On Friday at school, the students were all encouraged to Dress up as cowgirls/boys for a chance to win tickets to the World Pro Bull Riding Competition that would be in town that night. Abby was thrilled to win one of the tickets!

Thanks to Abby's awesome grade 1 Teacher (whom I'm liking more and more every time I talk with her) who gave us her own ticket as well- Friday night turned out being "Family Night at the Rodeo!"

Abby felt special because she had technically scored these tickets for the family. I felt special because I realized that I'm married to someone who looks AWESOME in Cowboy boots!

The rest of the night was a SHOCK! Now, I grew up in a small Rodeo town. Half of the boys in my Grade were Cowboys who probably grew up doing this:


and this! So it shouldn't have been so crazy of a notion to me.
Though I can't understand who - WHO in their right mind would get on a cantankerous beast like this and ride it one handed for any amount of time. Literally these bulls were dripping slobber. And their eyes? ....I think they were RED!

Most of the people around me seemed to be enjoying the show. I watched with my hands to my face fearing for the lives of those...those...I was going to say Crazy Men - but I think they prefer to be called Cowboys!


This though was the clincher for me. Anyone ever watched a game of Mexican Poker. It was highly entertaining...and terrifying at the same time.

What you do is set up a round table and seat for Brave/Crazy Men at each seat. As they "play cards" or sit in fear, a bull is released. The object of the game is to be the last man to get out of his chair.



And as if that isn't exciting enough, if you're lucky and have sat long enough to survive ONE bull... they throw in a second one. Just for kicks!



And when two bulls doesn't quite scare the men out of their chairs they send in the "mean bull." This one will just charge right through it all. Men, table, chairs....
All survived. And I walked out of there promising my Children that they will NEVER NEVER do that in their lifetime.


I love them too much to let them do something so Dangerous. Take this Rodeo Clown for example. True- he was hilarious, but what would motivate a person to chose a career like this? Did his momma not love him?
Nope, my children's safety is my top concern!



Saturday was also nice. John had a couple of adult size bows and arrows in his back room at the School. We took em down to the park and let the kids shoot for a bit. We were impressed that Sam and Abby both managed to hit the targets. And aside from the one instance when Sam shot at John everything went great....

And Yes...Archery is an entirely different kind of hobby.
Any good parent would teach their child the skill of the bow and arrow.

At least that's my story.

Sam's First Day

Since Abby (and John) returned to school almost a couple of weeks ago, Sam has been anxious for his big day too. We celebrated his first day of Preschool today by letting him have Fruitloops for Breakfast. That made his morning!

He was so excited to go that he even let me convince him to wear something other then his Lightning Mcqeen shorts. He was so excited to go to school that he wore his over sized back pack ALL morning long, even though his class didn't start until 12:30. He was SOO excited to go that when I asked him to go potty... he did- without ANY complaint!


oR MAYBE he just pretended to. Because by the time we got to the school, he had to go to the bathroom so bad it was all he could do to stand still enough to let me get this photo.


I gave up. Instead I gave him a hug and a kiss and turned him over to the school system for the first time in his little life.

He walked right in as if he owned the place, which seems typical for my kids. Zero hesitancy, no need for a comforting hug from mom, not a shy bone in their bodies.

After school, I was determined to get a decent Photo of the big guy, and I was expecting more cooperation then earlier.

He was perfectly willing to let his cousins join in his moment. Unfortunately his cousins know how the whole picture thing works. I don't think he gets what I was wanting. This is all he was willing to offer.

A nearby teacher kept laughing at me as I continually pleaded with Sam to just give me one polite photo of himself.

No such luck.

Heaven Help his teachers!

Really, God Bless them.

Don't ask me how I feel about this:

It's official. We've listed our home. Now we have about 9 weeks to sell my garden...er uh and the house too I guess. 9 Weeks! That may very well be impossible, seeing as some homes in town have been for sale for over a year.

But God likes us, so maybe a miracle sale isn't entirely out of the question.

