The time I broke my daughters heart

Back before Easter, the kids had collected an egg from the fridge and were determined to incubate it in hopes of it hatching - preferably on Easter Morning.   No wouldn't that have been awesome;)    John didn't find it so amusing.   In fact, that little event was a tipping point for John, and he shortly thereafter reached the proverbial last straw when it came to all things "Easter Bunny."     Apparently he had a problem with the way I was letting our 9 year old believe things that weren't true, and more specifically with the way I often go over board to convince her that these things were true.  

   

 Sure, ok, when you put it like that - it sounds kinda bad now doesn't it?  

But I hardly think teaching them about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny falls into the category of "lying."   Besides, I'm convinced that there are certain lies a mother is eternally exempt from and unaccountable for, no?      Yeah...John doesn't think so either,  and on this particular day, he was ready for me to come clean with Abby and tell her the truth.  The whole truth!  He kindly assured me over and OVER again that Abby already KNEW the truth and that she was just pretending to believe for our sakes, but that it was time.  

So, taking confidence in that assurance,  I kissed "Mr. No-heart" good bye, loaded Abby up into the van and the two of us went for a drive.   I wasn't quite sure how I was even going to bring this little conversation up, but finally after about 45 minutes I stopped the van, turned to her and confessed it all:

There was no such thing as the Easter Bunny.   Dad and I buy all the chocolate.

All those presents under the tree at Christmas?    Dad and I.

That tricky leprechaun that destroys their traps every St. Patricks day?    Totally me.  

That tooth fairy (named topanga) who leaves behind a trail of glitter and purple colored water?

...um...that would be me.

Well, after purging myself of all those lies (cough cough eye roll JOHN;) I turned to look at her to see her bottom lip absolutely quivering and her eyes brimming with tears.    She looked at me sadly and said, "Mom, why are you telling this to me?" 

  My heart broke!  

 I wanted to turn back time just 30 minutes and take her home and go try to hatch a hard boiled Easter Egg or something.    

Well, needless to say it took a multitude of apologies,  but I finally got a smile out of her when I promised that it is much more fun to be on the "knowing side of things."    Actually, I think what really made the difference is that I bribed her with a large Reese Blizzard from Dairy Queen. 

 And POOF!   Just like that, she was a happy girl again.

I'm thinking that I maybe should have started with the Blizzard?

At any rate, our little non believer is fine with it now, and actually looking forward to getting to help John and I as we continue to "lie" to the younger kids;)   Later that evening as I was asking Abby to practice her piano she came to me and quietly said,  "Mom, do you think that maybe I should just have a day off of practicing,  you know, because of all I've been through today?"   

Then at bedtime I asked her if she'd said her prayers to which she replied, 

"Yup.  I prayed that I'd have the strength to endure what you told me!"   

See?   She's not going to make me feel guilty for this at all!   

 I have a feeling I'll be buying a lot of DQ Blizzards before before this kid is grown;)

Just another day of practice

I snapped this photo with the computer just a few minutes ago to document the fact that Abby did in fact finally practice the piano.   Getting her to practice each day has become a challenge like no other.

However,  after 4 hours of asking her to - She did it.

After a kazillion threats - She did it.

After trying relentlessly to get out of the task - She finally did it.

But NOT before turning to me and passionately asking - 

"Whatever happened to Free Agency, anyways?!"

The problem that just gets bigger

It's no secret that folding laundry is my absolute LEAST favorite job to do and probably the one thing I procrastinate without guilt.  In fact,  I've noticed that there is a direct correlation between the amount of unfolded laundry piled up and the mood I am in.      

No pile of laundry = I'm rockin the whole momma thing

 A 5 day old pile in the middle of my bedroom floor =  it's been one of those weeks;)

   

Hence the pile shown here:

That little pile seemed to get bigger and bigger with each passing day.

One morning, as John was getting ready for work, he asked me where his brown pants were.  

Silly Boy!  Where else would the clean clothes be?

Like...Duh!!!!

Saturday morning goodness

Every Saturday morning John gets up and makes a breakfast feast that consists of pancakes or french toast and home made hashbrowns.   John makes the BEST hashbrowns.    

