Three stops for us

We had a family baby blessing to attend this weekend.  It meant for us- a trip to Calgary.  Something we don't do often enough!

Stop 1:  To say we were excited to stop by my Brother Chad's house doesn't quite go far enough.  I don't know who was more excited.  The kids, or John and I.   It seemed as though we could not reach their home quickly enough.  My three oldest were "just dying"  (Abby's words, not mine!) to see Cringer the Cat and to play with Ella, Tyson, and Mason.  John and I were equally excited to relax and enjoy the hospitality.   As far as hospitality goes- they pull out all the stops.  We LOVED the Num Tok (a Thai specialty), the Hot Chocolate Cake, pizzas, and every other yummy food we ate.   Crystal drove out with her kids and joined us for dinner- so it was a real party.  Here is a quick little fact about Heather.  She  can cook!  We've never gone to their home without sampling/devouring some new creative dish or desert.   You can tell she spends a lot of time preparing each meal.  And it seems that as soon as one meal is done - she begins making the next.   The thing I admire most about her though is that she seems to enjoy it.  And if she doesn't?  Well that makes it even more admirable! 

Feeding two extra families...while holding a baby?    Piece of cake!

As always, I recieved a great camera tutorial from my brother, and slowly but surely I'm starting to really understand my camera a bit better thanks to all of his tips.  One day it will actually show in the photos I take. 

Stop 2:  By Saturday evening, we'd eaten until we were fat AND we'd torn Chad and Heather's house apart, which meant it was the perfect time for us to move on.   A trash and dash of sorts...   So it was off to Crystal's house in the city.  A few years ago when John was a student at UofC, Jeremy and Crystal moved their family into the 1 room basement suite and let us have the much larger top floor of their home.  They were so good to us that year- and still are.   We always enjoy going back there. The kids went to bed quickly (a sign of a great day), and John and I stole that oppportunity to run down the street to watch a basketball game.  Our high school boys were up there playing in a tournament.  It was fun to see them play, seeing as we've never gone to a home game.   We spent the rest of the evening eating (big surprise) and chatting.  

Our kids were very happy to wake up the next morning and realize they were still visiting cousins.     After a stellar crepe breakfast and yet another mess...you guessed it.  Time to move out.



Stop 3:  Of course the weekend would not have been complete without attending the baby blessing of our newest niece, Marilyn Grace.   John's brother Ben gave the most beautiful blessing and his wife Kat hosted the most delicious brunch afterwards.  (again with the food, I know!)  Ben and Kat are a pretty striking couple with a drop dead gorgeous baby! Seriously... a real beautiful Family! 

Marilyn has the sweetest, most dainty features, and longest lashes.  The cutest thing though is that she has this little "squeak" when she breathes, and the most adorable "snort" when she cries.  I have a feeling this is going to be one musical little babe.  She reminded me of a little squeaker toy! 
But a very cute squeaker toy.



The drive home went smoothly.  All weekend there has been this thick, heavy fog that has never really subsided.  In attempt to keep the kids awake in the van we played "I-spy."   It went something like this: 

"I spy with my little eye something that is...white."  

..."Is it um...the fog?"

...."Yes!  How did you know?"

Repeated a bazillion times.




Thank you so much to all of our family who welcomed us this weekend.  We really did enjoy each and every stop along the way!

I'm starting to wonder...

Why I even try.

Point a camera and this is what she does.

But, oh she's just so cute!

Lucky for that.

Quote of the Day

"If you didn't see it with your own eyes, or hear it with your own ears, don't invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth."
- Taken from my friend Natalie

 

 This quote was posted on my friends facebook status for a few days.   I liked it the moment I read it. You know you've received some good advice when it makes you feel a little bit guilty.

For example, I now really regret ALL those times I talked bad about the West Side of town. 

Remember. Back before we ever moved to the West side.

Turns out- it really isn't so bad over here. 

Who knew?

Small town Life for ya

I recently made a trip to the states. As in the United States of America. I think it marked my fifth time probably ever being ouside of this country- and definately my first time crossing the border alone.   I felt both nervous and excited all at the same time.  I always love a road trip!

I went all the way to Babb to get the mail.

