A Little Late

A late one, but a good one!

Until next time...

Happy Birthday, Supernana!

Good morning everyone! This is a very special day in the Vance household because it is the birthday of Nana Vance, also known as "Supernana."

The Vance kids thus decided to fashion a Happy-Birthday video appropriate to the magnificence of its subject.

Happy birthday, Supernana!

Until next time...

Journey to New Brunswick: Part 1

As everyone knows, travelling with several indefatigable children is itself an adventure. Chrissy and I could literally just sit with them in the car and be overwhelmed by the sheer glory of it. But it is even more glorious when you are travelling with them for many, many, many hours.

Onwards! Tune in for part two... soon.

Summer 2015, Week 2

That's a horrible title, I know. But what do you call a week with so much stuff packed into it? We had VBC (vacation Bible camp), a pool party, a beach day, friend visits, not to mention just trying to function as a family of six human beings under one roof.

I think if I were to chose another title, I would call it "Splash." Just to be creative.

Hope you enjoy the vid!

PS. The worst thing is a typo on the word "until" at the end that I don't have the motivation to go back and fix.

PPS. I hope that these videos are conveying what I'm hoping to convey - not so much a "look at how awesome we are" (though we are on the awesome side of things), and more a sense of thankfulness over the time that we've been given to spend together as a family this week. I hope that thankfulness comes through.

Just One Wife, Four Kids, and an iPhone

Dear Eleven Followers,

I love you. Here is the first of what I hope will be weekly instalments of Apartment 1004: Video Edition. A snapshot of our family in the year 2015, if you like.

Thanks for being interested in who we are. Feel free to comment. We'll be in touch.

Until next time...

A Bunch of Things and the Beginning of Summer

It has been busy! What has kept us busy? A bunch of things.

Thing 1: VBC, also known as Vacation Bible Camp, a more light-hearted twist on the old Vacation Bible School idea. I have literally been looking forward to Jesse's being able to go to this at our church since he was born, five years ago.

The time has come! Consider me a proud father, and to commemorate the event, I signed up to be a crew leader, which is extremely fun and incredibly exhausting.

Thing 2: Gardening. Honestly, the vegetable and flower gardens we inherited from the Hummels were so beautifully tended that they have required very little work, but even the simplest of garden needs a little love (ie., weeding and watering), especially on these scorching hot days.

"Home grown carrots... are so... crunchy..."

Thing 3: Robyn. Our beautiful little girl has been keeping us moving with her intense ups and downs.

I honestly don't remember this photo being taken. But I think, judging by the clothes, that it was yesterday.

Thing 4: Home-made Jam is a beautiful thing, I think we can all agree - especially when the raspberries come from your own garden. Thanks to Wendy for coming over and teaching us how to make our own jam.

Thing 5: Building Jesse a toy sword. Ever since I saw my Dad finish a basement at our old house and watched my Papa building little wooden toys for me as a child, I've wanted to take up woodworking. In my high-school shop class, I made a wooden chest for my uncle, but I've never had the space to be able to actually create anything since.

Until now!

Jesse protects the innocent with his trusty sword, King Arthur style (using strength to protect the weak and fight for goodness and justice, etc.).

For any woodworking enthusiasts, here are the close ups. Jesse seemed pretty happy with it.

Found out that staining wood is harder than I thought.

Also, this was my first time using a router and circular saw. It was scary.

Thing 6: I'm training for a half-marathon in September. Personal goal: Run it in less than 2 hours. This means about five good runs a week.

Thing 7: Prepare for a new baby. Mystery Vance #4 will likely arrive in September as well. As school has traditionally also started in September, I think September may be a busy month.

(Side note: Chrissy is my hero. I don't know how she manages to do all the things she does, while looking after three (or more) kids, while also growing a small human being inside of her.)

She's tired, but she's making it happen.

So things have been hopping here in the Vance resident. As I finished supper today, I reflected that while my state of chronic exhaustion may not compare to that of Chrissy, I do feel a little tired. In that light, I'm going to begin simplifying things and cutting in order to get some rest in before school starts up again.

