"I didn't plan to be a witch: And other suprises of a joyful mother."

The title of this post is actually the name of a book that I once came across a few years back.    I never did read the book (because sigh...I didn't think I needed too;)  but that title is one I've never forgotten.   In fact, it's usually the first thought that pops into my head right after I've lost my temper about something.    

Like the time Abby and Sam decided to set up a a veterinary clinic in our front room and made toilet paper casts for each.and.every.one of their stuffed animals.   

There was toilet paper EVERYWHERE!  (except where it should have been)

One look at that mess and the "witch" in me came out as I threatened to wrap THEM up in toilet paper if they ever made a mess lake that again!  

Or there was the day last week when Abby and Jess decided to paint their fingernails with bright green nail polish that I bought for them last year.  It didn't take more then five minutes for Nathan to get his hands on it and dump the contents of the bottle all over our white fluffy basement carpet!  

Yeah...I definitely got "witchy" then!   

It is always in moments like this, that that darn book title pops into my head.  Without fail, I feel a pang of guilt as I realize just how hard it is sometimes to be the JOYFUL kinda mom I want to be.

  

I tell ya-being a witch is way easier.   It just is.

Speaking of witches- Jessica was thrilled this week when I came home from Calgary with a costume for her to wear this Halloween.    I had intended to put it away for the next couple of months, but Jessica wouldn't hear of it, and insisted on trying it on right then and there.  

She wore her "witch outfit" to dinner that evening while she ate not one -but TWO helpings of spaghetti and corn:  (Frankly, she can wear whatever she wants if it'll help her eat that well;) 

She was still wearing her witch outfit when we all decided to pile into the van later that evening and go for a little drive:  (Doesn't she look excited to be going?)

I have to admit- she seemed a bit out of place as we followed Grandpa through a field to check out an awesome fish pond that he knew about:  (the broom is a nice touch eh?)

John, Max and I got a kick out of watching her excitement at feeding the trout and watching them jump: (I mean really it was quite a sight;)

And my heart melted when she got her fingers pinched in the van while coming home and she cried like a baby, but still insisted on wearing her hat.  (like any brave little witch should;)

As I looked over these pictures of her from that evening I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming gratitude for these little kids that are testing me daily yet at the same time (hopefully) shaping me into something I would never have been without them.   

Sure I have my "witchy mom" moments but I'm more inclined now to be a little bit more accepting of myself.

Because as Jessica has so perfectly demonstrated:  

When done right- being witchy can actually be pretty dang CUTE!

The Fort AND Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump

We recently took the kids to the Fort Museum in Fort MacLeod and had a great time!   John and I hadn't been here since we were both kids, and we were pleasantly surprised to see how kid friendly it was.   

We had fun touring each cabin and exhibit and the riding demonstrations were very cool!

They had a little booklet for the kids that contained pictures of various items throughout the park.  IF the kids could locate every item in the book, they got to choose a treat!  It was a great way to keep them interested as John and I tried to explore as much as we could. 

This photo I love.     I love how Nathan is freaked and genuinely wants out.   Jessica has just gone and figured out how to get out.    Sam on the other hand doesn't want to simply squeeze between the bars.   He's clearly aiming for a authentic jail break.   And Abby is perfectly content to remain behind bars.   

John and the kiddos in front of the Cavalry.   

Man I wish I lived back in those early frontier days.    John would have been a handsome cowboy.   

We had planned a picnic for lunch but the rain started to pour as we left the museum, so we decided to eat in the van and drive 10 minutes further to the Head Smashed in Buffalo jump.     The kids enjoyed that museum as well-though I didn't take any pictures so I clearly must have been feeling a little worn out:)   

That's 2 of our summer items checked off the "To Do" list.   

And in one day!

How efficient are we right?

1.  We drove out to Waterton on Friday in hopes of hiking to Bertha falls with the kids.    Unfortunately the weather put a damper on those plans;)    After going a part of the way in the rain we decided to turn around a go back.   We reached the van just as the rain stopped.    Figures;)

2.    Sam conquered a fear this week and jumped off the diving board during swim lessons.     He prayed each night that he'd be able to (cute;)   and imagine how proud we were when by the end of the week he was jumping off withOUT his life jacket!  

