X - Country Skiing

Saturday was absolutely crazy!

For starters, I slept in until 9:00 am.   (What am I, 16 or something?)

Then I flew out of bed, frantically trying to make up for lost time.    

The kids had gotten themselves breakfast, so naturally, there was a hurricane grade mess to clean up.

The entire house had to be cleaned in anticipation for an appointment the following week.    (I knew Id not be able to clean on my normal cleaning day.   ...Monday.)

We had to change the water in the fish tanks.    Ew. Ew.  EW!

Then we head to do a major grocery shopping trip.

Then our washing machine broke down, with three piles sitting on the floor waiting.  

And that was all before NOON!

By 12:30, I'd had enough of the day, and John and I decided to go with plan B.

Plan B:  X-Country Skiing in Waterton!

We'd considered for a moment, the notion of taking all of the kids with us, but then we had a flashback to the last time we tried to cross country ski with the kids.  It was an awful experience which resulted in both John and I carrying/hauling/dragging each.and.every.one of our kids the entire way and back.   All while listening to THEM complain about how tired they were!   No way, this time we decided to be smarter.

(cue the babysitter!;)

An hour after deciding to go, we were at the starting point, ready to make our way to Cameron Lake.

The weather was perfect! 

I was out of shape.

John was not.

It's okay though, 'cuz whenever I needed to rest, I just pretended it was because I needed to stop and take a picture, rather then catch my breath.    (Stopping to take a picture is so much more admirable than stopping because you are afraid you're going to pass out from a little bit of exertion;)

We made it to Cameron Lake in no time (even with all my resting...ur uh...picture taking.)

We stood at the shore looking out at Cameron Lake for about 3.2 seconds before trying to find a more sheltered spot for our picnic.  

In the end, we just sat on the dock to eat.   

Mind you, the dock was not in it's usual place exactly, but still .... we sat on the dock just the same;)

Throughout the course of the afternoon, we saw a bunch of wildlife.   White tail deer, Elk, gophers...EAGLES (7 of them actually!) and lots of birds.     A couple of Steller Jays joined us for lunch, and at one point this bird (which we think is a Whiskey Jack) perched itself just a foot or two away from us, on John's ski poles.   

Doesn't this bird kinda look like he's walking on stilts?

I didn't really want to leave, but seeing as we'd eaten all our snacks, taken pictures, AND I was beginning to lose feeling in my toes - we headed for home.  

I loved the trip home!

The snow began falling more steadily and the flakes were big, and fluffy.   

Everybody else, who we'd passed earlier, had left, so we had the trail all to ourselves.   

The woods were eerily quiet and still.   We could literally hear the snow as it fell.

It was absolutely perfect!

We got back to Cardston just in time to make dinner, pay the babysitter, get some more groceries that I'd forgotten to put on the list earlier, bathe the kids,  put them to bed, finish cleaning, complete the laundry (thanks to Johns fix-it skills;), AND watch our high school boys and girls basketball teams kick provincial Butt!  (proverbially speaking)

I fell into bed that night absolutely exhausted.  And aching.   I'm sure glad we made time for it though. 

  A busy Saturday is always so much more tolerable when mingled with an afternoon jaunt in the mountains!

Today...

Today I ....

* woke up to a 3 year old jumping on my head

* made 4 bag lunches in 4.5 minutes (new record)

* answered my front door 8 times  

* cleaned bathrooms, mopped floors, washed walls 

* cleaned up spilled milk twice (AFTER the floor had been mopped of course;)

* crossed 6 things off my to do list.   2 remained;(

* Bought "To the Rescue" (President Monson's biography) and while purchasing it, asked myself if I really expected to read it anytime soon.   (One can dream right?)

* Talked with a friend about "time".  And "schedules."   And "calmer days."  (again...one can dream:)

* Attended Activity Days for the first time as a leader.  (Ten girls ranging from ages 8-12 = 2 leaders who were so not ready for it!;)   

* Went to the store to buy two items.   Came home with eight bags FULL of items!

