Wateron Wildflower Festival

Yesterday was a Good Day.

It started bright and early with John watching the kids AND trying to attend youth days with the youth in our ward; and me driving to Waterton to take a Wildflower Photography Course.   

A few years back, I'd signed up to take a watercolor course during this festival.  

I went.   I knew no one.   Felt Awkward.   And left.  AND I vowed I'd never do that again!

Thankfully, a kind member of our stake emailed me a couple of weeks ago, and said that she was taking the course, and suggested I register to.    That's all I needed.   

Doesn't it sometimes help to know that you won't be alone?

So, back to yesterday.   The weather was BEAUTIFUL.  Not too hot, but definitely not cold.   

We met at the Info Center in Waterton, and then we all followed our Instructor Frans various locations around the park (but really outside the park) looking for wildflowers.    Occasionally, he would give us tips and pointers that would be valuable to any photographer.   

I was so thankful to have been able to attend with Marilee, but really, within a few minutes I think the whole group felt rather comfortable together.    Here are a few of them searching through a field full of wild onion and shooting stars.

This is Marilee.   Like I said, she is in a different ward in my stake, but I got to know who she was at  Moroni's Quest last summer.    Her son Neal was in our tribe, and SHE was one of the events photographers.   Doesn't she look like a pro?

 At one point she mentioned that she has been known to get right down on her stomach to photograph a flower, and I am here to tell you - she did!!! haha.   I would have too, but I was scared of ticks;)

I loved every second of the morning, and was perfectly happy when our course went a little over time.

There is something about just being in nature and really noticing it that does wonders for ya.   I really feel as though this course helped spark within me a deep interest for flowers, and I can hardly wait to get back to Waterton and see what other ones I can find.     

I'm just so so grateful for this beautiful world we live in!!!

Here are a few of the flowers that I saw today.   I'll admit, I knew NONE of them before this morning, and I hope that the ones I identified are at least identified correctly!:) 

The end of a school year

Jess celebrated her last day of Kindergarten on Friday.   

Despite the photos below, she was actually quite sad about it.    

She cried every day that week, and constantly tried to convince us that she's really just been in preschool all this time, and NOW she will be moving up to Kindergarten.   She just didn't want to leave!

We tried to warm her up to the perks of grade 1.    Abby reminded her that she'll have her very own desk, and Sam pointed out that now she'll get to order hot lunches some days. All to no avail.  

This girl wasn't going to budge.

Well, not until I took her to Dave's for a grilled chicken wrap and chocolate milkshake in honor of her completing her school year.        

I swear.   NOTHING cheers you up like a Grilled Chicken Wrap and Chocolate Milkshake from Dave's!

Works every time;)

Soccer Season

Soccer season is drawing to an end, with only one week left, and I realized that I hadn't posted any pictures of it yet!  

Jessica was on the red team and her coaches were a pathetic husband and wife duo.  (ahem...cough..cough:)   They were so pathetic, that by the third week in, they'd almost entirely "passed the buck" and asked their awesome, teenage, next door neighbor to take over.    Just wait though- it gets even MORE lame then that.   Not only did they totally flake out on coaching, but they failed to actually TAKE their daughter to soccer 4 WEEKS in a row!!!!   

Losers much?

In John's and my defense:  Way back when we registered the kids AND volunteered to coach, John had not yet been called into a Bishopric, I had not yet been called to my calling, the busy-ness of May and June had not yet hit, and I was still some what of a "keener."   

A lot changed between then and now, you know?

Despite our jumping ship, we still think the Red Team ROCKS, and we think our awesome, teenage neighbor is the coolest coach ever!   (As you can see, John still likes to get in the game whenever he can:)

Jessica has ...well...played about half the season, so there's not much else to say.

 Saturdays are BUSY ok?!!

She doesn't seem to mind though, as she has told us that she "well...likes soccer and stuff, but basketball is really her thing.   Basketball and animals, are her thing."  

So why force it?  If it's not "her thing"- it's not her thing!  haha.

Sam, on the other hand, is a soccer maniac.   

Not because he particularly excels at it, but because he really does love it.   

(and really, he can hold his own:)

Last week, he kicked the ball and it hit a kid in the face.  That kid left the game with a bloody nose, so that was kinda awesome of us. ;(

For the most part though, he's a real team player, and LOVES to run all around the field celebrating with any one who will join in his little party. 

If he happens to connect with the ball in the process, well...that's just an added bonus!!!

The last couple of weeks, crossing the finish line, and saying goodbye!