John also lets me lay in bed extra long.   It's the best feeling ever to drift in and out of a early morning day dream to the sound of my entire family in the kitchen as the smell of cinnamon and butter wafts through the house.   sigh...

Inevitably though - John always sends one of the kids in to force me out of bed, because it's my job to make the syrup.

I'm beginning to think I'd better teach him how to make it himself;)

Rainy Day Poem

 It was a beautiful, grey, melancholy kinda Friday this past week, when my sister emailed me a poem that she had written a few years back.     

There is nothing better then a melancholy poem on a rainy day.  Is there?

(PS:  I love the word "melancholy", and I especially love pronouncing it the Megamind way)

So without further ado- Crystal's beautiful (and "mil-ON-kaly";) rainy day poem:

They say the rain pours poets

and as I sit here by candlelight

     I fight the urge --- and I fail.

As through the cracks of my consciousness 

streams the cliched melancholy of my mood

       the shadow of my hand beating against the page 

                             to the rhythm of rain

Oh how I have craved this friend in weather

Perhaps to cry my tears, wash away the fears

and soothe the sting of these burns

As now I can sit in the rain unnoticed 

                            invisible

       I become a part of it and it in me.

And with this new sense of anonymity 

                           I confide

I no longer have to hold my head high

or put on that same stale smile for the gawking passerby

                         But slowly dissolve.

And in the warmth of the morning

I know -- a new day begins.

    I will rebuild.

So tonight I say

                         let it pour!  

                    Im not holding onto these feeling anymore!

               -Crystal Payne

When all is right

Well it is election Monday, and at the moment somewhere a bunch of people are busy counting up all of the votes.   It sounds as though voter turnout was up drastically from last time, which I think is cool.    I have to say though, I will be really glad when it is over.     Now each night, when my Father in law comes over for dinner, we can talk about more important things besides politics.  Like...what I'm going to plant in my garden for example!!!

Yup- my mind is going that way, and why shouldn't it, it was almost 30 degrees here today!!!    

Though the afternoon heat had me feeling sluggish and lazy - the evening was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!  

Right after dinner, the kids and I headed out for some quick errands before FHE.    We had a slight change in plans though when Abby noticed some of her friends hanging outside the PC Campaign office.    There was a serious party going on with music and everything and Abby couldn't help but start to dance.     I chose that moment to slip away and do some shopping alone because I was way too embarrassed to stand there and watch my daughter dance on main street.     (She takes after me when it comes to dancing.  It's not pretty;)   I came back 5 minutes later and the kids were all wearing bright orange PC t-shirts and eating pizza as if they'd actually been invited;)  haha!    

  

Well, after crashing that fun party- it was time to leave and go VOTE!  I was glad the kids were with me, because it gave me a chance to show them what it means to vote.    They seemed pretty interested in it and even had a candidate of choice themselves;)   Let's hope this enthusiasm for politics lasts until they actually can vote.  

After that- it was time for a family bike ride!   The first one of the year;)    We had planned to ride over to the temple and back, but the kids had so much fun that we decided to just keep on going:)    The little adventure took us to a nearby park where the kids happily played in the dirt as if they'd never been outside before.    They were practically rolling in it;)    

Here Abby is building Niagra falls, Nathan is wrecking Niagra falls, and Jessica had built a crater of sorts.

Sam's creation really impressed me.    He drew a map of the St. Mary's spillway.   It's definitely a favorite spot for our kids and he drew it all out in great detail including several marmot holes along each roadway.   See?  Can't you tell that's St. Mary's? :)

John sat nearby and did what he does best.

 Oh and look a picture of me!   That so rarely happens;)   I'm so very pleased that the one picture that exists of me with the family- and I'm wearing a dorky bike helmet.   That's just great:)  

PS:   John made me wear that helmet and lectured me with all sorts of diatribes about how I need to set an example for the kids...and blah... blah... blah.   It's easy for him to say though, he always gets to look good! (see above photo)

Having to wear that helmet aside, it was a beautiful evening, and I couldn't help but think about how perfect the day had ended up being.    It seemed as though the entire province was in a frenzy of worry over what the election results would bring, and what the implications of such result would be, yet that all hardly mattered to me in that moment.   This might sound kinda shallow, what with all the political issues being faced today, but all I really cared about as we rode our bikes home was how right then - everything seemed so perfectly right in MY little world!

