Adventures in Babysitting...Part 1

Six months ago, John and I put our house up for sale.    

A couple of weeks after that, at an evening Relief Society meeting, a member of our ward threw out the suggestion that we should sell our house and just buy hers, as her and her husband were getting ready to serve a mission.   (I think she was joking, but I kinda latched on to the idea and somehow within a couple of days that morphed into a house sitting arrangement.  It seemed like the perfect idea!)

So, for the past few months we have planned to do just that.  The Ridley's prepared for their mission, and John and I continued preparations to sell our house.   Only problem is - it wasn't selling.   

That might have something to do with the fact that NOTHING is selling in this town!

I tried not to worry about that small logistic too much in the weeks that followed, and I especially tried not to worry when Danny and Kay got their call and an official date was set.    As their reporting date approached though, reality began to set in and the prospect of being responsible for our home and their home began to overwhelm me.

We began to pursue the option of renting out our house and coming back to it in a year, but there were a few problems with that.  1.  The renting pool in town is pretty shallow   2.  John and I would not make good Landlords  3.  A year from now we'd still be faced with the same necessary renos that made us want to list the house in the first place.

What to do...what to do?  

 Luckily...just 10 days before the Ridley's were scheduled to leave, we received not one, but two unofficial offers on our home.   It felt like a miracle!  Proverbial Manna from Heaven!   Literally, an answer to prayer!

So here is where things currently sit: 
Five days ago, (the same day the Ridleys left for their mission) the papers were signed and an awesome young family from Edmonton will be moving in to our home.    I think that is the part that makes me most sad.   I realized this weekend that we are moving away from some of the most stellar and special people that I have known all these past 5 years!   I know we are still in the same ward and all, but what if our friendships change now?  And even worse- what if they end up liking this new family MORE?!!  The jealousy would seriously get to me!  haha

John on the other hand, has no regrets.   Not because he didn't love where we lived, but because he refuses to live "looking back."  Steady John is always hopelessly optimistic that we are exactly where we need to be and I love him for it!

This past Friday and Saturday we got rid of 1/3 of the junk we've accumulated and moved the rest of our stuff over to the house that will be our home for the next 12 months or so.  We look forward to taking care of it, and loving it as though it was ours.

Here's hoping for an uneventful and blessed experience house sitting!!

Let the adventure begin....

Poof! She's 7 :(

Jessica's birthday snuck up on us this year.   In fact, it really does seem like only yesterday that we were bringing this little girl home - and POOF...now she is 7!

It makes me a little bit sad really.

Jessica though, was thrilled, and made all sorts of demands last Thursday that she obviously felt entitled as the Birthday Girl to make.    Breakfast in bed...a cake decorated exactly according to her homemade diagram...the eating of dessert before supper....and a turtle!

Unfortunately, only one of her birthday request was actually met, and we all ate an incredibly sugar filled cake as a result:   

I know this is a horrible photo, but I loved that when we all started singing "Happy Birthday" to her, she stood up and began to conduct!  haha  (I guess if we are going to sing to her, she may as well make sure we do it properly;)

Earlier that day, this crafty girl kept coming to me asking me how to spell all sorts of words.   I suppose I should have questioned what she was up to, but I didn't.   Turns out- she had taken a black marker to her white shirt and written all sorts of celebratory birthday messages about herself! 

 (You know, just in case any of us happened to forget it was her big day!;)  

 This girl would be impossible to forget, and she was certainly spoiled by family and friends who love her as much as we do!

Jessica is such a Bright Light.  

She reminds us every day to simply "love everything about the whole world" and we sure are grateful for her influence in our family!

Ski Day!!

The kids didn't have school this past Wednesday, and John was accompanying several High School students on a ski trip.   We decided to take advantage of the opportunity and get the kids out there too so that John could teach them how to ski.    

It's sad to admit, but up until now, our kids had never downhill skied before, and given the gong show that was last months X Country ski event - I did not have high hopes they'd like it at all.   So I took a couple of precautions: 

First, I spent several days prepping and warning the kids that downhill skiing was hard.  Really hard. In fact, they probably wouldn't like it very much at first.;)   

Second,   I pawned our youngest boy off on my sister for the day.   (Ever tried to keep a four year old happy in a ski lodge for 8 hours?   Me neither, and I didn't want to!)    Besides, it's not like my sister had anything going on, what with her newly broken ankle and all!!! 

Note:  THIS is why you don't play basketball when you are old...ish;)

Yes, that's right.   I left my four year old behind to be babysat by my poor decrepit sister.   

What's the big deal?

Ahem.  Meanwhile, back at the hill....

we were quickly able to find John and within minutes the kids were all suited up and raring to go!   

