The Block Party we Crashed in style

In my previous post, I mentioned my attempt on Thursday to enjoy one last calm and peaceful day before school got out for the summer.    Well, Friday came and by 1:30pm everybody was ready to

 P-A-R-T-Y!

Sam and Abby both spent the afternoon at birthday parties for friends, and at 7:30 that evening we headed over to my sisters neck of the woods for a "School's Out" celebration like no other!  

Jewel lives in a pretty cool cul de sac that is full of kids of all ages, and there is always something fun going on, but this really takes the cake.    One of Jewel's friends organized the event.   

The general idea?   Everyone is welcome.   Bring snacks.   And Dance Dance Dance!   

Here is a picture I snapped as we arrived.  The party was just getting started;) 

There was LOTS of snacking, and the cutest Lemonade shop ever!

There were kids ripsticking, lots of dancing in the street, and visiting.    The DJ played music non-stop.

There were bubbles, friends and puppies to play with. 

My kids surprised me and danced and played without any reservation.   Seriously.  If I could bottle up their confidence and keep it for myself I would;)   I tried my best to not look like a wall flower, and took any opportunity I could to visit with some of my favorite people!

Abby danced terribly.  (but confidently;)

Sam spent his time trying to harass the girls his age.

Jessica latched on to many of her former pre school friends and she disappeared for large chunks of time.

And Nate?....

Well, Nate is still in the habit of removing his diaper ANY time he gets it wet.  It's become almost impossible to keep it on him.   So TWICE that night we looked down to find Nate standing beside us withOUT pants or diaper.    You know, just chillin'... bearing it all!   It's like I always say, "It's not a party until a streaker shows up, right?"    (ok, actually, I never say that, but I like to think he made the event extra EVENTful.)     The second time he did it though, we'd had enough (John and I), and we decided it was time to try and save face and go home.     I mean there is only so much humiliation we are willing to endure, you know?

So, John took off down the street, carrying our half naked son, and I looked around for Sam.   It didn't take long to find him dancing alone on someone else's front porch.   It was such a funny sight that I stopped to film it for a second before pointing him towards John and Abby and commanding him to go home!    

As I was headed home, I found Jessica and made her come with me.   She immediately burst into tears and told me that this was (once again)...the "worst day ever!"   (If you read my previous post, you'd understand that she didn't really mean that, she just apparently never wants the fun to end:)

Finally though, we were home. 

 It was 10:30 at night, and the party was still going strong, but we were home.

Time for bed!   

Suddenly, John and I looked around and noticed that someone was missing.   Where was Sam? 

We did the whole, "I thought you had him" ......"No.  I thought YOU had him" thing before John headed back to the party to find our missing child.    

So basically, that is us in a nutshell.   We occasionally lose our children, and they occasionally take their clothes off in public.    

 Yup.  We are pretty awesome. 

But you know what I like to say.  It's not a Party until.....   (oh...never mind;)

I'm so glad to know people who think up such fun ideas, and have the energy to bring them to life. 

  I can see that I have my work cut out for me this summer.   If I am going to keep my kids happy, it is going to take nothing short of a non-stop, NEVER ENDING party!   

Here is a little montage containing some of the fun:

One last hurrah before school ends...

I think I am the only person I know who was slightly dreading the last day of school.  Don't get me wrong, there are LOTS of things that I'll enjoy about summer holidays.   (Less schedule; no making bag lunches every day;  no entryway full of coats, shoes and backpacks....)  

 I will however miss the quiet.

I will really miss the quiet;)

So on Thursday, when I woke up to a beautiful sunny day, I took it as a sign.   A God given gift, if you will, just for little ol' me.  One last chance to enjoy a calm and peaceful day before the madness officially begins;)

Where did I  choose to go?

Waterton of Course!

Of course I still had Nate and Jessica with me and so I was determined to make it extra fun for them too.    So we spent the day: 

*Walking along Red Rock Road

* playing by Jessica's Waterfall (she has claimed it as her very own;)

*Eating hot dogs and the obligatory sweet potato fries (can't go now with out getting those;)

*stopping by the stables to visit our favorite horses

*playing on the playground

 *and as an extra special treat- enjoying our favorite candy from our favorite candy store!

