First the Beach...then a plane crash

Today was a scorcher. A real blazing hot sort of day. In the morning I went out to a friends house to take some pictures of their very cute family. Our kids kept themselves busy by playing in the pool in their backyard. We got in the van and headed for home, when John suggested we take a drive out to St.Mary's reservoir to see what Wally's beach is like right now. Seeing as the kids were already in their swimsuits ...it seemed like a good idea.


It was a quick drive to the spot, and as soon as we drove up and saw the 40 other vehicles parked we pretty much knew that the water must be good down by the beach. Realizing that half our town must have been there, I took one look at myself in the rear view mirror and said "uh-uh, no way are we going down there!"

(I can be such a poor sport sometimes.)

We drove a little bit further though and found a great little spot on the lake, with a bit of sand even.

It was like our own private beach!

John was in the water almost before the kids were. They had a great time swimming in the lake and the water was nice and cool.

When Jess wasn't swimming she kept herself busy hauling water.

Kids love to haul water don't they!


As for me, well I think this picture says it all:





I was an ol' "Stick in the mud" and took up residence right here.

Well someone had to take the pictures...and dream in the shade.

Later this evening John got together with his brother Jordan. Weeks ago John bought some smoke bombs and togehter they thunk up this bright idea to strap them to John's plane and watch it fly.

Who's idea was this?


I know what Sam is thinking. He's thinking that this can't be good!

Oh my. Remember these are grown men here.

Oh my.

5 seconds later... oh darn!

It always breaks my heart when his plane gets damaged a little.

Really.

I do feel so bad.

Our Waterton Cruise

Back at Christmas time John's brother Aaron and his wife Gina gave our family tickets for a shoreline cruise in Waterton. They also gave us gift cards for Big Scoop and we've enjoyed lots of ice cream on them lately! We decided yesterday to cash in on the Cruise.

It's been a rainy couple of days, and though we debated whether it was worth it to ride the boat in the rain we figured the mist and fog would make for some beautiful shots of scenery along the way.


It might not look like it, but the boat was packed! A bus full of senior travellers from Utah came on the same trip. They all liked our family very much as soon as they heard we lived in Cardston! I told them a story about the Cardston Temple that our mission president told our primary kids a few weeks ago. I felt like a tour guide.

The kids LOVED riding the boat and watching the large waves that we made as we cut through the water. Sam pulled a Titantic move and stood at the front of the boat with his arms outstretch. That didn't last long trust me. Jess kept her eyes out for sharks.

We didn't see any sharks but we did see a bald eagle.



The trip takes us down into the United States and it was interesting to see the dividing line cut through the trees. Apparently waterton and glacier are often referred to as a Peace Park as it is one of the only parks that cross the border yet work together to maintain it's true natural identity on both sides.

This was a picture we took when we docked at the other end of the lake, technically in Glacier National Park.

A highlight for John and I was seeing Waterton from this perspective. We've gotten familiar with much of the shoreline within the town site and of course many of the hikes, but this offered us views and scenery that we've not gotten to see before.

It was a breath taking two hour ride. Thanks Aaron and Gina for the Wonderful Trip!

Zoo Zoo Zoo...and Calaway Park

Well it has been 5 days since the dreaded Tick bite! After a lot of deliberation from the doctors who were unsure of how to treat someone as young as Jessica- they ended up deciding that she was experiencing a allergic reaction to the bite NOT Lime disease or Rocky Mountain disease which is far more serious. Her hives came and went for a couple of days and every time she felt the least bit warm, I panicked. But the past few days have been reaction free. We have been warned that any time in the next 30 days if she experiences any flu like symptoms we must rush her in immediately. ...um but not to worry they said. Actually just as I was starting to calm down from the fear of her ugly reaction I came home from an appointment of my own and John cautioned me not to panic as he`d found ANOTHER tick in our house. In our HOUSE! That meant we brought Not ONE but TWO home with us.

John took a picture, probably because he knows I love photos. In this case- I wished he`d just squashed the thing!

Seriously my mind started going with a hundred different fears. What if one of the other kids brought it home and got bit without me realizing it. What if there were still more to be found. What if it laid EGGS! Ew Ew Ew!