It makes me sad to think of all we will be leaving behind. The garden. John's newly built vegetable pit. Our four newly planted fruit trees, great neighbors and the wide open space. Some of you may not believe this- but it will be hard to replace what this little property has become to us.

Still- little baby is going to need a place to sleep! I'm thinking that we should have perhaps considered this a bit sooner. But that's just how we work around here. Indecisive. Slow to act.

I like to consider us SPONTANEOUS! Yeah, that sounds much better.

Wish us luck!

Busy Busy

Wow this past week has flown by! Abby adjusted well to the whole full day school routine and we all are amazed at how summer holidays can feel "so long ago" to us.


John is in full swing with the whole coaching thing, and it seems at times that we are trying to master some sort of tag team parenting thing. John usually gets home from work around 7 or 7:30. That is usually when I have had to walk out the door for a meeting of some sort. Lots of beginning of the year meetings. Pre-school meetings, registration meetings, information meetings, meetings about when to have the next meeting ....kidding.


It's all helping time go by FAST and I'm liking that. I find myself looking forward to November. In fact that month can't come fast enough! Come November this little baby will arrive, John will be home much more, and hopefully all other things stressing will be taken care of by then. Sure, there is a chance that we could be burried in a couple of feet of snow by then- but so what!

That is when I will be able to sit back and just enjoy it all. That is when the stresses that now occupy a small (ok a large) portion of my mind will be just a distant memory!

Blah. Anyways- because Sunday is quickly approaching, AND because I want to come across as someone more spiritual- enjoy my Sabbath day contribution:

Happy Long Weekend!!

During the day

It's actually REALLY nice having a kid at school all day. Don't get me wrong- I do miss Abby throughout the day. Sometimes it makes me sad to think that somebody else is getting to spend more time with her then I am. However, the full day routine is far less hectic then the half day routine we were accustomed to last year.

Abby comes home full of accounts of her grade 1 size adventures, and finally, FINALLY she has her own desk! This kid is loving life right now.



Batman on the other hand, has had to find other ways to keep himself busy during the day. He misses his older playmate, and never leaves the house without taking a long three essentials. His mask, His Cape, and his School backpack. I'd like to say he's ridding the world of havoc...but at times it feels as though Batman is plotting to do the opposite of that!



And this little girl is completely oblivious of most changes around here. As long as Jess has a pile of pennies to count, or can help me in the garden she is as Happy as a Lark. She's taken a liking (ok an obsession) to Cameron Falls in Waterton, and insists that it is HER waterfall. Aside from her persistant nagging during the day questioning "when are we going to her waterfall," she's a pretty fun little thing to have around.



John is back to teaching and has a full course load this semester and maxed out class sizes. Volleyball season has officially begun as well. I think he will enjoy it all even though it is his busiest time of the school year. I thought of finding a picture of him to post- but felt instead that an absence of a photo might be more desciptive of his existance around here:)

We miss him.

But I'm determined to handle it much better this year then last.

Really, I am.

Well that didn't take long!

Considering we have spent an entire summer sleeping in, and making up our own schedule I expect today to be a bit of a shock to us all. Surprisingly we all were awake and going by 7:00 am. Probably the earliest we've all been up in a couple of months.

We hit the ground running and I actually felt proud of myself for pulling off a celebratory bacon and egg breakfast for the "first dayers." As we sipped our orange juice, I felt very hopeful that maybe we'd adjust to this whole routine thing after all.

Then I looked at the clock. 8:00. Already.

Lunches to make, hair to curl, annual photos to take, was John going to walk? Drive? oh catch a ride with us! Ok that meant I had to pick up the pace. Now, only 10 minutes to stuff those lunch bags, make the beds, clear the table (but only of the perishable food- everything else would have to wait), family prayer (ok actually we forgot that part this morning), find Sam's shoes and out the door.

5 minutes late

Abby was one of the last to arrive. She didn't care though. (She should just get used to it anyways)

She DID care though that I didn't let her walk home with her beloved cousins Ava and Mya.

