July Joys

A few things that made me happy during the month of July.  (In no particular order): 

1:  The fact that this rocket ship was our centerpiece for two days.  I must have been in a good mood.

2.  Nate's friend (Jake) as moved in recently and what a blessing it has been for Nate to have had a friend this summer and what a great team they make!

3: This little clear bird feeder has attracted all kinds of birds.  Magpies, Swallows, Robyn's and Morning Doves!   I love seeing them show up at my window!

4.  We got our Piano tuned a few weeks back on July 14th and the man who tuned it found a date stamped on the inside of it indicating that it was made on July 15, 1911.  Of course, Nate did the math and decided that it was important to celebrate our Piano's 108th birthday party!  We did so by having cake, singing Happy Birthday, and then each of the kids had to perform a musical number.   (Some participated more willingly than others;)

5.  I have fallen in love with the Wildflowers (some perhaps weeds) that flourished all July long.   My month consisted of lots of evening walks down along the Creekside Trail.  Occasionally my sisters would come with me, but I would always come back with an armful of fresh-picked flowers.  Sigh...

6.  We LOVE the greenspace/park that is just outside our back door.  There have been several evenings when we find ourselves enjoying an impromptu game of Frisbee or baseball.   Running on the grass in bare feet and talking smack to each other makes for a stellar evening.

7.  When we moved in, we weren't sure what to do with the big shed that sat out in the back corner of our yard.  It is seriously like a lean too and we have no idea how it ever ended up here, but we have tried to make it a useful space for the kids to play.  We've strung up some patio lights and tend to go here when we want to roast s'mores and play games.

I'm 100% certain that summer is going by WAY too fast. 

I've begun desperately trying to hold on to every last minute of our time outside of school.

IF nothing else were to happen for us this summer - I would be so grateful for all of these things!

Metamorphisis

For Jessica's birthday (think winter) I purchased a Butterfly kit for Jessica which required her to patiently wait 6 months before it was warm enough outside for her to try.  

This process had several steps. 

1: Purchase caterpillars in the infant stage

2:  Watch grow until double in size and form a crysalis

3:  Remove from cups and place in mesh Butterfly home

4: Wait a few more days while catipillars change within their cacoons

5:  Watch as beautiful butterflies emerge

6: Feed them sugar water and fruit for a few days

7:  Release into the wild

The whole process had me captivated and excited.  

Jessica proved (once again) that she is amazing with any and all types of animals.  

By the 10th day we had nine of the prettiest butterflies that I had ever seen. 

When it came time to release them, I was shocked at how they instinctively knew how to fly as they hadn't done so in the cage.  

Each one of them took their turn leaving the cage, some flying straight up and away and others lingering on the grass and fly around us for a few minutes more.   Several days later, Jessica was still seeing "her butterflies" landing on various plants within our yard.  

I loved Jessia's tender heart and her concert for these fascinating bugs. 

They are proof that change is not only possible but absolutely essential.   

I loved it.

Lazy Dayz - Take Two!

Our first LAZY day adventure in Waterton was such a hit, we decided to go back three days later to do it all over again.  And by that, I mean nothing.  

We went back to do absolutely nothing at all.  

We had a client of Jessica's (a puppy named Bear) and a beloved pink flamingo in tow this time, both of which added just the right touch to our LAZY adventure. 

It was a day that felt like medicine - definitely good for the soul!

Lazy Dayz

A few weeks back we went to Waterton as a family. 

We had no plan, no purpose, no idea what we would do once we got there.

It ended up being the best day ever!

We set up the hammock.

Took turns on the paddleboards.

John and Sam fished.

Got ice cream when we wanted it.

Read.

Fell asleep.

Threw Rocks.

Walked around.

And last of all - photographed flowers.  

We did whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and we did it for four hours.  

This relaxed come and chill for half a day approach was new to us, but definitely, something that is in our blood now.  

We're hooked on LAZY summer days in Waterton!!!

Happy Canada Day, Eh!

Technically, our Canada Day was spent doing yard work, pulling weeds during the hottest part of the day and then finding ourselves too tired at the end of the day to go to the local Party in the Park or late night fireworks.  

