Kickin' it at the Powder Keg

We've spent the winter watching the weather (and our schedules) and hoping for a day when the kids could go skiing. Finally, in mid-February, thanks to a week off of school and a fresh dump of snow - that perfect day arrived.  

I wasn't able to accompany the family as I was recovering from a surgery I'd had a week or two prior, so it was with a lot of trepidation that I watched them all pull out of the driveway at 7:00 am.  John had done some research and was determined to try a new to us ski hill that he'd heard about.  It's called "Pass Powder Keg" and boasted a smaller hill and cheaper prices.   For a once a year family like ours, we felt optimistic that this hill would have something for all ranges of ability.  

By all accounts, it was a perfect day.  

Sam found challenging runs to play on and made a connection with a transient, homeless hippie.

 Jessica and Abby stuck together doing what they do best, which is skiing, mingled with some moments of tranquility on benches or laying in the snow staring up at the sky. 

 John stayed with Nate teaching him the ways of the tow rope.

The arrived back at home that evening full of excitement and stories of the day.

We've all vowed that next year we will definitely be going more than once!

The tender amidst the tough

February 2020 will forever be remembered as one of the hardest months (ready for this?) of my life!

It's true.  It was hard, painful, heartbreaking and disappointing.  

But like most challenging times - it wasn't without its tender moments:

Jessica officially became a teenager.   

Poor girl's special day came amidst a few arduous weeks, but Grandpa intuitively showed up for dinner with a cake in hand.  He said he knew I likely wouldn't be able to bake a cake for her so he thought he'd provide it.  (That man!). Jessica had no complaints about her lackluster day and in true Jessica fashion, she was happy with everyone and everything.  She loved her cake from Grandpa and loved the many last-minute "coupon" type gifts she was presented with.   I gifted her with an online shopping spree, and let me just say, we may have created a monster.   She is hooked!  

Like any typical teenager, she can spend a whole wackload of her parent's money lickety-split!

I did take her on our annual birthday lunch in Waterton and I'm glad I was able to.  Our February date to our favorite place is truly a highlight of each year for me!

Close on Jessica's heals, just a couple of weeks later - we celebrate Abby!

I marveled the night before her birthday that John and I have been parents now for 17 years and that he and I really should go out on March 4th to celebrate!   (Not that Abby's birthday is about us or anything;).  I managed to actually make a cake for Abby.  It was a two-layer chocolate oreo cake that was super sweet but I think I deserve points for effort.   We gifted Abby with her favorite treats, a gift card to Thrift Books and a future date with Mom to soak in a Sensory Deprivation Float Tank. 

 John thinks it is the dumbest thing ever, but Abby and I have been wanting to try it for months.  

Can't wait to go with her!

Sam.  What can I say. 

No kid worries me, stresses me out, keeps me awake at night, or causes as many intense conversations with John as we evaluate our parenting capacities - as Sam.  This kid has put us through our paces (think missed curfews, too many parties with friends, and even a skipped class or two) yet he manages to do so with such a flare that it is hard to really feel anything but absolute adoration for him.   We received a note from one of his teachers this week.   It said, "Sam is delightful.  Delightfully disorganized, but delightful.   You should have more kids."  To Sam's credit - he has been remarkably attentive to my own comfort level this month.  He has stepped in to help with laundry, has taken me on drives out to Beazer to look for eagles, and even accompanied me to Calgary taking on ALL the driving himself.   Underneath this cool-guy-teenage exterior is a real gentleman and a loyal friend.  

Nate is hilarious.  He's managed to find a few moments this month to show me some of his favorite cartoons on TV.  Gravity Falls and Finius and Ferb are two of his favorites.  Despite the fact that watching those shows makes me want to claw my eyes out, I've LOVED watching Nate get a kick out of the silliest things.   He finished another round of CHAMPS and really has improved in many areas of Basketball.  At the end of each Champs session, the kids are awarded a sugar glazed donut and it is no secret - this is the real reason Nate has a love for the game.   Nate has been calling me every day at lunchtime this month to "check-in."   Sometimes he will just see how I'm doing.  Other times he will share a joke, or lament about how bored he is and how school is sucking the life out of him.   Occasionally he'll turn the phone over to a classmate and that always makes for an interesting chat.   I seriously LOVE the way this kid works.

February also brought us a puzzle table (we may never stop doing puzzles now!),  Nate's magnet set (a Christmas gift that didn't arrive in time), and some of the most beautiful sunset and sunrises of the year!

When I look back on moments like these - February doesn't seem so bad.