I adore the confidence that they all had.    Jessica was initially determined to stay back with me, but as soon as she took a look around and got a sense of the excitement- there was no turning back.

I was impressed at how quickly they got the hang of it.    John said it took two maybe three runs before they each were completely hooked and loving it.   (See it does help to prepare them for the worst sometimes;)     How the chair lift didn't freak them out, I'll never know.  

Just watching them on the chair lift made me nauseous.  Yikes, there they go!!!

(I'm the one behind the camera, praying that the cable holds;)

Just a couple of minutes later, I'd watch as four of my favourite people would come zooming towards me.   Jessica was almost always leading the way.

John said Jess had some serious speed, and occasionally he'd have to kick into his fastest mode just to catch up to her!  She's crazy.

Sam was slightly more cautious, but mastered his stopping technique in no time!   

Without fail, Abby always came soaring past me striking some sort of celebratory pose, or proclaiming how much "she rocked!"    Like I said- I adore their confidence!  ;)

They all had so much fun it was virtually impossible to tear them off the hill.   It wasn't until the ski lift attendant shut things down (and not a moment sooner) that the kids sadly relented and headed to the van.   Tired, but so so happy.

During the hour and a half long drive home the kids shared stories of the day and compared highlights.    At one point Sam thoughtfully said, "Mom?  I don't know what it is, but I just kinda...I don't know...feel taller now."  haha.    He was one proud little man, and yes, he seemed a bit taller to me too.

 And how did I spend my day, you ask?

Sigh....it was pretty dreamy;)

January Blues

January is always a tough month for my family.    The excitement of Christmas has worn off, school is in full force again, and the winter weather is not going away any time soon.    I've got 4 bored little kids around here, and it doesn't help that we have made TV off limits on weekdays.    (They aren't sure they'll survive the torture, but I'm willing to take that risk;)    

To curb the boredom, Jessica has taken to odd and random craft projects.   One day she made a bouquet of flowers out of a Kraft dinner box, construction paper flowers, and uncooked spaghetti noodle "stems."   She had wanted to give this bouquet to her Aunt who was visiting, but it somehow mysteriously made it's way into the garbage before she had the chance to.    (I have no idea how that happened!;)        

This was a mouse she made one day after inhaling an entire can of mandarin oranges all on her own.     

She's taking our goal to "reuse and recycle" to a whole new adorable level!    I love her creativity!

Knowing that January is always a slow and sluggish month, I signed Abby and Sam up for Ultra kids (a running club offered to elementary aged boys and girls.)      This group actually began running back before Christmas, and though it has taken a few weeks for my kids to catch the vision of it, they have been running every day now!    On Saturday John even ran with them, and they doubled their miles!   (I've always known it helps to take a buddy along;)

And when all else fails-   when the crafts have all been done, and the kids have run their little hearts out - they have taken to dressing their little brother up in dresses and taking pictures.   

Say what!!!???   

I know I shouldn't be okay with this, and I do worry about what kind of permanent damage this might be causing....BUT...it brings the kids together on a common cause.  Not to mention the fact that Nate LOVES the laughter it invokes, and it buys me a few minutes of uninterrupted quieter then normal time.    Win Win!

It would appear as though my kids aren't the only ones suffering from a case of January boredom blues.    On Saturday morning, as we were having breakfast, our doorbell rang and this is what greeted us:

I seriously laughed until it hurt, as I clearly was not expecting this.    Apparently we laughed a little too much, because our poor neighbour went home upset, and came back later to tell us that "it isn't nice to laugh at people!"   And she is so.so.right!    I humbly apologized and tried to take her seriously from that point on.   It was pretty cute!

It has been a challenging couple of months as we have listed our house and then debated back and forth what it is we really want to do with it once we move.   Do we use it as a rental, or sell it?    I don't think I could handle the stress of being a landlord, but I also worry that I will regret giving this home up, and all of the neighbours that I love so much.    However, after a very helpful conversation with a member of my ward, (who conveniently happens to be a realtor) we have decided to stop being fence sitters and forge ahead.   

I'm already tired of trying to keep this house clean 24/7 and my kids think I'm the meanest mom ever, so here's hoping this home sells sooner then later!  

(sob...sob)   ;(

The kids' "worst day" ever!

My family had big plans to get together over the holidays for some cross country skiing.   Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances, and sad events made it impossible for a couple of my siblings to join us, so we all but decided to postpone for another time.  

On the last day of our school break though Jewel and I decided to get our two families out there and give it a try.    John and I have been enjoying this sport for a couple of years now, but bringing kids along...?    Well, that's a whole other experience!!!!