Okay, so it may not have been much of an adventure but it was a very pretty drive. It is always neat to see the different sides of Chief Mountain.

Here is the most familiar view.

And then there is this view of the mountain. Once you cross the border it changes a little. And check out this American Horse that ran into the photo.

It was running along side the road outside of the fence.
They are so backwards in the states.

I love Horses. Love them. I wanted to take this one home with me since it apparantly seemed lost.  Finders keepers right?  Unfortunately,   I figured I might have some problems explaining that to the boarder guards.    Plus I forgot my lasso at home.

I wasn't quite expecting to see this horse though as I entered town. I came upon him just a few blocks from my own house.

I don't know why it surprises me to see horses roaming the streets of town.   It made me think of that early morning when we first moved here from the city, and were woken up by the melodic mooing of a bovine that was standing right outside our bedroom window.

Why should a horse on 7th Street surprise me?

After all, this is the same town in which the teachers drive their tractors to work.

Yup, this is my kind of place!

Blog to Book!

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a published version of our Blog, and it just arrived today! I Love this book even more then I thought I would.   Despite the fact that it is filled with my obnoxious and sarcastic undertones, it has proved to be a fairly accurate journal for our family. 

We started this blog sometime on March 3rd 2007, with a quick post introducing our then 3 children.   It was only hours after that, that we learned of my Dad's sudden death.

Two weeks later we learned that John's Mom was ill, and we made the spontanious decision to move down south. This blog has journalled all of those events and everything inbetween.

Of course, there are far more happy memories packed in this book. Like this beauty.

This was the first time I ever let Abby dress herself for kindergarten.

And, for the record, this entry also marked the LAST time I ever let Abby dress herself for school!

Every single trip we've ever taken out to Waterton is in this book. The pages are laden with beautiful photos from every season, not to mention loads of picnics with family.

Mind you, some pages are tainted with the occasional entry about John's remote controlled plane and his adventures in flying.   Like the time he fastened a smoke bomb underneath his plane.

Consequently, and enjoyably (for me at least) this book documents every single crash as well.

We've had fun looking at the photos.   The kids have been reminded of our trip to Disneyland that we took a couple of years ago, thanks to John's Brother. I cringed when I recalled the time I ran over our neighbors cat "winky" and took them a plate of Banana Berry Bran muffins as an apology. We laughed at the time we drove up to Cameron Lake to fish for our first fishing trip of the year. We had hauled up our dingy, ores, life jackets, and fishing gear only to find the lake completely frozen over still!

It's been so fun to look through these pages and remember the every day moments in our lives over the past three years. All 350 pages are proof that I have a pretty darn near perfect and blessed life!

Priceless!!!

The best part about being married to a School Teacher

You know John tricked me once. When we were dating.

It's true, he did.  He said he was going to be a doctor!    Now it might seem as though I married him just because of that prospect, but that isn't why I married him at all.

I actually married him for his looks.

Anyways, a couple of years into our marriage when he decided that he wanted to be a school teacher instead of a doctor, I felt a huge wave a relief.   I really was so glad.   I hear that teachers get paid just a little bit less then doctors, but the hours he would have logged in the medical profession would have been deadly!

Deadly for me- not him. I'm high maintenance that way.

So when John began his teaching career,  I have to admit I had expectations of an 8:00-3:30 sort of a deal. I figured that John would walk through the door with the rest of the kids right after school.   But that hasn't been the case. In reality it is more like 5:00.    FIVE O'CLOCK!!   What the heck? That's like normal home time for other peoples husbands.    I married a SCHOOL TEACHER!   And let the record show that school ends at 3:30! (actually school ends earlier then that- but hey I can be reasonable)

I sometimes sit at home and wonder what John does in that hour and a half between 3:30 and 5:00. Why would someone choose to stay late after work?  His answer is always that he's "prepping."   But I don't believe him.   Nope, not one single bit.

Sure he might do a little bit of that "prep" stuff, but does he really need that much time?  One day I'm going to ambush him.   I'll show up unannounced at his classroom at the end of the day and then he'll be busted.  I already know exactly what I'll find.   I'm pretty sure that I will find him sitting at his desk watching old episodes of the Rick Mercer report (because apparantly that's where he finds great clips on aorodynamics and gforce), or catching up on his Ted Talks or tinkering with his airplane.    As soon as he sees me he'll grab that red pen of his and pretend to be marking or ahem..."prepping."

