I will probably make it a 9 month - it will be worn more in the fall than in the blazing summer. It looks pretty simple to make and I think I will need some easy knitting projects in the next few months as I will be outrageously busy.

I don't have class today so I am going to spend the day working on quizzes for my students (I am a TA for statistics this semester), shopping for Africa, and going to the gym. Should be fun.

The Baby

Here's a picture of our nephew. Isn't he cute?? 

It's a boy!!!

Erik's sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this morning!!! I'm assuming he is beautiful as I haven't seen any pictures yet. She delivered him at 10:26 am in the tub at home with daddy, doula, and midwives present. The baby boy remains unnamed, but the details I do know are that he was 8lbs 7.5 oz and 21 inches long.

Erik says his sister is a birthing machine and that he is excited to see what the little guy's personality will be like. Erik also has some guesses as to what the baby will be named based on the names given to his other nephews - Diego Kinder Dune and Truen Jules Pumpkin. The following names are the product of a furious brainstorm:

• Abdul Danie Blizzard
• Chin Erbrendrew Turbine
• Samuel Jaybird Newyear
• Madler Thoreau Prairie
• Steve.

We are delighted to have another nephew to love!

x cross-stitch x

Here's the finished product of the cross-stitch I made for my SIL last year.  She finally received them this year. They were so expensive to frame so it took a little while. But I have learned my lesson - next time I cross-stitch it will fit into a normal sized frame like an 8 x 10 or something.

reflections of the past year: August to December

I spent August working as an ESN, hanging out with my babies, and camping! I spent many evenings after work at Sam and Milena's snuggling with a colicky Maelle. She needed help passing gas and her tummy was sore so I offered an extra set of hands to snuggle and rock her. Our second anniversary was in August and we celebrated by going to Cirque Du Soleil in Kelowna.

Maelle 2 weeks, Sawyer just about 4 months

Mandi, Sawyer and I went to Oyama for a couple nights which was absolutely lovely! We had a lake to ourselves and we got some much needed time to relax. Sawyer was so good! It wasn't too hot so she slept beautifully in the tent during the day while Mandi and I played cards and chatted. We forgot half of our food at Mandi's house so we had to go back on the second day to pick it up. Woops.

We attended our Church camp out in August as well. That one consisted of bocce, boating and barefoot skiing.

I also made a trip home without Erik to visit my SIL and niece and to spend some time with this adorable little guy.

Then September came and I started the final year of my nursing degree. I applied for my practicum in Ghana and Sawyer began sitting up unassisted. We had a baby sleep over every single weekend in September and then again the first weekend in October. Poor Erik! I loved it, but he wasn't as thrilled. Maelle had her first sleepover at my house when she was just eight weeks old.

In October Erik got a new position as a Case Worker. He loves his job! I like that he now works regular hours and is home in the evenings. It took a while for us to adjust to this, but we are thoroughly enjoying it now. I was officially accepted for my trip to Africa in October as well, which was not surprising, but still a relief. We took Sawyer to the salmon run at Adam's River and it was awesome! We spent Thanksgiving at my parent's house as my dad's 60th birthday was the same weekend. Sufjan Stevens in Seattle was the highlight of October for me and Erik though.

Dad's birthday lunch - only Jon and Courtney missing. 

And November. In November I made the trek to Abbotsford to watch Justin and Benjamin play against each other in college volleyball. They are both number 3 so it was easy to cheer for both of them at once.We got our new computer in November and I joined the gym... which I haven't been to in three weeks. I will start that again tomorrow.

Finally December. December was full of work, school, and Christmas fun. There were open houses, games nights, and many other festivities. And of course sleepovers with Maelle and Sawyer.

And that, my friends, is a very brief recap of the year 2010.

reflections on the past year: January to July

2011, eh? How did that happen? I have spent some time this weekend thinking about the past year and "sitting" in the memories. A lot has happened and we have so much to be thankful for.

In January I was starting the last semester of my third year of nursing. I remember feeling very uncertain and overwhelmed by the thought of being that much closer to graduation. I feel much the same right now as I enter the final semester of my nursing degree. Final Semester. Wowza! The "big event" in January 2010 was my Opa's 90th birthday. Most of my mother's family got together to celebrate the occasion.

Not much happened in February. The Olympics came to Vancouver and we spent too much time watching TV and tearing up the the "I believe" video montages.

In March we moved into our own home! I can't tell you how exciting that was for us. I love my sister dearly, but much prefer having my own place. Our basement suite is cold, dark, and absolutely lovely. We have felt more relaxed here and love that we are both able to walk to work... and the beach is right down the road.

April was probably my favorite month this year. Sawyer Dawn as born in April and I had the honor of attending her birth. That was easily one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed/experienced. In April I spent many sleepless nights at Kevin and Mandi's snuggling with Sawybean. I practically moved in with them for a couple weeks and I loved every single minute of it! Sawyer was perfect. She smelled delicious, made the most adorable sounds, and had deliciously kissable cheeks.

