Keeping Busy

Only a FEW precious WEEKS left of Summer!

It`s flying by- and I'm glad we've had so much fun. Definitely more play then work!

My sister-in-law let me take some photos of her this week for practice. She's a classical pianist and performs daily at the Prince of Whales Hotel in Waterton. It only seemed natural that we take the pictures there.

Pretty Backdrop and a drop dead gorgeous sister in law. I really had nothing to worry about!

I'm really excited to spend a few days editing and trying to learn more about all that.

We also will be taking a little family trip to Drumheller!

Lots to look forward to.

We`re at that point where we are trying to squeeze as much as we can into these beautiful summer days!

Perspective

I'm often looking for the best view of Chief Mountain. Often, during the school year, after picking up Abby after kindergarten the kids and I would just drive. I'd chose any dirt road that headed in the direction of this mountain and try to get as close as I could.

I took this picture a couple of months ago-it's about a 10 minute drive from my house and it's one of my favorites. It shows perfectly the view and image of Chief that has become so familiar to me- since I was a kid really.


On a recent family vacation down to Kalispell, I was surprised to really notice the view of Chief mountain from a different angle.

Do you see that tall narrow peak.

It's still the same mountain.

Yet it's not the same mountain.

What makes the difference is simply - where you are standing.

___________

I think there is a life lesson in that thought. But I'm a little bit tired, and my sweet husband just turned on a movie and sat down beside me. So instead I'll just leave this quote, and hope that it sums up adequately why I feel grateful to be standing where I do in life.

"One of the great blessings the gospel gives us is the lens through which we can see with proportion. Special perspective comes from the marvelous and overarching principles of the gospel." -Elder Maxwell

Farmers Almanac?

We woke up this morning to a chilly, over cast and VERY FOGGY day. It's been awhile since we've experienced fog this dense.

As we gathered our toques and drove down to the local grocery store for the annual pancake breakfast, I couldn't help but think that it felt an awful lot like fall...dare I even say ...winter!

As we were visiting with a couple they reminded us of something that even John's mom had once told us. The farmers Almanac declares that exactly 90 days after a fog you can expect to see ...SNOW!

So I'm recording this now, and I plan to test this theory out.

Don't worry- it's not like it's gonna snow tomorrow or anything!

But those of you in the area- November 6th is the Date!

you might want to have your mittens ready

My favorite time of year

John accuses me of declaring EVERY season and EVERY holiday my favorite, but I have to say that the Harvest really really is one of my favorite things about this time of year.

Check this out- how can you not love this?

So far we are enjoying Chard, onions, beets, strawberries, raspberries and other such things.

This past week we pulled out and froze all of our peas. That's no small job- but it's worth it.

It helps to recruit some child labor...ahem...I mean darling neices who actually consider shelling Fun!

It feels really fulfilling to see our freezer fill up with fruits and veggies already.

The other day John and I came very close to putting an offer down on a home in our neighborhood. We've started to feel the need to expand. We found a decent home for a great price that had plenty of room for us- yet when we faced the thought of a smaller yard we just couldn't do it.

This little garden and property of ours has come to be so dear to us and we can't picture starting over anywhere else. We've decided to build here on the front half, preserving our garden and giving us a much larger backyard. I'm so happy that we get to stay and enjoy this.

For the rest of my life!

Considering the fact that John and I have moved 11 times in our 7 years of marriage- I'm really surprised that I'm actually ok with the permanancy of this decision.

What is wrong with me?

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

It's been a busy week. It has, in large part been spent outside in the yard. Much of our garden is ready for Harvest, many of our flower beds have needed weeding, and there has been lots of work to do.

As enjoyable as I find yard and garden work I do look forward to Sunday afternoons. The one day when I am forced to leave the tools in the garage, forget the "To Do" list and without any guilt - just enjoy.

A couple of years ago, one of my sisters gave me this hammock. Actually it was a sister-in-law but from the moment she gave me this hammock I've loved her as deeply as my own flesh and blood.