How to make them bigger then....

I was reading an article online the other day in which a Dad stated a wish he had for his children.  He said:    

"I want my kids to feel bigger then anything that life will throw at them"

As soon as I read that I felt absolutely certain that there is nothing I want more for my kids then that exact same thing!    Is there anything more empowering then the knowledge that no matter what happens in this life- you have the capacity and ability to over come it?    Well, with divine help of course;)  I've been thinking about that a lot lately, wondering just how exactly I, as a parent, can go about helping my kids to feel that.    How do I build them up so that they feel "BIG" enough.    

Last night I came across a cool article titled  19 things to say to your Children.   The list impressed me, and I can imagine that if I did in fact say these things to my kids more often, (as often as I can) then they really would in fact be stronger for it.    A lot of these things are simple sentences that I know I've said to my kids here and there before.   Other sentences though- have likely never come from my lips. Like #11 for example!  ;)   I don't remember a moment where I've ever said something like that- and that actually makes me quite sad.  I'm going to print this list out and put it some where that I will see it often.    

I may even repeat these words to MYSELF every now and then;)!

19 Things to say to your Children:

1. I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you. Nothing you could do or say or think will ever change that.

2. You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do, but who you are. There is no one like you. No one!

3. It’s all right to cry. People cry for all kinds of reasons: when they are hurt, sad, glad, or worried; when they are angry, afraid, or lonely. Big people cry too. I do.

4. You’ve made a mistake. That was wrong. People make mistakes. I do. Is it something we can fix? What can we do? It’s all over. You can start fresh. I know you are sorry. I forgive you.

5. You did the right thing. That was scary or hard. Even though it wasn’t easy, you did it. I am proud of you; you should be too.

6. I’m sorry. Forgive me. I made a mistake.

7. You can change your mind. It’s good to decide, but it is also fine to change.

8. What a great idea! You were really thinking! How did you come up with that? Tell me more. Your mind is clever!

9. That was kind. You did something helpful and thoughtful for that person. That must make you feel good inside. Thank you!

10. I have a surprise for you. It’s not your birthday. It’s for no reason at all. Just a surprise, a little one, but a surprise.

11. I can wait. We have time. You don’t have to hurry this time.

12. What would you like to do? It’s your turn to pick. You have great ideas. It’s important to follow your special interests.

13. Tell me about it. I’d like to hear more. And then what happened? I’ll listen.

14. I’m right here. I won’t leave without saying good-bye. I am watching you. I am listening to you.

15. Please and Thank You. These are important words. If I forget to use them, will you remind me?

16. I missed you. I think about you when we are not together!

17. Just try. A little bit. One taste, one step. You might like it. Let’s see. I’ll help you if you need it. I think you can do it.

18. I’ll help you. I heard you call me, here I am. How can I help you? If we both work together, we can get this done. I know you can do it by yourself, but I’m glad to help since you asked.

19. What do you wish for? Even if it’s not yet time for birthday candles and we don’t have a wishbone, it’s still fun to hear about what you wish for, hope for, and dream about.

(photo taken by HaleyClairePhotography)

When a parent behaves childishly...

The other day we had to switch the kids' rooms around a bit.  (Which is no surprise to anybody who really knows us, as we are always changing up the kids' rooms;)   I'll spare you the details, but in short- Abby no longer wanted to sleep alone downstairs so we needed to make room for her upstairs with the rest of us.    As it currently sits - (and I won't even pretend to say this is the last shake up) Abby and Jessica now share a large bedroom, while Nate and Sam share the smaller one.   

The kids instantly realized this meant Boys vs Girls in the battle of the rooms.

Within hours of getting his new room, Sam felt it necessary to stake his claim and make it very clear to the whole family that no girls are aloud into his room.   

Like...EVER!

(That's what the picture of the girl in a circle with a line through it is supposed to mean;)

                   

And if...IF by some chance you are a girl, and if for some reason you think you should be able to enter his room - then you must give him 1 of the 2 code words that he has carefully chosen.  And I'm not kidding - it's serious business this whole boys room/ girls room stuff!