Not bad at all.

Sam the baller

As I type this, Sam is in Medicine Hat participating in his last Basketball tournament of the season.

For the second half of the season, I've hardly been able to watch him play, but I have so looked forward to the moments when he would come home and tell me all about the game. 

Sometimes he would come home bummed because Coach hardly played him at all.  

Other times he would come home elated about how things went and how he did.  

We've spent a lot of time talking about this spot.

We've talked about the importance of playing for the team, of refraining from criticizing the refs, of respecting coaches, of not diving headfirst into hotel pools and not getting discouraged or "checking out" even though baseball season is just around the corner...

Lots and lots of conversation between John, Sam and I. 

 And most of it...was never really about basketball.

1st week of a New Decade

The first week of the New Year is one of my favorite weeks!

The hustle and bustle of Christmas baking and gift-giving is done.

The feasting is done.

Hosting is done. 

The only thing that isn't done is our break from school.  

We always have one more glorious week to just be together.  

This first week of 2020 consisted of:

* Skating on our favorite part of Lee Creek

* Ice fishing 

* Dipping Chocolates with friends

* Long walks 

* Card games

* Late night movies

and of course...

our annual Hobbit Marathon

I feel content.

New Years Eve

Christmas crackers, our annual New year's Tree, reading and writing predictions, board games with Grandpa, and sparklers at midnight.  

That is how we like to usher in a New year. 

18 years

Boxing Day Ice Fishing

One of the gifts I gave John this year was an Ice fishing tent.   A few years back I gifted John and Sam with ice fishing rods and an auger.  Though they'd tried ice fishing a few times, the windy winter days have made it a challenge to really enjoy this activity as much as I thought they would.  

This year, I found a great deal on a 4 man tent and it has made ALL the difference.  

John could hardly wait to put it to the test and so on Boxing Day (which happened to be a cooooold day) we all joined him out on Payne Lake.  

Some of the kids skated, while others sought refuge inside the tent.  

It was a bit unnerving to be walking on top of that lake and it took me a bit of time to really relax and feel safe.   It was cool to look down the hole that John dug and be able to see into the lake in a way we'd never been able to before. 

I was impressed at how warm it actually was inside the tent and I'm confident that there is now no end to John's fishing season.  

I can't say that the whole family loves ice fishing, but John and Sam are definitely hooked!

Christmas Day

Highlights from this year's Christmas Day:

* Everyone was delighted with the gifts they got (phew!)

* Grandpa joined us

* Ammon and Kristin's gift of Japanese goodies

* Traditional breakfast pizza

* Our annual Christmas Day drive to Waterton

* Wrapping paper, apple cider, pillows and blankets

* Relaxing 

* Board games

* Seafood Chowder and Baked Brie

My heart is full!

Our traditional Christmas Eve

We are a family with deep-rooted preferences as to how certain days unfold. 

For example, every Christmas Eve we go on a family walk together down to the creek.  We do this often walk down to the creek, but we definitely make sure to do so on Christmas Eve.  Somewhere, at some point, we decided that this was something we had to do on Christmas Eve or else it wouldn't really feel like Christmas Eve.   

The kids and I spend the afternoon baking and prepping the house, while Dad and Grandpa make a trip into Lethbridge to pick up everything needed for our Christmas Eve feast.  

By the time they come home we have everything set up and ready.

Every Christmas eve we eat the same thing:

French onion soup

Steak and Mushroom sauce

Potatoe wedges

Salad

Scallops

Shrimp

Lobster

and 

Mussels!

This year we finished it all off with Strawberry shortcake because that is what Grandpa said he'd love to have.  It is an absolute feast!

I really love that my kids all eat seafood.  I'm not sure it could feel like Christmas Eve without it!;)

The kids always exchange names each year and get gifts for each other, which we always open up on Christmas Eve.   Some of my kids have their own jobs, which meant they spoiled their siblings a little more than in years past.   Sam got Jessica a doggy dish full of treats, Abby got Sam fancy socks from Atkins, Jessica took all of the stories that Nate has written lately and compiled them into a book with illustrations and all, and Abby painted pictures for both John and I. 

We opened up our Christmas shirts, which were M*A*S*H shirts this year.  It was a hit!!! (I don't do jammies, but rather gift them all with a shirt that depicts something we've experienced or shared in as a family that year.  Seeing as we all watched 11 seasons of MASH together in four months, it just made sense.) Once we'd all changed into our jammies, we read about Christ's birth, watched Polar Express, set out milk and snacks for Santa and settled into makeshift beds set up around the downstairs Christmas tree.