It was an absolutely PERFECT day.  There was not a bit of wind, which is rare for Waterton, and the sun shone down on us the whole time!  Oh yeah, and we also happened to get there right smack dab in the middle of the annual Wildflower festival, and they don't call it that for nothing!   We chose to walk along Red Rock road many times so that we could enjoy all the beautiful wild flowers that were growing along the side of the road.   

Bee-eee-autiful!!!!

By mid afternoon though, we knew we had to get home to meet Sam and Abby after school.  (Good bye school schedule.   I won't miss you!:)   As we reached the exit of the park Jessica burst into tears and proclaimed, "This is the WORST day EVER!"    

Somewhat surprised I asked her how it could possibly have been the worst day ever when we'd all had so.much.fun?  

Her response:  "Well...it was the best day ever, until we had to leave.  Now it is the worst day ever." 

Yup.   I totally see her logic there.   

Kids Marathon- What a Party!

Every year our family participates in the Kids Marathon.  It was created by a husband and wife team, and has really become something quite huge.   A few years ago, they'd had this idea to create an event in which (over the space of several weeks) the kids would register and run/walk/ride the equivalent to a Marathon Race, with everyone gathering to do the last mile together!     Such a great idea, and the "last mile" party has really become something everyone looks forward to.    

Yesterday was the final race day.  Here is a snapshot of a portion of the crowd as we are getting ready to begin the race.    My niece Ava was in charge of joining a few other kids up on the flat deck and teaching the crowd a couple of dance moves.   That girl never seems nervous to me and she did such a good job.    Oh yeah, and it rained this year- but that didn't seem to dampen anyones mood at all!    

Here is a glimpse of the runners.   This line stretched all the way down to main street, and there were more people behind me;)    I wish I'd heard an official headcount of al who ran, but I didn't.    I did hear someone say that there were over 2000 people there!    Does that sound too crazy too be true?

Well...you should've seen it- that's all I have to say;)

Jessica proudly wearing her snazzy dazzy GLOW IN THE DARK medal.   After collecting her medal, the kids all got to enjoy a picnic lunch provided by Subway, and then my kiddos watched as others fought for prizes.    Haha.  I think my kids were too nervous to try to win anything - which surprised me.  I've never known my kids to be shy a day in their lives.    Who knew? ;)

Happy Cousins enjoying their triumph!

This is a picture of Patricia and Duane that I took at last years Marathon.   Every time that I talk with Patricia I always walk away with a renewed desire to find something to be truly passionate about.    She's definitely passionate about healthy living and it is so inspiring to see what these two accomplish each year because of that.    That said...watching them yesterday also made me feel so so very tired! ;)

If you were to ask my family- they'd tell ya that the 4th Annual Kids Marathon was a smashing success!   

The view from my backyard hammock

The rain is pouring down right now, and there is nothing I want to do more then find a patch of sunshine and bask in it's warmth for a bit.   Sadly, there is none to be found.  What is with this spring?   

I came across these photos that were taken a couple of weeks ago, on a rare but glorious sunshiny day.   I remember it well.   I had just finished mowing the lawn.  Jessica was snapping pictures of Nature, and  there were a bunch of kids over playing after school.  By all means, it should have seemed like a busy time.   I listened as kids argued on the trampoline debating who's turn it was to do their trick next.   From the kitchen I could here Abby yelling to me that Nathan's Popsicle was melting all over the floor but he wouldn't let her take it away from him.   And the phone was ringing.   Somewhere, off in the distance, I could here it ringing.   

I just ignored it all.

It's funny how melodious the sounds of six kids can be when laying in a Hammock staring up at the sky!

Sometimes there are just too many things to brag about;)

So yesterday after church, I asked one of Nate's primary teachers (who is awesome by the way!)  how Nate was doing with the other kids in his class.    The response: 

 "He's selfish.  Belligerent.  Completely uncooperative, and he seems to enjoy disobeying."  

Hmmm.  I hadn't really expected that (though I can't entirely disagree with it;)    

However, that synopsis has caused me to spend at least 15 minutes deep in pensive self reflection, as I've wondered just where exactly I've gone wrong with this boy.    It's not like I'm delusional or anything - I know my kids aren't perfect, ...but "Belligerent?"   I mean, I don't even know what that means!!!