I suppose I might possibly catch him dissecting a toaster (or some gadget that has long since left our home) for parts that he'll need for an experiment the next day.   But he thinks that kind of thing is fun to do, so even that doesn't count as work.   That's my whole point!   I am undeniably 100% certain that I am probably pretty correct in suspecting that he is most likely, maybe staying late after school because it is FUN for him.

How dare he! 

What nerve to be having an enjoyable time, while I'm here... fixing dinner, .... trying to get the kids to stop snacking before dinner, ...while keeping them busy , YET QUIET so that they don't wake the baby.  Why on earth would he not want to rush home for a peice of that? 


And when do I get to have any FUN in a day?

I'l tell you when my day gets FUN.   It's at Five O'clock when John walks through that door and the kids practically throw themselves over the banister and into his arms yelling his name.   It's when I'm so happy to see him that I want to do the same thing, but hold back because - well I'm not a kid and that might look silly.  It is when I get to hand the baby off to him and finally have the use of both of my arms again.  It's when I watch him get the kids hyper right before bedtime and I pretend to be mad when really I just feel so happy that he's such a "hands on Dad".

It's when the kids fall asleep, and John and I can talk without interuption, or settle in to watch some of our most favorite M*A*S*H episodes. 

It's when I realize that there is no such thing as being "on call" when you are a teacher.

 I guess I should just sit back and be happy with this whole 8:00-5:00 gig.

It really is quite sweet!

This past Monday, as soon as the kids were at school, I loaded up Nathan, a tripod, and my camera and headed off to Pincher Creek. I recently bought a new lens from my brother and I was anxious to test it out. The drive was gorgeous, as we've been enjoying some warm temperatures, and the sun was blazing! It is actually a very scenic drive too- which was my hope. Unfortunately this new lens has completely thrown me off. I've realized how LITTLE I know about the equipment I have. Not a single good picture to show from the trip!

But I did find some beautiful homes that were located in the most picturesque spots. I can't decide which one I like better. This lovely home in the valley-

Or this home up on the hill-

Oh - alright I'll take them both!! 

Abby has continued to improve on the piano, and this week marks the first week in which she practiced EVERY day without complaining!  And it only took a series of small daily "concerts" to pull that off. 

She's a sucker for an audience-no matter how attentive they may be.

Today at church we had an interesting experience.  During the opening prayer, the power went out, and remained out for the duration of the meeting.  At first I wondered if they would cancel sacrament meeting but things went on as normal, without any major disruption.   In fact the lack of lighting proved to be beneficail - at least on our bench.  The kids were as calm as could be!  It was a first!!!    It was actually a cozy little meeting.  Sam, Abby and Jess were surprisingly docile and each time I'd look over at John and Nate - both fast asleep (hee hee) I had half a mind to slide over on the bench and join them.    But the thought of actually hearing a talk for once was enough to keep me awake and alert! 

By the time we got home, the power had still not been restored and so we had to get a bit creative.  Ironically last week at church our Bishop had encouraged the ward to spend a day without electiricty.   No electricity at all.  You know, to get a sense of how we'd fair in that type of circumstance.  John and I didn't do that challenge.  We'd planned to.  But the week went by and we just never committed to do it.  Not because we didn't agree with what the Bishop was trying to prove.  We did.   It was more because I thought that I could already IMAGINE perfectly well what that would be like, and I didn't want to have to experience it in real life.

So there we were today- experiencing it anyways, and wishing we'd had a practice run before it really mattered.  John was able to get the gas fireplace going with some battery power.  We huddled up in the basement together and enjoyed chicken noodle soup that we heated up on the BBQ. 

