Church in May

I really love church at home.  

Like, really so much.  

John makes sure that we give it the respect it deserves.  

We always dress up.

We sing.

We Pray.

Everyone takes turns giving talks.  

After a 45-minute sacrament meeting, we prepare for Sunday school, where again, someone takes a turn teaching a lesson.  

The kids listen better. 

Everyone bears testimony more frequently.

We've gotten to hear from Grandpa more in the past two months than we have ever before!  He has shared stories of his mission, testified of the truthfulness and importance of the book of Mormon in his life, and shared comments during Sunday School.  I hope my kids remember this time with him!

Sam caught me trying to take a photograph of our Sunday School meeting one day, and being the hoser that he is, did his very best to thwart every effort.  

He was almost successful.

I really love and admire the way John has continued to make the sabbath a special day. 

The temptation to show up in jammies and bring chips and salsa to class is real, but this guy won't let our Sunday mornings be anything but what they should be.  

It's why I married him.

Perhaps my old self somehow knew that one day I would rely on this man to see us through a new and unfamiliar situation.   

He's kinda done an amazing job at it.

There are lots of things we haven't loved since COVID shut the world down, but home church?  

Well, it's not been bad at all! ;)

The Birds of Spring

Oh, this spring was good to us. 

It was slow. 

 It took its time coming and gave us lots of time to enjoy.

It was full of wildflowers, and evening drives and birds, many of which we'd never seen before.

We watched Hawks and Eagles and Ducks, and Geese and noticed their beauty in a new way.  I think it is because we had nowhere to go or be.  With athletic games, youth activities, school, and meetings of every kind canceled - we were gifted with the only thing needed to really enjoy spring ...TIME!

It's AMAZING what you notice when actually paying attention!

We were also lucky to find an American Bittern, a Blue Heron, Mountain Bluebirds, the most beautiful Tanagers, and Sandhill Cranes.  

Slowing down and making time to watch the birds is good for the soul.

North Drywood Falls

With COVID keeping us inside for much of the week, John and I resolved to find a new neck of the southern Alberta woods to enjoy.  A friend from work recommended a hike near Pincher Creek and I am sure glad we took her advice.   

After a very, very inactive February- April (literally spent in a recliner) I wasn't sure if I would be able to physically do a hike, but this 8km round trip stroll along an old service road proved to be the perfect length and level of difficulty to keep everyone in my family happy.  

I think this mountain chickadee just may have been the CUTEST thing I'd seen all week.  It was SO small, but its song could be heard from quite a ways off. 

I honestly think my kids get along better once we get them out of the house, away from phones, and back into the fresh air.   Go figure!

This was titled the North Drywood falls because after an hour and a half of walking, this is where you end up - at the beautiful North Drywood falls!

Of course, John and the kids had to pull over for a bit and try fishing at the nearby Butcher Lake.  

Unfortunately by the time we finished the hike, a cold rain had started to fall reminding us that none of us were prepared for changing mountain weather.  How have we not learned this lesson yet?!

They all fished with socks on their hands until they could stand the cold any more.  

We drove home with the heater blasting, had warm soup for supper, and took naps that were much longer than they should have been.  

This first hike of the season sure tuckered us all out, but it was a lovely one to enjoy!

The place to go when there's nowhere else to go

One of the silver linings of this COVID pandemic/isolation is that we have been forced to explore some of the more local areas, places we've perhaps overlooked for far too long.   When you live in an equal distance from two National Parks it is easy to forget about all the beautiful areas that exist in between - one of those places being Police Lake.   

We've been to police lake before, but this spring (after being cooped up inside for months) we enjoyed it with new eyes and a deeper appreciation for all living things.

For a good week or so, Jessica and I drove out here weekly in search of birds, because apparently, this is where ALL the birds come to play.     

We've heard tales of large trout being in this lake and we've seen a couple pretty good size trout, but so far John and the kids have not managed to trick one onto their lure. 

While they fish, Abby and I lounge around, read and snack on whatever food I may have had the foresight to bring out with us.  

We'd stay out until the sun had almost gone down completely, which is my absolute favorite time of the day.  Everything stills, almost stops, until all you can hear is the quiet lapping of the water as it meats the shore or the distant sound of a bird call as it drifts across the lake.  

And really, listening to the sound of a Loon or an American bittern - is not a bad way to end a day.  

Not at all.  

