Jessica's May mishaps

Jessica wants a dog.

Have I mentioned this here before?  

She wants one real bad!

Occasionally she gets going on a whole hearted "Puppy Campaign."  

Like, one day, she got into the school and covered John's whiteboard with pictures of dogs.  She made sure to slide the top board over it so that it was discovered at a most convenient time, like right smack dab in the middle of one of his lessons;)

Oh I wish I could have been in his class when he discovered it.

A couple of weeks back John rushed home from school, raced off to his baseball game with Nate, and I joined them at Nate's game a while later.   Nate's game went great, and as soon as it ended I hopped in the van and rushed off to run some more errands.   I hadn't been driving long when a man in a little red car raced up beside me and swerved over to the side of the rode in an attempt to get my attention.   Confused I got out of my vehicle and began to apologize to the man.

  (For what, I don't know.  Us Canadians just like to apologize when others get in our way;)

The man immediately began telling me that he had noticed "my sign" and he had a friend who sold labradoodels that I should get in touch with.   Sign?  What sign?   

No time to inquire. Before I knew it, he was gone again.   

Puzzled by the whole encounter I turned back towards my van, and then it hit me.  

I walked to the back end of our van and sure enough - there as a sign alright... 

I don't know where Jessica gets her ideas, but this one definitely takes the cake!

Earlier in the month a former sister missionary that had served in town (and had been a favorite of ours) returned for a visit with her Dad, who happens to be an editor for some of the Church Magazines.   (Friend, New Era, Ensign) .  He asked me if I had a daughter under 12 and told me that he would like to interview her and take a picture of her with her Book of Mormon.  He ended up interviewing Abby as well.   It was really exciting for Jess.  I'm not sure if their pictures will actually make it in to the friend or New Era, but it was a fun opportunity for them, just the same!

One evening after supper, the rain began to pour.  It was a most perfect Spring Shower - and one that we could not let pass by without savoring, just a little.   Jess and I went for a little stroll on the temple lawn.  We walked alongside the road and kicking up puddles of water and trying to get each other as wet as possible.   We even tried to work up the courage to dance a little!! 

She keeps us on our toes this girl, in an absolutely spectacular way. 

Track and Field Fun

There are moments when I am so SO glad that my sisters are watching out for me.  One of those moments each year come when my sisters send me pictures and footage of my kids Track and Field events - which I always miss.  

This year was a fun one for my kiddos.   Both Jessica and Sam advanced to Divisionals, and Sam went on to place 8th in zones in the 3000 meter run.   

(Sam and Brooke make me laugh.   Their friendship has certainly grown since their early years.   Love these two cousins!) 

Jessica performed well too, though her score hardly matters to me at all compared to her sweet, dimply personality.  Lots of physical skill and a whole lot of sweetness!  

Her and Dane must have found each other on the field for exchange of best wishes and comparison of ribbons won;)

I so wish that I could have been there in person to watch these kids and cousins compete, but I am so glad that I got some pictures of the day.  

Mothers day weekend

There are a few real perks to being a Mom.  

Staying up past the kid's bedtime watching M*A*S*H and eating chocolate.  Perk.

  

Telling your kids that "the only thing you want for Mother's Day is for them to all join you on a walk through a field of shooting starts" and they actually agree to do it.   Definite Perk.

Kinda played the ol' Mother's Day card perfectly, eh?  

Whatever gets them loaded into the van without complaint, that's what I say;)

It was an absolutely beautiful day!   

The sun was out and so were the shooting stars for that matter to.

We walked a short ways up the Red Rock road and I could not believe how stunning the ground looked all carpeted in vibrant green and purple.   Life after a wildfire is pretty darn pretty.   

While Sam barraged us with questions such as, "Why are we doing this again?" and "When can we go?" the rest of the kids happily walked along enjoying each others company and finding all sorts of fun along the way.  

This garter snake was one of their finds, though I wouldn't call it a fun one.  

Ew...Ew...EW!!!

We spent the rest of the evening down by Upper Waterton lake paddle boarding and soaking up the beauty of a perfectly calm spring evening.  

I'm pretty sure that I could paddle board forever and never grow tired of it.  