Needless to say- Nate may not be in my good books right now, but let me pause to reflect on the successes and accomplishments of my older kids.    (You know the ones that aren't bordering complete delinquency:)

Take Abby for example.    Imagine our surprise last Monday when she wanted to share a talent at Family Home Evening.   What was her talent you ask?   Well she successfully put an unconscious (somewhat over dramatic) patient into "recovery position!"     Apparently she'd learned this technique from a comic book - so I think she gets extra props for teaching herSELF!   

* She's Ambitious, Self-Motivated, AND she'll probably end up saving someones life one day, no?

******

Jessica has spent the week doing dishes after every dinner time meal, all on her own!   She's not being punished or anything-she just does it to suck up.   It's AWESOME!   (Well, ... if you can look past the puddle of water that pools on the floor beneath her, that is)      

* See? Service oriented AND and a certifiable brown noser.   She'll go far with those qualities;)

******

Sam participated in the grade 1 track and field event at school last week.  He was proud as punch when he won first place in the 50 meter dash, and so was I.    I mean sure- he only ran against two other kids, but that didn't really seem to dampen his spirits.   As far as he knows- he's the reining champ of the whole day!   

* He may not be the most humble kid around but he ...um ... runs really fast?   

 And that's something to be proud of right? 

******

Then there is Nate.   I snapped this photo of him the other day after he'd taken his diaper off for the 37th time!   I initially thought he was ready to potty train-  but he still flat out REFUSES to sit on the potty and even try.   Instead, he would much rather take off his diaper secretly as soon as it's dirty, leave it in some unknown place for me to find later,  then pull up his pants and keep playing.   It's a recipe for disaster really, and I find that it is a full time job for Abby and I just making sure he has a diaper on! Still though- there's gotta be something good I can say about this boy right?

 ...Nope.  I've got nothing.  Unless "Belligerence" can be considered a virtue - I've got nothing.

Thankfully though, Nate's nursery leader (who's judgement I really do trust) did assure me that this is just a phase.  He'll surely get through it.   And in the mean time, at least I've got the three other kids to be proud of right?

See?  There's a silver lining in everything!

Happy Father's Day

My Dad always had the BEST advice to give!   Like, for real.   He always had some little nugget of wisdom to throw at us at any given moment.   For example: 

When I told him about a kid who was teasing me at school, he told me to go back to that kid, look him straight in the eye and say, "Oh yeah...well ....your Mother wears Army Boots!"  (I can't remember, but I think it worked like a charm;)  

When I was a 11, he decided to grow his grey hair out and wear it in a ponytail like a biker,  and my sisters and I were mortified!  I asked him why he wanted to embarrass us so much, and his response was that - "You can't always worry about what other people think about you."   (That's proven to be one of the bigger lessons that I'm still trying to learn.)

Suffice it to say, my Dad was a real Character.   And I miss him very much.  

Father's Day always gives me the chance to reflect on the awesome Dad that he was.   Although his methods were at times a little bit ...um ...unorthodox(?), he managed to instill deep within me an appreciation for the important things in life.     

Every Father's Day I feel such gratitude for the high standards my Dad required me to have when choosing a husband.    I couldn't ask for a better man to raise this gaggle of kids with then this guy right here;)   

This morning we tried to make John his favorite breakfast and shower him with all sorts of gifts and crafts, in an effort to show him how much we love him.  Some how though, all of that seems miserably superficial and shallow when compared to all that he gives us!   

"Steady John" -  That's what I like to call him!   He's not easily swayed, fears little, has a steel trap mind full of wise things, and speaks the truth.   He Always speaks the truth!    He lives what he believes and doesn't worry about what others think of him.  

I suppose in that way- him and my Dad are actually a lot alike.

Of course I am thankful for my father in law too, who (like my own Dad did) has taught me many important lessons.   Thanks to Max, I now know where to plant my squash each year and how to hill my potatoes!   He's shown me that sometimes speaking quietly can be more effective then always fighting to be heard.  And he is constantly demonstrating to me that serving those around you is never too much to ask.    

I'm so thankful to have so many wonderful examples in my life.   

Happy Father's Day to you each and every one!

   

A day on my own....