I am exhausted.   Beaten down, run down, dog tired, exhausted!    

I've had a cold since the third week of May, and I know, it's "just a cold," but since the third week of MAY for goodness sake!!!!    Jessica has a field trip tomorrow, and I have no idea of the specifics.   (do I take her in the morning, or the afternoon like normal?  What's she supposed to bring?)   I suppose I could call someone and find out, or dig through the pile of paperwork in my kitchen, but I really don't want to go there.   The top of our piano is currently home to not quite-but almost an inch of dust, and I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if one day soon I walked up to it to find "WASH ME" scribbled on it's big ol' side. 

I'd worry about my current state of frustration if it weren't for the fact that I vaguely remember feeling this exact same way at this exact same time- last year.  I'm no doctor, but I'd say I'm experiencing a severe case of "End of the year Burn out."  My only consolation is that I'm pretty sure everyone else is too!   (Which is good, because I don't like to suffer alone;)

I keep telling myself that on the other side of the next two weeks - there is summer.

   GLORIOUS SUMMER!   

For now though, I'm coping by trying to enjoy one day at a time, and to every day find one thing to stop and LAUGH or SMILE about.   

Like the other day, when I had a morning in which each one of my siblings called me and I was actually free to answer my phone!   I enjoyed chatting with Crystal, then Jewel and then Chad- all with in an hour or two.    I loved it!   I hadn't spoken to most of them for days and days.    

Another day that made me smile, was when I went to watch Sam compete at Track & Field.    

Naturally, I arrived late, but still in time to watch him run a few events.   

 He'd ran the 50 meter race first and did well. 

  He easily placed second, and then went on to run the 100 m.    

  I watched at the starting line as he took off, but as he continued down the track I was a little puzzled.   It didn't seem as though he was even trying to race at all.   It looked like he was reaching out and playing with the person next to him.   The goof!    Turns out,  him and his buddy Everett realized they were racing against each other and devised a plan (mid-run) to cross the finish line at precisely the same time.   

So they joined hands and completed their race in a hilarious act of solidarity.  

Everet's Mom took these pictures, and apparently they were overjoyed to learn that they'd both tied for second place.   "Yes!!!"  they said, "All we wanted was to TIE!!!!"  

(Obviously not "in it to win it" kinda boys;)

Oh and this video clip made me laugh.   I found it on my computer with a bunch of pictures from way back when.  (okay, just from a few months ago;)    Sam, Abby and Jess had gone through a phase where they were obsessed with The Three Stooges.   They were always acting like Curly, Larry and Mo.  (talking in unison...bopping each other on the nose...that sorta thing.)       

Anyways, I captured this footage one morning as they headed off to school and said goodbye in their "three stooges style."

Simply put -  my.kids.make.me.laugh.    

period.

I'm looking forward to saying good by to routine for a while and playing with them a bit more.    

No doubt I'll be counting down to September sooner then I probably should, but I'll worry about that another day;)  

Good bye!

Rausch Rumble (in Magrath)

Every other year my Dad's siblings and their families all get together.    It was long ago dubbed the "Rausch Rumble" and due to fun characters that make up this family, it is always a fun event!!

This year, my Aunt Heather was in charge, and she opted to hold the reunion in Magrath at the Stake Campground.   I'd never been there before and didn't know what to expect, but the kids had a blast!!!   The first place they went to was, of course, the water slide that is built into a hill.    It's actually quite long, and surprisingly fast!    Abby, Sam and Jess just jumped right into the line up of kids and took their turns racing down.   

Nate....needed a bit of warming up.  He spent the first few minutes just cautiously observing;)

John eventually got tired of that, and made Nate give it a try:

Nate never did tackle the water slide again.  At least, not from the top!  Instead, he water skied and slid around in the pooled water at the bottom.    (He likes to live dangerously;)

While the Dad's supervised kids, my Aunt Heather gave a cooking demonstration for the women.   She showed us all how to make authentic "Kuchen" which is a German, fruity, cakey, dessert!   All of my Aunts (and a few of the older cousins) have fond memories of making this and eating it at my Grandma Anne Rausch's house.   (Apparently she always had a Kuchen or two in her freezer for when company came, which sounds like a good idea to me!)

This is a slice of Blueberry Kuchen.  (But really you say "Kuucwhen" with that phlemy sound in your mouth, because that's how us Germans like to talk;)   Yummm!!!