3.   We've reached that point in the summer break when the kids are ready to go back to school.   They've come to me several times complaining that there just isn't "anything to do."     So I made them wash the van;)

4.   Sam figured out a way to enjoy some fresh apple juice on a hot day!   We've had LOTS of picnics this week.

5.   The kids are LOVING the spray park in Waterton and stopping there has become a mandatory part of our trips out.    (Whether I've packed their swim clothes or not;)  

6.   If you read our previous post you already know about our two newest members of the family.   I'm happy (well sort of disappointed;) to announce that the two minnows named Mango and Angeline are both still alive and seem to be doing quite well.      The kids had grown bored of them by the second day, and I'm now planning a trip to St.Mary's this week to return them to their home.     We are clearly not pet people;)

7.   We attended the Alberta air show yesterday and had a great time.  John was in heaven watching all of the planes and jets and the kids did surprisingly well.    Unfortunately John sprained his ankle running to the van afterwards and is now having to elevate his foot and use crutches as much as possible.  Poor man.  

8.   We were invited to join another family out at our Bishop's cabin this past week.    It was a gorgeous place with lots of fun things that kept the kids happy for much too long.   Hot dogs, marshmallows, quad rides, games and more.    I'm now plotting our move out to the country.    Wish me luck;)

When my words come back to haunt me...

We spent yesterday morning out at St.Mary's exploring and fishing.    While John and the kids searched below the spillway for fossils, Sam focused all of his energies on catching a minnow instead.     I love watching him when he is most determined, and believe me- he was determined!    After a few misses we finally caught a good sized fish worth keeping.   When Abby and Jess saw Sam's new pet they each wanted one of their own too.    The kids each filled their water bottles with pond water, added a few plants and oi la... finally something that the whole family can agree on;)  

Sadly Sam's fish died in a tragic drain accident shortly after we arrived home.   (As in- he was accidental dumped down one.)   Sam was devastated, though I admit I was quite happy myself.    You see I had recklessly told the kids in a moment of insanity that "if they could keep their so called pets alive then I would consider letting them get a gecko."      I don't know why I do that?   Why do I make promises like that with them?   Oh I know why - It's because I was one hundred percent certain that all three minnows would be dead by the end of the day!

However, this morning I woke up to see that the other two minnows (now affectionately named Mango and Angeline) have survived the night and seem to be doing just swimmingly.  

DRAT!

I'm really starting to worry that I'll have to eat my words and the thought of a gecko truly makes my skin crawl.

On another pet related note- Abby has officially started her "Pet Sitting" business.    This was again another promise I offered up with no intention of actually fulfiling.    Way back in February I told Abby she could watch other people's pets in hopes that she would stop nagging Daddy for a dog of her own.     At the time- it seemed like a fair compromise.  

Well- she has held me to it (because you know-they always do;) and yesterday produced the first of many posters that she plans to distribute around town.      Luckily I intercepted that plan  suggested to her that this old blog of ours might be a BETTER way to get the word out to a lot of people.  (..or six?;)    

As a result, she has confidently put me in charge of advertising.    

So there you have it.   If you have a pet that needs babysitting- you know who to call.

...But Please DON'T!!!!!

National Parks Day makes for a Beary close encounter

Well John is midway through another one of his fencing jobs for the summer and the end is in sight.    Unfortunately he was working today when the kids and I decided to head to Waterton in celebration of  National Parks Day.     What can I say- I'm a succor for large crowds and limited parking;)    The park was much busier then I expected it would be but that's to be expected when you combine free admission AND absolutely perfect weather.   Not a breeze!

The kids had a great time at the splash park before we decided to have a picnic down by linnet lake.    Prior to this - I had spent a large chunk of the afternoon trying to talk the kids into a hike - with little luck.   They all flat out refused the notion of a hike because they were all afraid scared of running into a bear on the trail.     (that might have something to do with the abundance of scary bear stories they told each other the last time we went to the mountains but whatever.)    Anyways, by the time we had finished eating I had done a pretty good job of convincing the kids that a walk around Linnet Lake would be perfectly safe even without Daddy.   Seeing as we are so close to the hustle and bustle of the town site-no bear would come miles within us.   