At one point Jessica and I took our boards right up to the shoreline on the west side of the lake to inspect the dozens of little waterfalls that we could hear cascading over the edge of the mountain.  The air was cool in the shadow, the water was trickling all around us, and the burnt floor of the mountain was COVERED in bright yellow glacier lilies.   It was stunning!!!

I breathed in deep (deep breathes of cool mossy air are the best) and thanked God right then and there for that beautiful moment. 

Sigh...Peace.

Perfect Mother's Day Gift!

Sunday morning, the kids made breakfast in bed, filled me up with gifts and cards made at school, and even agreed to take a photo or two with me before we headed off to church.  

Abby spoke in Sacrament meeting today and I was so touched by her Mother's Day message. 

She is a sweet soul, a deep thinker and has a tender heart in moments like this.  I love that about her!

Abby and I were both presented with our Young Women's Personal Progress medallions today.   

It felt so good to be finished and I loved that Abby and I got to finish and receive them together.  

After church we learned that Jewel, Ava, AND Mya all received theirs on the same day as well.  

What are the chances?

Of course we had to pose for a picture;)

We ate supper outside on the back patio while we listened to birds chirping and bees buzzing and then wrapped up the night by visiting Grandma Hardys grave together.  

What a special and wonderful woman she is and how grateful I am to know that my kids have three angel Grandparents looking after them!

If I could be half the Mom that Marilyn or my own Mother were - 

I would be a happy mamma indeed!!

Welcoming Spring

Oh what a long winter we just head.   So SO LONG!!!

By the end of April we were starting to finally feel a little bit hopeful that we'd finally seen the last of winter.    This first week of May has truly been a welcomed sight as we basked in some of our favourite spring pass times with out the slightest hint of cold weather.  

Nate's team (the Tigers) played their first official baseball game this past week.  John is coaching this year, which only makes sense to me as he usually coaches from the sidelines anyways;)   It was cute to watch John coaching with all his heart, Nate playing as fiercely as he could, and Sam stepping in to be the helpful more experienced big brother/assistant.   Sam is playing on his own team twice a week, and has a paid gig umping during the season twice a week as well. 

  There is a whole lot of baseball love going on around these parts.

On Friday we drove out to St. Marys for the first time this year.  The sun was shining, the wind was almost non existent, and John was in the mood to hunt for fossils.    Even though he did managed to find a couple, the most exciting part of the outing (to me at least) was that we fired up the old Can Cooker for one of my favorite outdoor meals.   It was good I'm telling ya.

   Really though, everything tastes delicious when eaten outside. 

We spent Saturday morning working hard around the house.   We planted various flowers in our five flower pots,  gladiolas and forget me nots in the front flower bed, and rigged up a screen cover that I hope will prevent the magpies from attacking my future vegetable garden.   As our work neared an end, John got increasingly determined to get us all out to Payne Lake.  (Apparently this marked the opening day of fishing season here in Alberta.  How could we let that go uncelebrated?) .  

Jess, Nate and I visited and explored while Sam and John did most of the fishing.  Those two determined men even stayed longer into the evening, eventually coming home with three trout.  

We will cook those trout up for Sunday dinner today and no doubt here all about how "this is the first of many fish they plan on bring home for us this summer." 

Sigh...  and so it begins!

15 puppies

Jess has been a tad obsessed with puppies lately.  (That is a huge understatement, as they are literally on her mind 24/7) 

One day, a few weeks back, I'd arranged to take Jess out to my friend Ky's house.   Ky owns a side business in which she breeds German Short haired Pointers, and she had recently welcomed 15 little ones into the world.   Oh my goodness, they were cute little things.  

They ran around the yard and explored, nibbled on our boots, and yelped for attention.

The only thing cuter than the puppies - was Jessica's happy smiley face.  

I'm pretty sure that Jessica's version of Heaven consists of lots and lots of puppies.  

Utah - Bryce Canyon

Midway through our Utah visit, we loaded up our suitcases one last time and followed Jordan and Luci to Bryce Canyon.    Our plan was to spend Monday and a part of Tuesday hiking and exploring together.   I'll admit, I hadn't researched the place too much, and I thought I had a good idea of what to expect.  Nothing could have prepared me though for the grandness and beauty of this place.  