Part of this will involve signing off on my beloved Apartment 1004 blog until next summer. It's been fun, and now it's time to put down the keyboard and pick up a book.

I hereby declare this to be the beginning of summer!

It's been good, blog buddies.
Signing off...
Until next time...

Kids Make Us Tired But They're Worth It

My story of the past couple of days begins with a camping sleepout with none other than Janna "I Like to Talk A Lot At Bedtime" Vance.

Campfire before bed. Janna enjoys a freshly roasted marshmallow. This is before she sears her fingers on the hot poker and wails about not appreciating campfires.

Strangely, in the 8+ years we've been together, I think this is just the second marshmallow I've ever roasted with Chrissy. I was curious. Was Chrissy a lightly-browned marshmallow-type girl? Or a fully charred marshmallower? To my surprise (and, evidently, hers), she enjoys marshmallows barely cooked at all. I guess she's a naturalist.

Janna smiles at me in appreciation as we tucked ourselves into the tent for the night. She smiled at me, stroked my hand, and quietly murmured, "You're beautiful, Dad."

I should have known better than to believe that that would be the end of the night for us. You see, Janna comes alive at night. After lulling me to a false sense of peace and security, she innocently unleashed her inner reserve of social energy, talking to me about nearly anything that crossed her mind until I felt compelled to document these interactions with my camera.

Long story short, eventually she did fall asleep, and then I did too. Only to be woken up by her intense shivering the next morning at 4am. I had forgotten that Janna is also unable to sleep motionless. She strays in all kinds of horizontal directions while she sleeps,to the point where she rarely wakes up under her covers. In the warmth of the house, this is ok, but in twelve-degree weather...

Eventually, I invited her to sleep in my sleeping bag with me. Which was fine, except it meant that I couldn't role over. I found myself lying in an extremely awkward angle, perpetually fearful of squishing flat my incredibly small three-year-old daughter. Which was fine, until an incredibly articulate bird perched itself just outside of our tent and cried, "WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP!!!!!" Repeatedly.

By 4:30am, I surrendered to the overwhelming forces of camping and both Janna and I retreated to the safety of Chrissy's nicely warmed bed.

She forgave us eventually, I think.

Next morning: Janna miraculously has energy and is taunting her older brother with a game of "pretend to sleep on Jesse." 

O, the hardships of being an older brother!

Robyn, amused, decides not to play but instead to smoosh her mashed potatoes across her chest.

Other fun things occured the following day; of particular notice was the excellent pool party put on by the Oueises, which unforgivably, I did not capture on camera. However, good times were had by all. At the end of the day, Chrissy and I were left with the overall feeling of complete exhaustion, but we had to admit that the crazy times are worth it at the end of the day.

As long as they stay in bed.

Bemused,
Until next time...

Ah, Camping

Thank you, Chrissy, for filling in the world on the Vance-family activities in my absence. Somehow, the word "Hijacked" in the little post description seems to draw blog readers like a magnet. For my own emotional stability, I've decided not to think too deeply about that.

It has been a busy, rewarding, and tiring couple of days.

Yesterday:
Honestly, I can't remember much of it. I remember that I was gone for a chunk of the day moving a friend to a new place. Then I came home and we began "Operation Back-Yard Campout." Now, my own life policy for camping is simply never to do it, but instead to sleep in my nice warm, comfortable bed being glad that I'm not camping. However, it has come to my attention that some people like to camp, and it seems like my son and daughter (Janna) have caught the bug, probably genetically, through my sister, Katie.

Thus, it falls upon me to bring their little dreams to life as best I can: by making camping as little like camping as possible.

"Ah, Camping," I thought to myself as I held the tiny yellow pole and felt the icy slurp of a minuscule raindrop punch me in the eyeball.