* Took 2 kids to champs and was reminded of how busy sports on a weeknight can make things.  (just in time for soccer season;)

* threw something on the table for supper.  I can't recall if the kids ate it or not, but it was something warm, and it was there.   That's all I promise.  

* Gave kids cupcakes and milk for a bedtime snack, because it was faster then the more healthy alternatives

* Listened to Sam pray for all the poor people in the world

* Listened to Nate pray to "get a toy tomorrow."

* Fell asleep while laying with Nate

* Woke up, moved to Jessica's bed, and fell asleep all over again while laying with her

*Woke up at 9 pm (which is the grossest feeling ever) and decided that today was a day worth documenting, but that it'd have to be done in point form.   Much.too.tired.

* Came across this video online and fell in love with this woman!

* Vowed to be more like her!

                                

Double Digits!

Abby celebrated her 10th birthday this past week, and true to tradition- the fun lasted ALL week!

She was thrilled to got to have a birthday ON a school day, and she walk up bright and early Monday morning cheerily singing as she got ready a song that went a lot like this:

"Oh yeah...I'm in the double digits! I'm in the double digits!  Oh yeah.  Oh yeah!"

(I'd love to say this didn't get old, but....;)

I did manage to send Abby birthday cupcakes for her class as well.   What I didn't manage to do was get a picture of them.   It's probably for the best though because they weren't that cute;)  haha

After school though, Abby went to art class, and because it was her birthday she got to pose for a picture while everybody drew her portrait.   Jewel emailed me this pic and I laughed so hard.   Abby loves to be the centre of attention- that's for sure;)

She got a cute candy card from her cousin Mya, and cupcakes made to look like a paint pallet from her art teacher, Kirsty.    (Now that's how you make a cupcake look cute;)

We celebrated as a family that night by eating her favorite meal (perogys and bacon...ew!) and letting her open some presents.    She got skinny jeans, a new purse, and a joke book.    A kind kind couple also gave her their old ipod touch and so that pretty much trumped everything else she received.  haha

A week later, big surprise, we were still celebrating her.    

Yesterday she got to invite 10 friends to the local hotel pool for some swimming and fun.   Nate hung out in the hot tub with John pretty much the whole time.   I sat on the edge and watched because I have a phobia of hotel pools;)

After swimming, we used a room downstairs to have cake, ice cream and let the girls play "Just Dance" before going home.    She really has a great group of friends, and Abby enjoyed every bit of it!

And I am enjoying the fact that we're done with birthdays, at least for a little while;)

Winter in Waterton

It's march now!   

That means that it's time to start going for little drives outside of town in search of eagles. 

Sometimes Jessica comes with me, other times though - I sneak out of the house before anyone even notices I'm leaving and tries to stop me!  haha

These drives almost always take me out past Beazer, and then instinctively towards Waterton.   I don't know why I have to end up there, perhaps I'm just afraid of missing out on a beautiful Waterton morning.    

And this past Saturday was just such a morning!

The mountains were so crisp looking with freshly fallen snow.    

Waterton (though crisp and pretty) was also very windy!

I stopped for awhile below the prince of whales hotel and rolled my window all the way down and just listened to the waves as they rolled in.   

Watching these waves reminded me of our awesome visit to Newport Beach in 2008.  It was our first, and so far, only experience at the ocean and it was breathtaking.   Listening to these waves lap against the shore, I could almost close my eyes and pretend I was back there on that sandy California beach.   (Well, until I started to feel the numbing effects of frost bite sink in;)

Brrrr!!!!!!    As freezing as this water looks- it's a comforting thought to think that in a few short months we'll be playing in this water again!!!    The thaw has officially begun;)

I also drove up towards Cameron Lake so that I could envy all the cool people who had ventured up there to do some snow skiing.  Perhaps I can convince John to do that with me this weekend....?   

Despite the fact that I was the only one up there NOT skiing or snowshoeing, I did get some beautiful pictures.    

Winter (especially February and March) can be such a dreary, ugly time.  Not in the mountains though. Thanks to the abundant green pine and the beautiful contrast of wild dogwoods - there is color everywhere, and it looks beautiful with a fresh blanket of snow.

I eventually made my way back down to the town site, and drove around one last time before heading back home.  