Thanks to a couple of previously scheduled specialist appointments, I found myself making the drive from here to Calgary this past week at 5:30 in the blessed am.    I used to be a morning person, but I must be getting old- because truly getting up that early was a big deal.   John (the eternal optimist) tried to reassure me by telling me that everything is always so peaceful at that time of day.

He's right by the way;)    

It was a quick trip, as I had to get back home by late afternoon to accommodate the kids sporting events etc, but I had an hour and a half in between my appointments to burn, and I was determined to stay away from all shopping malls.  (dang me and my recent determination to embrace frugality!:)

I found the most charming greenhouse just a bit off of 16th Ave, and spent much too much time inhaling the scents and loving the colors around me.     There was a particular garden bench for sale that I was really tempted to sprawl out on and read the book I'd brought along in my purse.  

 But I didn't.  (I didn't want to look homeless;)

Seeing as I was already on 16th Ave,  I knew I was only a few minutes away from the graveyard where my Mom and Dad are.    Well, technically, I know they really AREN'T there, but on this particular day- I really enjoyed my time connecting with them just the same.    John has said many times that a graveyard is not where he would go to feel close to loved ones, but it was nice to be alone, and recall the memories that I have.

I was sad that the gravestone had been so neglected, and the grass around it was completely unkempt. (I spent a good 20 minutes ripping up grass and cleaning it up, and I ended up having muddy knees and finger nails for my second appointment;)   However, I could tell that one of my siblings had also been here within the past couple of months because our parents grave was at least less grown over then others.     

After that I still had a few minutes left before I had to make my way to the south side of Calgary, so I decided to drive up to the new Temple to see how it looks.   Unfortunately Stony Plain Rd was NOT the road I should have taken, and I ended up being whisked past it without ever getting the chance to get to close.    Next time I'll know what road to take;)   But, if you squint really hard- you can see it!

So thankful to John and my sister JEWEL who juggled watching the kids amidst their own hectic schedules.    Who knew a trip to the doctor could be so enjoyable;)?  

Front yard in June

One warm and sunny day...

This week we've had a lot of rainy days, one really humid day, one foggy day, a few windy days, and even one day when all of Southern Alberta was put on a Tornado Watch.  (It produced nothing more then a lot of rain for us, but three tornadoes did touch down in other places)

Luckily though, this week also brought one Warm and Sunny day!    

The kids were obviously thrilled at the prospect of outdoor play, because as soon as they got home from school they changed into their swimsuits and converged on the back deck for a little bit of sunbathing.   

...and sewing?

Sunbathing and Sewing.    Too logical outdoor summer activities.    

While the kids lounged (and sewed;) Nate kept happy playing with his new (to him) water slide.

Perhaps I should clarify though, that the kids didn't really need a warm, sunny day to play with this, as more then once this week I caught them playing on it IN THE RAIN!

Clearly these kids no better then to hold out waiting for that ONE "warm and sunny day";)

When life is boring...

I mentioned in my previous post that Jessica has now finished pre school and is officially on Summer Break.   I couldn't be more excited about that myself, as it means I now have an ENTIRE day at my disposal, not just a broken up half day.   (Those lunch time pickups were the bain of my existence, and for the life of me I can not figure out why I was ALWAYS the last parent to show up?!)  

Anyways, now Jess and Nate and I are free to go and do anything we want within the hours of  9am-3pm and I have a feeling that a bit of that time will be spent enjoying little trips out to Waterton.   

 (shh though.  Don't tell Abby and Sam;)

This couldn't come at a better time for Nate, as he's grown a little too accustomed lately to playing pbskids on the computer... in his pajamas... for more hours then is healthy.

I'm pretty sure that if this child never learns to read, it will be because of all those days when Jessica went to school and left him home alone, with nothing to do but drift off into the mind numbing world of "dinosaur train."   

Poor Poor little boy.    

Last day of school

This past Wednesday, Jessica did NOT want to go to school.   That's definitely a first, because in all these  months, there has never been a day when Jessica did NOT want to go.    For a few minutes I was a bit confused, until a few pointed questions drew out the reason.     

Wednesday was Jessica's LAST day of pre school, and somehow in her little mind, she had decided that if she didn't go- then maybe it wouldn't actually have to come to an end.