So they agreed.

And we set out on a lovely Saturday afternoon walk.    Linnet is actually one of my favorite walks, and it's easy peasy for young kids.

We sang songs, we saw a HUGE and beautiful butterfly that I suspect was actually a moth of the Imperialis variation (I just finished reading about Moths so I'm like totally an expert now),  and we took lots of pictures as we went along our way.     

We were having a lovely time despite the fact that every 15 seconds I had to reassure Jessica that we were NOT going to see a bear, when all of the sudden we rounded a corner only to come within feet of .... a BEAR!    As soon as I realized what I was staring at - I froze.    The bear looked up and stared straight at us probably wondering what we were going to do.

For a second I struggled to know what exactly it was that I should do.     Play dead?   Yell?  Stop drop and roll?   What exactly was it they tell us to do?    I seriously wondered how I was possibly going to throw myself over top of ALL four of my children and protect each one of them.    In the end, common sense returned and I simply grabbed Nathan into my arms and urged all the kids to follow me, walking backwards all the while speaking as calmly yet loudly as possible.    

Textbook right?      

I'd like to say that as soon as we were out of sight of that bear that we all calmed down, but nope- adrenaline continued to course through my veins the entire way back to the van.    The kids will never forgive me either.  In fact as we bravely ran away they kept insisting that they will NEVER go hiking with me alone AGAIN!!!  

Oh so sorry - for keeping you ALIVE!!!!   Good grief!

Perhaps the saddest moment of all though came when I got to the van and realized that my camera had been hanging around my neck the entire time!  

NOW WHY DIDN'T I THINK TO TAKE A PICTURE??????  

Scriptures, Singing and Serpents- (and why we haven't gone private... yet)

Remember how I posted a few weeks back that our little family blog would be going private?    I came to that decision on my own, while John was at Young Men's camp and I wish that I'd just gone ahead and done it then, as we are clearly disagree on the matter.  

I realized this the other night when, as we were brushing our teeth, John asked why exactly I would even want to go private?   I explained that for me "this blog is a great way to journal the things that go on in our family life and really...why would some stranger care to read about all that anyway?"    John felt otherwise and suggested that our family blog could "be a good tool for sharing the gospel."

I practically choked on my toothpaste when he said that!   I mean really- I seriously question whether he's even read our blog, and I instantly began wracking my brain for recollection of any spiritually enlightening post that I may have written.    It's not that we don't have our enlightening moments around here-because we do.    And it's not that I don't want to share my testimony- because I do.

I've just never thought to write about the things that are dearest to me- here.   For all to read.

But then again-why shouldn't I?  Perhaps John is on to something?    Perhaps sharing a little bit about the spiritual moments our family has each day might really be a great idea.    At the very least they are moments worth remembering right?

Take the other morning for example,  when I came out of my room to see Nathan already reading his Scriptures.   Bright and early like a good little boy;)    Our Bishop has encouraged each family in our ward to read the New Testament together this year, and I suppose Nathan just wanted to get a jump on it.    What a Guy!!

(Disclaimer:  Perhaps I should mention that his reverence only lasted about as long as the time it took to snap this photo.     John's scriptures are now missing a few pages;(   However, I still like to think Nate's intentions were good;)

********

Or I could mention Jessica's love for Primary music.   Several times a day she an be found happily singing to herself one of the many primary songs she's learned.      It always warms my heart to hear this sweet little girl cheerfully "singing praises."

(Disclaimer:    Alright-perhaps I should add that she usually breaks into song anytime Sam is around because she knows it drives him crazy.     Right along with her sweet voice is an equally determined Sam with his hands to his ears screaming,   "Mom!  Make her stop.  She's getting on my nerves!"
Jessica's always so pleased when she manages to get a rise out of him;)

                                                        ********

Naturally, this would be a great time to brag a bit about the teaching moment I had this week when I seized the opportunity to share with  Sam a story from the Scriptures.      This poor boy (Sam that is) has been wanting a snake so SO badly for quite awhile now.     It will never happen of course because snakes are unfortunately prone to being a little bit slimy, and creepy - but that hasn't stopped Sam from wanting one.     (Apparently he has a thing for creepy slimy things)  Anyways, the other day he came to me in tears asking me WHY?       WHY won't I just let him have a snake?   His voice was full of urgency and I realized that this was a matter that deserved my undivided attention.

