It's almost Christmas?!

As is my normal, I haven't blogged in eons! One of my goals for the fall is to do better with posting as it's just so much fun to look back at what's been going on in our lives here. I don't scrapbook, so this is as close as it gets... We had a great summer. Christian had to travel a lot through June and July, but August was much nicer. I took the kids on a road trip in July to Grand Forks and we had a blast! Lots of swimming in rivers, adventures and visiting with good friends. In August Christian had a week off and we went on a camping trip to Barkerville. Of course, I have tons of pictures, but I'll probably never post them here. Above is a pretty typical view of our life on Salt Spring. It really has to be one of the most gorgeous places on earth.
So fall is here and the busyness has hit full force.

We've been doing a lot of this ^. Isaiah and Brennan are both playing for Salt Spring United, and they're also involved in an extra soccer league. So we have soccer on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Abby is in gymnastics this year as well as Brownies. Isaiah is about to start basketball at school, and also has youth group. I'm totally becoming a "kiddie taxi", and that is with us even being super choosy about what they're involved in so that we have time as a family to just hang out. I'm managing Isaiah's soccer team so that's been a learning curve for me and quite time consuming.
We ordered a new camera, paid for completely with air miles, so we've been having fun taking pictures! Christian and I both love photography and plan to learn more about taking pics and editing. I'd like to take a course in the new year.
This is the house we're renting for now. It's right on the waterfront on a tidal canal. This means that when the tide is high, we've got great swimming and canoeing off the dock. When the tide is low, we've got mud. It's a cute place but super quirky. The builder went a little wild; every room is on a different level, so there's lots of stairs and super weird angles to every ceiling. It's also getting run down as you can probably see with the deck. There's many things that need attention, but the owner doesn't seem too concerned, and it's nothing that affects us too much.
I'm really loving this stage of parenting with the kids. They are taking on a lot more responsibility and I love talking and teaching about life and listening to their unique personalities. We are so blessed! It's kind of been an unsettling time in our lifes; Christian has been travelling a bit too much for our liking, and we're probably on the cusp of some big changes in our family's life. Can't say yet though. It's secret...
I'm going to New York with Christian on a work/pleasure trip in November. We'll definitely take lots of pictures! I'm getting just a little bit excited now :)
-Jenn

Ontario Trip

Here's a few pics from our trip to Ontario. When we first arrived in Toronto, Christian wasn't there yet, so the kids and I went for a walk downtown. They were fascinated with all the crowds and signs, and escalators. Yes, escalators are a big deal to my children, and malls! They're so funny when we go to any city; they beg me to ride escalators and elevators in malls. We're definitely small town, island folk!Christian was still working for our first couple of days there and had to do a concert in Beleville, Ontario, so we decided to follow the band there on the Via Rail. We've never been on a train before either so Isaiah, Brennan, and Abby were so excited. It was a relaxing trip and fun.
Once we got there, I had big plans to take them hiking in a bird sanctuary I'd read about online. We took the bus there which took longer than planned as we missed the stop the first time and had to ride the bus through town on another 40 minute loop around. By the time we made it, we were hot, humid, and slightly grumpy. We had some water and started on our hike. Within the first minute, my little stones were complaining about the mosquitoes. I told them to toughen up and keep hiking. The bugs were BAD!! We were getting bitten any time we stopped walking for a few seconds. But I'm stubborn and told them we were hiking, gosh darnit, cause we'd worked so hard to get there. They carried on reluctantly... About 15 min. later, I said, "This is nuts, do you guys want to turn back?" They all cheered and I think we ran back! Not sure if I'd follow Christian to gigs in the future with the kids. We felt in the way at the theatre, but it was cool to watch Christian doing the sound checks with the band.The next two days, Christian took off working and we drove to Niagra Falls. That was very fun and gorgeous. We were all so happy to have some time with Dad!This pic just makes me laugh! We'd just visited the candy store and were all wound up on sugar. The people sitting in front of us on the incline railway kept looking back at us like we were nuts. We were!We got one more family day together and spent it at Canada's Wonderland! We all went on one small fast ride together, which Abby did not like. We wanted to do one more together and knew Abby would not agree, so Christian told her we were going on the "Purple Nurple Kid's Ride". The name of the roller coaster was actually the "Wild Beast"! Yes, Abby will need therapy when she's older!! She made it through that ride and then was DONE with roller coasters, so her and I went to the kiddies section and did ssslloooooowww rides, while Christian and the boys tackled the coasters. It was so much fun watching them get off rides together and high fiving and then rating the rides on the map. I loved seeing Dad and his boys have so much fun together!
The next day, Christian had to fly to England, so we said our goodbyes and then I took the kids to the Hockey Hall of Fame. They were fascinated with all the history and interactive games. We could have spent all day there but had to be on our way to Windsor. One of the highlights was getting to touch the Stanely Cup three days before it went to Chicago where it was won by the Blackhawks!We had an amazing time in Windsor, but wished Christian had been with us. It was so great to connect with our friends there and sad to leave.

