Holy Cow!!!

Have you ever woken up from a great sleep and just wondered what was going on around you? That was the kind of morning we had. Bright and early (well 7:00 ish:)) I woke up and layed in bed for a moment in a daze thinking...something is odd. It was so loud outside but we were so tired it was not really registering that something was going on. I remember wishing that the farmer at the end of our street would do something to keep his dogs quiet. Five minutes later...uh I don't think those are dogs....and that is awfully loud...and close....cows maybe? Another five minutes later and I'm awake FINALLY noticing that there are cows ON OUR FRONT LAWN!! We jumped up and ran to our window and there they were. One big bovine in particular, happily stood on our driveway right next to our van. Abby was thrilled. She's been known to pray for a little pet cow at times!! She must have thought she'd been heard:)))) Wish I'd gotten a picture of it but by the time I got outside "Bessy" and her friends had run off to wander in more interesting yards. If only I'd clued in a little sooner. And I call myself a farm girl!

Only in a small town.:)

Stop to smell the flowers...

This is a painting that has sat unfinished by my bed for the past year. Finally worked on it today!

Families are like Fudge...

mostly sweet with a few NUTS!!!

I can't think of a better time then a trip with my siblings and their awesome families.
This past week we all rented a small house in Kalispell for 4 days and enjoyed a lot of shopping, eating, waterslides and games. It was a special chance to get together. I think I have an entire family full of nuts. Luckily I am around to add the "sweet" eh? We had fun you guys. We'll have to do this again sometime soon. Only...more shopping...less kids...more money:)))


All the cousins just before we left for the states.


Give Sam a lake and he is a happy boy.

This is our #1 NUT who happens to be turning 2 in just 6 days!!! Terrible twos? Am I ready for this?

There is nothing like...

attempting to take a family photo with a 2 year old boy who doesn't like to sit still. I realized at the time I was struggling to hold him still but I had no idea how difficult of a time I was having until I saw this photo. Little Sam in a very "loving" headlock. Doesn't it just capture the moment?

Anybody else have difficulty with family photos? Tips...? anyone?

Pickles, Hammocks and lazy afternoons...

What a fun weekend. Late last night Jewel and I got together to do 50lbs of pickles. I love how jewel just decided, "Hey, I think I'm going to buy some 50lbs of cucumber today. Wanna pickle them?" Having never done this I was a little bit unsure of how long it would take...but Jewel was a pro!! So fun to look at all those jars and think of the many meals ahead of us where we can enjoy them:) Yummm!

Johns brother and his wife came up to visit this past week. We had such an enjoyable time with them. We went to the beach, played on their giant water slide, went out to waterton, and played some fun games. Before they left, they gave us a hammock as a housewarming gift and I am just in love with it. I can't think of a better thing to do then lay in a hammock with some lemonade and a good book. If you can't find me...good!!! I plan on taking the time to waste a lot of perfect afternoons away right here:)

What a Girl!!

Just wanting to brag about Abby for a moment. She started swimming lessons this past week (level 1) and we just got a mid-program progress report. I was so proud of what her teacher wrote about her. "Abby's Awesome! She's so much fun, she's a fish. During Breathing she starts to swallow the water instead of blowing out but she is just awesome. Thanks for putting her in my class!" I just love it when other people can see how fantastic Abby is. We need to work on the whole breathing thing before she drinks half the pool but, still. She is willing to try anything and she considers everybody her best friend. Characteristics I hope will stay with her always.




This is just a picture of my "little fish" fishin with me. I just love this kid!!

Mr. Sandman

We went with some of Johns siblings to the beach today. Isn't it great to just "play". This sand castle started out as something fun to do with the kids. I think us parents got a little too enthused. Many times there was not a kid in sight but rather 3 or 4 grown-ups discussing "where each pillar should go" and "where should the draw bridge be" etc. Too fun:)))

Man vs Nature

You know that saying, "Give a man a fish..." Johns big joke this week is "give a man a chainsaw..." Here's the latest tree he's been hired to remove.

All work and no play...

Ok there has been some play, but A LOT of WORK! It's so nice to finally be owners of a home but it seems like there is a never ending list of things we need to do. New Flooring...check! Fix the roof...check! New paint... uh not quite. John has been amazing and has worked so hard. This week we focused a little more on the outside.

I've spent a lot of time in the last three days turning this florishing bed of weeds into...



This!
Not bad I guess. However, my Father in-law came over with his rototiller this afternoon and made it even better......





Ta Da!!! A new garden for next spring just for me!!!
I'm so pleased with it and thrilled at the thought of having peas, carrots, corn, pumpkins...all that good stuff!

John has been even busier. A new family has moved into town and they've hired John to re-do their back yard. First thing to do: Cut down 17 giant pine trees that lined the fence. It only took 3 days and a sore back but he did a great job. Unfortunately he's only getting started. The rest of this back yard will basically go and then John gets to show off his real talent of turning it into something beautiful!



As for the kids. That is where the play comes in. We did get to the beach once this week. Abby found a dead minnow and saved it in a bucket and wanted to take it home. Ugghhhh. Luckily Uncle Chad got a pic before I threw it away when her back was turned.



Sam loves getting dirty!