I could`nt handle the thought of those things so the next morning we did what any rational person would do. We packed our bags and headed for Calgary!

Actually we were headed to Calgary for a different reason and we decided to turn it into a Rausch Family Weekend. It was so nice to hang out with my siblings and nieces and nephews for a couple of days in an environment that contained no bugs!

Friday after my appointment we all met up at Calaway Park. When I was little we used to go here all the time and it was always a summer highlight for us. As an adult...

I don`t know how many times I found myself saying, `Stay together`` or ``If you run ahead one more time then we are leaving...` All those years ago, I could never understand why my Dad did`nt seem to enjoy Calaway Park as much as us we did.

Now I get it.

Still we enjoy these things because our kids do. There is a huge pay off in watching your kids have the time of their lives.

The verdict is still out on whether or not Jessica actually enjoyed this ride!

We stayed until the Park closed and then we all headed to my sisters home and let her make us Dinner!

It was a symbiotic sort of thing. We all were starving, and she was willing, and had also just had the busiest day at work EVER so why not just keep her busy!

We are efficient that way. The rest of us enjoyed a relaxing evening. Thank you Crystal.

Saturday morning we all met up again- only this time at the Calgary zoo. We LOVED the zoo. It had been a couple of years since we`ve been there and they had made some great changes. You know that big long tunnel you walk through as you enter the zoo with animals etched into the wall. Well that is pretty much where the mayhem began.

Insert me yelling at the kids every 4 minutes to yet again, ``STAY TOGETHER!``

I`m so much fun to be around in those settings. Ask anyone.


Some of our favorite animals to see:

These rays were cool. This exhibit is only going to be around for another week or so but it was really neat to see these rays swim past you as you lean over the pool. Speedy little things!

(It might be difficult to see the ray in this photo but it is in the bottom left hand corner)







There were baby peacocks walking around, a sweet little toddler giraffe (would you call it a toddler), and this adorable one year old gorilla.
For some reason that little monkey made me really excited for our own arrival in a few months.

Perhaps that`s because we`d just seen the huge hippos and sadly I felt I could relate to those lazy beasts a little to well. It`ll be nice to be NOT pregnant someday.


It was a great weekend, made better by the company we had.

I always gauge the success of an event by the amount of time it takes my kids to fall asleep once we leave.

In this case- they were snoring about 2 minutes after we said our good byes!

So, I think we did pretty good!

A lot of highlights...but one thing BUGS!

We've had such a fun time with family lately. The best part of summer is having no schedule and lots of loved ones close by.

On Saturday evening we drove to my Brother's house for the night in anticipation for the baby blessing of their new little boy Deacon. It was a nice drive in which we past through several summer thunderstorms along the way.

Accompanying those storms were some of the most beautiful rainbows ever!

Little Deac (that's what he likes to be called;) is such a darling boy and it made my heart ache for a baby as well. Good thing I only have a few more months to wait!

What do you think? If Jessica can be as mesmerized with her brother as much as she was with this little darling then I'm sure she will have no probably adjusting to being a "big girl."

********************

Tuesday afternoon John and I took the kids out to Waterton for a hike into Crandell lake. John's sister and her two boys joined us and it was such a nice afternoon. The hike into Crandell is a fairly simple hike (just a couple of KM's) yet I have to admit it was pretty much as much as I could handle. In my defense, I am carrying a 24 week old fetus on my front AND a two year old on my back!

The trail consisted of some of the most beautiful wildflowers and mountain scenery ever. John's sister Sarah knew what so many of the flowers were called. It was as if we had our own tour guide teaching us little facts about each plant.

After a few minutes, even Jessica could easily identify Bear Grass without any problem.

Sam and Abby both insisted on carrying their own backpacks and they kept pace with their two cousins impeccably.

We got to the lake around dinner time, had a picnic and then spent the next couple of hours fishing. To all of our surprise and delight John caught a couple as well as some of the kids! The fish were biting!!!

Abby was particularly proud of her "very first catch." In fact she was determined to bring it home and she did. She held that stinky little bag of fish the whole time. Ugh.

It was a wonderful evening in Waterton. Almost perfect in fact.

Unfortunately some time early this afternoon I discovered a one of these nasty critters fastened to the base of Jessicas neck!