John and I stay up just long enough to set out the gifts and barricade the hallway with wrapping paper before falling into bed ourselves, happy and content and filled with gratitude for another special (albeit predictable) Christmas Eve.    We wouldn't have it any other way!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Waiting on Christmas - Part 2

This year we were invited to Brent and Rachel's house for a Christmas party. 

We usually make everyone come to us, so we figured it was time we do the traveling.

I like it when Grandpa travels with us (which he did this time) as it gives me a chance to cozy in the back seat with my kids.  

As soon as we arrived to Calgary we feasted on a festive Raqlette dinner and caught up on the happenings of our Calgary family.

The night was spent playing Christmas games and watching Mandalorian while sipping Caramel Apple Ciders.   Those sweet drinks alone are worth traveling for!

We spent the night at their house and we all went to the new Star Wars movie the next morning.  

Sam let me walk beside him in the mall (14-year-old boys don't always like to walk by their mommies) and even agreed to have this picture taken of him and me,  

I mean, I had to agree to pay him $20 first, but I still consider this photo to be my own little 

Christmas Miracle, my favorite part of the whole trip!

Waiting on Christmas - Part 1

As my kids grow older it is getting increasingly difficult to feel the magic of the Christmas season.  

I've felt a need to seize any opportunity given during December to do things as a family. 

This is how the first half of our month of Christmas went:

Jessica finished her ten-week art class and we all attended her celebratory art show. 

She really enjoyed this class and I can't wait to see how she continues to grow her talent.  

(Note:  The watercolor dog and the sketch of Linda Burwell were two of her projects this month)

Speaking of projects - Jessica also finished her PERSONAL PROGRESS this month!!!

This young women method of goal setting is coming to an end in our church, and I won't lie, I'm kinda excited for the change.   There was a great push through to finish by Christmas and with persistence and nagging, she completed it just in time.   

I'm so glad she did.  

There is something to be said for seeing a goal through to the end.  

Another thing I have loved about this month, and always, are our mealtimes with Grandpa.  

For the most part, we have managed to eat our suppers in December by candlelight.

A tradition that stems from my childhood, this seems to slow us down just enough to connect a little more, even if just for a moment.  

We always have the Gladdings join us for dinner near Christmas and we were thrilled to get to visit with them each again.  Sweetest couple ever!

Sam looks slightly evil in the photo above, but I swear despite the fact that he looks as though he is plotting to take over the world -  he was just goofing off.   He likes the Gladdings just as much as the rest of us!

For the past few years, we have enjoyed visiting the Creche display in Lethbridge.  An LDS stake center is completely decorated and filled with creches and theme rooms all depicting aspects of the Savior's life.   In the chapel, they have musical performances by city members.  

It's actually quite reverent and breathtaking. 
Definitely one of my favorite things to do when we are needing to remind our kids of the true meaning of Christmas.  

And in case a visit to see the Creche displays isn't Christmassy enough - we make sure to always catch our local 10-minute production of the Nativity.  It runs for just a few days but is really well done!   I think I LOVE a good Nativity - in any form!

Nate wanted a Christmassy hairstyle for crazy hair day during the last week of school. 

John buzzed out the shape of a tree and then I went in behind and painted on a Christmas tree.  

The ope was that when Nate was working hard at his desk (because that happens, right?) this would be what everyone saw.  

Apparently, you are never too old to enjoy a gingerbread house making competition.  The boys struggled less to keep theirs together and they didn't hesitate to point that out while us girls were working hard to hold our walls in place, but in the end we added a backyard basketball court to our house, which shut those boys right up!  Boo yah!

During the month of December, Grandpa lingers after dinner a bit more than he usually does.  (Perhaps it is the soothing affect of those candles?)   We like the extra time with him. 

On one Sunday evening he stayed and watched the LDS Christmas Devotional with us.  

The older I get, the more I love this annual evening.

John and I were hosts at our local theatre during their production of the Forgotten Carols.

John took this role to heart and dusted off his theatre vest and bow tie. 

He stole the show and got so many comments about his festive outfit.  haha

We had four Christmas trees in our house this year.  FOUR!

My favorite one is this one.  It is full of black and white photos of my family's adventures.  It also features popcorn garland which we strung ourselves!

I think that will be a new tradition for us.  So fun!

I'm a sucker for Christmas decor.  No matter how much I chuck and throw away, I hold true to the notion that you can never NEVER have too many Christmas decorations.