The BUZZ around here

This post is all about Nate!

He spent several months (since Sam left for his mission) working out at the gym, doing his best to "get those gains" like his big brother taught him. Nate's strength and stamina definitely improved. Throw in his long hair, and this kid was looking and acting much older than my 14 year old baby boy. 

It was scaring me!

So when he told me that a bunch of his friends were going to come over for a party, and that they were maybe going to cut his hair, I had absolutely no objections.

That evening, while watching a movie in our room, we tried to ignore the screams and shouts that were coming from the basement. Obviously t here was some haircutting happening, we just couldn't tell if it was going well or not. All of the sudden, we heard a knock at the door and a whisper frm the other side. "Bishop Hardy...can you come fix Nate?"

We laughed so hard as Nate emerged from the bathroom, hair hacked off, all his friends freaking out.  What a scene!  John was able to clean it up a bit and Nate seems to be relatively okay with the new look. Will he ever do it again?  I don't know. Was it worth the laughs? I think he would say, "Absolutely."

Nate has competed on the archery team for a few years now. This past March, he travelled to Edmonton for Provincials. Jess and John drove him up and watched him compete. He didn't get his best scores (perhaps his power was in his hair) but he had a great time!

                          

Family Day Week

Family Day is one of my most loved holidays as it usually kicks off a week long break from school. 

Part way through February, with spring on the horizon, I'm usually feeling antsy and ready for some down time. This year was no exception. 

With just Jess and Nate at home, I tried to be extra intentional about how we spent this time. We weren't travelling anywhere exotic, which is always a hard pill to swallow, so the challenge was to find a way to still make it a great break for the kids. 

There are only so many walks along the Beazer road that we can do. Somehow, Jess acts like she loves it, every time. 

We had the Sister Missionaries over for dinner, one evening. I'm trying to be better at having the missionaries over, as that is exactly what I am hoping others are doing for my kids. 

This was actually a really lovely evening. 

Jess turned 17 during the break and I desperately wanted to make it a momentous event, so part way through the week, we planned an impromptu road trip to Kalispell. The goal - birthday dinner at HuHot! 

Of course, we went early enough to -

....do a little bit of shopping....

...have lunch at Chic Filet...

...shop some more...

and finally, gather for our celebratory supper at Jess' favorite American restaurant. 

This moment was to be the climax of our trip, the piece de resistance, our very reason for travelling down here. Imagine my dissapointment, when after spending the day waiting...WAITING for this moment, we arrived at HuHot to learn that they were closed for the day, due to unforeseen circumstances. 

WHAT?!!!!

If I had been in a better frame of mind, we would have just found the next best place to go eat and continued celebrating. Instead, I cried, while the family took a vote. Everyone was tired and bored, and a little bit deflated about all that Kalispell did not have to offer us that week, so the choice was made to just head home, which we did. We got back to town around 8:00 pm, got Ming's take-out and watched a movie.  

How's that for an epic birthday celebration? 

A few days later, Jess received this package from Sam, which made up for my lack-luster efforts.

 She'd been missing her older siblings a ton, so it was the perfect birthday week surprise. 

I started the year determined to accomplish the Iron Bear Challenge, which requires that you hike Bears Hump (in Waterton) every month of the year. I set my heart on this, because there was nothing I wanted more than to be able to wear the T-shirt that is awarded only to successful hikers. 

It was an icy hike up, which made for slippery ride down, but the view at the top was stunning.

 It was no trip to Mexico, but overall, I feel satisfied that we tried our best to enjoy this time off together. 

Let the countdown to summer begin!