One angry girl.

Lunch.

Dentist appointments.

One cavity

One fight over the bubbles from the dentist.

Supper late on the table.

Thrown together family home evening

quick snack

John's mandatory half hour hyper time with the kids that convenietly must occur right before bed time.

One book.

Lights out.

Wow. It sure didn't take long for things to go right back to normal around here!

I hear Monday is a Holiday.

I really need a BREAK!

The end...and the beginning

Today is officially the last day of summer holidays for us. Yeah I know that school doesn't start until Monday and the weekend isn't over yet- but could Sunday really ever count as a holiday? Not unless they call off meetings if you ask me. This has been a great summer. Last year we travelled a LOT, went to Disneyland, and saw LOTS of family. This year in contrast we stayed relatively close to home, and did a lot on our own.

Back in June I made a list of 20 things that I wanted us to do before the summer was over.

We did 19 of them!

This past week we've tried to cram in some "lasts" of our favorite things:

Last trip to GLACIER

We've tried to get to know Glacier a bit better the past couple of months. I'm loving it more and more. We've fished there, watched bears, and walked around Swift Current Lake. Last week we drove over Logans pass to the south end of Glacier. There is a beautiful hike there called Trail of the Cedars. Despite the long drive to get here, it was worth it.

The forest consists of HUGE cedar and Hemlock trees, and is home to one of the prettiest waterfalls I've seen ever. Another bonus- the entire hike is stroller friendly. So really it isn't even a hike, so much as a Trail.

Oh, look at that...hence the name I suppose.

The kids played for a long time by the river, before we picnicked and headed home.

Last Symphony by the Water

And the first for that matter too. Because we are such a dignified and classy bunch...(ahem...or because we have a super talented nephew) we were treated to a nice little concert on the shore. John's sister and her family have been living in Waterton for the summer, and we all joined them on their last evening out there, before they moved back home for the school year.

Blah...the school year. They'd probably still be here if it weren't for that blasted school year.

Anyways, my nephew Caleb has been studying the cello for a few years and it was a real treat to sit on the edge of Waterton lake and hear him perform in such a pretty setting.

Caleb played as the sun set, the sound drifted over the water, and the younger kids did everything BUT listen. It was a perfect evening.

Last trip to Waterton

Ok lets be honest, there is no such thing as a last trip to Waterton. Seeing as September is my favorite time in Waterton- we'll likely go within the next week. But this did mark our LAST HIKE of the summer! I'd never done Bears Hump before but have always wanted to, so we thought we'd give it a try.

The hike, though it isn't long, is more uphill then I expected it to be. The kids did great though! Each of them carried their own backpack, and their own snacks. Every once in a while I'd throw a rock in when they weren't looking. You know- to build character and all that.

None of them whined ...or complained!

Neither did I for that matter. I have to say though- I love that in our 8 years of visiting Waterton together- we waited until I was 32 weeks pregnant to finally hike this one!

The view was breathtaking and the chipmunks...were abundant! The kids sat forever like statues waiting for a chipmunk to come nibble the morsel of snack in their fingers.

I have never...NEVER seen them sit that still. And for so LONG!

We finished the hike and enjoyed one last visit to BIG SCOOP and a walk along the shore. The town site was packed tonight!

Perhaps everyone else is trying to enjoy their "Lasts" out their as well.

So that is what we've tried to CRAM into our last week together. As sad as it makes me to think that this awesome family summer is drawing to an end, I can't help but feel a bit of excitement for what waits ahead. The beginning of school, beginning of routine, beginning of the harvest, and the beginning of a few big changes for our family.

No matter how you look at it, the end or the beginning...it's pretty darn great!

Waterton Photos

I've been working on some pictures of my cute neice and nephew. I think that Waterton is by far my favorite place to take photos! More are posted over on Not quite picasso!

Building a Potato Pit 101

Because I know the burning question that everybody has right now is how to build one. Or maybe instead what you're asking is "What is a potato pit?"

