Tag Archives: family

Our Christmas Holiday

Between Tim’s last few vacation days, overtime hours, and stat days, we were able to have 2 full weeks back in BC with our families for Christmas. And a full 2 weeks they were! Here is what we all got up to.

December 20
Travel day. It took 19 hours from our house to Tim’s parents’ house in Nanaimo.

Calvin was way too wound up during our ferry ride, for it being 10 pm.

December 21
In the afternoon we left the kids with the grandparents and went to do a little last minute gift buying and had a leisurely walk by the water. In the evening, we went to see Tim’s sister, Catherine, in the last performance of a Christmas production she was in.

Tim, Tim Hortons, and west coast drizzle. Great afternoon!

December 22
This was Sunday so there was church in the morning of course. We decided to do the Sevenhuysen Christmas that day instead of the 25th because Jordan and Amy needed to be in Abbotsford on the 24th. So we had our turkey dinner, played games and music, then opened gifts once the boys were in bed.

Auntie Lisa and Calvin dueting.

Turkey leg! Om nom nom!

December 23
We played with the puppy, Amber, and went for a walk.

Calvin wasn't scared, but wasn't super in to the puppy as much as she was in to him

Calvin wasn’t scared of her, but wasn’t super in to the puppy as much as she was in to him.

At the Nanaimo harbour.

December 24
Calvin helped Grandpa with chores in the barn and had fun chasing the alpacas around. We then went to the Christmas Eve service.

Here, piggy piggy piggy!

Vroom!

Handsome boys, all ready for church.

December 25
We woke up and after breakfast, the boys (well, mainly Calvin) got to open their gifts. Calvin wasn’t too interested, but rips some paper anyway. I’m kind of glad this kid is still not so in to presents. In the afternoon we went for a walk at Piper’s Lagoon. That evening we ferried back to the mainland and headed to my parents’ in Langley.

What’s inside? Clothes? Yay!

Family photo by the water.

A west coast beach.

December 26
This was the day of the Thiessen gathering. All my siblings and their children, with the exception of Isaac who was with his mom’s family for his birthday, came to my parents’ place and we had a wonderful day exchanging gifts, hanging out and eating our BBQ. Kate even dropped by on her way to Abbotsford from Vancouver!

Uncle Nathan and Victor exchanging grins.

Cul-de-sac hockey. Look! Remnants of snow!

Hi Kate!

December 27
I got together with two of my best friends, Carleigh (who left for a trip to Benin the next day) and Megan (who is due with their first baby in a couple weeks!). It is always so good to catch up with them.

The old trio, together again!

December 28
According to my lack of photos from this day, and a blank space on my calendar, nothing happened this day.

December 29
This was our Visit the Great Grandparents day! We went to Abbotsford and saw all of our grandparents who live there.

Calvin makes Opa smile.

Nana loves the babies!

My Oma and her husband (Uncle Abe) of a couple years. Love them!

December 30
My sister-in-law had a few of our cousins over to hang out with our babies. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…all the cute babies are in our family!

Piper (3 months), Victor (2 months), and Anna (5 months).

December 31
The boys (not including Victor because he is needy) stayed home and watched hockey while I went shopping with Megan for baby things. In the evening my parents went to some friends’ house, so we put the boys to bed at 8 and partied until 10pm.

There was a lot of hockey watching between Canucks and the World Juniors. This was the scene in the family room a lot of the time a lot of the days.

January 1
I got to see my friend Christine! In the afternoon we were going to hang out with my brother and his family, but that was unfortunately cancelled due to sickness.

High school buddies.

January 2
This was a full day! Our friends Anna and Karl graciously made the trip over from the island just to hang out with us for a few hours! Then we had dinner at a family friend’s place (whose daughter is a friend of mine and also has a young baby), followed by another trip to Abbotsford for an engagement party for Jordan and Amy.

Hi, friends!

The two cuties, watching while we ate.

January 3
We had brunch at Cora (it’s so hard not to put a “‘s” on the end of that) with all of Tim’s siblings who were on the mainland for various events. In the afternoon Tim’s friends from school back in Nanaimo who now live in Richmond, came over with their boys. This visit was cut short, again due to sickness. And we didn’t get any pictures. Sad. In the evening there was an extended family gathering of Tim’s side, you guessed it, in Abbotsford.