I didn't know much about TICKS, but I was pretty sure that's what we were dealing with. I should have freaked out a little less and been sure to remove it carefully, but that's in hindsight.

By dinner time tonight Jess was covered from head to toe in a bright red flaming rash. After a few hours at the emerge we are still uncertain as to what is wrong. Perhaps she's just experience a reaction to the bite itself. If she developes a fever then we will know it is a more serious side effect.

Stupid Tick.

We'll spend the next couple of days watching her carefully.

....and looking forward to the next adventure with family or friends.

Bug free...we hope

The Party in the Park!

This is a bit of the fun we had in the park on Canada day. It was nice to spend it with family.

The True North

With tomorrows holiday approaching we just wanted to give a shout out to our friends and family and wish you all a wonderful Canada Day!

(Jessica, Abby, Sam and some cousins)

Oh and my nephew Jaxson wishes you a Happy Canada Day too!

Doesn't he look happy to be holding the flag?

(Oh yeah, he's actually an American-but a cute one!)

My neice Liberty? Yup she too wants to wish you a happy Canada Day.

Never mind the fact that her name is Liberty, she was born on the 4th of July in the USA, AND she practically can sign the entire preamble to the American Constitution.

I'm pretty sure she also loves her Canadian roots too.

And so do I!

Last night for family home evening we sat our three kids down and asked them to list/draw a picture of what they love most about Canada. This is some of what we all came up with:

* We love that there are so many different people
* We love the mountains
* We love the mountain goats
* We love that Canada is a FREE country
* We love that there are temples here
* We love that Canada is large and beautiful
* We love that there is Peace in this country
* We love that this country has yummy chocolate bars

So there you have it some of the things (Big and Small) that make Canada wonderful to us. After the kids shared with us what they love we all sang O Canada. We were incredibly off pitch, shaky and the younger ones didn't know the words but dear Abby sang her little heart out. I was so proud!

Though I was grateful that our windows were closed :)

Anyways I am leaving you with some of my favorite photos I've taken over the last little while. Some of my favorite places in this beautiful country!

Happy Canada Day!

Waterton Lakes in the Winter



Winter Sunrise by my home






My favorite picture so far of Old Chief




Along the Waterton Highway




Waterton in the Fall

When Daddy comes home...

The title of this post could be a little bit misleading because John hasn't really been away. He has had to go to work every day though, and now that summer is officially here- then Daddy is home for GOOD! Yes the best two things about being married to a school teacher are ..."JULY & AUGUST!"


Thursday night- even though John technically had to work the next day- we drove out to Waterton to celebrate my nephews 11th birthday! Every person was given instructions to build a boat, that would be raced down pass creek after we all ate. It was so much fun to see some of the creative boats that were made. (None from us- but it's a good thing we are related to creative kids!) Some of them were amazing pieces of work. Mine was the Canadian one. It sunk real fast, but it fought a good fight.

Afterwards we went back to their cabin for Cake and Ice cream. It was fun driving home that night as we contemplated many more beautiful evenings in Waterton this summer!

The High School officially closed it's doors for the summer on Friday at 1:00. By 1:45 we were loaded in the van on our way to Kalispell! We were really excited to take this trip as it was sort of an impromptu decision. We've always heard rumors about how great the shopping is down there and you know what- IT IS!

The kids had a blast at this local playground. Every time we've come to Kalispell (ok all TWO TIMES) this has been a favorite stop.

Of course, nothing is better then a hotel pool. We didn't find the hotel until about 9:00pm but the kids were more then happy to swim until 10:00! Nope- they didn't mind one bit!

The shopping was fun! The kids all got to pick 1 toy which officially made it "the BEST HOLIDAY OF THEIR LIVES", we got a few household tools/appliances for John's summer business, and I got Fat clothes. John calls them maternity clothes, but lets face it- I got a mumu for 5 bucks!

Even John made some purchases he could be excited about:
I think he finally stopped at the 500th fireworks stand we passed. Seriously is there something big those Americans plan on celebrating soon? I've never seen so many fireworks for sale:)


We got home Saturday afternoon in time to feed some of John's young men and then tuck our kids sleepy heads into bed.

It's been a fun weekend, and has been a great kick off to the summer!
It's always more fun when Daddy is home!