John spent some time down at a nearby creek with a few other kids and Dad's.  They found crayfish, a muskrat, a garder snake, and FROGS!   They could several frogs, and lovingly brought a couple back up to show us.    (and to squeeze and love to death!)

After a delightful potluck dinner, we all kinda lounged around and visited for the rest of the afternoon.    It was nice to catch up with many of my cousins, and to meet THEIR kids, and to see how this family has grown!

While we visited- the kids swam, bounced around...

....and played on the Water slide until the very last possible minute!

All of the adults decided that this reunion was such a success - why not do it EVERY year, and at the SAME PLACE too?     

If you ask my kids- next year can't possibly come soon enough!!!!

Girls night/Guys night

On Friday evening, John and Sam went out to join some others at our ward Fathers & Sons campout.   

Despite the fact that John and Sam weren't camping, they were just going out for Friday evening, Sam had waiting for it ALL week long.  He even packed his bags two days in advance!!  What did he pack for the evening?   Two changes of clothes, jammies (though they weren't necessary), his book of mormon, pocket knife, ipod shuffle and pokemon headphones, and a animal identification guide book.     

I LOVE watching Sam pack his bags.    

Friday evening couldn't come soon enough, (especially when you wake up at 6:00 am full of excitement) but finally, by 4:30...they were on their way!

They roasted hotdogs, made slingshot arrows, played with other friends their age, and of course- whittled wood!   Sam was in heaven;)    

Back at the ranch...Abby and Jess decided that we needed to have a "Girls Night." 

It involved going downtown to pick out mud masks.  

Having a BBQ dinner while watching a storm roll in. 

Applying said mud masks.

Painting toenails and fingernails.  

And watching a movie.   Abby insisted on a "Chick Flick" and the girls settled on "The Princess and the Pony."   (It was tediously annoying to watch, but in the spirit of the evening, I did my best;)

Nate was the odd man out, unfortunately.    I wasn't quite ready to let him go with John, and the girls weren't quite ready to let him join the girls night.    Poor little guy just kinda wandered around bored, but we discovered that if we kept handing him  juice boxes to drink, then he was perfectly happy!

It's a good thing this whole Father/Son's campout thing only happens ONCE a year!!!!

Birthday Trail Ride

This week I turned 33 years old, which really, isn't all that old.    I mean, certainly not when compared to my husband who is almost 40!!!  (I had to throw that in, because John hates it when I say he's almost 40, because apparently turning 38 is nowhere near 40?:)    

Anyways, I turned a mere 33, yet I felt as though I'd reached a huge milestone!  I am now officially the same age that my Mom was when she died.    All my life "33" has seemed like a far away time, a distant looming number, and I wondered if I'd ever make it there myself.  Is that weird?

I thought a lot about my Mom on my birthday, and wondered about those who would have been in her life at that time, and how her birthday would have been celebrated.  I was blessed to spend the day and a surprisingly relaxed way.  I stayed in my pajamas until noon.   Nate and I read books and cuddled.   I nursed a fairly persistent cold, that I've had all week.  And I enjoyed so many phone calls and quick visits from some of my favorite people who knew just how to make the day special!

John surprised me with a trail ride for two, scheduled for the weekend, of course.  

When Saturday came, I was delighted to see a clear sunny sky, and I took it as a sign that it was going to be a.great.day!    

This is the view as we arrived at the starting point!

Here's a list of rules that were displayed for all to see and read.   Apparently I shoulda done that, 'cuz I broke rule #2 an awful lot!  (I didn't know this when we began, but my horse "Smokey" liked to stop and eat.   Like, a LOT!  As a result of our many snack stops, smokey and I spent most of our ride in a quick trot, always trying to catch up;)

I had to get used to snapping photos, while on a horse.   It's darn near impossible to keep still long enough to focus!  Here's a shot of John and our trail guide just after we started out.    We're headed for the hills!!

Our guide took us all through the foothills, and I felt as though we were right below Chief Mountain part of the time.   It was gorgeous!   (And somehow I managed to take pictures of nothing but the back end of horses!  Go figure:)

After 40 minutes or so, our horses started to climb.   Not just climb, but climb through some very wooded forest.    I LOVED it, and felt like I was truly accomplished.   I mean, hello ...I'm climbing a hill...on a horse!!!

We got to the top of the hill and stayed up there only long enough to take in this breathtaking scene!

Then, it was down the other side of the hill.   

And we went STRAIGHT DOWN!!!   It was so fun!   At this moment, I'd forgotten I was following a guide at all, I was too busy pretending I was in "Man From Snowy River."    

