On The Edge Of The World
Date: Thursday July 29, 2010Posted in: Emily, Graham, Honey, Nathan, me, vacating
I may have been born in Ontario, but my parents moved us West, to the north coast of BCÂ when I was but a few months old. I grew up on the edge of the ocean, going fishing with my Dad on our wee boat and hiking along rugged coastlines covered in barnacles and seaweed and listening to the ocean roar on a daily basis. When I decided to leave home and make my break for a big city, I chose Vancouver. Beautiful, engaging and right on the edge of the ocean. I moved many times when I lived there but almost every apartment I rented was within walking distance of the ocean. I remember proudly declaring that I could never live away from the coast.
This, of course, was before I met Matthew and we decided to leave the craziness of the city for the chance at owning a big house on a large property so that our (future) children could have space to run and play. If he’d wanted to move anywhere other than here, there may have been some resistance on my part. Thankfully, the vast Lake Okanagan is as close as you can get to be an ocean while actually being on a lake.
It’s like the little lake that could.
The second half of our family vacation was spent at Cannon Beach, for those of you who aren’t Twitter/Facebook friends and/or have been too busy holidaying yourself to pay attention to the minor details. Why Cannon Beach? Well, we spent but an afternoon there last fall on our annual stateside shopping trip and fell in love. Having the chance to see my Kerri Anne yet again was an added bonus.
(Speaking of Kerri, please tell me that you read this post. Please make sure that you’re not drinking or eating while you read it, lest you choke. Consider yourselves warned. )
I mentioned that the first part of our vacation was not what you would call restful. We left Vancouver a day early (to escape the gnomes, and) in order to spend a night in Seattle so that we could be that much closer to our final destination on the day we got to check in to our cabin. We booked it to the Coast, unloaded our stuff and looked at the view and then made the three-minute trek down to the water.
Pretty, right?
Breathtaking, beautiful and BITTERLY COLD. I mean, I knew we wouldn’t be having the high temperatures that we’re used to in the Okanagan, but that ocean wind was pretty biting.
Nothing that a hoodie couldn’t remedy.
Thursday morning we woke up to gloomy, misty weather but the winds had stopped and it was a lot warmer.
The kids played in the sand and the mud while we watched the waves roll in and then Matthew decided to write in the sand. He started with my name, finished his creation and then stood up proudly, only to see my standing there laughing.
He quickly did an edit.
There was only so much mist and gloom that we could take and so we treated the kids to a movie (Despicable Me – my new favorite animated movie). The rest of the evening was spent in the cabin, teaching the kids how to play Scrabble, reading and just hanging out.
Friday, we headed into the city of Portland. We spent a couple of hours at Powell’s buying books, then fall clothes for the kids and then ended up at our ultimate destination: dinner at Deschutes with some of my good blog friends. Kerri’s been to my house before, so she’s met the family, but nobody else had. I got to see friends and friends got to meet the four biggest loves in my life. Win, win.
In the back with me is Amanda. Front row, left to right: Sarah, Vahid, Rhi and Kerri.
Miss Kerri and her little pug Iggy (he loves me) came to spend the delight of everyone. We talked, we walked, we sat, we took photos.
This one that that Kerri took of Emily and I makes me smile every time I even think about it.
Kerri and Iggy headed home in the late afternoon and the family and I headed down to the beach to take our family photo.
After supper, I went on a solo mission down to the beach to capture the sunset.
I was so amazing to just stand on the edge of the water and soak in the beauty.
So, yeah. Our family vacation was even more than we hoped for and our kids did so amazing (TWELVE HOUR drive home and not a single meltdown. NOT ONE) that we’ll definitely be going on another road trip next year. Will it be back to Cannon Beach? Yes. No. Maybe.
*More photos of our trip in this Flickr set
Home Sweet Home
Date: Monday July 26, 2010Posted in: Emily, Family, Graham, Honey, Nathan, me, vacating
Team Dykstra spent nine nights and ten days together in close quarters and lived to tell about it.
Stories to follow once I recover from our epic TWELVE HOUR drive home yesterday and the many late nights we pulled. So…tomorrow? Maybe? Sometime before I leave for New York next Monday (!), I promise. I hope you all had as great of a week as we did.
At approximately 7:30 p.m. last night, these three beautiful creatures arrived home.
There have been stories to tell (both theirs and ours) and hugs and snacks and bedtime routines and hugs and snuggles in our bed this morning and laughter and eating breakfast on the deck and hugs and running through the sprinklers and hugs and now, the beach.
Happy, happy.
This past weekend was the one where I drove my kids to Grandma’s house to spend the next week attending VBS, eating jello pudding and being spoiled rotten with love from people other than ME. Saturday morning we loaded up the van, complete with snacks, toys and the movies that Graham had packed. (He declared it his responsibility to pack both the toys and the movies and, well, YAY. GO GRAHAM.) We loaded everyone into the van and I asked them to give me a thumbs-up.