Now this is a tent. Thank you, Jesse Smith, for this fantastic gift: the only tent that I could actually stand up and stretch in without touching the roof. Camping may be the worst, but this tent is like sleeping in a nylon palance. 

No camping experience would be the same without a campfire... Jesse was a little uncertain about the little balls of sugary flame he was supposed to eat, but eventually he did consume an impressive quantity of marshmallows.

Going to sleep in a dark tent. Way darker than Jesse expected, and way spookier, too.

Here's how we looked with the flash lighting things up for us. Jesse's expression tells it all: he was pretty scared, even though I told him we could hold hands arm wrestle until he fell asleep. He now denies that he was ever scared.

7am. The little turkey fell asleep in about four minutes and has the audacity to glare at me this way as he wakes up. Meanwhile, I distinctly remember lying awake at 3:30am, thinking, "I am very comfortable. My air mattress is fully inflated. No part of my body is touching the side of my tent. There are no bugs in here. I am content with my life, even thankful, despite the camping. Why am I not asleep? Maybe if I roll over this way...."

Chrissy treated us to an amazing set off waffles for lunch. Just looking at this picture makes me happy.

(Is it socially acceptable to have a framed picture of waffles on your wall? I'm thinking living room.)

 That's it for now. Round two with Janna is tonight. Who needs sleep anyways?

Ah, camping.

Tired and thankful,
Until next time...

hijack 2 baby

I am hijacking the blog today, as Dave is currently setting up a tent in the backyard for he and Jesse to “camp out tonight”  and I think he plans on going to bed with him around 8 or 9.

It has been a super busy day.  I accepted 4 extra kids for the day, totalling 7 with my own, knowing Dave would be around as an extra set of hands.  However, Dave had committed to helping a friend move, and it never occurred to me it was on the same day as today when he double checked with me that it was workable.

Seven kids is totally fine if they are all over 3.  Seven younger kids are fine if I’m not waddly and pregnant.  But, 7 kids aged 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 is HARD in your third trimester!  All the lifting and squatting and bum changing and being constantly on the feet can be pretty exhausting.   And then throw in all the relational issues to negotiate..... It’s a challenge.

The day shaped up pretty well though!  I had a last minute cancellation, and then a friend popped over with her little guy for a few hours in the morning to help out.  Between 10 and 12 can be tricky with art, lunch, diaper changes, and settling everyone in for naps, so I was super thankful for Kim’s help this morning.   Also, the forecast was iffy in regard to rain, and it didn’t rain all day, so we were able to spend lots of time outside, which the kids do much better with.  PLUS dave came home for 3 to help me push through the last couple of hours of the work day.  Everyone had a good day in the end, and I am good aside from the fact I don’t know how I am going to get up the stairs and into bed!

Anyways, the summer is flying by.  Things are busy but good.  Jesse is loving his life one minute with all the exciting and different events that summer brings, but then crashing the next minute having to “come back” to reality.   He has some real lego from his birthday, and has gotten really good at following the instructions and building things.  Right after breakfast he usually closes himself in his room and works on all his little things for the first hour of the day.  

Janna is so funny with her conversation and language these days.  The other day she was discussing family roles and she said, “ Mommy make breakfast, and mommy make snack, and mommy make supper, and daddy make......daddy make Barbeque!”  Dave and I love to get out with her.  She adores errands, and is a great shopping pal.   She has been less teary with the double attention and more rested parents, but still bursts into tears over the simplest things.  Whenever you ask when why she is crying, she wails,” because you is ANGRY at me!”  Which is rarely the case.... When challenged on this notion she will respond, “ Oh.  I are just tired.”

Robyn is a ton of fun and busy.  She watches her older siblings do everything, and tries it all herself. She now mounts and descends the slide backwards, forwards, face first, bum first, and has even tried somersaulting down it!  She loves the water and if we don’t have the pool or sprinkler going, she takes the top of the watertable and climbs into it.  She has loved having time to spend with daddy, and is really into lip smooches and blowing kisses.  She is such an interesting combination of wanting to be around people and action, but super independent at the same time.   She is a total ham, but much more reserved in the presence of any company.