After we ate we all sat back and listened to John as he told us stories of when he was Abby's age.  Like the time he burped in class and got in trouble by the teacher.    For the record, that happened to be the first and LAST time he ever caused trouble in school.    But that grade 1-  it sure was a rebelious year for him:)

Just as soon as I started to enjoy the coziness of the family time, and not a moment sooner, the power came back on.   It was a fun little Sunday adventure and an important lesson in emergency preparedness that apparantly God was determined to teach us slackers.
One way or another. :)

Because it is supposed to snow soon - I dug into our files to find some pictures of some warmer days. I may just stare at them all weekend.

There's no escaping it.

I don't know why, but for some reason I thought that when we moved, it would be a fresh start.   We were leaving our trailor and graduating, to a "real" home.   You know, one without tail lights attached to it.  It was kind of exciting to anticapate a new neighborhood, and associations with people who didn't yet know me.     I had hoped this move woudl mark the beginning of a new cooler,  more classy, smarter me. 

The past couple of weeks have provided me with a few humbling moments that contradict my hopeful assumptions. 

Like the time I looked down in the middle of sacrament meeting, in our new ward, and noticed that a couple of buttons on my shirt were not buttoned up correctly!  ...or...um.. at all.  (Oh the joys of having a nursing baby.)   I still worry about how long I went walking around like that.

That was me being classy.

Or the time when I was running some errands and paused to really notice the sunglasses I bought a few weeks earlier.  Only then did I realize that the logo on the lens was not really a logo at all.  It was a sticker that says 'UV protection', and it's supposed to be removed!  Again- how long had I been walking around like this?

That would be me being cool.

Or like today, when I spent all morning looking for our only cordless phone, only to finally find it in the washing machine.  Cleaner then ever-but dead as a doornail.

And that would be me being smart.

On a better note - I made this chicken salad for dinner last night and it was delicous.  We added some garden peas which, in my opinion, really perfected it.   It is a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey and the recipe makes lots - giving you a scrumptious lunch the next day.  Really you should make it. 

Not making this dish, would be...well... not very smart. 

And I know ALL about that!

The difference between us

I have been so unaware of the extent of disaster in Haiti this week.  I've known of the earthquake.  I knew it must have been bad,  but I had never sat down to really try to learn just how bad things were.   That is the advantage of not having television.  It allows me to choose what I want to know or not.  You know, so that I can continue walking around in complete ignorance and bliss for as long as I wish to. 

On Sunday our Bishop encouraged us to try to assist in whatever way we could.  To be generous.  To, (for a brief time and in a small way) try to put ourselves in their shoes.  Tonight, after laying with the kids at bedtime, I stumbled out of their room and found John watching online footage of the aftermath. 

It finally hit me. 

I get now, just how awful things are for those people in Haiti. 

It is so difficult to watch the coverage and see all that misery.   I always feel so guilty in moments like this.   I don't really want to have to acknowledge that all of that is not just "news" but it is someones reality right now.

My reality is a warm house, an able husband, healthy kids, and banana milkshakes before bed.

It doesn't seem fair, yet at the same time...

I am so So grateful for that. 

A little Sunday Morning for you...

For the past few weeks every Sunday morning, I have slipped out of the house early in the morning in an attempt to take a few photographs. The sunrise provides a gorgeous backdrop. I like to just sit in the van, watch the changing patterns in the sky, and just listen. To nothing.

It is So quiet.

Then I come home.

And it is all down hill from there.

The Sunday rush begins and it basically ends only once we get home from church and not a second sooner.  But it really doesn't bother me because this is normal for parents our age, right?

Not a Sunday passes without some wonderful elderly man or woman stopping me in the hallway and telling me to "enjoy these days- because the kids grow up too fast."     This person almost always has a smile on their face when they counsel me, and I know, I KNOW the smile is really because they are just happy to not be in my shoes anymore.

But still, I do try to take their advice.   I try to remember to enjoy this phase of life.     I try to remember it as Jess is laying under the bench in Sacrament meeting chanting, "I don't love you mommy..." over and over again loud enough for anyone within a 3 bench radius to hear.   I try to remember that counsel as Sam fights to remove his shoes...and socks... and hangs up side down off the bench trying to raise his feet as high as possible.    I try to remember that as Abby attempts for the umpteenth time to spread her long 6 year old body across the entire family because she's oh so tired.   I TRY to remember that advice to "enjoy this time" as I look to John and give him that "I could use your help" look only to see that he is SLEEPING.