I hope I can make her Summer Holidays seem as fun as her teacher made Pre school for her.   

(Though let's face it- I probably won't;)

Dear Diary and Our Summer Plans

I was recently cleaning up Abby's room (ridiculous that I even had to do that yes?) and the strangest thing happened.   As I was straightening up her bookshelf, her diary fell off the shelf and landed wide open (I swear it did!) on quite possibly the funniest page ever.  
Well, at least I thought it was funny.   

What do you think?

" March 6th 2012

I got a telescope for my Birthday and we tried to test it out. 

...Didn't work.

I tried to postpone home work.  

...Didn't work."

I'm not kidding- that cracks me up every time I think of it?    Tried to "postpone" homework?    Love it!  It makes me feel so grateful for the fact that I have a daughter who is old enough to write.   I mean, how else would I ever get to enjoy some of these wonderfully delightful musings?     

Like the other day, for example, when I came into my room to find a sealed envelope laying on my bed addressed to me.  Inside was this carefully written letter:   

 "Dear Mom, 

Where are we going on Summer Vacation?  

I think we should go to:

. the beach

. the water slides

. Hawaii

. Waterton

. New York City

From Abby, Samuel, Jess + Nate

Please write back."

Naturally, I wrote back to her with a response.   It went a little something like this:

"Dear Abby (and Sam, and Jess, and Nate;)

This summer is going to be AWESOME!    We are each going to read one book every week, AND Abby is going to practice the piano EVERY  single day!   On top of that- we will have lots and lots of extra time to do all sorts of fun chores.    It is going to be so RAD!

Oh and don't worry.   We will also try to find time to go to the beach, the waterslides, waterton, and maybe even the zoo!

Love, Mom"  

Monday evening Gong Show

Monday Nights at our house can pretty much be described as a "Gong Show" on the best of days, but last night in particular was a real gooder.    

I'd made the mistake of calling the kids to the table a few minutes to early.   And that proved to be almost the worst thing I could have done.    While I dashed around the kitchen getting the remainder of  dinner on the table - John "refereed" the kids.  And believe me, he definitely needed to Referee.   

As soon as the older kids realized it was BBQ'd Salmon for dinner they ALL began fighting and placing dibs on which pieces they would get as soon as prayer was said.   They were stabbing everything and everyone in their path with their forks!

Then Jessica sat in Sam's chair, and Sam wasn't going to have that.   

Then Sam decided he wasn't gong to WAIT for prayer and started dishing his plate up - and Abby and Jess weren't going to have that! 

Then Nate got mad because nobody was listening to him as he voiced his demands and so he crawled under the kitchen table to cry.    

Then Abby and Jess started arguing.

Finally John told me that whether I was ready or not- it was time to pray, 'cuz these kids were going crazy.   So I sat down so we could pray.  

Then a debate ensued about who would say the prayer!

So we had two prayers (as we often do) just to appease everybody. 

  (Hopefully we get extra blessings for all that praying;)

But Nate was still mad- because he didn't want Sam to get to say a prayer AT ALL- so it was back under the kitchen table for him to cry.

Finally.   FINALLY, all was some what calm.   As I looked across the table I could see my Father - in  Law looking down at his plate, shaking, as he tried his best to suppress the laughter.  

Yup.   We just like to provide a little entertainment for our dinner guests - that's all;)   

Later at Family Home Evening I tried to teach the kids about Enos, who was a Hero because he'd prayed with faith for so long.    At a point in the lessons I turned it over to the kids, and asked if they could define what it takes to be a "Hero."   Their responses:

Jessica:  "Faith"

Sam:   "Tights! ...and DNA!   Oh yeah....and courage."

Abby:  "a Cape?"

I think I'll try again next Monday;)    

If I thought last week was busy....

I am officially pooped.   As in tired.    Exhausted.    Ready for summer break.