May...Marvelous May

After a grueling and trying few months trying to recover from my surgery, May marked the beginning of real improvement.   With each day of improvement, came warmer temps, added sunshine, and opportunities to enjoy the kids just a little bit more.  Some of the highlights from this past month:

The kids are still loving the trampoline and have grown quite creative in the games they play on it.  

With all of his newfound time, Nate has taken up baking.   I think he has realized that so long as he is baking, I won't nag him to do any school work.   (I know a good thing when I see it;). He's gotten so good, I don't even have to be in the kitchen to walk him through things anymore.   You just throw a recipe at him and watch him go!   He's actually started his own cooking show titled "High pants cooking."    So far his youtube channel has featured him demonstrating how to make crepes, cookies, and his most famous chocolate brownies - all while wearing his hiked up high pants. 

 Why the high pants?  Who knows!

His culinary explorations have even taken him to the BBQ as he is now the one John calls when he needs an extra set of hands at the grill.  

Don't let this fool you, Sam has NOT taken to baking in the kitchen.  He did find this one egg in our fridge though that would NOT crack.   For some reason (heaven knows why) he wanted to throw some eggs off our deck into Sunset Park and for some reason, I said he could (heaven knows why.)

For some reason though (I know what you're thinking) this darn egg would NOT break.  Sam chucked it hard, the egg went far into the field that our house backs on to, it landed just below a maple tree and honest to goodness - did not break.   

We thought this was the strangest thing.  Sam ran out and got the egg, determined to try again and low and behold it survived another long-distance throw!   Truth be told, it wasn't until Jessica ran out to retrieve it, but accidentally let it fall from her hand that it finally broke.   

Eggs are weird.  

So are my kids.

April and May consisted of many many trips to Calgary to see specialists and surgeons.   I felt grateful when I was finally able to make the drive myself.   I LOVE driving in rainy weather and on this particular day, leaving the Calgary sunshine behind and driving home into a sweet little storm made me happy. 

Mother's Day rocked. 

Lazy morning.  Church at home.  A plant from a ward deacon delivered to my front door.  A homemade banner from Jessica.  Yummy food.  Evening walks.   Presents.   

What else is needed. 

May brought us our first can cooker dinner of the summer!   

I love throwing everything from my fridge into this baby and letting everything stew and steam outside, while my kitchen stays nice and cool ...and clean;)

Top this with shredded cheese and ranch dressing and it just might be our favorite summer meal.  

Speaking of meals - our dinner table has been a lot more interesting since COVID came into our lives.   Nate's been known to show up in costume, which always makes for more exciting conversations at the table.   (I suspect the isolation is getting to him;)

We drove out to the Beazer cemetery one evening and were delighted to find a field full of crocuses, shooting stars and more.  Both Jessica and Abby instinctively hit their knees to photograph and smell the flowers and maybe pick a few too.

Sigh...May was good for us.  

A restorative, feel good, gift of a month!

When John wants to make me smile

There were two moments this past week when John blew me away with his grand display of thoughtfulness.  I think if you were to ask John, he'd probably shrug it off and callously say that he was just doing what I'd told him for weeks I wanted someone to do.  There is a chance he may have just been trying to shut me up, but I'm going to put this in the category of "Romantic Gestures" and not just ordinary old "Compliance."

For weeks, ...WEEKS I tell ya, I had been wanting to find some pussy willow branches.  

I love pussy willows!

They remind me of spring.  

They remind me of my Grandma.

They remind me of my childhood.

They remind me of everything good in the world.

I asked all around town, scoured back alleys, drove out to neighboring hamlets in search of them, and finally found a giant pussy willow tree at the edge of a campground right here in town!  Actually, I knew it was there all along but was hoping to find a tree not owned by the town.  For some reason the thought of pruning a public tree without permission scared me a little.  

Sam, Jess and I dressed in black one night and with pruner shears in hand, drove down and stealthy grabbed two pathetic twigs before running back to the safety of our getaway car.  It made me want to cry every time I looked at those pathetic sticks, and it made me want to disown Sam every time I recalled his ridiculous antics during that midnight caper.  

But still, there they sat, in my vase - two stupid twigs each one baring just a couple of pussy willows.

I was tired of searching.  Tired of trying.  

And then one day, at the end of a particularly discouraging day for me, I went into the kitchen to talk with John and low and behold ...

the most beautiful bunch of pussy willow branches ever! 

Does this picture do it justice?   Oh I hope this picture does it justice.