At some point during the drive out I actually took a second to pray that we would see a wolf.    It was just moments later that we all pulled over to watch this little guy.   

...which actually turned out to probably be a coyote, but still - that's a prayer that was almost answered;)

Waterton that day was a little chilly.   As in, the thermostat on my brother in laws truck was registering at -18 kind of chilly!

But the cold weather made for a beautiful backdrop.  I actually think that the coldest days make for the prettiest days. 

It was a very pretty drive!

And I was immensely grateful for our warm van.   And hot chocolate;)

But eventually, the pretty drive had to come to an end, and we all had to get out...into the cold.  

I'm pretty sure that Jewel and Kendall appreciated having to stand around and wait for us to get all our kids bundled up, and wrangle Nathan into his sled.    (To say we had an unwilling participant would be an understatement.)     Finally though- we were off!!

...and 10 minutes later (at best) we were headed back the way we came.   

Cold.  Frozen.  Hungry.   Frostbit. and Frustrated.

But hey, I think it's remarkable that we braved the frigid temps that long.    Yay us!!!!

On our way down from the mountain the kids each took their turn volunteering just "why exactly" this day was the worst day ever.    And then.....

they all fell asleep!!!

I can hardly wait to get back up there again.   

(Though something tells me that it will most likely be sans children!!)   

Thriving!

What a wonderful week this has been!

It has been perfectly relaxing, with just the right amount of wild and crazy fun!   

The girls have been working so hard all week long on their paint-by-number kits that they got for Christmas.   They are quite complicated projects, and Jessica has surprised me and devoted hours and hours to the tedious work.    She says she wants to be an artist one day!

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We were so glad that Ben, Kat, Marilyn and Blythe came down for a couple of days.   The kids had so much fun playing non stop wii games, and Blythe was content to just watch everybody else.   (Though she has taken an early interest in playing board games with the cousins!;)

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 Of course John and I had to continue our traditional Lord of the Rings Marathon.    It has become (oddly enough) my favourite holiday tradition, and it has been even more enjoyable this year!

John and I also managed to work in a date this week, and celebrate our 12 year of marriage!    Yup....twelve.   

I'm pretty impressed with us;)  haha.

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Abby and I volunteered to do "Meals on Wheels" deliveries today, and I am so glad that we did.    Despite the fact that I was not feeling super great, Abby was a phenomenal delivery person, and she made sure that every person on the list received their meal.   They were so gracious to her, and it was nice to wish these dear people a Happy New Year!

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John and I almost took the kids to Calgary for New Years Eve, which would have been so fun!  However, due to previous commitments, and the fact that I got sick- we decided it'd be best to stay home.   So...I did the next best thing:   I turned our Christmas tree into a "New Years Tree" so that even though we won't be getting together with family and having fun together, the kids will still think it's a party!    Throw in some crackers, cheese and summer sausage- and oila.    Party indeed!!!

We are getting ready to welcome in  2014.   

It has been such a busy year for us in a lot of ways, and it brought a lot of new experiences to our little family.    John and I talk often about what lies in store for us as we go into this New Year, and I think it is safe to say that "Change" is going to be the name of the game.   I've begun to accept (a little bit more) the notion that "change" is a good thing, and I really am looking forward to it all!   

I feel so grateful for this choice life we live and for all that my little family is blessed with.   

We are happy, healthy and THRIVING, and my hope this year, is that we can share that with those we love most!!!

Happy New Year to you all!!!!

Christmas Day

This is what Christmas Eve looked like, after the kids had all gone to bed!   

Presents were all set out, stockings were filled, and John and I were enjoying "It's a wonderful life" together.    This is my most favourite thing about Christmas Eve!  I just love the anticipation of Christmas morning.    

(The anticipation was higher then it even normally is, because we happened to know that this year- our kids were getting royally spoiled!!!)

They woke up at 6:30 in the freakin am on Christmas Day and John and I were mean.   We made them wait until 8:00 for Grandpa to join us!    

As per our Christmas Day tradition, we took a drive out to Waterton later that day.    You never know what you are going to see when you go to Waterton in the winter.     We've seen a golden eagle feeding on something, we've watched huge herds of Elk, but on this particular day the most exciting thing we saw were these giant waves!

The wind was fierce!!!  

I could hardly walk into the wind, which is precisely what I had to do to get this shot.   However I managed to get back to the van in 3 seconds flat! ;)   It was windy!!!

Santa brought each of the kids their own fishing rod, and Sam got a bow and arrow.   Being in Waterton today only made us long for warmer summer days of fishing together.    Sigh....

But, for now, it is winter.   We'll happily spend the time cozied up in our basement with cups of hot chocolate, endless hours of wasting our brain power watching mindless television, and just flat out enjoying each other's company.