(I feel like Sam shouldn't have been able to defy the designated theme of the day and where blue and white, but he insisted that there was no way he was showing up in that town wearing anything but is true blue.

 Before we got the bright idea to pull weeds though, we did travel to Raymond to attend the famous July 1 parade.  Nate was happy to get drenched by people on passing floats, we picnicked for lunch, and had lots of laughs as we gathered whatever candy we could.  

I'm only posting our party pictures so it will actually look like we did Canada Day right! 

A Week of Company

I mentioned in my previous entry that we got possession on June 21st and began moving our life to our new home that very day.  On June 22nd we were able to visit with Johns sister Sarah,  her husband Ed and their boys.  On June 23 John's brother Aaron came for a three-day stay and brought our nephew Luke along with him.  On June 28 we were able to have John's sister Rachel and her family stay with us.

I wouldn't have normally planned for company during a move, but it truly proved to provide us with the reprieve we needed during an otherwise very unbalanced week.  During a week of 2 am bedtimes and boxes, and trips from one house to another - I can not adequately convey how nice it was to have family stop in to bring us back to reality and provide us with moments where we could be reminded of what matters most.  

Sarah and Ed and fam had taken on an adventurous trip to Glacier National Park so Sarah and Caleb could bike the famous Going to the Sun Road.   We drove down to meet them for some Huckleberry shakes and Pie and of course catch up with one of our favorite families!

Aaron had one request when he came to visit and that was that he and Luke fish as much as possible, which was pretty much music to John's ears;)   It was SO fun having Luke with us. 

  Often when we get together with John's family it is with a whole group of us, which is always a party, but I love, love, LOVE the individual single family visits most.  It gives me an opportunity to really connect more sincerely than I do amidst a large group, and I gotta say - Luke is a party and a half.   My kids are still laughing about some of his hilarious antics.  

The Steven's family definitely got the most unpacked and calm version of our family that week, but that isn't saying much.  Sam was at young men's camp, Nate had a weekend-long baseball tournament in the city, and John and I were still secretly making late night loads from our old house to this one.  

Still though- it was nice to stop, visit, play and laugh. 

What better way to break in the new digs, than with family!

Home Sweet Home

We've not really mentioned it too much, BUT back in March - we bought a house!

We (John and I, chronic gypsies) actually BOUGHT A HOUSE!!  

It's been 7 years since we owned a home.  I can hardly believe that we let it be that long, but we truly had just grown comfortable with the freedom and luxury of not owning, though that may be a little shortsighted of us.

At any rate, the Holts (whose home we had been renting) were due to be released from their mission and we knew it was time (yet again) to find our next home.  The kids were definitely ready to put down some roots and call a place their own.  

We took possession of the property on Friday June 21st.  

John and I still had to work that day, but that didn't stop the kids from beginning the move without us, literally phoning or texting us sometimes to see what they should be moving over.  (It is soooo much nicer moving when your kids are old enough to help with the work!  haha) 

One of the things we love about the house is that it backs onto Sunset park, giving us a feeling that we have more space than we actually do.   I love that I am not looking out into someone's back yard.  

I also love that no one else really looks out into our back yard, because it is in pretty rough shape these days.   The previous owners had truly left the home in beautiful shape, having done renos inside and in the front yard.  The back yard may look like it has green grass, but 80% of what is seen there is actually weed.  (Well...not "weed" but various kinds of broad leaf weeds.  haha;)

We spend a couple of days pulling the green things out, and may just take a tiller to the whole yard this week.  We shall see.  It feels good to get our hands dirty on a property of our own again.

I don't know how John and I got so blessed to live the life we do, but I am so grateful that we have been able to land here.  We are excited to start making some memories in our new 

Home Sweet Home!!!

Joys of June

After a long, long, cold winter and spring, June offered some beautiful days and the kids were able to enjoy a lot of new things!  Some June highlights were:

* Jessica got to go gopher shooting ...twice!   

Not gonna lie - John and I were shocked she was willing to go along with this, being the nature lover that she is.   This is our girl who saves bugs and loves every animal in the whole world.  

Apparently, there is a bloodthirsty side to her as well?