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? ...

Father's Day came and went so fast this year! You know, sometimes it bothers me a little bit that Mother's Day seems to be celebrated with more vigor then Father's Day. (vigor?) How about ...Enthusiasm? Zest?

I had every intention of going overboard this holiday and really making Father's day Great! Yet despite all of my plans to pamper John yesterday with things like breakfast in bed, a huge steak dinner, and presents galore, I didn't quite achieve much of that.

I did luckily manage to get John one gift despite the "busi-ness" of the week.

I thought long and hard, because I wanted to find the perfect thing for him. That gift that would tell him just how much he means to me. That gift that would tell him how grateful I am for all that he does for me and the kids, for how "hands on" he is here at home. I wanted to celebrate his "awesomeness" with the perfect thing.

That's right.

All my love and admiration - in the form of a big yellow Shop Vac.

I don't know. I guess we just really needed one.

Abby burst into tears when John unwrapped it and she realized that it REALLY was a vacuum inside. She said it was the worst present ever!

John seemed way more enthused though. He said, "This is the first Father's Day ever that I got a gift that really SUCKED!" (badda boom!!)

I think he liked it

If not- well my sister Jewel made us a killer steak dinner!

HOPE YOU WONDERFUL MEN HAD A GREAT FATHER'S DAY!

Missing Out!

John's entire family...well most of them have all formed a team and entered a Marathon called the Wasatch back relay. http://www.ragnarrelay.com/wasatchback/index.php

This race basically consists of 12 members on the team who alternate running from Logan, Utah to Park City Utah. When you are not running you are riding ahead in a team van. The whole thing begins tomorrow and runs through the NIGHT and ends Saturday afternoon.

Back when my brother in law Ed proposed the idea to the family I think my response was something like, "I'd rather DIE then run...but have fun anyway."

Something obnoxious like that. I'm sure he appreciated my support.

In all honesty I knew I'd be pregnant by this time, and John would be in the middle of finals so it would not have worked. But man am I ever WISHING we could be a part of the fun now! Sitting in a van for 24 hours WITH some of the funnest people ever, playing games, getting absolutely no sleep, and eating from a cooler while seeing new places.

Yup- I wish we were there.

Well...except for the whole Running part of it!!

GOOD LUCK FAMILY.

We love you all and hope it is a blast!!!

The um..."Summer Yum" Challenge

In the summer time there is nothing NOTHING that I love more then light meals and lots of refreshing fruit. So far this year, I've experimented with some fun salads, a strawberry shortcake that was delicious, and a fabulous Banana Pineapple Slush!

It is the slush that I want to share with you today. Why?

Well because it is perfectly refreshing, kinda sorta maybe healthy and 100% darn GOOD! I'm also sharing this recipe with you because it is not Mine! I stole it from my friend Shauna's awesome family cook book.

I made it this past weekend for the youth in our ward to enjoy while they BBQ'd at our home. Trust me- they liked it! I've now resolved to NEVER - no NEVER let my freezer be empty of a bucket of this stuff.

So from my grubby recipe stealing hands to you, this is what you do:

1. Grab 5 bananas and mush em up in a big bowl real good. I even took my blender to it. Really mash em.
2. Add to this 1 can of frozen lemonade concentrate AND 1 can of frozen orange juice concentrate.
3. Pour in 4 cups of pure pineapple juice
4. Pour in 4 cups of water
5. Add 1 cup of sugar

Stir this up and transfer to a 1 gallon ice cream pail. Place in your deep freeze and try to stir it occasionally for a couple of days. After that time it is ready to serve. Scoop a couple of spoons into a glass and add sprite or 7 up. That's it.
* On Saturday however I just dumped the entire pail into a large bowl, added about half a litre of pop and stirred this up. It made a great Slurpee texture and it was easier to serve a large crowd that way!

There. Make it. Freeze it. Enjoy it.


BUT WAIT! That's not all!

Now you have to share one of your favorite summer treat. Yes you do have to. I will know if you don't. And in that case, well then I curse your slush that it may never freeze well, and that the lid will fall off in the freezer! ... Don't make that mistake!