Oh, and I spotted THREE eagles without really having to look for them.

Another very promising sign that spring is on its way!!!

We're a family of 8 now

My kids LOVE pets, and have ALWAYS wanted one.   

In fact, for the past 6-10 years, we have endured endless conversations with the kids about what kind of pet we would ever allow the kids to have.

A snake?

An iguana?

A Dog?

A Bunny?

A bird?

....a Hermit Crab....?

We've never agreed to anything.  It's not that John and I are against the idea of a pet.   I told the kids that we are perfectly happy to let them have a pet, so long as it fits the criteria we established.    That criteria being that any animal living in our home... can't shed, must not make noise, must live in one single isolated place, must require living in water to survive, and must require minimal feeding.

Within the confines of those guidelines - they have always been welcome to chose whatever pet they want!!!

Imagine our surprise when, for Jessica's Birthday, she asked to have a Fish for a Pet!   

I applauded her profoundly wise choice, and when her Birthday arrived, she accompanied me to Petland where she picked out her very own Beta.

Jess's fish is a beautiful red thing that swims a lot and seems happy in his little tank.    For the first couple of days, Jessica called this fish of hers "Hot Stuff," and it puzzled John and I that she would even come up with such a name.   We were very much relieved when she changed his name to "Flames."

Surprisingly enough, Jessica is remarkably responsible when it comes to taking care of Flames.  She insists on being actively involved when it comes to cleaning Flame's bowl, and she hasn't missed a feeding yet!     She keeps reminding me, that it's because I promised her that if she could take care of a Fish for a whole year...then maybe....MAYBE I'd let her get a hamster.     (Let the record show, I recall NO SUCH CONVERSATION, and I've begun secretly praying that Flames does not make it the year;)

As soon as Sam saw that Jessica had a pet, he insisted on having one of his own too.    Without any hesitation, he cashed in all of  his hard earned tokens (which our kids earn when they've demonstrated responsible behavior) and he bought himself a blue Beta.    He named his pet fish Poseidon which I thought was a perfect name for a fish.  (Poseidon was the name of a mythical Greek God who's domain was the ocean.)       

Sam and Poseidon get along just fine.    

I Poseidon doesn't seem to mind that Sam is rarely ever the one to change his water or feed him, and Sam likes that Jessica is not the only one who can boast about having a pet.    To tell the truth though, Sam does seems slightly disappointed at how unexciting a fish can be as a pet, and he keeps complaining that his fish just doesn't do anything.

We'll see how long these new additions last, but I can't help but think John and I are pretty fantastic parents for jumping into this whole "pet thing" so ambitiously. ;)

Things I never thought I'd hear my kids say...

A little over two weeks ago, my computer died.   Just like that, right while I was using it.   One minute I was watching a you tube video of some tourists who almost got capsized off the coast of Hawaii by a Humpback Whale, and the next minute - the screen is blank.  

At first I cried.

Then I took the computer to John and asked him to do whatever it is he always does to make things better.   He spent an hour or two on it, trying to get it running, but it was no use.  

  So then I told him to try harder! 

(Can I help it if I have that much confidence in him?)

   Sure enough, after an hour of research he determined that a small connector cable deep within the belly of my little computer had probably burnt out.    To make a long story short (or have I made a short story long?) he ordered the new part...we crossed our fingers...I endured 2 weeks with nothing...the little cable doo dad thingy finally arrived....John took my laptop apart....worked his magic.... and oi la!!!!!

All is well again:)

During the past couple of weeks, something interesting happened.   I surprisingly ENJOYED not checking for messages, wasting endless minutes on facebook, drooling over pinterest ideas, and perusing food blogs for recipes I can never quite duplicate no matter how hard I try.

   I did however miss my daily 15 minutes spent playing brain games on Luminosity.   

And this blog.  I missed my little journal.

Luckily,  I made sure to make a detailed list (with a pen and pencil!!) of all the funny things my kids said during this time.  And for some reason, these kids seemed funnier to me then normal?    

Perhaps that is what happens when one has nothing to do but LISTEN? :)

At any rate, here are some of the things I overheard them say over the past week.    They sure make me smile!