We're all about enjoying the moment around here!

Christmas Eve

I am a bit of a hermit.  Not gonna lie.  

There is a part of me that loves a good family get together, to be sure.   However, there is also a part of me that LOVES hunkering down with my family and spending quiet quality time with only them.   When those moments happen, I tend to sit back and bask in the sheer perfection that it is.  

Christmas Eve was just such a day.

We woke up early and started right in on a much anticipated game of Monopoly.     Abby insisted on wearing her shades for the entire game because she said it helped her conceal her intentions.    (You would have thought she was playing Poker the way she carried on;)   

At first she was winning.  Like, seriously kicking my butt, but then I cheated two times in a row, and that was enough to take the lead.    6 hours later I finally won.    I'm not proud of my methods.  Well...I kinda am;)

Our monopoly game was interrupted for a little while because we had to stop and enjoy an AMAZING Christmas Eve feast!   Abby and Jess both chipped in and helped from start to finish, with an enthusiasm I've never seen before.

(Jessica set this table all by herself.  And she made sure everybody knew that too!;)

Grandpa showed up just before we were ready to eat - with 2 Lobsters and some Crab Legs in tow!)

As per tradition, Christmas Eve always has to involve some tasty crustaceans.  haha

The kids were so fascinated with those little critters, and every year, they ask if we could just keep one for a pet!   This year, they took it one step further by giving both Lobsters NAMES!   They named one "Bob" and the other "Delicious."

And believe me, both Bob and Delicious were...well...DELICIOUS!!!    

Not to be out done by Bob and Delicious- I'd also prepared French Onion Soup, French Bread, Potatoes, Maple Almond Chicken,  Roasted Asparagus,  and Spaghetti Squash!   Food is just so good.  

And it makes me happy.   

That's all there is to say about that;)

We had the funnest surprise towards the end of our dinner, when Jewel, Kendall and their family came by to sing to us.    They had bells, and sheet music and ALL!    It was so fun to see them- and they sang and played BEAUtifully!!!    I love Carollers.    And I love Hardys.   So, this was perfect!!

(I don't know what impressed me more while watching them:   Their amazing musical talent, or the fact that I glanced over to my right and saw my 70 year old father in law filming the performance on his brand new iPhone!   haha.  It made me laugh;)

After dinner, we rolled ourselves down to the living room, so that we could re-enact the Nativity for Grandpa.   Abby was the wise man, Jess was our Angle, Nate played the roll of all three Shephards with perfection, and ol' MC Hammer over here portrayed Joseph.    ...kinda.   

Note to self:  In the future, prepare the costumes in advance!!

Of course, no Christmas Eve would be successful without allowing the kids to open just.one.present. 

Christmas Jammies!!!!!

And then after watching Polar Express with Grandpa...it was time.   Finally...the concluding, culminating event of the night....BEDTIME!!!

Here's to the one night a year that my kids actually go to bed without any complaining at all! 

Fast asleep and dreaming by 9:00.   Merry Christmas to ME!!!!;)   

Skating with the Hardys!!!

Dec 23rd is always a fun day in our home.   

Thanks to a neighbour that we once had who introduced this idea to our kids- they now call Dec 23rd "Christmas ADAM."    You know, because Adam came before Eve!    (badaboom!;)

Anyways, for ahem..."Christmas Adam" we decided to take the kids skating at the local ice rink.   

The last time the kids went skating was probably exactly 1 year ago, and the kids have not improved much in the time since.   Understandably;)   

Abby was confident on the ice, so long as she didn't have to make any turns, stops or direction changes.  haha

Nate made my heart melt.  He was determined to skate all.by.himself!  

When he would fall, he had to pick himself up.    When he wanted me to watch him, I'd have to go sit on the bleachers to do so.  He didn't want me any where around him.    

He's a determined little guy, that's for sure!

The funnest part about this trip of ours to the ice rink, is that we were joined by none other then Auntie Jewel and all of her Hardy Family!   Everybody in this picture are either cousins, in laws, or siblings.    Some of them are both!!!!  haha.  

John of course had to get out the GT racer and pull unsuspecting wee ones around, causing them to dangerously careen across the ice at break neck speeds!   

Luckily though, nobody got hurt, so all is well that ends well;)

It really was such a fun time, and a couple of times as I looked across the crowd, I felt so lucky that these were people that we get to be related to.    

I don't know, I kinda just feel bad for all the people in the world who don't get to be related to a Hardy!   

On a much sadder note, this is also the day that my sister in law Heather experienced a great sadness in her family.   I've been praying for her and her loved ones ever since and I was, once again, reminded to never take these special moments with our family for granted.