Dave ran his first 10 K race the other day, and came in under his time.  HE was surprised at how well it went.  But, he has been doing his runs each week with the girls in the jogger, and so I am sure that not having all those extra pounds is something!  He is enjoying tinkering in our garage with his tools, and taking care of the lawn, and getting lots of one on one time with the kids.  He admitted to me that reading this book to the kids gets him "feeling something funny."  That is his way of saying choked up.  Awwww...he's a great dad. 

I am feeling kind of STRUCK by my third trimester.  Leg cramps and more breathlessness, and a super need for a longer nap each day.  But, that’s ok.  Par for the course.  I am happy this is lining up with Dave’s time off, and hopefully I’ll be rested enough to push through September on my own.

Well, that is all for now. It is starting to rain a bit, and Dave is pushing through setting up the tent quickly and Jesse is inside with me playing with his flashlight before they can cozy in.

Tis all for now

Chrissy

Full Moon Tuesday

According to the Farmer's Almanac, which has probably the most credibility of any periodical on earth, July's full moon occurred on July 12th. Unfortunately for the Farmer's Almanac, I have the one barometer of lunar position more accurate than the collective wisdom of all farmers: the mood of my children.

And judging by the complex arrangement of emotions exhibited by our beautiful little hoodlums today, I believe that I can declare with objective, empirical scientific certainty that the moon must be in full swing.

Exhibit A: Two Children, One Bed

Chrissy and I weren't sure what to make of this. First of all, we had to wake up the children, which is nearly unheard of. Secondly, they were both sleeping in the same bed. When interrogated on the matter, Jesse mumbled, "I thought I was in my bed. But when I woke up, I was in Janna's bed."

Mmhmm. Likely story.

Exhibit B: The Uneaten Eggs

Janna loves eggs. Furthermore, she loves Ketchup on her eggs. In a normal universe, Janna eats the eggs. But this morning, she fell asleep on the table. The dog ate most of the eggs.

Something strange is going on here.

Exhibit C: The Strangely Terrifying Upside-Down Bunny Attack

After supper tonight, Robyn stalked us like a hungry fox on the lookout for unsuspecting chickens. Except she was wearing an upside-down bunny mask. (which, if worn by an attacking baby, kind of looks like a deranged jellyfish). All in all this was a humourous but bizarre experience that further cements the idea that...

...something is going on.

My hypothesis: The Farmer's Almanac has it wrong for the first time in centuries. I'm willing to bet one upside-down bunny mask on it.

Ominously yours,

Until next time...

The In-Between Moments

The miscellaneous iPod photos continue. It often seems to me that the most striking photos are the ones that happen when you don't have a camera. But my trusty iPod always comes through for me.

Confession: This photo is about a week old. I can feel my journalistic integrity spontaneously combusting for including it in today's post. I still think it's got some genuine editorial relevance, however, for the sheer seriousness with which Jesse was treating his experience with dentistry.

(Side note: While researching the spelling of the word "combusting," I came across a truly frightening article on the statistics and history of spontaneous combustion among humans. Did you know that women are more likely than men to spontaneously combust?)

The girls get ready to go for a little bike trip with me.

Selfies while biking: maybe not the best idea. 

Janna relives some good memories at the classic Craig Henry Park, close to our old house.

It is worth noting that Janna can now tackle most aspects of the play structure independently. She was particularly proud of mounting the climbing wall by herself.

Robyn masters the "face-down feet-first" sliding technique, which strikes me as being an uncomfortable experience, but which she repeated for literally dozens of times until I forcibly removed her from the park.

On the road to the next park.

"These are good swings, Dadda," Janna informed me.

Back home, Janna shows a proficiency for gardening. Pants are optional for gardening in the Vance household.

Jesse, after being told that he needs to finish his supper if he wants to eat his strawberry and rhubarb pie.