    Abby - not wanting to be on the receiving end only,  came home from school and slapped on her door her own little sign of retaliation:

I love how she made a point of clarifying that GIRLS can come in for FREE, as if there was some sort of toll that would other wise have to be paid.

Oh wait - there is!!!

It has actually gotten to that point!

Several times I have walked by the kids' rooms to see Abby, Sam and Jess gathered in the hallway seriously discussing the "terms" that must be met in order for them to enter the others room.    Some of the terms involved - giving away pocession of certain toys,  doing a certain some one's chores, promising not to touch certain toys, and yes...offering up certain ludicrous amounts of money (that let's be honest - none of them really have.)

All to gain permission to simply ENTER!

At first, I thought it was wise of me to let them establish a space of their own, and in truth - it was kinda cute to watch them form these little teams together.  (I personally have very fond memories of  teaming up with my one sister against my other two siblings:)   However, I'm beginning to wonder if we will ever go back to the friendly open door atmosphere we once had, and I don't necessarily like the fact that they are excluding each other based on all these silly terms and conditions.  Can you imagine if they treated their peers at school like this?  

So I did what any parent in my position would do.    I slapped on a sign of my own!

I think I was initially trying to teach them a valuable life lesson...you know... about how important it is that we never discriminate and exclude others...etc.

Then again....perhaps I just really needed my own little break from it all!!;)

At any rate, tonight as the kids were getting ready for bed- they all wanted to come in my room to visit, but of course, there was this silly little rule preventing them from being able to.   I told them that I'd take my sign down if they took their signs down as well,  which they all agreed to do, (though Sam was a bit hesitant).   I'm just going to go ahead and chalk this one up to a Lesson Learned;)

And POOF!   Just like that I'm a good mom again!

Apparently even I can be crafty. ....Who knew?;)

I love wreaths!    Absolutely LOVE them.   When I sit on the sofa in my front room I can point out at least 3 different styled wreaths and that number increases dramatically at Christmas time;)    

What I don't love though - is crafts.   Of any sort.

I just don't think I have much patience for crafts, and combine that with the fact that I don't have the eye and/or ability to actually make something look cute - I'm pretty much hopeless in that department.   

So imagine my surprise when I found myself working on, and actually completing this home made paper wreath!   PAPER I say!!!

It involved cutting out every single petal and the gluing them in place to create 24 roses.    Then placing  those around a wreath frame.    Of course, I probably wouldn't have done this if I hadn't of had Downton Abbey to watch as well as an endless supply of M*A*S*H episodes to watch while working on it;)      But whatever gets the job done- that's what I say!

Now, every time I look at it, I stop to admire the vintage print on the paper, and also to give myself a proverbial pat on the back.   

It's not often that I see a craft through to the end!

24 hours in spring

It's funny isn't it?

 One afternoon, you can be standing in the hot sun, watching your daughter proudly ride a two-wheeler for the very first time ever!

 And less then one day later-

It's winter again.

On the bright side, there is nothing like a spring snow fall to make things nice and green after!

Easter Break

Wow, this week has flown by!   It's always nice when we can enjoy a little break from school, and I love having John and the kids home all day.     

Some of the things we've done so far this week:

*We began spring cleaning!  I for one am incredibly excited about this and yesterday was "Clean the Blinds" Day.   (My family loved it, but not really;)  

* John and I have begun some serious Moroni's Quest preparation and I'm getting more then a wee bit excited for the actual event that will happen at the end of June.   I've spent the past two days sewing costumes,  and John has been asked to give a talk in Sacrament meeting about Moroni's Quest - so it's been a large focus around here lately.   Frankly, I think he should wear this outfit when he gives his talk.  (He's totally got the legs to pull it off!:)

(I love John's pose in this pic and I personally think he'd get a lot fewer speaking assignments if people actually knew what a goofball he really is, but alas-  he hides it so well;)

* The kids have painted LOTS of pictures!