Yes John sleeps at church! He's so sneaky though, as he usually pretends to be examining Nate's tiny toes or something - only his eyes are closed.  When John is really tired he opens up his scriptures or a song book so that it looks like he's hunched over them reading- only he's NOT.  He's SLEEPING!  This week I made him take the baby out into the hall - just so I could purposely interrupt his nap time. 

John's naptime that is - not Nates:)

I try to remember that man or womans advice each week as I force myself to calmly smile and do my best to keep the chaos BELOW the bench where fewer people will see.

Every Sunday I try to enjoy this phase in life, and you know what - I really do believe that John and I will one day look back at these days - these Sacrament Meetings with our little ones - and wish for them back.  

One day.

But for right now- what I'm enjoying, is the peaceful half hour before that all begins!

Last Sunday morning produced the most beautiful sunrise ever. It was a combination of vibrant pinks, oranges and purples.  It was stunning.  I tried to hurry out to get a picture of it- but by the time I reached my favorite location (for pics of Chief Mountain) - the sun had risen fully and the colors were gone. The sky changes so fast in the morning!

All week I've been trying to get a duplicate photo, but I've yet to see the brilliant colors of Sunday.

Still though, this mornings was pretty.

Could a sunrise ever NOT be beautiful?

Monday Night Madness

Every Monday night as soon as dinner is finished and cleaned up we herd the kids into the living room for another weekly attempt at Family Home Evening.    I once heard a speaker refer to this time as Family Home MOMENT because really does it ever last longer then that?  We try.  Reallly we do. 

The kids take turns chosing some songs to sing,  We have a brief lesson, and then a quick snack before bed.   The lesson I teach each week is always the same.  Sure, the  story might be different but the message is always one about Reverance.

Infact, I'm pretty sure that we've been FOCUSING on this topic for about a year now.  We need to.    Have you ever sat by my family in Sacrament meeting?  I'm not kidding- it's bad.  Really Really bad.   (One day I will try to work up the courage to describe a typical Sunday meeting on our bench.  But it is only tuesday today.  The memory of this past Sunday are still to raw for me to talk about;)


So reverance it is.  Week ...after...week.   I'm confident that one day it is all going to sink into their adorable little heads.


However, last night, FHE was a little different.  Abby has been asking for awhile now if she could have a turn to teach the lesson some time.  So, due to my good natured personality, (aka  lack of preparation), we left it all up to her.


So Abby gets up, and in her very professional and mature tone of voice, showed us her home made egg carton piggy bank.  She talked to us all about the importance of saving money, paying our tithing, and "NOT spending all of our money on gum balls like SAM always wants to do!"  She talked about what we should save up for, like clothes, a mission, or college, or perhaps a little bit for a toy at the dollar store. . .Abby then presented an egg carton for each of the kids to decorate so they could make their own piggy bank and start saving money. 


I was impressed with all Abby said, and tried very hard not to smile too much as she spoke.    It would have thrown off her groove -but darn she was cute!      As Abby's lesson grew to a close I realized that FHE was about to end with out our mandatory discussion on reverence.    No!     It had to be discussed.  Atleast mentioned!      But how?       And then I had the greatest idea.      It was truly a Eureka sort of moment.  The answer to all of our Sunday troubles.  The solution to our Sacrament meeting dilemna. 

 When Abby finished her lesson I quickly shared the idea that had just come to me.  Now that they had their own piggy banks, I vowed that I was going to start paying them a financial reward every now and then.    A WHOLE penny when they help with a chore, get dressed on their own, or do something kind for eachother.    To top it all off - if they are reverant in Sacrament meeting- they get a whole quarter!!!


The kids were ALL over it!!     For the rest of the evening they practically fought over who got to throw the garbage away, and load the dishwasher.  They practically fought over who got us diapers for Nate.    They practically fought over who got to go to bed first without being told!    Until I offered a penny to whomever stopped fighting.     ...It worked!!!


This is genius.  Isn't it? 


Now, I realize that this very well might be the epitomey of bad parenting.  I am quite certain that somewhere in some book that good parents read, (that I've never read before), there is a chapter on how to teach your children proper habits and principles without teaching them to rely on a reward.  