Many Sunday afternoons are spent in this very spot!

PS: Thank you Sarah!

An update on all the fun!

It has been a Fun FILLED week, and I feel like we are all still trying to recover from it! That's a good thing though.

Last Thursday John and I took the kids down to Glacier for the day. We've spent so much time in Waterton lately and have hardly ever been to Glacier we figured we would give it a try. For anyone interested, annual passes are at least HALF of what you would pay for a pass in Waterton. John was thrilled that fishing came with the pass so we will likely spent a lot more time getting to know Glacier in the upcoming months. It was actually really beautiful down there.

Abby has really taken to fishing and rarely comes home without a fish now. Sam, enthused by his recent minnow catch, refuses to not fish as well. Luckily John and I managed a few casts of our own and the family now has enough fish in the freezer to have us a good ol' fish fry one day.


On Friday evening we loaded up the van with all of our "never used" camping gear and headed out to my Uncles land by Beazer. He has named his property the Diamond Dipper, and it is here that we spent the next few days.

A large chunk of my family on the Toone side were able to come, including many of our cousins from Utah whom we don't see often enough. It was so fun to see all of our kids playing together, and it was especially fun to get reacquainted with so many family that we love. We don't see them often enough!


Jewel caught a frog one morning. Sam doesn't realize he's squeezing the life out of the poor thing. (Remember the minnow he caught last week? He tried to release that and ...well lets just say it wouldn't swim away after.)
Hopefully the Frog fared better.



Perhaps Abby is hoping for a prince?

She takes her fairy tales to heart!



One cool part that the kids LOVED was playing in the River that runs through the property. It is the same River that my Grandma Beazer Toone played in as a child. Some of the adults created a little path of rocks which caused the water to rush through that point much swifter. It didn't take long for the kids to Grab their tubes and take a ride on the river rapid water slide!

A lot of time was spent playing, petting/riding horses, eating well, visiting and enjoying wonderful evening campfire programs with the family. Some of my favorite moments came during the campfires as our kids would start to slow down, stare into the flames and then drift off in one of our arms while we listen to the chatter around us.
Our little family only camped out there one night but we did spent all three days out there.

It was a fabulous time, and I'm so grateful to be a part of such a wonderfully fun, energetic, talented and entertaining bunch of people!

My opinion on "Insanity"

I remember a year ago mentioning to my Brother that John and I had never taken our kids camping.

Never. Not once.
When I asked him if that was "Bad" of us his response was simply, "Well...it is sorta poor parenting..."

It's not that John and I don't enjoy camping. In fact we both agree that it is one of our favorite things to do. It just always seemed like too much work to get the WHOLE family out there.

This weekend all of my Toone family is getting together at my Uncles little spot by Beazer. It's guaranteed to be a great time, and if nothing else we will be able to say that we have done "what every GOOD parent does with their families."

Still before we leave I have to:

Make Rice Krispie Squares
Pack Salad ingredients
Find Kids toques (because it's going to be chilly tonight!)
Find sleeping bags for all (Jess is NOT happy that her sleeping bag does not have diego on it like Sam's)
Buy matches and propane
Fill up the van

Try once again to covince Sam that he must wear underpants while camping
Pack all of our clothes
Towels and Swimsuits
Practice the nose flute for our family number (don't ask:)
Weed the garden- I can't leave until that is done.
Clean the house.

Ok who am I kidding- the "clean the house" part is sadly going to have to wait one more weekend. I don't remember the last time I've dusted.

But that isn't going to happen today.

All of this while dealing with three VERY excited kids who keep asking every 10 minutes, "Can we go YET?"


Here is a bit of truth for you all:

"Insanity IS hereditary. You get it from your KIDS!!"

Have a Great Weekend!

Bright Sunshiny Day

It has been HOT lately. We decided yesterday to take the kids out to try Walley's Beach again and let the kids swim in the Lake. The kids are LOVING the water these days.