It was grand.

Spectacular.

Awe inspiring.

All this time, I've been convinced that the desert couldn't possibly compare to the beautiful Rocky mountains.  Boy was I wrong. 

Luci had meticulously researched and planned out a kid friendly approach exploring this spectacular landscape.  When we weren't exploring, we were swimming in the hotel pool, eating yummy food, or playing games.   But really - the exploring was where it was at for me.

During a stop at a visitor center we learned that the night sky over Bryce Canyon is among the darkest in North America.  One night Luci and I (and a few kiddos) drove up to Sunset point in hopes of seeing the spectacular night sky.   Both Luci and I agreed that we had seen better stars elsewhere but it was certainly beautiful.  

The next morning Luce and I got up at 6:30 am to drive to the same point and watch the sun rise.  

Holy cow- the desert gets cold at night!!! 

We huddled behind a rock while we waited for the first early morning rays, but in my opinion the cold (near hypothermia) was definitely worth it!

I am convinced now that there is nothing more inspiring than watching the sun rise above the a desert horizon.   Oh it warmed my heart (but unfortunately not my toes and fingers) and filled my soul to the brim!

The more I get to see of the world, the more I am coming to welcome the opportunities that I have in life to feel completely and utterly "small."   I'm not talking of times when I let other people make me feel insignificant (I don't like that;) but rather those moments when I realize how small I am compared to the greatness and grandness of a divine creator. 

Moments like this stop me in my tracks in the most humbling way!

The images and colors of Bryce will be a favorite of mine for a long while to come.

Utah - Conference and other wishes granted

We just got back from the most enjoyable Easter break EVER! 

 A few weeks back, we began hatching a plan that involved attending General Conference in Utah (for the first time) as well as visiting Bryce Canyon with John's brother Jordan and his family. 

We had no idea then how great those activities would be, nor did we have a clue how much fun and family would be added in to make this a truly memorable trip.

We left work early on Thursday afternoon (no small feat for two do gooders like us;) and stopped at home only long enough to load the van full of luggage and four very excited kids. 

John's sister Sarah graciously let us stop off at her home in Montana, which allowed us to split the twelve hour drive in half.   We reached their home around 8:30 pm and were delighted to finally get to see it!    It's a beautiful home that has one feeling comfy and cozy the minute you walk through the door.  (Ed's hot pot of chili and artisan bread may have had something to do with that feeling too;)    

We got to visit with them, see pictures from Ed and Mala's recent Galapagos adventure, and get a view of the beautiful area they live in.   

It was a most perfect beginning and we were so grateful for their hospitality!!

We arrived at Jordan and Luci's on Friday evening.  We couldn't have been more excited to find that Gina and a couple of our nephews were there as well.    After a delicious dinner, the kids each decorated their own egg (hard boiled) in preparation of the first annual "Egg Jousting Competition."  

Egg Jousting consists holding your egg and charging at your opponents egg.  

Without fail, one egg will crack (the loser's), and one will not (the winner's).

It's a ridiculously stupid game.

We can't wait to play it again;)

Luci had managed to snag eight tickets from her Bishop for my family.  On Saturday morning John and I grabbed the kids (along with Libby and Jax) and excitedly made our way to Temple Square.  

This marked the kids' second time on temple square only, and the first time we'd ever watched conference in the Conference Center.  

We didn't bother standing in line to get in to the morning session, we simply spent a few hours wandering and exploring.   

Libby and Jax were great buddies to have with us for the day.

They took photos for us, kept my kids interested and energized, and made us laugh.

I LOVED watching my kids soak in the atmosphere of Temple Square.  

They saw beautiful landscaping, inspiring photos, they heard conference talks being blared over loudspeakers, they watched wide eyed as protesters called out to them to repent, and they felt the contrasting calm sweet feeling inside the special conference centre.

I've heard people speak of it before, but I too LOVED seeing personally what happens to a room full of 20,000 people the minute the prophet walks in the room.  Without any spoken warning that he had arrived, the moment President Nelson walked through the doors everybody (everybody!) went silent and stood.   It was the most impressive silence I have ever witnessed and it spoke volumes of the love that we all have for our prophet.  