The morning went a lot like that.  Up hills.  Down hills.  Through Forests....

and Across Creeks!

I'm pretty sure I've never felt more calm, or happy, ...or at peace with the world.
 ...or sore. (just sayin')

I reckon I may spend the next 33 years of my life, trying to convince John that this "Country Life" is exactly what we need!    

Piano Recital

I love attending my kids' piano recital each year.   For one thing, it always marks the end of a laborious year of trying to get Abby to practice.  It also, however, gives my kids a chance to show off what they've learned, and my kids LOVE showing off;)

Despite Abby's teenage approach to anything involving "work" these days, she really did make some great strides on piano.   I saw glimpses, this past year, of her actually enjoying herself, AND she began playing from the simplified Hymn Book, and liked being able to be the pianist each week during Family Home Evening.    There's hope;)!    

Sam was SUPER nervous to perform at his recital.   He practiced and practiced and practiced.   One morning I was woken up at 6:30 am to the sound of the piano!  

....Sam just had to practice;)

He had his song down perfectly, but seconds before being called up to play, he made the decision to leave his books behind and play from memory.    That, combined with his nerves, contributed to a few mess ups during his big performance, but he recovered nicely and I think learned a lot.   

This was his FIRST recital!!

Abby and Mya performed a fun little duet together, that came together at the end, despite the need for some last minute practices with their piano teacher.    I'm so glad Betsy was willing to spend extra time with them, as Abby's part was a little rough;)    Duets are always so fun to hear!

After the recital, we went over to Dairy Queen with Rachel and Maddax for ice cream.  (But the kids ended up having fries, burgers and smoothies...?)     Aunt Rachel had bought both Sam and Abby candy bouquets to congratulate them.    

Abby was in awe, as she's "wanted one of these her whole life!!!"  hahaha

Sam was ...um...a little Crazy about his too;)

So crazy in fact, that I couldn't get a decent picture out of him.  

No matter how hard I tried!!!!!

Blossoms

We've spent the past two weeks enjoying the beautiful blossoms in our backyard.    

I LOVE spring, and blossoms (to me) are the assurance of a great harvest to come.    

I'm really looking forward to all that our garden will bring this year!!

These Blossoms covered our Haskep Bushes this year. 

   Ever heard of Haskeps?  I hadn't either, until my Brother got us several bushes to plant one year.  

It looks like we may actually get to taste this super berry this year, and I am Super excited!!!

Blossoms on BOTH our pear trees this year!!   Do we dare hope for a pear?

Some say it's impossible in this climate.  

I say, just watch and see;)

And of course, our crab apple tree.    When these blossoms fall they fill our backyard and look like giant flakes of soft snow.   Jessica spent an entire morning last week gathering petals in a bowl.    

That same week, Sam finished off our last jar of Crab Apple Jelly (which he calls Jolly Jam)   

It'll soon be time to make more;)

what hospitality!!!

A while back, Jessica's American Girl Doll, began losing her hair.     It was the strangest thing, but the extensions were literally falling right off.    I was so mad.  Jessica was thrilled!

She'd been wanting to have an excuse to send her doll to the "American Girl Doll Hospital" (yes...there really is such a place) and it looked like now was the time.    So, despite my annoyance with having to pack it up and ship it off  (I'm too used to our digital world, as writing out an address and slapping on postage was just about too much;)   we started the process of getting her doll fixed.

First, I had to go online and print out her "admitting papers."

Then we sent her off.

Jessica cried for nights wondering where her doll was, and I couldn't help but worry that we'd never see her doll again.     

A few weeks later though,  we received little "ponyo" (Jessica named her?) arrived healthy and well.    She came back to us in a hospital gown, a medical ID bracelet, a get well card, an official prescription for some TLC, and a new head of hair.   

Jessica was beyond excited.  Well one American Girl Doll Co.   Well done!   

Katniss and Co.

Sam and Abby have recently acquired pocket knives, and they are more then a little obsessed with whittling.   We are trying to teach them all the safety rules.   John's favorite cautionary advice is " Never cut towards your thumb... always cut toward your chum!" So as you can imagine, our kids (and everyone else) are in good hands;) 

For Mother's day, Abby and Sam both gave me a stick with MOM meticulously carved into it.  

Around that same time they each whittled a fresh branch and fashioned a BOW out of it.    I was surprised to see that they could actually shoot with it!

For the most part, I have no regrets about letting them have a pocket knife.    That is, until I find all the wood chips they've left behind!