She was also invited out to ride horses with a cute girl she played softball with this year.  It was so funny to watch Jessica come home with an inherited set of cowboy boots and a smile a mile long.  She claims there is no better smell in the world than that of horse poo. 

To each their own, I suppose;)

Abby has made us all happy by learning how to make macrons. And like - she really has learned!

She has mastered these tiny little morsels and my favorite flavors so far have been her coconut and raspberry macrons.   Sooo tasty!

Nate was able to go to the "100% Attendance BBQ lunch" hosted by his school each year.  This bbq is only for students who have gone the year without missing school, and he was SOO proud of the fact that he has not missed a single day of school since Kindergarten.   

This was his fourth time attending!!  

June was definitely a fun month for some of these kids!

Month of Sports

May and June.  Wow.

I've started to think that May/June are just as busy as the Christmas season - only without the soothing holiday lights!  We've mostly been kept so busy this month because of the many sports that our kids had been involved in.

Jess played on a softball team for the first time ever and she really really enjoyed it!

She was a strong player and an even stronger teammate, constantly cheering on the other girls and rallying them together. 

  She has so much athletic ability and absolutely zero competitiveness or jealousy - which I think is a killer combination.   

She ran fast at Track and Field this year too. (I wish I could have watched her, but had to be at work.)
She is just dynamite!

Nate played baseball again this year and really grew as a player.  He did have a kick-butt coach if I do say so myself;)   

I actually really LOVED going to watch Nate's games because they were only ever an hour long.   Just the right length of time for a baseball game;)

I adore that squishy little kid!

Sam had a jam-packed, crazy busy month or two.  He played basketball, went to zones for Badminton, played on a Baseball team, competed in a school-sponsored triathlon, and went to zones for track and field.  

No wonder he is so skinny!! haha

I really really LOVED watching him play baseball.   He loves pitching and got a few opportunities to do that this season.  

He is a fast runner and a particularly good big brother.  I was so grateful to hear of all the times he watched out for Jessica this year as they attended the same school together.  

He has a good core group of friends who are all so athletic.

Unlike Jessica, Sam does have a fiercely competitive streak and he really pushes himself.

He has started working out and can't wait to move up to the High School this fall, mostly because it will mean he will be allowed to access the weight room. 

I've really been proud of all he has tackled and the respectful way that he has handled every up and down of each game/event.   He's a good kid, this one!

That's our month of sports in a nutshell.   

Life on the bleachers has been good!

Fathers Day

In a grand Father's Day gesture, the kids and I decided to let John chose how we would celebrate his special Dad's day.  Of course, he chose "fossil hunting at St. Marys." 

It could not have been a more calm and beautiful Sunday evening.  

The kids and I feel so blessed to have this man leading our family.

Saturday evening Fun

Before school was even out, we were feeling ready for summer!

We stole away one evening to Waterton for our first Can Cooker meal of the season.

It was so yummy!  It helped that we had Grandpa and Jewel Kendall and fam with us.  

The kids always love time with their cousins.  

It was a gorgeous pre-summer outing that had us really looking forward to July!!

2019 - It's a wrap!

June 13 and 14 was grad for so many of the students that I have gotten to work with this past year.   This was a crazy hard year.   My personal work was a struggle at times, and for many of these students, it was equally challenging.  I think we all kinda felt like we were crawling to the finish line.  

Words can not convey how proud I was of so many of these students!

Many of these students have endured/overcome such obstacles to achieve this.  They are grit and determination personified and they don't even realize it!!

I can't wait to see them down the road.  

Graduating class of 2019 was definitely one of my faves!

A Chill birthday worthy of a DQ cake

It was a quiet birthday this year, but a sweet one, just the same.  

I'd had a rough week at work and I felt grateful for the opportunity this day gave me to be with my family.  After work/school we attended the kids' year-end piano recital.  

After the recital, the kids had some gifts for me and John had purchased a DQ cake.  

John had purchased a lightweight raincoat for me to take on our cruise.  Abby and Jess gave me cute coupons and letters, Nate made me a large piano out of paper, and Sam had gotten Abby to take him to the store so he could buy (with his own money) some of my favorite treats.  

It was a day in which I felt special to those who matter the very most to me.

Nothing makes a birthday great like ice cream cake and those you love!