Please. Pretty Pretty Please! It'd be fun to read your ideas! In the comment section below leave your favorite recipe, idea or BBQ/picnic tip for everyone to enjoy. OR just post a recipe on your blog and tell us where to find it!

The perfect SUMMER Weekend!

That's right I said SUMMER! Not only have we gone a full two weeks without SNOW (which is the first obvious sign to me that summer has found us), but Abby has also officially graduated from Kindergarten. It was sort of a bittersweet event for me. It always makes me a little bit sad to think of how big she's getting, way too quickly. On the plus side though - we can now say goodbye to all routine that has held us down.

Good bye Routine!! I will not miss the drop-off/pick-up/ lunch making/homework side of life. Hello slow un-scheduled summer days!

Abby was spoiled all week as her Teacher(s) planned a number of great wrap-up field trips and parties. Her teacher was Fantastic! We honestly live in a town with so MANY of the best teachers possible. Although Abs was sad to say good bye initially, by the end of the day she was already talking about Grade 1 and future "hot lunches" and her "very own desk"!

She gets over things quickly.

It made me laugh as I flipped through some of the school work that was sent home in cute booklet format. I noticed she did exceptionally well on every one of her Listening Activities. %100 on every worksheet in the book! Wow. That is Great!

And...very baffling...

Can someone tell me WHY my child doesn't show these listening skills at home?

Later that day we kicked off summer holidays doing what Abby has been wanting to do for a L-O-N-G time. She has been begging me to let her sell lemonade like other kids get to do. That's right- up until this moment I have deprived her of the joy of selling lemonade! I am a mean mean mom. I decided to relax a bit (but only for a few hours) and let her have her way. She set up and ran her little stand like a Pro. I was worried that she'd be disappointed by the low number of Lemonade drinkers but I was surprised at how many good neighbors (and high school students skipping class) actually stopped by. I was proud of my little entrepreneur and now her Grade 1 hands are $8 richer!

And what better on a hot day than fabulous lemonade!

Well actually I think sitting by a lake sans children with a good book might be better but... whatever.

Saturday was spent in true Summer fashion as we had two BBQ's at our house. It was our Stake Youth Days on Saturday and John had arranged for all of the Young Men and Young Women and leaders in our Ward to have lunch at our place. It was fun to visit with the Youth and get to know them better. I always enjoy watching John as a leader. I had a few woman helping me prepare the food and it became apparent to me real fast that I know very little about hosting large groups. Thank goodness for the help!

Despite the fact that there was a clueless amateur running loose in the kitchen, the youth had Food and Water balloons. What else do they need right?

Later that evening after the dust had settled from the days activities a few of Johns siblings came over for Pizza on the BBQ. Think 9 pizzas ALL with different sauces and toppings cooked on top of the ol' barbie.

It was a great idea! We all consumed LOTS way to much bread and are fat and bloated now because of it.

But oh so worth it.



Again there were water activities for the kids, ....only this time it was because Sam kept turning on the sprinkler when us adults weren't looking. But still.

Food and a Wet Kids. Apparently that's all you need for a perfect Summer Day!

SURPRISE!!! ...oh wait NOT!

So if there is one thing I have been determined to do throughout this pregnancy it was to keep the gender of this little babe a secret. With all of my other children I have wanted to find out early what we were having. Whether I wanted to be able to prepare, or I was too impatient to "wait and find out", I have never desired that surprise at delivery.

Until now.

I don't know what it is that makes this pregnancy so different. Perhaps I wanted something to look forward to throughout these crumby months of sickness. Maybe the fact that we have a boy and girls has made me less worried about being surprised. I think, more likely, it is the fact that this could very well be the last time I agree to go through this that might have something to do with it.

I wanted a surprise. I wanted it bad.

In fact as the ultrasound technician walked into the room last week prior to the exam she said, "Hello" and I said, "I DON'T want to know what I'm having!" I said it - clearly, emphatically and with absolute resolve! I said it before I said anything else!

Well that well meaning technician agreed to keep it a secret, she put that little doppler doo dad on my exponentially expanding tummy and she jumped! "Whoa" she said. "Are you SURE you don't want to know what you are having because I can tell you Right NOW!"