That's when I did what any good Mom would do.   I sat him down and read to him from the book of Moses.   I carefully selected the part where it describes Eve's encounter with the "serpent" in the garden of Eden.    I was especially careful to place heavy emphasis on the fact that the serpent was cunning and evil and very VERY BAD and then concluded by suggesting to Sam that "surely he wouldn't want something so awful and bad as that in our home- now would he?"

(Disclaimer:    It worked like a charm!  Sam now wants a gecko.  I think I can live with that.)

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Well- there you have it.   A regular week for us around here, chalk full of heartwarming and spiritual moments as you can tell.  

(Disclaimer:   If this little blog ever does go private you will know it is because I finally won the battle.  

In the mean time - Heaven help whomever chooses to read it!  They do so at their own risk.)

All is right with the world again

It's always fun when Daddy comes home, but it is especially sweet whenever he comes back from camp.    

The first thing Sam said to him was,  "Daddy-you look like you had no food?"    

I don't know- I think he looks more like it was a lack of sleep he was suffering from more then anything;)   

Ahh....it's good to have him back!

I had to include this video that Sam made this afternoon.   While John and Nate napped, I slipped out with the girls to the grocery store which gave Sam some uninterrupted computer time...at John's expense.   

  I laughed so much when I saw what he'd done and had to add subtitles and share it.    

(You know- at John's expense;)   

    Have I mentioned that it's great to have him back?

I've got a "Beef" with you Scouts Canada!

Early Monday morning John left with the ward Young Men for Scout camp which is actually being hosted by Scouts Canada this year.    It's been called "Helaman's Encampment" and the general idea is that there will be around 2000 young men in attendance in an effort to replicate the 2000 stripling warriors.  

   Cool right?  

It's definitely very cool. 

  However...it is a 6 day event. 

  SIX stinkin' DAYS!!!    Is it just me- or does that not seem like a crazy amount of time? 

  

Now before you start judging me and assuming that I'm all un - supportive and stuff - please know that I have happily sent John off on a total of 8 young men's camps in our 9 years of marriage and baked rice krispie squares, cookies and muddy buddies for him to take each. and.every. time!  

(It doesn't get more supportive then that I tell ya)       

But 6 days?  Really?

John on the other hand couldn't get outta here fast enough,  and with a little pat on my head and a token  "There there,  You'll be fine,"  he was gone.    

And so began my week long sojourn.   Alone.   With four of the craziest people I have ever given birth to.   

Alright truthfully- it's going just fine.     

 I like to  think I'm the type of person who can take a stupid, dumb, boring situation and turn it into something .... um...just a little bit less stupid, dumb and boring;)   

So here is the first half of our week without John in pictures:

Monday- My father in law stopped by with a beautiful bowl full of fresh garden strawberries.    I instantly set to work making freezer jam out of them.    (Well, out of the strawberries that Abby didn't snitch;)    Yummy!   And best of all - it actually turned out!   It's Marilyn's recipe and I have so many memories of times when we'd come down to visit and she'd send us home to Edmonton with our trunk full of garden goodies and this awesome freezer jam.

On Monday afternoon we grabbed our neighbor down the street and went for a picnic in Waterton.    The kids played on the playground, we went to Big Scoop, and then drove Red Rock Road in search of bears.    The kids spent most of the drive telling stories about "the time they saw a bear," and I was a little bit surprised at what liars a group of kids can be.     I mean really- none of them has ever come even close to experiencing what they were describing, but it was cute to watch them freak each other out.

Tuesday was a super fun night as we headed out to St. Mary's to do a little fishing.  I had high hopes of actually catching something as I thought it would surely impress John, but one little minnow was the only catch we got.      Which the kids were actually completely pleased with!    I love that Jessica wore her church shoes to go fishing, and I also love that she's wearing them on the wrong feet;)   And check out Nathan fishing for the first time!    (I'm pretty sure he's going to be a natural at it.)