A Trip Away

So, just wanted to say that we just got home from an amazing trip away! Christian is on a month long road trip and that has never happened before and he didn't want to be away from us for that long in one stretch, so we met him on the road.
We met Christian in Toronto for a few days and had a great time staying in his hotel , following him and the band to a gig in Belville and then having two days as a family to hang out, go to Niagra Falls, and Canada's Wonderland together and just have fun!
On Saturday, we again said goodbye to Christian as he was off to London, England, and Sweden and the kids and I rented a car and drove to Windsor, Ontario. It was so great to reconnect with friends we haven't seen in six and a half years since we moved away! In some ways, it felt like we'd never left. Part of my heart is still in Windsor and it still amazes me how God connected us so deeply with those people when we only lived there for just over two years.
I'm going to post some pics soon of our trip after I catch up on some sleep. It was a very long trip home.
I just got off the phone with Christian and he is enjoying his Europe trip so much and all the history in London and Sweden. He just got back from going to see Aero Smith in concert at Sweden Rocks and they will be playing there on Saturday night right before Guns N Roses! For some reason that really makes me laugh!!

Olympic Trip

Oh, this has taken a long time to get this up, but that just seems to be the way things roll with me...
When the Olympics started in Vancouver, I took one look at the crowds and thought we would stay far, far away on our quiet little island. But, as soon as the kids watched the opening ceremony, they got the "Olympic fever" and couldn't let a day go by without watching some of it on TV. I've actually never seen Isaiah and Brennan so excited by an event as they were each day and so I changed my mind. :) Christian had a gig on the last day of the Olympics doing sound for Randy B. at a venue in Surrey and had left the day before. The kids and I hopped on the early bird ferry from Salt Spring to Vancouver and even though they were VERY excited, the three hour ferry ride was a bit painful for my tired little ones...
We parked our car in Surrey and took the skytrain into downtown Vancouver. We got off by Robson square and starting making our way through the crowd. The kids had wide eyes at all they saw... It was not only the closing ceremony day, but also while we were in the square, the gold medal hockey game between US and Canada began. The feeling in the crowd was electric! Soon Canada scored their first goal and the crowd went wild. There were people everywhere yelling and screaming, waving Canadian flags, honking car horns, and dressed in crazy red outfits. Soon we got filtered towards a big screen and then came to a stop and began to be pressed into the crowd shoulder to shoulder. I quickly felt uncomfortable and a bit claustrophobic, so I told the kids we were going to turn around and get out of that crowd. Within about 10 seconds I had lost Brennan! It took about two minutes for me to find him, but it felt much longer. He had big tears in his eyes and was obviously shaken. He stayed very close and held my hand for most of the rest of the day.
We then made our way into Yaletown and found a screen with a less crowded crowd. We just stayed put at that point and watched the third period and overtime there. I wish I could show you the video of when Canada was about to win the game in the third period. The Stonehouse kids, and most in the crowd began cheering and jumping up and down. Then the US goal in the last thirty seconds... Some people fell down on the road, my boys stood there dejected with shock on their faces. Of course, we all know that Crosby scored in overtime for Canada!! At that moment, the city of Vancouver erupted and we became part of the biggest, funnest, wildest street party I've ever seen! It was so fun to watch Isaiah, Brennan, and Abby take it all in and be part of something they'll probably never have the opportunity to again.
Even riding the sky train was such a big deal to them as they've never been on it... My little island cuties were having the time of their lives!
We eventually ended up at the Olympic cauldron and then back on the sky train to Surrey to meet up with Christian and catch the end of Randy Bachman's concert. Then, after watching some of the closing ceremony on the back stage big screen, back to Salt Spring on the late ferry. It was a long, tiring day, but one that our family will never forget. It was so worth going!