A little bit deflated I insisted again, that I wanted a surprise. Never mind the fact that she pretty much just gave it away. So she continued with the exam, calling the little critter a HE the entire time. I didn't think much of that because they have to refer to it as something right? Well midway through, this all too talkative technician turned the screen away and said, "Oh I can't let you see this part- just in case HE WANTS TO SHOW OFF!"

ARRGGGG!! Do you not realize you have given it away!

Where are the snarky technicians who refuse to say ANYTHING to you when you want one? You know the ones who are so silent that you are convinced something is wrong but they just won't tell you? No I got Miss Talks-a lot!

I left the clinic feeling relieved that our baby is seemingly healthy and happy as it swims around merrily causing havoc on my body. I also left feeling like the universe was conspiring against me and that no matter how hard I tried, for some reason I just had to KNOW
that we are having a Boy!

We are thrilled. Two girls - two boys. Perfectly balanced if you ask me and Sam could use a Brother so badly. He's getting a little too comfortable playing with his sisters and their dress up clothes, if you know what I mean.

It's perfect!

Besides, surprises really are over rated right?

Who's laughing now!

It has been an unusual spring hasn't it. I don't remember a year when winter has persisted as much as this year, and for the most part I've been OK with that. The odd snowstorm in May...sure I can handle that. Losing all of my bedding out plants at the END of may...no problem, after all this is Alberta right? We specialize in unusual and unexpected weather patterns. To be honest I've rather enjoyed these late spring snowfalls because it gives me the chance to taunt my Arizona grown sister-in law who recently moved here. This is her first winter here and it has been lots of fun to see hre go through this. I like to think that her "American genes" just can't handle this climate. It always makes for a good laugh.


And really, when you wake up one June morning to this- what else is there to do but LAUGH?


I did laugh as I peeked out my bedroom window this morning. I laughed for a brief moment.

...and then - I cried.


I cried really hard when I realized that my garden (which hours earlier had been showing beautiful signs of growth in every row) was now blanketed with inches of snow. You can't see it but at the far back by the fence the Raspberry bushes were all bent to the ground from the weight, and I'm pretty sure those berry blossoms that were indication of a great crop are pretty much dead now.



I guess there will be no home made Raspberry Souffle with home grown berries this year. I mean sure, I've never made "souffle" before. Infact up until now I hadn't ever desired to make it. But I'm just saying that should I want to make Raspberry Souffle, (whatever it is)- well I CAN'T! It's one of those "you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone" kinda things I guess.

That is the thing about spring storms. The cold is only part of the problem. Spring snow is always FULL of water and heavy. Our yard was proof of that. Several limbs from our mature trees had fallen to the ground, and John has spent the day cleaning that up.


But what really made me sad was seeing this:

Our brand new pear tree snapped like a twig. Oh the poor thing. This was our favorite one and we'd strategically planted it here because when we build our new home next year, this tree will grace our front yard. It was to be our pride and joy. The pinnacle of our front landscaping. All the neighbors and visitors would envy it's lovely blossoms and it would provide us with golden spice pears by the pail full. ur...we'd hoped.

Now it will be the stubby old pathetic tree that graces our future front lawn.

Yup I wasn't laughing for long.

In fact, I've just made an executive desicion for my family.

I'm moving to Arizona. I hear it rarely snows there.

Who's with me?

Abby had her third soccer game of the season tonight. I'm really happy with how things are going and apparently so is she! Last year I was coaching her team and it was always so frustrating when she didn't "get a score", or didn't "get to kick the ball." It wasn't frustrating for me but it sure was for her. We are talking major 5- year- old meltdowns here.

This year she is a little older, a bunch more co-operative and dare I say a tad more coordinated as well! She's LOVING it and scoring a few times in each game. Tonight she got 3 goals!! Of course it makes me happy to see that the whole "goal" thing isn't the most important part for her this year. In fact she's equally thrilled when others around her score. That's when I feel most proud.

I think she just might be turning into a team player.

She's definitely our little drama queen though. Just as we were preparing to leave for her game some neighbor children came over asking if they could play. John and I told Abby that she had to decline but that she could offer to play later when she got home. As the neighbors walked across our lawn to head home Abby yelled out the window in a whimsical and very tragic sort of way,

"I'll see you before Sunset!"

Good grief.

I think next year we'll put her into Acting School!