It always seems as though the last month or so of school are the busiest of the entire year, and I must be getting old, because I'm having a hard time keeping up with it all.    I don't know what I'd do without the Large Calendar in my kitchen that tells me what is going on and when.  Without it- I'd be lost right now;)     So, here is another recap of another busy, BUT FUN, week:

Monday:   brought my favorite event of the year- Abby's piano recital.   I can't say enough about how much I love this event.   For starters it is the culmination of a year of practice and lessons, and the promise of 90 seconds on stage is all the compensation Abby needs;)  haha.   For me, it always reaffirms in my heart that the struggle it takes to get her to actually practice each day is so completely worth it!   In all fairness, Abby has been more willing to exert herself this year then in previous years, and I think she is starting to see what a little bit of effort can do.  (Though she still is not willing to admit that to me;)  I recently heard an awesome talk that compared piano lessons to the atonement, and it has changed the way I think of both ;)    I'm convinced that we are doing a good thing by making Abby learn this skill, and I am pretty sure she will thank us for it one day;)

Abby's piano teacher is one of my favorite people ever!  I just love Betsy, and I think she deserves a medal for the patient, kind way she teaches my slacker daughter;)   She has so many talented piano students and I always enjoy hearing them perform.    Abby did GREAT and even played a duet with Mya which was super fun to watch!   

Good job Abby! 

(and Bless you Betsy!! ;)

Tuesday was an exceptionally busy day.    I had been asked to be a chaperon parent for Abby's junior Choir field trip to Lethbridge.   We left at 9:00am for Lethbridge and went neon bowling.   A couple of things I learned while helping out:  1) I am incredibly inept when it comes to keeping 4  eight and nine year olds happy on a bus for very long;)   2) The same silly games I played as a kid, are still fun for kids today.  (go figure?)   3) Abby has zero inhibitions when it comes to dancing in front of others.  She danced more then she bowled, and she didn't care one bit what others thought of it.
I LOVED her for that!

We arrived back shortly before school got out, and my head hurt from the fun of it all;)    

Later that evening, John and I got to attend the local Band Concert, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Like... LOVED it!   It's seriously so fun to watch these talented youth do what they do, and I absolutely can not WAIT until one of my kids are part of this.   I could totally see Sam on the drums, no? ;)

In between all of that, I managed to turn 32 years old that day.    The morning started out kinda rough and cranky as we all rushed to get ready for our separate schedules.  Sam did NOT want to go to school, and thought I was the meanest person ever for making him.   Abby was annoyed with the world (because that's what a 9 year old is supposed to be like in the morning;), and Nate wouldn't let us put anything on him besides his pajamas from the night before.    Finally, I had had enough and I made it clear to everyone that it was MY birthday - therefore they all had to start being a whole lot nicer!  

 (It's so great to see that I'm so mature at age 32 eh?)  

After our super busy day-  we had a fun supper together, enjoyed some lovely flowers that some kind friends dropped by, and finished the night with this delicious "triple layer, white chocolate, Raspberry Cake", made by Jewel.   ( So so so good! )  

Wednesday - I got to accompany Jessica to the annual "Tumble and Tweet" event that the preschool holds each year for all the preschool students and their parents.  It's a fun evening in which Jess got to show off the things she has learned in gymnastics this year, and then we built a bird house together.   Things I learned during this event:   1) Jessica is quite the gymnast.  She's crazy flexible, and really has a knack for climbing, hanging, and tumbling.  I think I need to put her into gymnastics one year.   2) I am not very good with a hammer.    (Or maybe I'm not good with following directions..?)   At any rate- this simple little bird house kinda stressed me out.   Luckily, there were a couple of friends nearby who let me copy what they were doing- and even stepped in to help a time or two.  Phew!    Jessica painted it the next day, and that cute little bird house is now happily sitting in our crab apple tree.
I think it looks pretty good!!!

Friday - was Abby's track and field day and I went up to watch some of the events.    Abby makes me laugh, because she is actually quite athletic but she doesn't really care about the whole competition part of it, and as a result never really bothers to exert herself.   She just kinda does things for the fun of it I guess:)   I got a kick out of watching her compete in the high jump, as she had this funky ...headfirst.... forward dive technique, that actually looked quite painful.    It must have worked for her though, because she ended up placing 2nd!    And of course, she was simply having fun;)

Thursday and Friday evening consisted of High School Graduation events.  Thursday was the Grad Ceremony which was fun to attend, and Friday was the Grad Banquet.   Earlier that week, John had been asked to fill in for a teacher who was no longer able to give the Teachers reply at the Banquet.   I think John felt kinda nervous about how to go about it, but I was super proud of him, and was glad to get to accompany him to that.    I always like hearing John speak, and he really thinks so highly of these students he gets to teach!   