At Cora, they give the impatient children stamps and Cheerios.

January 4
We went to my sister and brother-in-law’s place for lunch then headed to Stanley Park with the entire family for a ride on the train. It was a really lovely day with all my siblings and nieces and nephews.

Boy cousins!

I’ve seen the new bridge a couple times now, but it still looks so beautiful and majestic next to the old, dinky orange one.

Oma, Grandpa, and all the grandchildren.

Let’s go training!

January 5
Travel day back to Edmonton. I could’ve done a separate post and called it “A Moose, Two Poops, and an Oops”, in which I tell the story of seeing a moose closer than I ever have, changing two super poops on my lap, and watching a car behind us spin out and slide into the meridian. But I decided to fit it all into its own sentence instead.

It was a full and lovely vacation. I was so glad to fit in visits with so many people. Normally I can only squeeze in one or two. When I think of how we originally were not going to plan on going back home for Christmas, I think we must have been crazy!

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What’s in a Year?

Guest post, written by my husband, Tim.

A year is both a very long and a very short period of time.

A lot can happen in a year, so much that it’s difficult to remember it all. A year ago today Calvin was only eight months old and had just barely started crawling. What a difference from then until now! The little guy has grown up so much during 2013.

At the same time, it seems like 2013 has gone by really quickly. We’ve been living in Edmonton for almost a year and a half. How did that happen!?

When a year can feel so long and so short at the same time, it becomes that much more important to step back and reflect on what we’ve gone through, to remember the special moments and the big events.

Big Events of 2013

Two big events stand out in particular from 2013. The biggest was the arrival of Victor James, a second little dinosaur to add to our collection of prehistoric creatures. Victor showed up early on the morning of October 24, and he’s already brought us so much joy. Every day he gets a little bit cuter and a little bit more interactive. I can’t wait until he and Calvin are able to start playing and growing together!

The second big event was our purchase of a house in Edmonton. When we learned in June that we would soon have to leave our rental, we weighed our options, forecasted our finances, and made the decision to enter the real estate market. We spent about a month going through the purchasing process, and eventually decided to make an offer on one of the first houses we had seen. We negotiated a pretty good price, and got possession at the end of July. So far we’ve made some small improvements (with many thank yous owed to our parents for their help!), and we have some definite goals for future projects, like new windows, new fences, and an expansion of the back yard. Maybe we’ll even got some of that started in 2014!

Looking Ahead

As we stand on the verge of 2014, it would seem that Larissa, Calvin, Victor, and I are in for a “down year” of sorts. The past several years have been absolutely packed with big changes. Just look:

2010

Tim finishes his Master’s degree at the University of Victoria
We start dating, then get engaged

2011

We buy a brand new car (and name him Max)
We get married
We get pregnant with our first child

2012

Calvin is born (April)
We move to Edmonton, where Tim starts a new job

2013

We buy a house
Victor is born (October)

How can we possibly maintain that kind of pace? Is there any way we can come up with another two or more huge, life-altering events?

Only God knows. But as this list demonstrates, He’s been very, very good to us so far, and we know that He will continue to be sufficient for us, no matter what 2014 holds.

Throwback Thursday: Paraguay

Today our backyard looks like this:

And I didn’t open the door to take the photo because the temperature looks like this:

Who wants frostbite on a Thursday morning? Not me!

So I decided to warm things up today by doing a throwback to a trip I took with my Oma to the other side of the equator, where winter is still very far off.

In early 2010, I learned that my Oma was interested in going to Paraguay to visit her family members who were still there, but being 75, she did not want to go alone. I gladly volunteered 6 weeks of my spring to head down there with her! I was interested to learn about my Mennonite roots that came from down there (this post isn’t a history lesson. I am not good at those. It’s just a pictorial account of our time there).

We mostly stayed in Asuncion where one of her brothers and his family lives. They have a couple girls about my age (he was a half brother), so we got to hang out and they showed me around town and stuff.