I am also aware that this is going to cost us some money.  I sat down last night once they went to bed and did the math.  Factoring Nathan into the equation, we will eventually be paying out one dollar every Sunday.   That is 52 dollars a year, and by the time Nathan is 18 -  I will have paid out 936 dollars in Sacrament meeting Bribe money alone!

Is that so awful?

Or just so totally worth it?

Here's to a New Year

I LOVE starting out a new year. Christmas is great fun, and this year was no exception, but there is something very exciting to me about  January. A fresh start; Resolve to improve; Ambitious goal setting. I just love it.

A couple of years ago I read on this post  about a goal setting technique that has changed the way that I tackel a new year.  The jist of it is this.  Choose a word that summarizes what you most wish to accomplish in the upcoming year.  This word is not meant to limit you or your goal setting.  More likely, it will encompass all areas of your life, and ideally that which you need in your life the most.  I was smitten with the idea, and have tried to do this ever since.

This year I am determined to tackel something big.  This word will require that I change a part of myself that has become so ingrained in who I am that it will be difficult.  But I want to change.  I need to.

You know that person who cares more about what needs to get done, then what is right there in front of her at any given moment.  You know- the one who gets all worked up about little details and misses the big picture.  Totally overlooks the important things and puts all their energies into the insignificant.   

That's me.

This year I want to change that. 

So my resolution for 2010 is to FOCUS.

I was inspired by this talk by Elder Oaks and this one by President Uchdorf .
It's not a very exciting word I know, but believe me this word packs a lot in it for me personally, and will no doubt require more change on my part then any other word I could have possiblly chosen.  

My plan is to FOCUS on the bigger picture in my life this year.  Focus on my kids, my husband, my testimony...my talents. 

All of those little things that distract me so often - I hope to learn to let go of a little.  Or...a lot!  

I need this!   I've been thinking all week about more specific goals and all that I will need to do to achieve this theme.  I'm excited about so many of them, and nervous about others.    But I guess that is the purpose of  a New Years resolution isn't it?

So to all of you Happy New Year, and Happy Goal setting too! 

We hope this New Year is all that you want it to be!

Our super awesome holiday Part II

This past week has been as equally awesome as the first half of holidays, only I don't have enough time to write a book about it like I did last week. 

Lucky for you.

Some highlights for us:

* A visit from the Salmons.  We rarely get together with Johns high school buddy Terry and his wife Shauna.  However, every time we do we enjoy it!  They are the kind of friends you can go for awhile without seeing, yet pick up as normal as soon as you do get together.  Our kids played unti late, and we had a great visit.  And they brought CHEESE!!  Lots of cheese.  We thank them from the bottom of our hearts (and stomachs) for stopping by! 

*  Our new couch arrived!  Finally after three (k maybe 4) attempts  this is the one.  It was cheap, fits the room perfectly and we like it.  Only problem is it is light beige.  Very light. 

Heaven help the kid who gets it dirty!

*  On Thursday night my entire family got together for a New Years Bash at Jewel and Kendalls home.  It is always a fun time for me when Chad and Crystal and their families come down.  The cousins have a blast together, and the adults usually just sit around and eat!  Oh boy the food this time.   So yummy!  We did burn some calories playing a stressful but fun game of mafia.  We rang in the new year with Martinellis and an impromptu dance.  My brother Chad took way better photos of that night so go  here   for pics if you are interested!

*  A couple of weeks ago John and I signed up to run the soup kitchen one day this past week.  It required planning a meal, buying groceries, cooking, and serving that meal.  At first John and I were really excited becasue we thought it would be the perfect way to spread some Christmas Cheer and serve others.  As the date drew nearer I got more and more nervous.  Luckily I had already recruited Jewel and Kendall to help.  With them came some real experts!  It ended up being a great time, and remarkably easy for John and I too, as Jewel and her in-laws handled ALL the stress. 

* John and I also celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary, we finished our Lord of the Rings Marathon which is always a favorite holiday event for us, and we continued to love our new home and good life this holiday season.

We hope it was a good one for you!

To my better half!

l

8 years has gone by way too fast.

Happy Anniversary!