Goodbye house!

I haven't posted forever and I can't figure out how to put pictures on here with the new iPhoto without Christian's help, but I just wanted to say that we've sold the house!!! I can't even describe how excited I am to get that money in our bank account and hit "pay" on all our credit card and line of credit debts!!!!!!!! It's going to be a new start for our family and we're going to try to do things right financially this time. We already started saying, "What would Dave Ramsey do?" to each other whenever we talk about our finances. I know that our kids already know more about debt than we ever did as they all think credit cards are "evil" and Isaiah was really concerned that the family buying our house might get into too much debt themselves!
I've got to get to work now, but just wanted to tell you our good news :)

Housesitting Fun

We've been having a lot of fun living on the ocean while house sitting! I've been able to take the kids kayaking almost everyday and my sore arms prove it! We've been able to see lots of fish, seals, sea birds, and star fish. I feel so blessed to be able to show them so much of God's beautiful creations.
On our first trip on the motor boat, we decided to drive over to LadySmith, dock, and walk up to Tim Horton's for coffee and donuts. Now that was fun to get somewhere fast without a ferry line up and ride.
Christian was an excellent and handsome captain. He just got new glasses and I'm lovin the new look. I wish that he's been home more this last week and a half to enjoy the location, but he's had a crazy work schedule. :(
The boys were all about the wave slamming and speed. They're all boy and love the crazy turns that Dad would do and wanted to hit every single big wave...
Abby on the other hand was not impressed and wouldn't move or smile. She is the kind of girl that is really scared of trying new adventures, but then once she does, she becomes a "wild child". By the way home she was having fun and comfortable in a motor boat.
We have five more days here, so we'll enjoy it to the fullest. We've had four showings on the house so far but no bites yet...

The House is Done!!!

I don't have any pics to post right now, cause we're house sitting, but I just had to blog that our house is finished!! It feels sooooooooo good to write it!!!!! We've had a crazy, work our butts off summer, to get all the last things done and now we can relax. :) Actually, just the kids and I get to really relax because sadly for Christian he's had to put in 13 hour days at the studio for the last three days and tomorrow morning he leaves early to go on the road doing sound for Randy B. in Buffalo, New York and won't be home til Saturday night. I feel bad about that because my hard working man needs a break!
The house is already up for sale too, which is exciting. Let me know, if you want to see pics and I'll email you the MLS #. I feel very peaceful about the timing of the sale. I'm choosing to trust God daily with it. If I'm P.M.S.ing, I have to tell God many times throughout the day that I trust Him. :)
I'll post pics in September of the fun we're having here. We're on the ocean and the view is breath taking; everyday is filled with kayaking, swimming, beach combing, and hot tubbing! We also have use of a motor boat which is so much fun. On Sunday, we boated over to LadySmith, tied up at the public docks, and walked up to Tim Hortons for coffee and donuts.
Hope you're all having an amazing summer!

My Kids Have An Amazing Dad

Are We Done Yet?

So I just had to post this for some of you that want to see my hair blonde. I've realized now that when I'm stressed, I have a desire for blondish hair... The last time was when we lived in the trailer and now we're just about to sell the house. I rest my case. This is actually the first attempt and then I wanted it lighter, so my hair dresser fixed it. Well, we're almost at the end of this "build your own house" journey. It's been three years since we started and had we known what was ahead, we would have laughed wildly and stayed in our rental. Hahahahahahahahaha!!!