"I had a little problem with the TNT today,  and accidentally blew up my house."  
 - Said Sam one evening at dinner as he told Grandpa about his day.  (Luckily, he was referring to a house of his on mine craft;)

"SAM!!!  I am NOT your STUFFY!!!!!"

-Said Nate, angrily one morning when Sam kept trying to hug him and smother him with kisses.

"Ahhh....I just love the sound of sarcasm in the morning!"

- Said Abby one morning as I drove the kids to school

"I . hope . you .  DIE!"  
- Said Nathan menacingly, to ME...his Mother!

(We were playing Super Mario Brothers and he was trying to throw my Luigi guy off an edge;)

"You guys!  If you want to change your Birthday, then all you have to do is Die, ...then..get born again!"
-  Said Sam, as the kids were all lamenting the inconvenience of each of their birth dates.  

ME:   Hey Sam!  I want to take your picture, can you just stop giving Jessica a noogie.

Sam:  She likes it!

Me:  No Sam.  I'm sure she doesn't.

JESS:  heehee.   Yes I do.   I totally LIKE it!!!

Me:  "Sam, for goodness sakes- cover your mouth when you cough!"

Sam:  "I'm sorry!  What can I say?  It's a natural habitat!" 

(I'm thinking he meant to say habit;)

Family Day

I found a bunch of Family Day pictures on my camera and realized that I hadn't yet journaled the fun!

Every family day, our kids like to go down to a local museum here in town that hosts a carnival of sorts.   My kids weren't there for the carnival games though.

And nor for the face painting or prizes. 

The only thing they wanted, was a home made ROPE.

As soon as we arrived, they raced right to the rope making area, and there the four of them waited and helped construct 4 twine ropes.   One for each of them.   

Of course, I knew these ropes would be used for all sorts of mayhem, and I was right.  I've since watched my kids try all sorts of things from lassoing each other around the waist to wall climbing in what is supposed to be our "quiet room."    

I'm not too sure why I put up with it all, except that these ropes are all part of the family day tradition.

They love it!

As soon as the kids had their ropes, we loaded them up in the van and headed to Lethbridge to meet up with John's siblings Rachel and Ben, and their families.      We spent some time at yet another carnival, only this one was hosted by the UofL.   

After our 2nd carnival of the day, we all went swimming, and then stopped by Rachel and Brent's home for some pizza and wings.     Rach and Brent are moving to California soon, and my kids will surely miss them.   (Jess will miss their puppy, Thor.  Abby will miss their only child, Maddax.   And Sam will miss the wedgies Uncle Brent gives him.  sigh....;)

All in all, it was a great way to spend Family Day!

A week of Celebrating!

Jessica turned 6 years old yesterday, but for some reason, it feels as though we've been celebrating all.week.long.    (Perhaps that's because we HAVE been!:)

Here are some of the highlights:

1:)   Cupcakes to school - I'd like to share this as my own personal highlight because never....(that's right NEVER) before have I taken cupcakes to my kids class before on their birthday.    I don't know why I chose to now, except that I'd seen another parent do it the week prior, and I had some energy to spare, so...why not?      This cute girl beside Jess is her favorite school buddy, and I've begun sending prayers to heaven that they'll always be friends.    

2.  Jessica's first ever "Friend" party!   As per tradition, Jessica was able to have a party consisting of 6 girls (because she's 6;).      I can honestly say that Birthday Parties are THE.WORST part about parenting EVER.   Worse then childbirth.   Worse then nursing a baby that's teething.   (TMI perhaps?) Worse then potty training!!! 

  I always stress way too much, think of the lamest activities for them to do, and fall dismally short of what other Moms do for their kids' parties.     For that reason, I only allow my kids to have Friend Parties every other year.  (I need a year off in between to recover;)  haha

I got smart this year though, and told Abby to invite a friend of hers over.    Those two girls were put in charge of "games and entertainment" and it was therefore all a piece of cake, for me!  

 Like literally, the only thing I had to worry about - was the cake!!!