Jewel's sister in Law Johy painted Jessicas toenails yesturday. I can't get over how cute they are. She won't be wearing shoes for the next week, and I plan to match her outfits with her toes. hee hee



I love our little home more and more with every hour we put into it. It is very small for sure, but it makes me think of that old country song by Doug Stone. There is line in it that says, "If we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss. Love grows best in houses just like this." I'm looking forward to making lots of memories while we are here!

Beach Bums

We have found a fun little lake nearby that has become a favorite spot for us. If any of our friends/fam come to visit...we will likely take you there. Here is a sneak preview.




I love this last picture of Abby and Jess. They look like they will be such great friends. It made me think of my own sisters and how despite our childhood fights and quarrels and there constant teasing I actually love and adore them both! I think I have the best sisters (and sister in law:) EVER!!! Hope my girls can say the same one day.

Congrats

Johns degree came in the mail today. We missed his official ceremony so had a breif one of our own. (Luckily we have a very ample dress up box so finding a grad hat was no problem.) I am so proud of him and we are thrilled that this part of our life is finished. On to the next adventure!

A "BEARY" fun time!!!

...Literally. When I was little I used to have vivid dreams of being chased by a bear, and I've admittedly grown up with a bit of a phobia of them. (those who have ever camped with me would know:) Despite that- I've still had the strange desire to encounter a bear in the wild. I've never made a trip to the mountains in all these years without straining to spot something moving in the trees. Never anything...not even a glimpse. Today was the day! On our way up to Cameron Lake we spotted this little guy off to the side of the road.



The picture won't necessarily show how close we got but take my word for it...I could feel his breath on my FACE! Ok not really...and perhaps I should mention that I was still technically inside our van...but we were VERY close. His name is "GRIZ" so hopefully that big hump on him means he is infact a grizzly. (though he is pretty black) Perhaps the bear expert in my family could correct me on that if needed.

I can't help but feel a sense of awe whenever I encounter a magnificent animal in its natural habitat. I once got to go sailing past an island off the coast of BC where we saw hundreds of Eagles perched on the rocks. Same thrill. It nice to have little moments like that to remind us that despite the concrete world we've built there is still a lot of beautiful nature to enjoy!

To the "DADS" in my life...

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.

Since it is Fathers Day I've spent a good portion of the day reflecting on the Fathers in my life. It has been three and a half months since my Dad passed away and I rarely go a day without noticing a small gap that he used to fill. I miss his hearty laugh and his sense of humor. He was not a wealthy man in any way...but I do feel like my childhood was very "rich". One thing that was always important to him was that his daughters marry well. Point for me!!!! I could not have married a better man. John is such a wonderful Dad to the kids and he has all the qualities I lack. He's patient, hardworking...incredibly good. "Practically perfect in every way!" Now if I could just get him to stop teaching the kids to play with their food...:)))
I love him so much.






So here's to them and all you Dad's on Fathers Day. We think you're GREAT!!!

Just a day at the Park!

Can you think of a better place to be?

For all you Stryker fans out there...

John here...

I am entering the BLOGOSPHERE(sp??) for the first time in the wake of my lovely wife Tanis to post this (you'll need to turn off our onsite music player before you watch this):

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Just appreciate that the excitement you might experience while watching this montage is nothing compared to what you might feel if you were flying this plane. The model featured here is my brother Jordan's F-27C Stryker. I currently am flying the precursor model, the F-27B, and I concur with the online bloggers regarding this plane in that it's durability, agility, and acrobatics ensure that this type of RC plane will be around for a long time. Enjoy!!!

Sincerely,

Wing Commander John W. Hardy, 2nd Airborne Division

First Week

It's been exactly one week since we left Calgary.
On Saturday I took the kids out to Waterton for the day. I wasn't sure how an outing with three kids and no help would go but it was such a nice time. The kids loved the "magic waterfall." It was close to impossible to keep Sam from sliding under the fence to get a little closer, and equally difficult to convince Abby that it wouln't be wise to try to capture the squirrels rummaging nearby. Kids will be kids I guess. We took a nice walk over to the Tuscany and had spaghetti on the patio. It was really relaxing to sit in the shade and watch all of the tourists. A quick stop by the Big Scoop for ice cream and then we topped off the day by playing at the playground. Sam climbed up here all by himself...infact I wasn't even aware of it. (oops) Daring little guy:)) Luckily I managed to snap a picture just before he slipped through one of the rungs and skinned his knee. What we won't do for a picture eh.



Speaking of pictures...I tried to take some photos of my kids laying on our giant parachute. I thought all of the bright colors would be a cute backdrop. Unfortunately nothing really turned out well. Between the kids who would NOT stay still and John who was equally uncooperative...this is all I have to show for that.




Down the street from John's parents is a small pasture with three horses, (minnie, gus and joker.) The kids LOVE feeding them, and I like to pretend that they are ours. I think our walks to the horses will become part of our daily routine:) It is so nice to sit outside each evening and hear the crickets and frogs.


On Tuesday we bought a house! It is small and we will definately outgrow it in a couple of years but we have lots of plans to fix it up and make it our home for awhile. What we love most about it is all the yard space and the large garden on the west side of it.
We are loving it down here and so glad we can stay at John's parents until our home is ready. The kids are really lucky to get to be around their AWESOME Grandma and Grandpa so much, and this small town living is kinda nice.