It has only been a couple of months since President Nelson was sustained the new President of the Church, but this was a monumental conference weekend as he announced some major changes to the church.  Some of the announced changes were:

* 7 new temples were announced.  

* It was announced that from this point on, the organizations of the High Priest Group will be dissolved and all men in the church will be a part of one unified Elders Quorum.   

* Home teaching and Visiting teaching as we know it was dissolved.  We were taught that there will be a knew idea put in place in which members will minister in a less programmatic, yet more Christlike way.   I am certainly excited to see how these changes unfold!

It absolutely blew my mind to see just how many people attend conference each year.  We saw many of our hometown friends, and made our way through throngs and throngs of strangers.   So.many.people!!

There was admittedly moments while watching where we missed our comfy couch, cozy blankets and endless supply of snack foods, but we were so so glad to get to experience Conference in such a memorable way.  Now whenever my kids watch conference on TV (yes from the comforts of our cozy couch;) they will be able to say that they know exactly what it is like to hear our prophet speak in person.     

What a great weekend!!!

Sunday was spent lazing around at Jordan and Luci's house.  (Well...John and I lazed around.  Luci probably can't say that she did;)   We watched conference, ate a yummy Easter meal, the kids enjoyed an Easter Egg hung, and we packed and set out on our grand adventure to Bryce Canyon.  

 Oh man, Bryce Canyon was such fun!!  (So fun that it deserves a blog post of it's own!;)

I really couldn't get over how much there is to do in Utah.   

So many places to explore.  

So much shopping I wish I'd done.
So many places to eat.

Throughout the week there were so many moments in which Jordan and Luci absolutely made our day.  For example: 

Before leaving, Jordan made our kids' day when he took everyone to the Living Planet Aquarium.  

Despite their past pleas, John and I had never taken our kids to an aquarium before.  Turns out we really should have.  

Apparently nothing gets my kid excited like sloths, golden pheasants, and Arapaima's do!

Luci made Jessica's day when she took her to the "Puppy Barn," a place Jess had been dreaming of going to ever since she learned of it's existence months ago.   She hopped from one bin of puppy to another, happily declaring which one we should get, as if we ever actually would;)  

She was in absolute heaven!

The night before we left, Luce and Jordan took us to a pizza place called Midici's which was so much fun!   I never knew eating pizza could be such an elegant dining experience, but it was.  And boy was it ever delish!   Luci absolutely made my trip when she pointed out that the famous mormon blogger Stephanie Nelson (aka. Nie Nie) was there as well.   It has been a long time joke between Luci an I that I would only come to Utah if Luci would help me see Nie Nie.  During a previous trip, Luci had bought cupcakes for us from Nie Nie's favorite cupcake shop, but landing at Midici's with her was so so much better.  I still don't know how Luci made it happen.  haha.   

I was too much of a chicken to go up and talk to her, even though I really really wanted to.   Luckily Luci went all Carpe Diem on us and seized the moment!  

With our hubbies we talked about Tesla's, Banff, and southern Alberta. What I didn't tell Stephanie was that her writing was a source of hope and inspiration for me 7 years ago when going through a tediously painful onset of Rheumatoid arthritis. While wondering if I would ever walk or move freely again, she was a constant reminder to me of the truth that "I am not my body" and that our spirits are greater than our limitations. 

I kinda wish I'd thanked her for that...  

My kids and I all woke up Wednesday and very reluctantly got ready for our 12 hour drive home.    John's brother Aaron had so kindly insisted on driving all the way from his place forty some minutes away to meet us for breakfast at 7:00 am.   I couldn't believe it.  Part of my felt really guilty for making them make that early morning drive, but the other part of me just really wanted to see them again.   They treated us to a delicious breakfast and we got to visit with them a little while longer before they sent us on our way with a delicious Chocolate Cake in hand.  It was an incredibly kind gesture and I don't think they will realize how touched we were by the effort they made.   

Anyways, there it is.  A recap of a most enjoyable week in Utah.  

It was an incredible week full of first, and a week that was made amazing by so many family members who opened their homes, fed us, and made us feel as though we were people worth hanging out with.   

We love them all for it!