* Movie Nights x FIVE!   (It's so fun when every night is NOT a school night;)  

* I've made about 6 trips to the dollar store this week.  (one for every day excluding Sunday;)   That's what I do when the kids get bored - load them up to go spend more money on useless toys that will break in five minutes;)   Only yesterday, I got visiting with a woman and Nate disappeared on me and BROKE A CLOCK!   The owner was mad at me, so...I think that officially ends our daily trips to the dollar store for awhile;)   

*  John and I have strangely enough watched very little of our beloved M*A*S*H because we are busy focusing on the 2nd season of Downton Abbey.   LOVE this series, and we have only 3 more episodes to go;)  sigh.   (Thanks Besty for picking the DVD's up for me.   A lot of time has been wasted as a result;)  

*  Yesterday we drove the kids out to St. Mary's for the first time this year to check out the spillway.  We're getting excited for spring!

* We also drove to Raymond to visit John's Grandpa and Grandma.  They are turning 97 and 96 consecutively and they are remarkable people!   My kids love their Jelly Bean Machine so they are always up for a visit;)     Too bad I had my camera with me and didn't think to take a picture;)  

* We were able to get together with our friends the Salmons over the weekend.   At first, we'd planned to meet at Lions Park for a Easter Egg Hunt, and dinner.    Unfortunately (despite my amazing job decorating;) it was cold, and some what dirty and gross (in a ghetto sort of way) so we packed up and came back to our place.    It's always fun to see them!

 * On Sunday, we all (including Max) drove in to Lethbridge to have an Easter Dinner with Rach and Brent.   As always Rach pulled off a beautiful meal and I'm hoping that she'll share some of her recipes on our family Recipe Blog.    The kids were thrilled to get to watch their favorite show (America's Funniest Home Videos) while enjoying popcorn and strawberry Milk shakes, and now they think Rachel is the coolest mom ever!  (But that's only because she gives them fun gifts, let's them eat in the living room and she has cable.   Oh alright- even I think she's the coolest mom ever!!!:) 

* Oh and I also managed to squeeze in a little bit of time to completely ruin my oldest daughters childhood and dash all her hopes and dreams, but I suppose that's a story that I'll leave for another time;)     

Never a dull moment around here, that's for sure!  

I'm kinda looking forward to Monday now, as I could really use a break;)

The Ultimate Hope

(photo taken March 2012)

Every Easter I like to pull out this talk by Elder Neal A Maxwell.  It is my all time FAVORITE talk!

I know I've said that before, but this time I really mean it.    It is my favorite.

I was once asked to give a talk in Church on the subject of HOPE and ever since then, these words have had a profound impact me, specifically the way I view the atonement.    Just a few of my favorite points from Elder Maxwell's talk, because it is Easter Sunday, and I'm in the mood to be spiritual and enlightening today:)

"For a variety of reasons, today’s society seems to struggle in order to be hopeful. 

Our everyday usage of the word hope includes how we “hope” to arrive at a certain destination by a certain time. We “hope” the world economy will improve. We “hope” for the visit of a loved one. Such typify our sincere but proximate hopes.

Instead, however, I speak of the crucial need for ultimate hope.  Ultimate hope is a different matter. It is tied to Jesus and the blessings of the great Atonement...."

This always makes me think of the things, those "proximate hopes" I hope for each and every day.   For example,  I hope each day that my kids will be safe at school, and more importantly - that they won't say or do anything that would reflect poorly on me as a parent! haha;)   I hope each day to be able to accomplish all the things on my ever important "To-do" list.   I hope to pay off our van and student loans this year and be done with all of that.   I hope to photograph something beautiful.   I hope to be able to think of others more then I think of myself (that is sadly sometimes easier said then done;)   I hope to learn how to speak in public without being so afraid.   Actually, for the most part, I hope to learn how to just generally not be afraid! ;)   

I recognize that those hopes are generally quite temporal, and for the most part, are within my own ability to control, achieve or overcome.   Yet deeper then that are other hopes, not often spoken of, yet constantly brewing:

   I hope to learn how to not compare myself to others.   I hope to judge and envy less.   I hope to overcome the regrets that I feel.  I hope to be healed.     I hope to see my parents again.   I hope to live with John forEVER.  In fact, I hope to live with ALL my loved ones eternally.   I can hardly understand what that entails, or would be like, yet I hope for it.   Most of all though, I hope to one day over come those weaknesses that keep me from being the person that I want to be.  