Also known as a root cellar, vegetable pit, or ...BOMB SHELTER (jokes...sorta), it's a handy little storage place for most root vegetables. John grew up with two pits in his backyard and to this day we still drive over to my father-in-laws to steal a fresh garden carrot in the middle of winter! What a treat!

Well this week was the week for us to make our own. It really wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be.



Step 1:

Find yourself a handy man (preferably a handsome one) and marry him before he realizes what he's done.

(If it's too late for step one - don't worry. Anyone can dig!)

Step 2:

Define the area that will eventually become the hole in your yard, and begin shoveling!



Step 3:
Don't stop shoveling.

Even when you have a 2 year old leaning over you asking, "Whatchya doing Daddy?" 100 times. Still, don't stop!

Step 4:

You must make sure that your pit is precisely 6 ft deep. That matters. I don't know why- but it does. Your walls will need to rest on the bottom of the pit and still be above ground by about 8 inches.


Count on the scantily clad "fairy person" to inspect your work several times throughout the process. (It's amazing how much a 6 year old THINKS she knows!)

Step 5:

Beam with pride when you finally reach the required depth and you can chuck that nasty shovel aside.

On a side note: Have any of you ever seen the movie HOLES? We were living that. Except for the fact that it took three days to dig this hole, and my husband is not a delinquent teenager receiving punishment. He actually CHOSE to do this. But I did play the part of the "warden" very well.


Step 6:

Perhaps one of the trickiest parts of this project come when you must find a way to lower the 6 ft structure of walls that you've pre-built down into the pit.

......I suggest this is a good time to just head to the beach with some cousins and let your husband handle it in his own miraculous way.

Heaven knows how, but the kids and I came home to this!




Step 7:

Complete the building of the walls, build a ladder (don't FORGET THAT), and insulate the roof and the top of the walls.

Step 8:

Build a handy dandy trap door, and enjoy how complete it finally is. Sit down and wonder what happened to the week.



Step 9:

Wrap your mind around the fact that you now have a whole yard full of CLAY that your kids can NOT stay off of. Don't fight it! It's likely there to stay for a while.

Step 10:

Be infinitely grateful to your handy man for giving you somewhere to put half your garden in the Fall!

See? Just like I said. Easy peasy.

Unless of course....

...you talk to my husband.

Bad and the Good

John and I recently watched the movie "The boy in the striped pajamas." We'd heard from lots of people how great yet sad of a movie it was. It is a story of a young german boy who resides close to a concentration camp and befriends a Jewish boy who is trapped on the other side of the fence.


I don't know if I've ever watched a movie about the Holocaust without being moved and saddened by the torture some people had to experience. This movie in particular was difficult to watch as it in large part portrayed that period in time from the eyes of young kids. Children are naturally so naive and innocent and that provided such a stark contrast compared to the adult world and ugliness they really lived within.



Our book club this month is reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Again an account of a family during the holocaust. Only this time it is a family of watchmakers in Holland who made it their personal work to save and hide Jewish people. It's a true story and unlike the movie above it left me feeling a little bit of hope. They risked their lives to help 100's of people and in the end they were found out and sent to a camp themselves. Corrie Ten Boom was the only family member who survived the camp, and she spent the rest of her life speaking to others about her experience and all that she learned during that time.

It is an incredible journey in which she comes to accept God's hand in all things, and helps those around her feel comfort even in misery. The book is full of lots of suffering and lots of ugliness that could only come from such an ugly time. But it is also full of goodness.

Selflessness.

Courage.

Faith.

Her message was simple.

"When we are feeling poorest- when we've lost a friend, when a dream has failed, when we seem to have nothing left in the world to make life beautiful- that's when God says, You're Richer then you think."- Corrie Ten Boom

What's under your bed?

I have a theory that "you can tell a lot about a person by what is under their bed"!

Do you agree?

For example, underneath my half of our bed lies an entire closet full of folded up clothes waiting patiently for the far distant "post pregnancy" days.