Wednesday was when the kids "hit the wall" so to speak.   Perhaps it was the hot weather getting to them, (or maybe it was just me) -but they were bored with a capital B.  BORED!   All day long I was bombarded with questions like:

"When's Daddy going to be back?" 

"How many more days till Saturday?"     

"Why can't you make paper airplanes as good as Daddy?"

"You can't do anything good like Daddy."    

It's true.    I don't have a hope in heaven of being as awesome as Daddy is,  but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.   Two trips to the candy store and four ice cream cones later- I was back in their good books.

Though I may not be in my neighbours good books these days.

Twice  this evening I found Nathan outside on our neighbour's front porch completely naked.   NAKED!!!   He's been wearing only a diaper most of the day because of the heat, but the little stinker apparently decided that even that was too much clothing.   I started yelling at Abby to go get him back in the house THIS INSTANT only to realize that the neighbours could probably hear me yelling!

So then I had to paint a smile on my face and pretend to playfully retrieve the little streaker myself - all the while complaining under my breath that "this kinda thing would never have happened if John hadn't of gone away for 6 days!!!"    

Because really- it all comes back to that right?

Given the above story about Nate I thought this picture might be amusing.    This is how I found him tonight when I went to get him ready for bed.   Already fast asleep with half a dozen diapers clutched tightly under his arm.      

I don't know, considering his earlier shenanigans this just seems a bit ironic, don't ya think?

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PS:  After reading this I maintain that though these thoughts and opinions are mine I really am not as  pathetic and needy as I made myself out to be; )   I also realize that many people go a LOT longer then this on their own and they have my absolute admiration and respect!

PPS:   Oh and I love John and I hope he is having fun because he deserves it.

PPPS:  Oh,  and I wholeheartedly support him in his calling and all that stuff...yadda yadda yadda.....(just in case any certain families in our ward happen to be reading this;)

The Hardy Clan will soon be going private.   Don't worry though-  you are invited to continue following "A Day in our Lives" if you'd like.     Just leave a comment with your email address and we'll take care of the rest!  

Love

US!

My trip to the back of my mini van

For the most part it is great owning a mini van.    With the kids sitting way at the back it is easy to ignore their singing/fighting/complaining.   Well...so long as the radio is up loud enough;)    I'm very mindful of the fact that whenever we go somewhere my kids are back there eating snacks, coloring, reading books, doing odd crafts, and even making up skits -all in an attempt to survive whatever torturous half hour trip I force them to endure. (these kids are definitely not travellers!)   

However, nothing prepared me for what I found when I finally ventured to the back of my mini van this weekend:

Wrappers, socks, missing shoes, fish hooks, rocks of various shapes and sizes, empty water bottles, diapers, half eating candy, dried up food, paper, (lots and LOTS of paper all coated with some sticky substance. A slurpee perhaps?), money (probably mine!) and so so much more.   

To tell you the truth -  I think something was growing back there.   

It was definitely something bacterial.

On the plus side- Saturday was such a terribly HOT day that it made wiping up the melting tootsie rolls and bubble gum so so much easier!
 (Just one of those "Tender Mercies" I'm always looking for.)   

Someone PLEASE tell me that your minivan has looked like this before.   

Or is it just me?

Canada Day, Lemonade and a couple of Sickos!

Wow... this week was a bit of a roller coaster and summer has barely even begun!    

Some highlights:

   Tuesday was the last day of the school year for John and ironically it was also the first time that John has ever used a "discretionary day" and not gone to work.     Even more ironic than that was the fact that John took the day off of work to ... well...WORK of all things!    He built a fence this week and was feeling the pressure to complete it,  so that extra day came in handy, though he missed out on a fun final day in Waterton with the rest of the High School Staff.    

John is definitely the only person I know who would skip school so that he could go work;)  

 Needless to say after some VERY long days, a few late nights, several complaints from his needy wife (aka:me), and a sore back- he finished the fence.   It surrounded a fairly large property and he essentially built it in THREE days!!!     That's a new record for him and it looks amazing.   Here's hoping his next fence can be built at a much slower pace.   