My friend, Milena, accompanied me down to Abbotsford in the middle of the night in April to see my Opa who was sick in the hospital. Milena was 7 months pregnant at the time, but she jumped in the car without complaining because I had no one to make the drive with. That was the last time I saw my grandfather. I am so thankful that Milena took the trip with me. We didn't make it to Abbotsford until 1:30am and we went straight to the hospital. I didn't get her to a bed until 3am, but she didn't complain once. And she was 7 months pregnant!!! I love her.

Things didn't change much in May. I still had sleepovers at Kevin and Mandi's, I had practicums in the hospital, and we were prepping for Milena's baby. Sawyer did come for her first sleepover at my house though - she was six weeks old. She slept on the floor at the foot of our bed.

My Opa passed away in May and all of my siblings were able to attend the funeral. Zachary even built the casket. It poured rain that day as we stood huddled around the grave, sharing umbrella's. We each put gummy bears on Opa's casket before leaving the cemetery. Then we over-indulged in food at Oma's house after the service.

My niece, Hailey Jade, was born in June. This was very exciting for the Jansen family as it ended the baby drought we'd been having. I am now praying for an onslaught of births in the coming years. I knit a dress for Hailey. It was the first project I have ever attempted and I think it was adorable! I was so proud that I was actually brave enough to even try an actual pattern. It ended up being easier than I expected and I am itching to make another one. I think I'm going to make it for my future babies. What if I stop knitting before I have kids?? At least I will have something I made for them (granted they are female).

Erik ventured to Alaska for another season of Salmon fishing in Bristol Bay. I said goodbye to Lynn as she moved away to Australia. We hadn't seen each other in so long and it was nice to catch up, even if only for a few hours.

Most of July was spent trying to convince Milena's body to go into labour. She was due July 14, but was hoping for an early delivery as that seems to be common in her family. We went on many long walks, but to no avail.

Maelle Mai was born at the end of July. Again, I had the pleasure of being present for Milena's long labour. I love labour! I know it's much easier to be the support, but labour is fascinating and wonderful. Milena was incredible and I am so proud of her.

Well, that gets us to the end of July. I'll finish off the year later.

Boxing Day

The new year is just around the corner so I thought I would quickly finish off Christmas. Our family opened gifts on boxing day as that was the only day we could all get together. It was wonderful, as always. Hailey was adorable, as always. And we laughed all night long. As always.

Our family picks names for Christmas gifts and we have a long-standing tradition of writing poems. When we were younger we would write poems and send our "person" on a treasure hunt to find their hidden present. Now that we are older we have decided to write poems about the person we have so the family can guess who they are. Many of the poems are inappropriate and cannot be written here.

Erik and I had my mother this year and this is the poem we wrote together. Don't worry, it is entirely g-rated.

Hundred Mile (an hour) Herm 

In the morning she wakes, she’s off in a run

A brand new day with tasks to be done

Groggy we hear in the halls something lurking

But then we figure out it is just her working

“Quietly” in the halls she comes round

And in her own mind she makes not a sound

The blow drier goes off, the vacuum turns on

We lay with one query: is it even dawn?

Then comes the dreaded knock to awake

Sleep in rights in this house we’ve had to forsake

As I get ready an aroma reaches my nose

I’m summoned downstairs, where the tea overflows

Now as I eat her questions keep coming

I ponder how words escape between all the humming

As breakfast winds down the schedule is given

I have no free will; my day is Herm driven

Finish the dishes and pick up the clutter

Such a workload would make any kid stutter

Lunch is at one and don’t you be late

In family events you must participate

And when there is, by chance, a lull in the day

It’s hard for her to just sit and to play

There are meals to make, a house clean,

And children with information to glean

The questions are endless they come in threes…

Well more like 10’s, 20’s or even 50’s

Plans are never certain they change on a dime

Because as we said we’re running Herm time

Now after dinner as the day winds down

Like the energizer bunny she’s going all over town

And I know because of Hony we sometimes call her Sperm

But we prefer the name Hundred Mile (an hour) Herm

Our family used to spend every boxing day tobogganing with our friends, the Donkersloots. They moved to New Mexico when I was in grade 8, but they all happened to be in town this year so they came over in the evening. It was so much fun to see them all again.

It has been many years since we have all been together and it was so nice to see them again. They are a wonderful family and I love them all dearly. I actually don't think I have seen them all since... I guess it has probably been seven or eight years. And that was at a wedding so there wasn't much time to spend together.

And, just because I love her. Here are some more pictures of Hailey Jade, my beautiful niece. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year's celebration!