That Ultimate hope spoken of is why I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ.  This subject didn't always affect me so deeply, but perhaps that is just because I did not then realize just how personally I would one day need to rely on it.    It's funny how the older I get the more dependent I actually feel;)     
 Because of the atonement, I can have hope that one day I will look back and see that those weaknesses of mine have indeed, as promised, become strengths.   


Again, I can hardly understand how that could happen, but still...I hope.  

The egg that wouldn't hatch

Well, Easter Break has officially begun!   We have some fun things planned for this weekend, and throughout the week, and it will be so nice to have John home each day!   I'm all geared up for some productive days of spring cleaning.   It's this time of year that I divide my house into "zones" and spend an entire day focusing on each particular zone.    I'm cleaning out tonnes of clutter, and I think we'll actually try to have a garage sale at some point.   (The kids have always wanted to have one;)

Speaking of the kids- they are more then ready for the Easter Bunny to arrive.   Of course we are trying hard to teach them all about the real reason that we celebrate Easter - but that darn bunny is just so alluring!

Yesterday, Abby and Jessica disappeared for a good while, and I eventually went to see what they were up to.   They had created a little incubation zone in Jessica's room where they were hoping to hatch their very own chick!    Abby even had a bowl of water and a plate of seeds nearby just in case the chick happened to arrive on Easter Morning as hoped.   

It's totally an egg from the store.

Hard boiled.

And dyed green.

But I wasn't about to crush their little spirits.    Nope,  I was perfectly happy to let them continue on trying for a while longer.   They'd tried their very best to simulate a natural environment- even using a real nest that once sat in our crab apple tree out back.   

But then John came home, and flat out told the girls that this would NEVER work.

Abby started to cry.    

Jessica still tried to believe.

I promised John then and there that if I ever take the kids on a "snipe hunt" 

- HE'S STAYING HOME!!!!

Happy Easter

The Girl who cried Wolf

For several weeks now, I've been hearing about the wolves that have been spotted in Waterton.   Back in January they'd been spotted by the horse stables, and recently a man in our ward saw an entire pack while visiting the park.    It's made me anxious all winter because I've deep down longed to see them myself.    I've always wanted to see a wolf in the wild, more specifically to hear one.      They are just kinda mysterious and intriguing to me. 

Anyways, on Saturday night, I noticed on a Waterton Website that they'd had several wolf sightings at a specific location around 7 am for several mornings in a row.    That's when I decided I was going to go on my own little stake out.   I am after all, the daughter of a former private investigator;)    The plan was to get to Waterton early (well before 7), wait at the mentioned location,....and then... I'd wait some more.

   And when the wolves came... I'd photograph them!

That's pretty much the plan.

Funny thing is though, the drive out to Waterton at 5:50 am is actually much darker then I thought it would be, and by the time I neared the park, I was down right terrified!    It suddenly seemed entirely possible, (correction- probable) that a giant pack of wolves would emerge on my van and figure out how to open the door.     And then what would I do?   Or worse- what if they were where wolves! 

See?  When it is dark like this - none of that seems crazy.

Luckily, my desire to capture a photo was still stronger then my crazy juvenile imaginary fears, and so I continued on.    Within minutes the sun began to peak out over the horizon and it not only chased away those silly thoughts, but it also illuminated an amazing and beautiful scene that was anything but sleepy.  

The Elk were EVERYWHERE!

They've always been so fascinating to watch, and they were bugling this morning too which was cool.   

Unfortunately I couldn't watch them long - because I had to get to Drift wood Bay

 (AKA: the target location.) 

So I sat at Drift wood Bay for quite awhile.   My eyes actually began to hurt from staring too intensely.   

At one point, I even said a prayer to Heavenly Father that I'd be able to see the wolves.

Nothing. 

 (But don't worry,  I still have faith;)

Luckily though, the Elk were out like gophers today, and they weren't shy at all:)

I decided that perhaps the problem was that I was upwind, and maybe the wolves could just smell my van.   Knowing that my van probably wreaked of cheezies, slurpy containers,  and Sam's stinky socks, I decided to move down wind and get deeper in behind drift wood bay.  

While doing so,   I came across this old building and was instantly reminded of a fun camp I was part of here some 20 years ago.    