Oma and me in the backyard of the house where we stayed.

Afternoons were spent on the back patio enjoying terere, ice cream and frozen mangoes from their backyard tree. Delicious!

My uncle manning the BBQ that we enjoyed multiple times.

Oma and her brothers who still live in Paraguay. The age difference is because of a second marriage which is a story unto itself.

My cousins and I on a downtown excursion. This is their government building, if I remember correctly.

A street merchant made our names out of wire. I never felt so tall in my life!

Some of our time was spent in other little towns around the country, where my Oma’s brothers live.

On the road to Volendam.

They have large anthills.

Can we take a moment to compare the home of a Mennonite…

…to that of a native Paraguayan?

I milked a cousin’s cow.

Love this one.

Next up was Friesland where my Oma grew up. This was her home (now vacant), which they shared with the livestock.

She showed me how as children, they painted the bottom of the house with mud.

We made a trip to the cemetery where her young sister was laid to rest.

Interesting story: See the really old plot amung the newer ones? It is the grave of an adulterer or a murderer or something, and was originally outside the cemetery gates. Over time they had to expand and that is why it is now inside the gate.

We also went to the Chaco, which was the land that was originally given to the Mennonites when they immigrated to Paraguay,

These trees and camels have something in common.

We visited the little museum. I believe this photo is the group of immigrants my Oma’s dad came over with.

We did act like regular tourists for part of our trip too. We visited Iguazu Falls! It is probably one of the most beautiful places I have seen in person. When I first heard that we were going to do a two day tour, I was a little skeptical. What on earth would we do at a waterfall for 2 days?! But when I got there, I understood. One day you spend on the Argentina side walking along paths and bridges that are through the jungle and on top of the water and the other day you are on the Brazil side looking across the river at the falls. It was amazing!

Day 1: Argentina side

There were many friendly butterflies.

Standing in Argentina, looking at corners of Brazil and Paraguay.

Day 2: Brazil

My Oma has another brother who lives in Brazil, so we spent some time there as well.

Interesting trees on the way there.

Oma, her brother and her nephew.

The street on which my great uncle lives.

And we will conclude with just some miscellaneous photos.

Me in a mango tree! I was very sad we went at the end of the fruit’s season.

Red dirt road.

Why not nap while travelling from point A to point B?

I had a wonderful time, and am so thankful for this opportunity I had to travel with my Oma to a place that is so familiar to her.

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Snow Time

Winter is most definitely here, and Calvin likes it a smidgen more than I do. The first snow came when Victor was just 4 days old, and we’ve been getting more and more every week. I haven’t taken Calvin out to play yet on my own, because that also means bundling Victor up, but he got in some good play time when his aunties were here.

Auntie Catherine loves the snow just as much as Calvin!

Entering a snow cave built by Tim’s cousin, Jeanette. It has now flattened a little and will probably make a good little sledding hill for the rest of the snow season.

I stayed in the warm house while Michelle and Calvin had fun.

Hardly any room for sliding!

And now a video for your viewing pleasure, brought to you by Auntie Michelle, who let Calvin humble himself for pure entertainment.

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Grandparents

I must say, I feel pretty blessed that both Tim and I have such great in-laws. For the first two and half weeks after Victor’s birth, we were lucky enough to have our parents come and stay with us to visit and help out. And help out they did!

My mom came the night I went into labour and was there to watch Calvin while I was still in the hospital and stayed for 10 or so days, making us lunches and suppers and cleaning and all that kind of stuff so I didn’t have to worry about it. My dad came when Victor was a week old and spent the couple days he was here doing odd jobs around our house.

Oma and Victor in our hospital room.

Calvin helping Grandpa fix things.

Oma and Granpda Thiessen with their prairie grandsons.

(A friend pointed out that my dad and Calvin have the same hair-do. Love it!)

We had a couple days to ourselves as a little family before Tim’s parents arrived for their week with us. And it was much of the same. His mom helped cook and clean and his dad did stuff around the house.

Both sets of parents also had so much fun keeping Calvin occupied and happy. I don’t think he knew what to do with himself when everybody was gone!