It is big.  The branches are big.  The pussy willows are oh so plenty and oh so soft.

  

As the story goes, John was running errands with Jessica when he took a little detour on the way home and stopped right in front of my dream pussy willow tree.   He pulled out a handsaw, and right then and there, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, he walked up to that tree and cut off a limb, acting like it was no big deal at all. 

No cover of darkness?  

No black clothes? 

No jumping fence and whispering so as to not get caught?  

Who knew?

Sometimes late at night when everyone else is asleep, I go out into our family room and turn on just the one light that shines over this bouquet.  I sit on a couch and stare at this arrangement and think of how John gathered those branches for no other reason than that he knew it mattered to me.

And it really makes me smile.

We've been trying to create some flower beds throughout our front and back yards which has been really an enjoyable process.  One thing I've been hoping for is two Dogwood bushes.  I love the color of Dogwoods.   They are native to this area and you can trust that they will do well, and they remind me of my Edmonton days as they grew in abundance along the North Saskatchewan River.  

I think I could have probably ordered them from somewhere, but I also knew of a little ditch just outside of town where they were growing wild.   Again, I'm not sure if it is okay to dig up a plant that is growing wild or not, but I worried that doing so might get us in trouble.   I talked often about it, but you can bet I sure would never be brazen enough to just go take what I wanted from a ditch.

One day I came home from a doctor's appointment to find that, in true John fashion, he had gone and gotten me two of the most perfect Dogwood bushes I have ever seen.  

I hope and pray that this was legal and okay to do.

But you know, the thought that John is willing to face a fine, or jail, or worse, just to make me happy ...kinda makes it all feel worth it somehow;)  JUST KIDDING!  I really do hope this was okay to do.

It just kinda makes me smile.

Farm Getaway

My brother's farm is a magical, magical place.

After driving down a couple of weeks ago and having such a nice evening, the kids really, really wanted to go down again.  This time - they wanted to spend the night and thank goodness my brother was as gracious and accomodating as ever and gave us permission.  

We loaded up our sleeping bags, pillows, and food to get us through dinner and breakfast and drove down to our fast becoming favorite place ever. 

There are so many fun things to do on the farm.  This time we curiously followed the sound of cricketing frogs and walked through the east pasture down to the dugout.  As a young girl, this small dugout existed but was hardly filled with any water at all.  Now it is beautiful and full of life.   Apparently, the little frogs that live in this dugout are a rare species, something which has caught the eye of staff at the Calgary Zoo who come down to perform studies every now and then.   

We also watched a muskrat, who seemed to have this pool all to himself.  

 I drove Jessica a couple of miles up a road where we watched a couple of foxes gathered outside of their den and I noticed that each one of us took our turns walking around the farm, finding our favorite places.  These are a few of my favorite scenes that remind me most of the farm as a kid.  

I insisted on taking the kids five minutes down the road to Clear Lake.  It was a perfectly calm evening and I felt such a relaxed and peaceful feeling as I watched the kids run along the dock as the sky turned various shades of pink.  

As the sun went down we enjoyed a couple of rounds of Sabatouer, snacked on the yummiest s'mores ever, and settle in for a few episodes of M*A*S*H. 

We are very grateful for the chance to experience an evening and a morning on the farm.

With all parks, playgrounds, facilities, and events closed down, we can not think of a better place to disappear to. R&R at its finest!!!

Nate does Spring like this..

My kids are rocking this Quarantine so far. 

Don't get me wrong, there are arguments, lots of arguments, they have all the time in the world yet still have messy rooms, and the screentime limits are constantly maxed out - BUT this is a hard situation, and overall they've really maintained good attitudes as they've managed all the feelings.

It has helped that (and I say this with cautious hope) that Spring is here.  Being able to go outside has been a game-changer for sure, especially for Nate.  I thought I'd share a few ways that Nate is making the best of this COVID spring.  

1:  Morning cup of Tea Cider

Every day Nate makes himself a nice warm cup of Apple Cider.  Sometimes this happens in the morning, sometimes mid-day, and other times at night, but you can definitely count on it happening, at least once in a day.  He recently ordered himself this cool mug that shows the planets in our solar system, but when heated up, the cup reveals a whole bunch of facts and info about space.  So now as he downs his cup full of synthetic apple-flavored sugar each day, we can trust that he is also filling his brain.  This is how we are justifying things during this quarantine;)

2.  BBQ's always

I've started assigning one night each week where each kid is in charge of planning and preparing dinner.  Nate is obsessed with learning how to barbeque and none of us around here are complaining much about that.   You can also bet that if there is a Watermelon in the house, Nate's got a slice.  