What this tells you about me: Well...that I have nothing good to wear right now, I suppose.

(For the record: Under John's half of the bed? Probably a set of scriptures!)

Well, a couple of weeks ago John and I took the kids to my Brother's house. We stayed with them for one night before travelling together to Drumhellar for a day of fun. Heather made us the yummiest Indian dinner (two different curry dishes) and then the rest of the evening was spent visiting and ...investigating.

For the record- I am not a snoop! (Despite the fact that I'm the daughter of a Private Investigator, not to mention a "little sister" to the T), I was NOT SNOOPING!

Chad called me up to his room to show me some of his watches. ....he likes watches. As I sat on his bed, next to Heather he proceeded to pull out the following:

What does this tell you about my Cop Brother?:

The watches) Either he has an obsession with watches OR he is an entrepreneur at heart, and a skilled user with ebay. Perhaps a bit of both. Because really who else has half a dozen un-opened watches under their bed? (By the way- he'd probably be disappointed if I fail to mention that this watch can tell you how far above sea level you are with exact precision, has a thermometer AND full auto EL.)

The machine gun?) You could also come to the conclusion that my brother is borderline maniac! That's pretty much the conclusion that I came up with until my brother pointed out that the gun has the required safety locking mechanism on it.

Oh good. ...he could be a maniac, but luckily he's NOT a reckless one!

The Rifle) After seeing the machine gun, this had far less effect on me. In fact it kinda tugged at my heart string when Chad reminded me that this was the very first rifle Dad ever gave him. Awe.

My brother is a sentimental old chap.

So there you have it. A pretty fair synopsis of my Brother as you may not know him.

We had a wonderful time with him and his family in Drumhellar. We saw the dinosaurs (the replica kind at least), did a couple of geo - caches along the way, walked the suspension bridge, stopped off to gawk at the amazing decor in the Bass Pro Shop outside of Calgary and wrapped up the day by pigging out on amazing Vietnamese food. We tiredly said our good-byes after all of that and headed to our homes.

It wasn't until a few days later when I was cleaning my son's room that I came across the little drawer under HIS bed. This is what he's been storing:

What does this tell you about Sam?

There is a very distinct possibility that my son could turn out to be very much like his Uncle.

And that wouldn't be such a bad thing either.

In my daughters eyes...

I LOVE to paint! It's one of the very few hobbies that I have actually stuck with over the years despite my "miserable"ness at it.

Take singing for example. It didn't take long for me to realize I couldn't sing.
So- I don't pretend to.

Sports? I was on a basketball team for 1 week. I knew when to give up.

But Art. I love. Despite the fact that I don't know anything about technique and have no natural skill there is something about it that I don't want to give up on.

That said- it has been exactly 9 months since I even touched a canvas or my pencils...or anything related to sketching.

These were two paintings I did last year. How many have I done this year? ZILCH!

It does nag at me a bit. You know, that feeling you get when you know you are neglecting something you love.

Well Earlier this week:

Abby was travelling in a van with some of her cousins and they all were sketching and drawing little pictures together. At one point Abby showed her drawing to her Uncle Chad and Aunt Heather, to which they kindly replied,

"Wow Abby. That's really good. You are going to be an artist just like your mom!"

Now I have to say I really think that Abby could have responded to this in a plethora of ways. A simple "thank you" would have worked; or even a not so humble "yes I know" perhaps.

Instead Abby said this, "Oh my mommy doesn't paint anymore. She's forgotten how to. ....SHE ONLY DOES THAT WHEN SHE'S SKINNY!"

Are you kidding me? Maybe I only paint when I have free time. Maybe I only paint when there aren't three kids pulling on my leg. Maybe I only paint when there isn't 1800 sq ft of garden to weed! Maybe I paint when I'm not nauseous from growing a baby!

But nope- in my daughter's eyes....it's because I'm too big!

Well in an effort to prove Abby wrong I sat down this afternoon with my sketch pad on my lap determined to get back into it.

I got this far before before packing it all up.

I think my tummy is in the way!