Jessica wanted a "FISH PARTY" because she was planning on getting a pet fish for her birthday.   She wanted a fish cake.   Fish games.  Fish Prizes.  And Fish decor.   

(I met her half way and gave her a fish cake. ....and maybe a pet fish too;)

3.   Breakfast in Bed -  In our home, the birthday kid always gets breakfast in bed!    Jess was sure to remind us all of our task as we prepared for bed the night before, and I'm pretty sure that she is the one who actually woke us all up at 6:50 on the morning of her birthday to make sure we remembered her order;)   (pancakes with NO bananas or blueberries in them, and scrambled eggs with bacon) 

4.  Surprise Gifts from Cool Teenagers!  

A sweet neighbor of ours brought over some goodies wrapped in handmade bows for Jess, and Jess was so flattered by it.    Pretty sure Abbey has officially topped this kid's list of "cool people."

5.  Cousins, and Cousins Galore!!

Some of Jessica's cousins joined her on her actual birthday for dinner and cake.   She waited ALL day for them to arrive, and when they did she behaved like a true birthday diva would!    (She sure enjoys being celebrated, this girl;)  Her cousin Mya brought her harmonica and played it while we all sang Happy Birthday.    Being accompanied by a Harmonica definitely improves the rusty performance of 5 adults and 11 rowdy kids!

7.   Wolf Hunt!

There are a lot of traditions surrounding our birthday celebrations, and one of the newest traditions is one the kids thought up all on their own.  They decided that whenever someone has a birthday, we will go for a drive and look for the animal of choice.  (Birthday kid chooses which animal we look for)    

Well, Jessica decided that she wanted to go look for Wolves, so what were we to do?    

We piled in the van, grabbed Grandpa, and went straight to the one place we thought we'd have a chance of seeing one.   (even though we knew there wasn't a chance of seeing one;)

In the end, the only thing we saw was a beautiful wintry scene:

The most enjoyable part though, is the many MANY moments in which Jessica has crawled up onto my lap, or snuggled in beside me and asked for stories of when she was little.    We've looked through her photo albums, read through her journal, and turned the memories we have of her - into bed time stories.    I've never met a kid who likes hearing about herself so much!  haha.   

I suppose though, that if I was as awesome as Jessica is, I'd like hearing about me too;)

LOVE THIS LITTLE 6 YEAR OLD!!!!

Some come to win. Others come for the food.

Abby and Sam have been in Champs for the past couple of months, and they LOVE it!    

Every Saturday morning we all go watch them as they practice drills and skills for a half hour, and then play a game.  It's great exercise for them in these winter months, and I'm hoping that it will also instill in them a love for the sport that I never did seem to acquire myself.

 

Abby has improved lots, though she sometimes takes it a little too seriously.  Last week, she really took the whole "defence" thing to heart, and she guarded her player unmercifully.    The poor girl could hardly make a move without Abby being in her face.   She looked so frustrated with Abby, and kept pushing Abby's arms outta her way, I half expected a fight to ensue!  

 (Perhaps we need to tell Abby that she can ease off at times? haha)   

Her shooting has improved, and clearly her defence is top notch;)!   I just keep hoping that she'll eventually recognize what an asset her height is for her.   

As for Sam?

Well, Sam is interesting when it comes to sports.   He has the energy to play, there is no question about that!   He just lacks competitive drive, you know?    During Soccer season, Sam's main motivation to play is for the slurpee he gets after the last game of the season.  During basketball?  You can attribute his enthusiasm to attend to the fact that the coaches hand out doughnuts on the last day.

All the weeks in between, he sorta just goes along with it all and puts in a good effort.    

  He really is enjoying it all, it's just that improving his skills or excelling in a sport never seems to be the motivating factors for this guy.    It's all about the treats he gets at the end - 100%!

This became so apparent to us this past week, when one of his coaches approached him in the hall after his game.    Sam looked right at him, stuck his finger up in the air and informatively declared before walking away: 

"The only reason why I'm here..... is for....the DOUGHNUT!!!"

Sigh...So he'll never be a Michel Jordan.    