(Yes, Emily is blurry, but I’d taken ten iPhone photos by this point in order to get this one and they were all, “LET’S LEAVE ALREADY.”)
(Graham is chowing on local cherries. Thought I should point that out for some reason.)
So, the trip. It was really, truly…fine. Ridiculously fine. The kids watched a movie (BOLT) until our first stop an hour and a half from home (Merritt) for a restroom break. I asked them what movie they wanted to watch next. Graham: “Maybe we could just listen to your music? And look out the windows at the mountains and flowers and stuff?” I asked the other two if that is what they wanted and they agreed and so we ventured on. Listening to my music and pointing out waterfalls and the different wildflowers and singing along to California Girls and just…driving. With lots of QUIET TIME. My thoughts: 1) Who are these children and, 2) Can I keep them?
We picked up my baby sister Courtney at my Dad’s and made our way to the ferry. Emily: “I’m on a BOAT.”
(See her hair? She’s always been a hater of clips and such but the other day she asked me to put in a pony tail. After combing out the top half I suggested we only put that part in a pony tail in order to show off her curls. She agreed that it was a swell idea; this is now part of our morning routine. Have I mentioned how happy I am that she finally has hair?)
All three kids were so happy to see the “lake”.
It’s the ocean, but whatever.
We arrived at Grandma’s and had dinner and tried to get her cat to come out of hiding and played games and then had HORRIBLE NO-GOOD MELTDOWNS about them (Nathan) NOT WANTING ME TO LEAVE and it was all very TRAGIC and AWFUL and I MIGHT HAVE CONTEMPLATED PUTTING THEM (Nathan) IN THE VAN AND DRIVING HOME.
Then, there was sleep. And also, Emily YELLING AT THE TOP OF HER VOICE at the lovely hour of 5 a.m. that NATHAN WAS STEALING HER PILLOW. I had her crawl in with me and we all made it through until morning (No more CAPS LOCK). I had wake-up snuggles and did her hair and talked to the kids about their upcoming week and they said that they would have good attitudes and listen to Grandma and Auntie and say Please and Thank You and go to bed without a fuss and that they would miss me.
I got into the van and headed to the ferry and cried like the sappy mofo that I am.
I read someone recently who stated that she looked forward to going to work so that she could get away from her kids. I…don’t get that. I mean, I have friends that who to work in order to exercise their personal growth but it’s never to get away from their kids. I do enjoy my time at the office but if you know me at all then you know that if I could, I would be at home with these guys full-time. They really are three of the coolest kids that this planet has seen and I like them. A lot.
I also miss them more that any words could ever articulate.
*Extreme. It came on the radio when I was driving around Vancouver and, well, it kind of fits.
As I mentioned the other day, I’m kind of in love with the stage that my kids are in right now. Not just the stage, I guess, but mostly at how their personalities shine through in everything that they do. It never ceases to amaze me that these three little beings are so close in age and are raised by the exact same parents, yet they are such distinctly unique individuals. Nature seems to have overruled nurture, here.
Take Graham.
I have a soft spot for him because he’s my firstborn and, like me, displays many traits of a firstborn child. We have so much in common that it’s a little bit ridiculous. Add in the fact that he has the cutest spatter of freckles on his nose (like I do!) and I’m pretty sure I’ve spawned the male equivalent of a “Mini Me”.
Except, you know, I’m not missing a front tooth.
Graham is working on a book. As in writing one, not reading one.
(Click on the photo to see the Flickr notes if you’re interested.)
This is not the first book he’s written (He’s SEVEN, remember) and gosh he makes me proud. He started with the illustrations (including a speech bubble over the villain’s head saying, “Mwah ha ha“) and is now working on writing out the story that goes with the illustration. There is a plot and the last page’s illustration ends with a CLIFFHANGER. He’s also told me the plot for the next two books in his series. He’s been heard saying, “I need to go work on my book” and, yeah. I just love him.
Take Nathan.
I have a soft spot for him because, well, he’s Nathan. If you’ve ever met him then you know what I mean. He and I look absolutely nothing at all alike – he is one hundred (and ten) percent his Dad. He is a natural athlete, says, “I don’t know” more times than I can count and has me looking at him daily wondering where exactly my half of the genes went.
However. He’s just so cuddly and snuggly and LOVEY and…sigh. He’s had a way with the ladies since he was a baby. He also has me wrapped around his little finger.
Take Emily.
I have a soft spot for her because she is my girl. My “Mini Me” in so many regards. The big blue eyes, the curly locks, the spitfire personality. She comes by that last one so very, very honestly.
She is also ridiculously hilarious and a big tornado of love. Every day she “writes” me a note (or three)(which consist of squiggles on a sheet of paper) and then “reads” them to me. I asked her if I could videotape her and she let me do so.
No, you can’t have her. She’s MINE. All mine. Glory be.
The same gene pool produced three radically different kids. Different in their abilities, interests and features. But they are united in their uniqueness, inherent radness and curly blond locks.
They have to be reminded to put their dishes in the dishwasher, do their home reading, brush their teeth and PUT ON THEIR SHOES ON ALREADY. Apart from that, they are three of the neatest kids on the planet. Need proof? See above.