While John worked, I did my best to keep these kids happy.     The weather has been H.O.T. here and Abby had been begging to have a lemonade stand for awhile.    Tuesday was the day.    They sat out in our tucked away cul de sac hoping for someone to drive by.     Our neighbours were so kind to them,  and even bought more lemonade than they probably even wanted.    Though I think that might have something to do with the way these four went door to door inviting everyone out!   Tacky?   Definitely.   But how could you refuse such cuteness?

I will always smile at the memory of Sam that day as he called out down the street:  "Lemonade!  Get your Lemonade!   Best Lemonade in the "Whole World!!!"   It's moments like that that make being a mom fun!   And isn't that pic of Nate in the bottom corner awesome?
    Summer Days= Dirty Shirts that's for sure!

Of course there were moments this week when being the "Mom" wasn't so fun.   Like on Wednesday night when both Abby and Sam came down with the worst flu ever!     They were hot, cranky, tired, and ...well I'll spare you the details but it wasn't good.    I love the black and white picture of Nate.   You know your child is sick when he falls asleep standing up!    

 It put a damper on our plans for the weekend as we were all looking forward to spending the next night in Calgary with Ben and Kat.    In the end, I made a quick trip up by myself and got a lot done. 

Friday was one of our favorite day of the year...   Canada Day!   It was made even better this year by the fact that John was actually here to celebrate with us.   That's pretty rare as he is usually at a Young Men's camp at this time.    It was so fun to have him around with us and John made sure we partied all day long.         

We were feeling spontaneous that morning, so we grabbed John's Dad and headed out to attend the Raymond Parade.    Luckily, Jewel let us sit with her and her extended Hardy family.  We probably would not have found a place to sit- those streets were packed!   After the parade we stopped in to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa Hardy.   We've not seen them for quite a while so it was great to have the time to do that.   Abby sang "O Canada" to them and great Grandpa Hardy (who is now 94 years old!)  sang along.  It was kinda sweet. 

On the way home we stopped off at St. Mary's for a picnic and a bit of fishing.   (but of course;)    After we ate, Max, John, and Abby walked down to the river to fish while the rest of us stayed at the playground.    It was encouraging to hear that they'd gotten a few bites, and it was fun to have Grandpa with us.  

That night we went to the local Party in the Park just as we do every year.    Abby joined the elementary Choir this year as they opened the event with a very cute and rousing rendition of "O Canada!"   I love our anthem!!!   

 Then we spent the rest of the night playing on giant bounce houses, obstacle courses, eating pop corn and snow cones, taking carriage rides, and petting all kinds of fun farm animals!    

Bed time came quickly that night for most of the kids and by the time the fireworks began it was only John, Abby and I awake to enjoy them.    We were all too tired to make the long trip down the street to really view them so instead we snuggled up on our front steps and watched them from there.   It actually wasn't that bad.   

It was a fun way to end a busy week that's for sure!

If this week is indication I think it's safe to say that summer is absolutely going to FLY by!   

Our front yard in June....

Last day of school and other crazy things...

Abigail was so excited for her last day of school!    In fact she came up that morning wearing this wig and a pair of yellow gloves.    Why???     Well, because it's the last day of school!    What better reason to dress up than that?

She begged me to let her actually wear this to school, to which I flat out said NO.    It was the last day of school- NOT Halloween, for goodness sake.    

However, at the end of the day as I was cleaning out Abby's backpack for good, I found the gloves and wig stashed at the bottom underneath her books.

She wouldn't have snuck this "get up" into her bag and dressed up at school would she?     (I think I know the answer to that)  

Sigh.    I suppose I should at least be glad it was a wig and gloves, rather then a tube of lipstick and a miniskirt.    It could be worse right?

Our family was asked if we'd be willing to distribute brochures (for the local community theatre) around the neighborhood.    We always like doing this as it gives the kids an activity for a few days and they earn some movie passes in the process.     I don't know why Sam and Jess insisted on wearing GOGGLES while they worked, but seeing as their sister wears wigs and gloves on the last day of school, I probably should just chalk it up to some genetic predisposition they all share.  It's beginning to feel as though the older the kids get, the crazier they seem!  Or is it just me? 