I'm so happy with how the garden has grown. I can't really say I've done anything to it other than it had good soil and I prayed for it as I wanted it to look like it had been there awhile. The gardening has been my favorite part of building the house.
We're going to be house sitting for my friend for three weeks of August, so our big goal is to have all the painting, and a bit more landscaping done and then to get it in pristine condition. In my dreams, the house would sell while we're away and I'll never have to clean it for a showing. That will all be in God's hands. I can't even describe how excited I am to be debt free after the house sells! Our debts have been like a chain around our neck for the last eleven years and we are going to feel very light when they're cut off. One of the first things we want to do is go on a family vacation for at least 10 days. We NEED rest and refreshment and I can hardly wait :)

My First Pick For Second Wife!

I've often felt like this, but having the Dyck family here this weekend confirmed that Christian needs a second wife! Our good friends Keith and Rachel finally came to visit us on Salt Spring and after watching Rachel's cleaning and baking skills in action, I decided that she needs to live with me! We think we'd make a good team. She could cook and clean and I'd do the birthday parties and meal plan and whatever else needs done.
It was so good to have their family come and spend the night with us. We were able to show them our house and around our island a bit and they were able to show off their new cutie Liam. This was Christian's first time meeting the new addition to their family and he just stole our hearts! It was so good to have a visit that lasted hours instead of the usual, quick," let's get together as we rush through Abbotsford" kind of visit. On Sunday we were able to take them to one of our island gems, Ruckle Park and go for a beautiful walk. It's also perfect scenery for lots of pictures... It was also nice to get our kids together to play. Our boys miss living closer to Nathan and Chad.
If you click on the picture with the rock cliffs, you'll be able to better see Brennan part way up one. This is why we need to keep a close eye on him when we're close to cliffs... He went around the corner where we couldn't see him and after a minute I said, "We'd better go check what the boys are doing". When we came around Brennan was already half way up! He'd already started climbing down by the time I snapped a picture. He always freaks us out! I need to buy my son some ropes, a helmet and those thingys that help rock climbers hook into rock. (I'm so technical!)
Thanks for coming to see us Dyck family. We were blessed with your presence!

Spring Break Fun!

I've been meaning to make a post out of these pictures, but I was having trouble with iphoto, so finally now it's been fixed... Two weekends ago, the kids and I were able to make a trip up to Mt. Washington with two of my best friends and their kids. My friend Sonja has a log chalet up there and this is our second time going up with all the kids for winter fun. They had so much fun with their friends and I had lots of fun with mine :) The hot tub/snow sitting was definitely a favourite for the kids!

Isaiah and Brennan both tried snow boarding on some small hills. I actually think they'll catch on fast if they have some lessons. I'm stumped whether to get them learning snow boarding or skiing first... Any advice?
The triple bunk beds were also a huge hit. Abby actually fell out of the middle one on the first night and hit the headboard of my bed down below. She still has a large bruise on her leg and I'm so thankful that her head didn't hit anything. I felt so bad for not blocking off the edge! She only cried a bit and said the bruise didn't hurt. She's a tough cookie, that Abby; she has to keep up with all the boys!
The boys also tried skiing on their friend's skis. We didn't venture up any of the lifts this time. All of us got to go tubing though and that was a blast! For our last two runs, I hooked up with all the kids and we went down as a huge group of eight!
This is the view from the chalet. I think it's the best view of any one on Mt. Washington.
One of my favourite parts was riding up the rope tow on the tube as I got to be by myself and just praise God for his awesome mountain creations that were all around me. We came home filled up but pretty tired.

Still tired...

This is a picture of Christian doing sound for Randy B. at the Commodore in Vancouver last weekend. Part of why I'm realizing that I'm still tired! We've had a busy month and I need to learn how to go to bed earlier... Christian was away last week on the road with Randy Bachman's new band and I was at home taking care of business :) I got to join him for the last concert in Vancouver and we got to go out for dinner together and stay at the Four Seasons hotel. We didn't get much sleep though... I walked to the hotel at 1am after the concert and Christian had to stay and load gear and merchandise and didn't get in til 3:30am. We were up by 7:30am to head to a day long parenting conference called "Raising Truly Great Kids", by Dr. Tim Kimmel. It was excellent and fun to have a whole day without the kids, but we were very TIRED.