  

Saturday - I pretty much shut down, and went into my own little world of sewing costumes and such for our upcoming Moroni's Quest.   It's coming up fast, and I needed to get this stuff done tout suite!  (It's been nagging at me;)  

While I sewed, the kids managed to exist, though for the life of me, I have no clue what they did all that time.   Somewhere around 2:00 they all started acting hungry or something, but I wasn't ready to walk away from the project I was working on.   So...the genius in me suggested that the kids play "restaurant".   It was sheer BRILLIANCE I tell ya!    I've never seen such synergy between them all!  Sam was the waiter.   Jess, Nate and our neighbor Kate were the customers, and Abby was the head chef.   Abby made pancakes and eggs entirely on her own, and together they all managed to tear the kitchen apart and make it look like a certifiable disaster area.  

But it was. so. so. very. worth.it!  

I'm looking forward to this next week as it means we are one step closer to Summer!   

Only a few more weeks to go!!!!

Monday to Sunday: A week in Photos

We were lucky this week, and we got to spend Victoria Day in Waterton with John's brother Ben, his wife Kat, and our cute niece Marilyn.   The weather was windy and rainy, but we tried to make the best of it.   I always like to take the kids to the stables for 15 or 20 minutes of horse back riding, and though that doesn't sound like much- it's enough to make the kids happy.

I love being around horses, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why John won't just buy one for me?   Pfff!;)

Here, Abby is taking Marilyn on her first ride EVER!

 Jessica was an absolute natural riding "Lonesome"!

She never wanted to get OFF the horse, and still a week later, continues to ask when we can go back.  At one point she emphatically said, "Ok mom:  Forget a Fish.  Forget a dog.   I only want a horse!"

(That's my girl!)

Abby was given some extra riding time alone with "Seeba."   It made me proud to watch as she learned how to navigate and control with the reins.   Abby now proudly declares that she and Seeba are best buds.    (There is even a photo of these two sitting proudly on her bedroom shelf, and it says "Abby+ Seeba = BFF" on it.  haha!)

After riding horses we stopped for a windy lunch at Wieners of Waterton.    I'm pretty sure no amount of cold weather could detract from the deliciousness of those sweet potato fries;)    Here Marilyn is watching her crazy cousins perform for her.   PS:  I LOVE that pink bunny of hers.    It seems to be her most loyal companion;)

 What's a trip to Waterton without stopping to throw rocks at Pass Creek.    Some kids were a little too determined to actually go IN the water;)  

I love this photo of Sam.  He found this on the shore and had to show off the fact that he had a 

Rock for a Heart!

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The weather has been on the cooler side this week, with several rainy days.  On two different occasions, Sam actually went to school in this get up!   I suppose that technically,  as his Mother, it is my job to prevent him from committing this type of social suicide, but darn it, he just looked too darn cute!

Apparently his classmates chased him around the playground every recess calling him "Banana Man." 

 Sam didn't seem to mind;)

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The kids' cousins from Rolling Hills came to stay with us on Friday night, and it gave us the opportunity to celebrate cousin Oscar's 4th birthday!     My kids took it upon themselves to decorate;) 

It's always nice to see that Nate still believes that EVERY birthday party is for HIM and nobody else;)  Here he is, angry that Oscar gets to be the one to open all the presents;)   

I love observing the patience of a two year old.   (Or lack of for that matter)  Nate can, at times, be completely beyond reason!   In moments like that,  I've found that it's best to just let him find a coat tree to hide behind until life is good again;)  haha.

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My sister Jewel and her husband Kendall ran in a half marathon this weekend, and we all went up to watch them cross the finish line.     I was actually quite moved as I watched these runners all come in, and I felt such admiration for them, even the ones I didn't even know.    I love that feeling that comes when you conquer and do something you didn't think you could do, and I imagine that is what so many of them felt yesterday.   

So proud of Jewel and Kendall!

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We woke up this morning to big wet snowflakes blanketing the ground.    John had to shake off our trees and bushes so that they wouldn't break under the weight of it.   

Luckily, there is nothing better then knowing that this is the last snowfall of the year.   

Because surely- it is!!!