One of the first times that I can recall Robyn being purposefully excluded by her older siblings. She wants to join them in the playhouse, but they fear her, so they won't open the door.

I gave them a stern talking to, but secretly understood their angst after I heard her barking at them angrily and trapping them on the top floor by planting herself at the top of the ladder.

Good day! But the bed is calling.
Until next time...

The Bedtime Routine

For some people, the bedtime routine may refer to the innocuous series of events they arrange in order to bring comfort and stability to their nightly encounters with sleep. For us, however (and this may sound very familiar to many of you), the bedtime routine is a matter of survival. We need to somehow get the kids into their beds, and from there, to that blissful state of unconsciousness that ironically calls to us as parents even as we wish it so desperately for our children.

Step 1: Bathe the children.

Aw, you might think to yourself. That looks cute. However, I assure you that this situation is far from "cute".

First of all, there is major conflict in play, as Jesse is irate over his inability to perfect his snorkelling skills. Apparently having two siblings in the same tub with him cramps his style.

Secondly, Robyn is trying to eat a random drain plug she has found, which we recognize as being less than ideal in most situations.

And of course, there is the matter of her being fully immersed with her pajamas on. Yes, Robyn had her bath ten minutes earlier, but decided that one bath simply wasn't enough. At least it gave Janna an opportunity to wash someone's hair (yikes).

Step 2: Calm the children.

Usually we go to great lengths to avoid watching TV before bed, but we had troubles with our DVD player today and I had promised Jess we would at least start Muppets Treasure Island. Wow, what a strangely dark and twisted movie, but somehow, still hilarious. Nevertheless, I'm a little nervous about the psychological effects of watching the "Cabin Fever" song before bed.

Step 3: Put them in bed.

This was strangely quiet tonight after the first few scenes of Muppets Treasure Island. I think the kids were trying to process it. Usually for this step we read a Bible story from the Children's Storybook Bible, pray with them, tuck them in and fill up their drinks. This is one of my favourite parts of the day, even though I'm usually feeling pretty sizzled by that point.

Step 4: Tea time.

This time is sacred. Brew some tea (or in Chrissy's case tonight, iced apple juice), go outside, drink the tea and talk. Note your pregnant wife's amazing ability to balance her drink on her belly (iced apple juice - don't worry!). Sometimes sit back and say nothing. Enjoy the beauty the God has placed in front of you.

And when Jesse comes out to tell you that Janna has had a "big, big, stinky poop," don't be too impatient. Ask if the poop is still in the diaper. If it is, it will wait for awhile.

If not, GO GO GO!!

Wash your hands and come back. Sit down and close your eyes. Life is good.

Serenely yours,
Until next time...

Three Moderately Exciting Moments

This post will be on three moderately exciting moments. I call them moderately exciting because none of them are quite like having a baby, getting married, or eating one's first Shawarma, but nevertheless, I was thankful for these three miniature events today.

Event #1: Ok, this is actually a little bigger than "moderately" exciting. For a homeschooler, I don't think anything quite compares to the joy of receiving and opening the "book box" of the coming year's curriculum. The beautiful thing is that it hasn't dawned on Jesse yet to mourn the coming of the school year... hopefully education will continue to be a joyful thing for many years to come.

Event #2: Jesse's first race bib. To be clear, this is my race bib, not Jesse's, but this is still his first contact with an official race. He has made me promise that I will run REALLY fast, which I will really try to do. Unfortunately, I think he may be a bit devastated if I don't win this one.

Event #3: The harvest continues, aided by our excellent team of hardworking farmhands ("lawnhands"? "gardenhands"?). These guys were fearless. Jesse, in particular, was dedicated to dumping nearly a jug of water on each plant until we convinced him of the value of moderation.

The result was an abundant supply of rhubarb, and a much nicer looking garden. And really dirty kids.

It was a good day, and we're all tired in a healthy way, except for the kids who are not tired at all and chattering noisily in their bedrooms. Hopefully they will sleep soon.

Sleepily/hopefully,
Until next time...