Personally though, my favorite part of the day was when I made every one pull over to the side of the road so that we could take advantage of the most vibrant canola field EVER! You know you are a true "blogger" when every thing becomes a "Photo Opportunity" to you!

John was so patient. But that's probably because he knows it's no use. Why fight me on it? :)

I LOVE the YELLOW! It is a color that truly makes me happy!

It was nice to have Luci and her two kids following behind us. She took some photos of us when I wanted to actually be in one. This is her little girl Libby.
I suddenly want to drag everyone I know out here and take more pictures.



We did eventually end up at the beach much to the kids' relief. The mosquitos were the worst ever- but we managed to find a patch of sand where they pretty well left us alone. After watching Abby, Daddy and a couple of his cousins all catch fish recently Sam was THRILLED to finally catch his own. "My First FISH Dad!" He kept shrieking that all afternoon.

He still asks to see this picture.

It was a proud moment for him.

And yes- I think that technically does qualify as a fish.

A couple of days ago I went out to a friends home and took some pictures of her kids. It's been so long since I've taken pictures for a different family it was fun to dust off my computer and edit a bit. My friend and her parents have begun selling the most adorable home made wagons that come filled with home made blocks. They were the cutest little wagons ever and I definitely plan to pick up a couple at the next farmers market! They are hand made. Not an inch of cheap plastic on 'em, and kids can play with it in so many different ways. I saw it used to carry blocks, used to carry a baby sibling, used to transport flowers...you name it!

I wish I could post the really cute pictures I took of the kids but I don't like posting pictures of other peoples kids without their permission.

This collage shows you the wagon, but not so much the cute kids. Take my word for it - they are cute!

Oh yeah and my friend has also started making the cutest flower clips for girls hair. They can clip onto headbands etc and they too are adorable!

So if you are ever interested in a really great home made toy let me know and I can forward my friends info on to you!

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Today is a big day around our home. Actually it is a really big day for me. I'm pretty sure that nobody else in my house feels the same enthusiasm. Today officially marks 99 days until the baby arrives!

Not 101. Not 100 days. But 99!

We are talking "Double Digit" territory here.

Trust me- for someone who is currently going through the l-o-o-o-o-n-g-e-s-t pregnancy ever -

this is a really big deal!

All sorts of Families love this place

How many of you have been to this temple in town before? If so, how many of you are aware of the owls that live in the windows?

It's true. My sister Jewel and her kids were the first ones to point this out to us about a year ago. I almost didn't believe them, but sure enough when we parked along the south side of the temple grounds and looked up we could see two owls perched behind the granite pillars up against the windows. That was a year ago.

This is Abby with her cute cousin Kate. Behind them is where we always see the birds.

For the past year these owls have resided here on the grounds; in fact, we sometimes see a third!

A couple of weeks ago our ward Primary Presidency organized a fantastic Sunday field trip of sorts. They rented a bus and transported the entire primary and teachers across town to the temple. For the entire two meeting blocks we stayed there. We took pictures, the kids all touched the temple, and the temple president and his wife joined us. They opened up the visitor centers and talked to the kids about the temple.

President Hansen shared with us the story of those owls, which was a hit with the kids.

He said that over a year ago they were really having a problem with the pigeons in the area. The birds were nesting, making messes, getting stuck in places, and just being a general bother to the grounds keepers and maintenance workers in particular. President Hansen said that this had become quite a problem for them and a problem which they had been unable to find a good solution to.

And then all of the sudden, he said, one day these owls came. Their presence chased away all the pigeons and to the joy of many temple workers, those owls have taken up residence and have not left yet. The temple president was very excited to tell the kids how much they love those owls who are now helping in their own way to take care of the temple.

I thought that was a cute story and it has been fun to watch these little creatures as we drive past. Tonight we noticed a nest up there. At least that's what we think it is. It appears the little owl family is growing still and perhaps even here to stay.

And what a happy Forever Family they must be!

(Picture taken from JungleWalk.com 2009)

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.