My kids have reached the age which I think should be referred to as The Golden Era. Things are not perfect, no, but we are out of the stage where diaper blowouts pour out of the neckline and where toddlers thrash about with enough intensity to make you feel like you are part of a WWE smackdown.
Bedtime has been downgraded from That Thing Which You Pawn Off Every Chance You Get to a time that consists of multiple reminders to GO PEE and BRUSH YOUR TEETH and GET YOUR PAJAMAS ON, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE. Once they have (FINALLY) completed their prerequisites, the fun truly begins. Emily and I head into the boys’ room to say prayers and good nights before we head to her room to tuck her in.
In the dudes’ room is a large map of the world hanging on the wall opposite from their bunk beds. They will point to where we live, and where their grandparents live. They always follow it by pointing out cities south of the border where they know that I have been to visit (California, Portland, Chicago) and cities that they know I am going to visit this year (New York). The other night they asked me what people in the United States were called.
Me: “Americans.”
Nathan: “So, you have a lot of American friends?”
Me: “I sure do.”
Emily: “Like Kerri and her dog Iggy!” Graham: “And your friend Sarah who was on TV!”
Me: “Yep! And a lot of other friends that you haven’t met yet.”
Nathan, pointing at Antarctica: “Is this China?” (One of Graham’s best friends was born in China.)
Me: “No, China is over here. What you pointed to is Antarctica – it’s where the penguins live.”
Nathan: “Do you have penguin friends?”
Me: Doing the silent laugh while bracing myself against the wall.
Nathan: “What’s so funny? Oh, hey! Do you have Kung Fu friends?”
Oh, Nathan. He truly is a gift, that one.
In between the chaos that is our every day life, these three make me laugh. A lot. Another example:
Emily, while sitting in the shopping cart seat and tugging at her skirt: “Nobody needs to see my winky.”
I have no idea where she learned that phrase, which made her saying it that much more fantastic.
***
This weekend was one of those ones that you want to grab as tightly as you can and stuff into a Mason jar for safekeeping.
The sun finally managed to drop kick the (unusual, for us) rain and the summer that usually starts in May finally made its appearance. There was sunblock and sprinklers and Slurpees and flip flops (Please stop calling them thongs, people in my local Wal*Mart) and watermelon and homemade hamburgers on the barbecue and swinging on the, well, swings and and a Date Night that included dinner on a patio and watching The A-Team (AWESOME – ignore the haters) and mowed lawns and the planting of herbs and sidewalk chalk and freckles and sing-alongs in the van (into our ice cream cones, natch) and skipping rope and, yeah. So much more than I could even try to cover.
I spent every minute loving where we’re at and how much fun we’re having and wishing that I had a remote that could slow down our lives so that we could stay right here, right now. Forever and always.
*More weekend photos on Flickr. Of course.
My hatred of winter is no secret around these parts and my tendency to then bask in the glow of our desert sun for the other half of the year is also well-documented. I’m not sure what I did to tick off Mother Nature this year but we’ve had the darkest, dreariest, wettest spring we’ve seen since moving here nine years ago. I’m thisclose to breaking down and finally buying an umbrella.
This past Sunday saw a bit of a reprieve and the sun peeked from behind a few clouds. I had been looking through old posts for something and realized that May was almost over and we hadn’t done our May tradition of going to the local ice cream parlor, treating ourselves to tasty treats and then heading across the street to take photos in front of the green wall. What started as an impromptu photo shoot two years ago repeated itself last year and I’ve always had full intentions of making it an annual event. The nasty weather almost threw my game but I managed to get us there before May was over.
My favorite photo from the 2008 shoot:
She was really, truly bald. And really, truly adorable.
The 2009 shoot was a bit of a gong show.
Welcome to my life.
The ice cream was tasty, the weather was warm and it was nice to sit at our usual table out on the patio.
A certain little girl asked me to take her picture and struck this pose.
Her brother asked me to take his picture and struck this pose.
Stinker.
We wandered across the street to the green wall. We didn’t have much time to take wall photos as we were running late for Matthew’s baseball game but I managed to snap a few.
In living color:
Graham is practicing his stoicism.
In black and white (I love black and white):
I told them to make funny faces:
Good to see that Emily and Nathan went for their usual stand-by. Graham apparently wanted a nap. Speaking of Graham, he “lost” another tooth this weekend. By “lost” I mean that it was hanging by a big stubborn root and Matthew had to pull it out while I hid downstairs.
I can’t get over how taking out one tiny chicklet of a tooth out leaves such a ginormous gap.
I love that our family traditions don’t always have to be grand productions. We argue over who loves who more, we have morning cuddles on the couch before I leave for work, we eat pizza for dinner every Friday night, we talk about what we’re thankful for, we call each other loving nicknames (Stinker, turkey, monkey, goober, donut…to name a few), we go to the ice cream parlor for ice cream. Simple, easy, consistent. I love it.