 Jessica and Sam finished soccer this weekend with a tournament on Saturday morning.   It was fun to watch them play on the new soccer field in town, even if it was a little windy.     I've not watched them play this year as often as I should have as John was usually the one to take them each week.   Jessica was timid, yet happily obedient.    Sam?   Well, at some point this year Sam turned into a soccer maniac!    I wouldn't go so far as to call him a "ball hog" or anything like that.   (but that's only because I'm his mother.)      It made me proud to watch him score several goals, and I could tell that Sam was proud as well as he ran down the field with his arms high above his head cheering for himself the whole way.  I wasn't however so proud when I watched him shove his own teammates in an effort to steal the ball from them!     

                                             I don't know, perhaps the whole concept of "teamwork" is too advanced for his age?     

Or maybe his parents have just never taught him how to share;)

Sam redeemed himself later in the day though when we went for an evening walk out at St. Mary's.   Without any prompting from us,  he took it upon himself to pick up ALL the garbage that he saw.    He kept asking questions like, "What will happen to the earth if everybody litters?"   and "What if nobody cared about the world anymore?"    I thought it was cute that he felt inclined to clean up someone else's mess as nothing annoys me more then a litter bug!   It's nice to see that Sam has a kind soul underneath that tough ball stealing exterior of his.      

We had a great time out at the Dam and saw lots of cool things.     We found a foxes den and watched two very shy kit foxes for a bit, then an osprey flew over us with a huge fish clasped in it's talons, and John fished while half a dozen pelicans circled the sky above him.    The kids and I accidentally crashed a party of sorts as we (without knowing it) joined a gathering of tough looking outdoorsmen who were attending the annual Walleye Trail Convention.    

Never a dull moment at St. Mary's, that's for sure!


John has just two days of school left before he is done for the summer, and he's already begun the first of many fences that he is building this month.     Between his fencing jobs and Helaman's Encampment, we are anticipating a lot of days and evenings without Dad around.   I'm seriously questioning whether or not I'll be able to stay sane through it all.    One can only be surrounded by craziness for so long before succumbing to it right?     Wish me luck!

Happy Sunday!!!

Kids Marathon

The kids have participated in a local "marathon" and yesterday was the big wrap up final mile run.     Since May they've been logging their miles in efforts to run the amount equivalence of a marathon.   Luckily they've had soccer, baseball and Sunday afternoon walks out at St.Mary's to help them in their efforts.   It was a pretty big deal when we got to the elementary school yesterday and saw how many other participants were ready to run that last mile.  What a group!!   I heard that almost 2000 people were running!     

The kids started at the Elementary School, ran down past the temple and then along main street before crossing the finish line at the Remington Carriage Museum.    There they received their awesome medals and a healthy lunch from Subway!   John and I were so amazed with all the sponsors that contributed to this.    The kids sure got rewarded for their efforts!  


It was definitely a party after and it seemed like the whole town was there.  Heck it was so cool even Raymond came!   There was live music, eating, prizes, water fights and even a flash mob!

 Oh yeah and those two people in the upper corner?   That's Patricia and Duane-the creators of the event.    Three years ago Patricia thought up this idea to start a marathon for kids, and asked me if I wanted to help her with it.    I think I perhaps made some phone calls here and there for her but I never really got on board and contributed much.   Clearly I didn't catch the vision of how great it would one day be.  It's kind of inspiring to see what one person can do when they get a good idea an go with it.   Actually-it's really inspiring,  and it had me wondering what sort of amazing things we all could do if we just stopped waiting.    

I know-that's such a deep thought eh?

Oh and I love these pictures of Nate and John.   

 

They're both pretty cute eh!

One more day till School's out!  

Best Father's Day Gift Ever!

A few weeks ago, Tanis and I took the family out to the annual Cardston Fly-In out at the Cardston Municipal Airport.  I had heard about the event and was curious what it was like, so we ventured out to investigate.  We were not disappointed.  Even though there were only about 4 or 5 pilots who had flown in their aircraft that morning, we got to watch three take-offs and an landing before leaving the airport.  All these aircraft were single engine planes with seating ranging from two to five.  Tanis cleverly approached a few of the pilots looking to set up a surprise Father's Day gift of a flight in a small plane.  One of the pilots was Shannon, student from CHS who had recently completed her pilot's license with the help of her father, Mr. Stewart Pollock, a retired captain for American Airlines and former member of the Canadian Air Force.