Christmas Day

I ended up going and sleeping on the couch midway through the night on Christmas eve because I wasn't feeling well and the upstairs bathroom was being renovated and, therefore, could not be used. I ran up and down the stairs two or three times before deciding that was ridiculous so I kissed my husband and went to sleep by the Christmas tree. I love sleeping by the Christmas tree! I turned on all the lights and just stared up at the tree. 

Christmas Day happens to be my mother's birthday. The family came over for breakfast and then we spent the morning and early afternoon playing Wii (her present from my papa), watching Ben Hur, and just hanging out. We spent some of that time giving Mom her presents. This year us girls got her one of those Pandora charm bracelets with three charms to represent us and one to represent my Opa, her dad, who passed away a week before we purchased the bracelet.

Lindsey, my dad, and I started making dinner at 2pm and while we did that the boys began one of many Wii tournaments. I think they mainly stuck to tennis, bowling, and archery. It got pretty intense.

Dinner was delicious! As always. During dinner the boys had a "chin-off". They measured different aspects of their chins to see whose was larger.

 

My family has always played poker to see who has to do dishes. We don't really play, Dad just deals out a poker hand for each of us. We go from oldest to youngest and the highest hands have to do the dishes. It is usually the top three hands, but this can change depending on the amount  of dishes needed to be done.

Erik and I skyped (minus the camera) with his sister and her kidlets. I love hearing them!! They are getting so big and their voices are so cute! I really wish the camera worked though. I still picture the boys as little babies in my head, but they are already three and five! Unreal! Shawna is 39.5 weeks pregnant with their third and we are all so excited about the new baby!

A few of my mom's sisters came in the evening to visit to celebrate my mom. They played "Tante Tennis". It was hilarious to watch them and they were so adorable! I don't even know who won, but we thoroughly enjoyed laughing at/with them.

My brothers were all complaining about sore arms the next morning. They all had Wii injuries from playing tennis all day. Funny, eh?

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a reflective weekend!

*** *** ***

Christmas Eve

We usually exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, but this year Lindsey and Adrian weren't coming into town until Christmas day so we left gifts for Boxing day. On Christmas Eve we tried to relax. I say tried because we aren't always the best at relaxing.

Courtney hard at work.

Jonathan and Courtney started a renovation on the upstairs bathroom. It was complete with a new paint job, light fixture, and mirror. The room looks great now! Mom and Dad really should replace the tub and toilet still, but those aren't as simple as a paint job (nor as cheap!).

Not working so well.

I sewed. Or tried to. My mom and I both got frustrated with the project I was working on so it went away for a little while. Well, who knows how long. Could be a long while.

Dad and I went and did all the shopping for Christmas day. We finished in record time which was absolutely wonderful. Then we braved the mall so my dad could get my mama a birthday present. He is always so last minute, but always gets her exactly what she wants. It's nice when she is specific for him. This year she asked for the Wii Fit - we had to go to three stores to find one, but we managed.

We went to the Christmas Eve service at Willoughby CRC. I haven't been to my old church in years! I always go to Fleetwood CRC when I am home because Sharlene is usually playing piano there when I am around and it is much closer to my parent's house. I really enjoy Willoughby though - more than Fleetwood (am I allowed to say that?). It was nice to see all of my old community again. I need to make an effort to go there when I am in town rather than Fleetwood.

Such a big girl! Hailey at 6 months. She's actually tiny - in the 10th percentile for height.

We ended the day by going to Zachary and Heather's house for a games night. Anthony and Jenn came with Hailey. When Hailey is around we all go a bit gaga and can't focus on anything but her. Being an out-of-town Aunt means nothing in my family - everybody fights over the baby. We all vied for her attention until Jenn put her to bed for the evening. Then we played games. Anthony has this pictionary man game that we played. It was hilarious! So much fun.

Anthony is such a pest!

The boys team playing pictionary.

Sleeping Arrangements

My family and I were chatting about sleeping arrangements while I was home this past week. Don't ask me how we get on these topics, but somehow we ended up there.

It came out in conversation that Erik and I don't have "sides of the bed". We switch sides regularly and sleep wherever we climb into bed. We don't even have our own pillows but use whichever one is on the side we crawl into. I know that part is kind of gross, but it's true.

I never thought this was strange until last week. My family informed me that this was far from normal and that most couples have definite sides of the bed. I was told that the side only changes when you are not in your own bed and then it may be due to necessity (closer to the bathroom, further from the window).

Not for us. We share everything! Haha. We have never had sides of the bed. When we lived in my sister's house I more often slept on one side because our bed was pushed against a wall and I went to bed earlier so I slept by the wall. This way Erik didn't wake me up as much because he didn't have to climb over me to get into bed. When I wasn't in bed earlier though it didn't matter where we slept. And now that you can access our bed from both sides it doesn't matter again.

Tell me, do you always sleep on the same side of the bed??