Nate's been a bit lonely without his school connections.  He does his best to chat with them via Marco Polo, Zoom and Google Meet, but we've noticed he has constructed a few makeshift "friends" over the past couple of weeks as well.  There are his water balloon babies, life-sized cardboard man in the office, and now this plastic-glove-guy-on-a-stick.  Should we be concerned?  

We aren't, because we know that all connections are important for healthy social development. 

 (See?  There we go with the justifications again;)

We have been trying to lure some birds into our backyard.  We've set out food that we are told (via the packaging) will draw in Hummingbirds, Chickadees, Robins, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Blue jays and more.  We can't wait to watch these future winged friends.  Nate made himself a bird feeder using a toilet paper roll, peanut butter, and seeds. 

So far the sparrows and magpies are the ones loving it, which is not quite what we were going for there, but we try to see the beauty in every flying guest.  (Until those pesky things start pooping on my deck and then holy cow, they won't even know what hit 'em.)

Due to our excessive amount of time spent online each day, John and I decided that it was time to develop our backyard (more on that later) and create an outdoor space where the kids would want to be.   The first item of business - find a trampoline!   This may not sound too difficult, but amid a pandemic, when everybody and their dog has been asked to STAY HOME, trampolines are actually quite hard to find!  Perhaps every other parent in Alberta had the same need as us.  I certainly feel like I called every store in Alberta.  The answer I got was that the manufacturers were out of supply and stores everywhere were out.  When a store is lucky enough to get a shipment of say...26 trampolines...they sell out within the day.  (Curse you COVID!!!!).  Thankfully, I am shameless and had no problem at all putting out a plea on Facebook asking if anyone I know had an old trampoline they wanted to get rid of.   Within a day, a former neighbor of mine messaged me and told me she was moving, and for a small amount of money, we could have her trampoline if we were willing to come and get it.  Uhhh...by the time evening came - Nate was jumping away on his brand new (to him) trampoline!  

I love the creative way Nate and Jess set to work making this trampoline look good.  

Here's to a little less time inside more time outside enjoying spring!!!

A Purrrr-fect Afternoon on the Farm

A couple of weeks back my brother Chad posted an announcement to a family group chat, notifying us that their farm cat was a new mamma and they were the proud owners of 6 new kittens!

Somehow, Abby was often one of them (how does that happen?;) though all that really means is that she got to name it.  Little "Calcipher" is still going to live on the farm.  

One weekday afternoon we decided to go for a drive to see how our favourite family of felines was doing!   Chad and Heather were so kind about letting us go down to the farm, but due to COVID regulations, we had to make sure we went at a time when nobody else in the family would be there.  

I think it is safe to say that Abby is a cat lady at heart.  If we let her, she'd have brought all six of them home with her.  

When they are this cute and small, I think I'd take all 6 of them too!

When the kids weren't cuddling kitties, we also took turns shooting targets and exploring this place we love so much.

 We had so much fun, we didn't want to leave.  Even John agreed that it'd be wise of us to grab some dinner from town so that we could stay longer.  This pizza was my childhood. 

 Topped with green peppers, onion, sausage, pepperoni and shrimp - so yummy!

We tried to leave a message for Chad in the snow.  It was so nice of him to let us use his farm on his birthday! 

Oh, and I'll end this post with this picture which pretty much sums up how our perfect evening ended.

Easter

It was a different kind of Easter for us this year, what with the quarantine and all, yet we tried to make the best of it.  

Some highlights:

Egg Jousting!!  - Taught to us by my sister in law, Luci, this involves decorating a hard-boiled egg, creating a bracket, and competing to see who's egg is toughest of all! 

 (I beat out Grandpa in the final round, but do big deal;)

The Easter bunny managed to drop off a few things this year, and the holiday is never complete until we've made Rice Krispie nests for John.  

We've been having Grandpa join us each Sunday for Sacrament Meeting.   

Having church at home has truly been one of the sweetest parts of this pandemic.   

We've gotten to hear Grandpa speak a few times so far and it honestly seems like every single person is attentive and invested in the purpose of the meeting.  

This particular Sunday provided us with an extra opportunity to celebrate the best news this world has ever received - the news that He had Risen and the promise that we would too.

Hallelujah!