I've got him pegged as more of the stand up comedian type anyway;)

Valentines goodness

I LOVE enjoying holidays with the kids, especially seeing how they all celebrate at school.   For example, I get a kick out of how excited they always get to make Valentines for their friends and teachers.    The Valentines usually look nothing short of awful, but the kids are always proud as punch;)!

This one for example, was the card Sam made for his teacher (my Aunt) Mrs.Toone.    

The front side of it is decorated rather nicely(..ish), and on the back of the valentine he wrote this sweet message.   (He grabbed the quote from my favorite quotes board in my room.)

"We make a good team to Math.   PS:  When I get sad, I stop being sad and be Awesome instead.  True Story."

And that was his Valentine.  I'm sure it impressed his teacher.   (Or confused her;)

After school, the kids came piling through the front door with giant paper hearts full of valentines from their classmates.  They oohed and awed over them for a good half an hour, trading and dealing treats like it was the new form of currency.  

Nathan hovered over all them, just waiting for one of them to toss an unwanted treat his way.

He ended up scoring an entire pack of hubba bubba gum, and that was all it took to make it the Best Valentines Day EVER for this little man!!

   

I was perfectly happy to bypass the hubba bubba and enjoy these lovely roses instead.   

I LOVE fresh flowers in my house, and I'm looking forward to the spring and summer when my yard will bloom with flowers again.    

In fact, I can hardly WAIT!

Metronomes and other fearful things

Sometimes when I'm laying with Abby at night, she reads to me from her diary (which she calls Bethany by the way, because really, doesn't Dear Bethany just sound so much better then Dear Diary?)      Honestly though, she really does read it to me, unlike that one time when her journal just conveniently fell open to a funny page;)

Anyways,  the other night she shared this entry with me and I thought it was hilarious!
Abby wrote this entry one evening after she'd had a friend over to play.  Apparently her friend had been curious about Abby's diary and read it without Abby's permission.   haha.

"Dear Bethany,

You know how (so and so) read my diary?

Well, I'm afraid she'll spread gossip.   That's 

probably my worst fear.  ..besides metronomes.

My Worst Fears:

1. Spiders

2. Gossip

3. Bears 

4.  Greek monsters coming alive

5.  Metronomes!!!

6.  Kidnapped or trapped by a friend?"

                                                                                               

Darn!   I guess I'll have to cancel that Metronome we were planning on getting her for her birthday;)

This second entry of hers just made me really proud of her.    

I love that she reads as much as she does, and I LOVE that she's gleaming inspiration from those pages.

.    

Granted, true success might also lie in the ability to spell correctly, but that will come;)

Win Win

Sunday afternoons are definitely quiet times around our place.   

John is usually still at the church doing whatever it is he does after church.

The kids and I though, come home... fill up on Nachos and Cheese...and then they turn on a "John approved" movie, while I snuggle in my bed.    Granted, this never really turns into a full on Nap or anything, but just getting a couple of minutes to close my eyes and day dream is nice enough.   

This past Sunday, Jessica came upstairs just as I was getting ready to read a book, (which I didn't really plan on reading for long;)  and she wanted to color with me.   She had a roll of scotch tape and markers in her hand but no paper.    When I asked her what she was going to color on she smiled mischievously and said..."Close your eyes...!"    

And that's all it took.  The part where I could close my eyes was what convinced me to play along.

I was playing with my daughter AND resting - all at the same time!  

I'm sure glad she knows how to color within the lines, those markers weren't washable!!!

It was the most relaxing 10 minutes of the day!!!

And look at this girl.   Doesn't she look like she had fun?

Preparing ahead of time

Every night before Abby goes to bed, she lays out the clothes she's going to wear the next day.   She doesn't just pile them on top of her dresser or anything, but rather lays her clothes out so the outfit looks as it would if she were actually wearing it.    

That alone has always seemed kinda funny to me.   

I seriously laughed so hard last night when I'd come into their room to see that Jessica had decided to follow Abby's lead.    Not just follow it, but take it all to a whole new level!!!

I love the purple hair bow she selected and pinned to her self portrait head;)

Oh and the back pack in her hand.  That's definitely a nice touch too!

Surviving winter

I've spent the past few weeks taking Jess and Nate to an unofficial gymnastics class.