We headed for home the next day and thanks to a fire on an earlier ferry, didn't get home until 10pm. The next morning, Abby and I were up early to catch the ferry to Victoria so she could have dental surgery. Her poor little baby teeth were a mess. I really didn't like having her taken away to the operating room. I couldn't even eat anything until I knew she was o.k. Seeing her in recovery later hooked up to tubes, made me think about her birth and how much God has blessed us with our sweet, vibrant, healthy girl. We arrived back on Salt Spring after dinner and I started preparing for Brennan's birthday which was the next day.
We started out with a pancake breakfast and Brennan opened his guitar, which he is thrilled with. He's been jamming out a lot in his bed room and having some special time with Christian learning his first guitar lessons. We had a wild, loud birthday party that night with eight boys and one girl in the house and a night time treasure hunt!
This week, I've had a sore throat and cough, and the stomach flu and I realized today that I've run myself ragged. Looking at my pictures, I started to figure out why... Some things are worth being tired for though and it's just been one of those months. I think I'm rambling on this post, so I'd better stop now and hit the hay!

Whew! I'm tired!!

Wow! That was fun, and now I'm exhausted :) We just had the best Christmas. We hosted my whole family plus my Auntie Beth and my cousin Andrew, so we had 19 people for Christmas dinner and company here for almost five days. What a ride! It all started with record breaking snow falls for Salt Spring island and I have to admit it was a wee bit stressful shopping for food as it was hard to make it out of our neighbourhood with our vehicle. After a few attempts, I made it to the grocery store. I've never seen such madness there before! Heather, Richard and their kids made it safely on Tuesday and then Mom, Dad, Dinah, Russ and their crew arrived on Wednesday. That brought on a lot of anxiety for me too and I cried with a complete stranger in the store parking lot because I was so worried about them traveling here in the snow storm.
It was so great to get the whole family together in one house for two days. The cousins got along so well and we all had so much fun together. The kids and dads rocked with the sledding runs and the mommies were super stars in the kitchen :) We had a blast caroling with each child on an instrument, eating, opening presents, eating,listening to Christian and Russ jamming, eating more, and of course being crazy! Family, you are all the best and most fun fam in the whole world! I love you so much.
This year, instead of getting gift for our nieces and nephews and the adults, we all pooled some money together to buy a goat for a family through World Vision. Mom even bought a stuffed goat for all of us to pass around for the year and take pictures of us with to email each other and to remind us to pray for the family who receives the goat. Thanks Mom. Turns, out we have enough money to buy two goats!!
O.K., I'm realizing that I'm using WAY too many exclamation marks on this post, but it has been THAT MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! Mom also sewed Santa hats and made t-shirts for all her grandchildren that had their names on them and said "Saltspring Cousin's Christmas ". Mom, you're the best.
I didn't send out Christmas cards this year, so this is my card to you. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and here's to 2009. May it be a year of happy memories and new adventures!
Love Jenn, Christian, Isaiah, Brennan, and Abby

Milestones

We've had a couple of milestones this week... I wanted to tell about Brennan's first but I don't know how to make his the first picture on here. I think I need some blog assistance. Well, first for Biscuit. He is officially sleeping through the night!!! I am really thankful for that because I don't do well with interrupted sleep and I'm too busy to take naps these days, so I was driving around way too tired. Also, he's already gained 3 and a half pounds. What a big puppy ;) He still needs to figure out that outside is the ONLY place he's allowed to do his business.

Brennan joined karate in September and yesterday he earned his first stripe. He's well on his way to becoming a "karate master". He is my only child interested in this and it's neat to see him learning so much in only six weeks. He also has to really listen and concentrate which is good practice for my lively, rambunctious, easily distracted boy :)
Crongratulations Brennan. All my children got report cards yesterday as well and they're all doing very good. Good enough to get a trip off this island and have a swim at Duncan's brand spankin new pool this weekend. Yipee, I get to wear a bathing suit! Help me Jenny Craig!!