When the wet, rainy weather broke last weekend, Tanis got a call from the Pollocks to let her know they were flying their plane that afternoon.  She got me to go on a Sunday drive with her and some of the kids, and I knew something was up when we started driving towards the airport.  I was very surprised and excited to have a chance to fly in a small plane above Cardston, as that is something I have never done before.  I think the only other time I've flown in a small plane is with Aaron and Gina's dad, Hal, from Provo to Afton Wyoming.  Anyway, it was a perfect, sunny evening!  We flew out over Cardston and then north around the St. Mary's Reservoir and back.  Despite my expected tendency to get motion sickness (must be a Hardy gene), I thoroughly enjoyed the entire flight.  Below are some of the pictures I snapped while enroute.  It was fun to see Cardston from this perspective (if you're really good, you can see where our house is, as well as Jordan's old house, etc.)  I'll just add that at our altitude, about 1500ft above the ground, most bodies of water  at various angles of view appeared white or silver due to the reflection of the sunlight.  You can see the photos I took below.  One is of the backwaters at St. Mary's lake where Dad used to take us fishing for pike and walleye.  Tanis and I have taken our kids there a few times, and perhaps I'm drawn there by the great memories of family trips to the lake back when I was young.  Overall, it was a very thoughtful Father's Day gift, one I'll always remember, that's for sure!  If I can just figure out how to beat motion sickness, then perhaps I'll be flying myself above Cardston someday... or not!

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers out there!

Five words that describe John

Because I know how much John enjoys public expressions of love and admiration, I thought I'd take a moment and share a little bit about John that I love most.    

He is Sturdy. 

I remember taking this picture of John just before we left Crypt Lake last year.    He cracked that whip of his and sent the loudest crack echoing through the mountains.    Now when I look at this photo I see a strong and sturdy man standing against the backdrop of an equally formidable mountain.    When I say John is sturdy, I mean he is strong and immovable when it comes to what he believes in.     He never doubts.   Never fears.  

"The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders

It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you.

The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice,

It's in the gentle words he whispers.

The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift,

It's in the burdens he carries."

2. He's Influential:

"Father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. "

-author unknown

Clearly our kids want to be just like him! (And let's be honest, it's probably better that they try to be like him than me.)










3.  This man is Talented!  

I sometimes envy the way John can do anything and everything.  Not only that, but he does it all so well!    He can play the piano, the guitar, and will turn anything into a set of drums if given the chance.   He's athletic, he can sing,  and he's great with people.   One of his greatest talents I think is his ability to retain information in that steel-trap mind of his.

I like the way he encourages our kids to develop their talents as well.  

 "My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person - he believed in me. "       

4.  He always Gives 100% of himself
Sometimes us women get in the habit of talking about our husbands and complaining about all that they do not do for us.    Usually after a conversation like this I walk away feeling so much gratitude for the partner John is in this parenting journey.    He folds laundry (so long as there is something to watch while doing it),    changes diapers as often as I do, and he's more often then not the one who gets up in the middle of the night to take care of Nathan.     People sometimes say that a successful marriage occurs  when each person meets halfway and shares the load.   50/50 right?

Well,  John is definitely more of a "give a hundred percent of himself" kind of guy and I love him for it.




5. This man takes Play time seriously!

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.  ~Author Unknown

Nothing is more important to John than "play time" with the kids!     As soon as he get's home from work, he is greeted by 4 little kids all eager to be lifted into his arms and tossed around for a bit.     It really is a happy time when daddy walks in the door!     I love how he is the first one to suggest a drive to the lake, or an evening out fishing.     Without fail, every night before bed, you'll likely find John running through the house pulling a large blanket with 4 giggly kids on top clinging for dear life!      I don't know why he always chooses bed time to play, but the kids love it, and secretly I do too!

We are lucky to have this wonderful man in our lives and I am so grateful for all he does for us! 

  Happy Father's Day John!