Grandpa occupying Calvin with his tablet. This may or may not have become a problem later on…

Grandpa and Grandpa Sevenhuysen with their prairie grandsons.

Grandma and Grandpa Sevenhuysen with their prairie grandsons.

I know that I think families who have their parents close by are lucky, but when it comes to these situations, I think those of us with out of town parents are the lucky ones. What local parent would volunteer to become a live-in cook, housekeeper and nanny all in one for a week?

We all appreciate everything the four of you did for us those first couple weeks. We are so blessed to call you our parents and our children’s grandparents, and happy we could open our home to you.

Thank you! And you are welcome to come back any time. Cleaning not necessary.

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Thanksgiving Dinner

One year ago, on Thanksgiving weekend, is when we moved to Edmonton. That weekend we were invited to two different dinners! This year, I got to make my own, and I was so excited to do it!

We had Jordan and Amy over, as well as our tenant. A nice, small gathering. The perfect size for our kitchen.

I had no idea what to expect regarding how much work was going to be needed to make this meal, but I was ready to do it! I was surprised to find it was less work than everybody says it is. Probably because I use stuffing from a box.

I seasoned the turkey and put it in the oven around 12:30. Jordan and Amy then came over and we had a small lunch, then we peeled potatoes for mashing, yams for a casserole, and apples for dessert. Everything was prepped and ready to be turned on at the correct time an hour or two later, so then we got to sit down and play a game.Having things prepped is probably my biggest tip for making a big dinner like this. That and cleaning/rinsing dishes as you go and keeping the counters clear in between working times.

Here’s my “first time roasting a turkey” story:
This bird barely squeezed into our largest roasting pan, so I knew the lid wouldn’t fit. After letting it brown without the lid, I then poured water over it and covered with tin foil. I guess I didn’t count on the meal losing even more liquid into the pan because at one point it started to over flow and spilled all over the bottom of the oven and the smoke started! There was actually quite a bit of smoke. So we took the turkey out, I grabbed an old towel and mopped up the juice that wasn’t burned on, then put the turkey back in with a pan on the rack underneath. Disaster averted, and we had really delicious, moist meat. Yum!

(I blame the new iOS7 camera for the uncentered photo.)

Calvin only kind of enjoyed the meal. He has one bite of stuffing, then some cranberry jelly and then more cranberry jelly. Then some more jelly. He didn’t want anything else after having that! He normally doesn’t like meat anyway. But he sure does love his fruit!

I am so glad we got to spend the day with at least a little bit of family. I will take what I can get! Meanwhile, my extended family back in BC was doing this. Missed you all!

Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy your own birds and family!

BC Holiday: The Sevenhuysens

Yes, there was one more part of our trip to BC! I have just been a slacker on posting about it because of my lack of pictures. But I don’t want to leave anything incomplete!

When we left Langley, we headed to Rossland where Tim’s sister had an acting job in a local theater for the summer. The whole family was able to stay at the home where she was boarding, which was great! Their backyard wasn’t too shabby either.

Rossland is just one of BCs many most beautiful places.

Although Rossland is small, there are still a couple things to do, so we didn’t spend all of our time hanging around the house and playing Settlers of Catan. For instance, we went down to the river!

Calvin got more than just a little wet by the end of the visit.

And we ate ice cream!

And of course we had to go see Catherine’s show, which was pretty funny. Every year they put on a new show about Rossland back in the day. This particular year was about a lady (Catherine) who brings some dancers to the town for entertainment for the miners.

Catherine’s in the blue dress.
I won’t mention the part where they pulled male audience members onto the stage for a tamish dance.

And also one morning we went out for a yummy breakfast.

As you can see, it was very enjoyable.
Apparently there is a better shot of everybody on somebody else’s camera, so if you don’t want this one on here, you better get it to me!

And soon enough we were back on the road headed for home sweet home. We made one little stop at this rock slide I forget the name of, but you have probably heard of. It was quite impressive.

Our little growing family that I love so much.

And now home is where we will stay until Christmas time, enjoying our new space and anybody who feels like they want to come visit. Especially after a certain new little person comes! You are all welcome!

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