When our local gymnastics club opened up several sessions of "free time" for preschoolers, I knew it was exactly what my two youngest needed to keep them happy during this tail end of winter.    

(I love the winter season and everything about it right up until the end of December.     After Christmas though- the whole thing just kinda starts to get depressing, you know?)

Nate would never really sit long enough for the instructors to teach him anything.   

But that's ok- he wouldn't really sit still long enough for ANYTHING!

Jessica surprised me a lot with her quick ability to pick up on all they demonstrated to her.   

Her motorcycle landing?    She mastered it.

Star jump and Tuck jump?    Nailed 'em both!

Her uneven bar routine?    It's a work in progress;)

I'm pretty sure that this one activity has spared me my sanity this year.  

What else can one do in the winter with kids?   (I need to be inspired;)

Good night Sam

Part of our bedtime routine each night involves me laying with the girls in their room, while John lays with Nate and Sam.   (This arrangement we've got going on usually results in both John and I dozing off well before the kids ever do.   After a pre bedtime nap, we wake up around 9:00pm just to have to finish dishes or mark papers etc.    Clearly, this is not our most efficient habit;)

On Tuesdays though, John has meetings that keep him out well past bedtime, so I've begun laying in Nate's bed on these nights, before moving in to the girl's room to tuck them in.    (sigh...does this ever end?)      As much as this extensive and exhaustive bedtime routine sometimes frustrates me, it is at times mingled with sweet moments and conversations.    

Here are some of my most favorite bedtime conversations I've had with Sam:

Sam:   "Mom?   I wonder about grass.   Like, you know how trees have different types?   Like...there's pine trees, and trees with red leaves, and green trees, and trees with squirrels in them.....  Well does that mean that grass should have different types too?"   

Sam:   "pst...Mom!  Why at our birthdays do we get presents?   Shouldn't we instead give presents to Jesus, and Heavenly Father.  You know, to thank them for letting us be born?

Me:   "Well that is a nice thought Sam.   I think though that the best present we could ever give Heavenly Father and Jesus is to try to be like them."

Sam:  "What!   Be like them?   I can't be like them." 

Me:  "Yes Sam, you can.  One day we can be just like them."

Sam:   "Oh yeah.  But just without all their Superpowers right?"

My favorite moment came when, after several minutes of silence, I quietly whispered to Sam (who was starting to doze off in the bunk bed above me) "You are a really good boy Sam."

He let out a heavy sigh and drowsily responded, "Well..You are a good Mommy."

Moments like this make all of his theatrics during the day completely worth it!!

Good night.

ANNIE

My nieces Ava and Brooklyn have been a part of a local production of Annie for the past couple of months.    This weekend it opened to the public, so the whole famdamily (my siblings, kiddos and all) got together to go and see them perform.    (I think my family would be disappointed if I didn't blog about it right away.  And seeing as how my brother Chad took such GREAT photos of the fun, I had to steal some and share them, no?;)

Annie was a big part of my and my sister's childhoods.   

We grew up watching it and singing all the songs.   My brother remembers us all going to visit my Mom in the hospital and singing the song "Tomorrow" to her.     I remember singing that very song, with my two sisters, at her funeral.   We must have been 4, 5, and 7 years old at the time.  

I just LOVE this play.

Here we are waiting for the show to start! 

(we took up almost three rows, and I'm still kinda surprised our kids stayed as quiet as they did;)

Ava was a fabulous "Duffy" and this girl always impresses me with all she can do.    This very weekend was a good example of that, as when she wasn't on stage, she was on a basketball court participating in a weekend tournament!!!    

Brooklyn was one of the younger orphans in the group and she was an absolute doll!  

Seriously!  I wanted to adopt her:)!!

Here is a picture of "Miss Hannigan" with all of the orphans.   Back when I heard that this play was coming to town, I came this close to auditioning for the role of Miss Hannigan.    But oh boy, after watching this performance, I'm pretty sure nobody could have done as good of a job as her. 

  Absolutely Hilarious!!!   

It was a great play, and I'm glad I got to see it with my favorite group of people!