 In grade 4,  I was captain of the Safety Patrol at my school and as a result, I got to go on a 3 day camp where me and other Safety Patrol Captains underwent lots of....um... "rigorous training?"   It was a tough gig being "Captain of the Safety Patrol" and camp Columbus helped teach me the important basics of leadership and all that stuff.    (Actually, all I remember is that one night I hid my chocolate bars in a pile of dirt out side our sleeping quarters and we found out the next morning that a bear had visited us.)

Tee hee...Oops;)  

But that was so long ago.   It's weird isn't it?  One minute I'm Captain of the Safety Patrol, and the next I'm an "aspiring and adventurous WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER!"  Sigh.  Where does the time go?;)

(That was a joke by the way;)

Really, I was just kidding.   I'm not a wildlife photographer.     

A wildlife photographer would have been able to find a simple pack of wolves to photograph.

A wild life photographer would have been able to get more then a shot of a bunch of Elk Bums. 

I mean seriously!  I'd hardly call that a flattering photo!

I'm pathetic.   

It's a good thing I've got my Safety Patrol Skills to fall back on;)  

Actually, it's a good thing I ENJOY these little nature drives, regardless of the outcome, because in the end,  I saw no wolves.   

Not a single one.  

 I did see lots of elk, some deer, a coyote (or WAS IT?!), and several geese and swans.    

AND it was a beautiful way to begin a beautiful day!

On the way home though, the thought did occur to me that I could just tell a teensy weensy lie to John (heaven knows I've told him worse;) and say I had indeed seen the wolves, but just hadn't gotten a picture of them.   I think that he may have been slightly more impressed with me.

But we've all heard that story before, now haven't we?

General Conference Weekend

I just LOVE Conference Weekend!    

It started out with an early morning drive to waterton to look for wolves, and ended with a big Turkey dinner.   By far though- the best part was definitely the CONFERENCE PART;)   

Abby loves the snacks that we pull out in efforts to keep the kids engaged.

Sam loves that he doesn't have to actually go to church and sit still;)

Jessica loves the activity books she gets to work on while listening

And Nate?    Well, he was happy to climb all over everybody and not pay attention as usual;)

As per our Conference tradition- John set up the kids tent in the basement so that they could lay and listen.   It always turns into more of a jungle gym, thus causing John and I to constantly nag at the kids to be quiet and listen.     I really don't know why we continue to do this each year -but a tradition is a tradition!

Jewel brought over a cute little conference packet for the kids, which included snacks.   That bought us an extra 10 minutes of peace and quiet!

Jessica, took the conference packet seriously, trying to identify each speaker as best as she could. 

Abby has spent the past two days sewing!   I'm actually impressed that she sat and listened to all FOUR sessions of conference, and she created a lot of cool things in the process.   

She made a hand stitched purse.

Then she attacked a couple of her old T-shirts and made a pillow out of them.

And today she got really funky and stitched together a "Sock HORSE!" 

She's named it 'Niki'- and she's quite proud of it!

I don't know how I feel about the fact that 5 pairs of perfectly decent socks were used in the creation of this horse, but at the time I'm sure I gave her the green light.    I'd agree to anything if it meant I could listen to the talks uninterrupted.  (Which probably explains why, by the time the last session ended, 3 of our 4 kids were wearing SWIMSUITS and creating havoc with the sewing scissors.   ooopsies;)!

Speaking of the Conference talks - my favorites this year were given by:  

Elder Jeffrey R Holland - I felt like he was speaking directly to me.   Loved his thoughts on envying. 

Dieter F Uchdorf - Went along perfectly with Elder Hollands talk.  Loved the quote "Don't judge me because I sin differently then you."   Where Elder Holland's talk left me never wanting to envy others again, Elder Uchdorf's talk made me want to speak only kindly of others from this point on.   Why are those two things so hard to do?   

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom - I LOVED this talk!  His comparison of being "active in the church" vs "being active in the GOSPEL" has got me wondering where exactly I am at.      

and 

Elder Wilson - As parents we have to prepare our children to get along with out us, and we have to help our kids establish their OWN connection with heaven.  LOVE IT!

My only complaint is that General Conference Weekend never lasts long enough!!!