The girl that likes to PARTY!

Well our little Jess has been pretty excited this month.   In fact the past month seems to be a blur consisting of one long Birthday planning session.  Her 8th Birthday!!!!

She would come to me daily, clip board and pen in hand, wanting to sort out every.last.detail:    

*When were we going to go shopping for the food for her friend party?

* When was I going to book the pool?

* When could she hand out her invites?

* When would she make her thank you bags for friends?

* When was she going to get her ears pierced?  (a right of passage when you turn 8 around here.  Well...if you are a girl at least;)

*What kind of food would we serve?

* When would she meet with the Bishop?

* Who would come to her "family" party

* What would her baptism dress look like?

* Who could she invite to each/either/every party?

* When could she start checking things off her list?

Needless to say, it has been a bit of an exercise in deflection for me as I've tried to tackle each party (friend, family, baptism) one happy event at a time!

In our home we tell the kids that every year they get to have a "Family Party" and every other year they can also have a "Friend Party."   This has been a great way for me to enjoy a year every now and then with NO birthday parties to worry about and for the most part - it's worked great!   This year though it happens to be a "Friend Party" year AND she's also getting baptized!  As a result, it has seemed like a never ending birthday celebration for this girl.  

Luckily, she's worth all this celebration!

Perhaps the highlight for me though has been having our stake's missionaries over each week to teach Jess the discussions.   This started back in January, in an effort to help Jessica really understand WHAT it was she was doing.   It ended up being a wonderful experience for our whole family!

Elder Clark is on the left and Elder Palmer is on the right.  Both of them are EXCEPTIONAL young men who our kids have truly come to love.    We've had lot of fun visits with them.

  

One of my favorite moments came one day when the Elders were teaching the kids about the Word of Wisdom.   As they were trying to explain to the kids the idea that we should refrain from drinking and doing drugs they asked, "Who knows what some of the things are that we should NOT put in our body?"    Sam raised his hand and said, "Meth?!"  

Granted he was right, but John, the missionaries and I were so shocked at his answer that we burst out laughing!  Sam went on to explain that his elementary school councillor had just talked with the kids about drugs.   Apparently meth was one that stood out to Sam.   

Sigh...some people's kids!!!

Jess' actual birthday was last Friday and she insisted on having her friend party at the local pool.   A few kids from school joined, as well as my Sister and her kids and it ended up being a great time.  Easiest, most lazy birthday party I've ever put on (we're in the middle of a move right now) but she didn't seem to even notice.  Thanks to her handy dandy clipboard I was able to make sure that all the essentials were there:

cake - check!

presents - check! 

Food - check!

Pool - Check!

Now all that is left is the most important event of all.   I'm super proud of Jess because even with ALL of her planning and scheming about parties this month, when asked about turning 8, Jess has always told others that she's "really just excited to be baptized!"   

This girl is a sparkling, shiny, light of a girl who loves everything about the whole world.   There are days when we will be driving somewhere and she will just say something like, "Every day is the best day ever" or "I always have the best life!"   

I'm convinced this is not a reflection really on anything that John and I are doing for this girl, but rather it is a result of her having the most joyful and loving heart Ive ever known. 

   

I'd throw her three more parties just to celebrate her all over again!

...Just kidding, I'm so done!

When Plan A fails... head to Waterton!

We're wrapping up a week off of school, and let me tell ya, it's been a pretty jam packed week!
We celebrated Jessica's birthday (with two parties already and a baptism still to come), we spent a couple of days cleaning a home we'll be moving in to soon, packed up a little bit here, spent a gazillion hours on the phone changing addresses etc, enjoyed some cousin company, AND John attended Teachers Convention.   

Whew!   I'm not complaining, but I do think I could use a little vacation from this vacation;)

Monday was a delight thought!   With it being Family Day, John and I decided to put everything else on hold and get out of town.   All winter long we've been looking forward to taking the kids down hill skiing, and by golly - this was the day!!!  (Even our little Nate was bursting at the seams, he was so determined to ski on his own;) 

So, we got up at 6:30 am (which doesn't even happen for me on a school day!) packed ourselves a lunch, loaded up the gear and headed out for Castle Mountain.

We got there shortly after 9 only to discover that it was their last operating day, due to the lack of snow.  Yes- that's right, LACK OF SNOW!!!   They were technically still willing to sell us lift tickets for the 1 or 2 runs that were open, but even those had more gravel on them then snow!!  

It was sooo disappointing.   

Of course, this all could have been avoided by simply calling ahead, but who had time for that?  We were all rushing to get out the door!!!

Luckily, even though Plan A didn't work out too well, our Plan B TOTALLY ROCKED!!  

We headed to Waterton, of course;)

John dropped the kids and I off at Cameron Falls while he drove back into town to get our x-country skis and gear.  (Because we'd only planned on renting downhill ski's remember?)   While we waited, we built a snowman by the falls, and then threw him over the edge into the icing rushing river.   We had plenty of time for a snowball fight, and then we walked over to the lodge and warmed up over a couple of giant plates of poutine!    So...great.

John met us at the lodge and from there we headed towards Cameron Lake!

This is us just before we started.

Did I mention that it was a perfect Day?  

Because it was.  

It was PERFECT!

The temp was hovering right around zero, which caused the kids to shed a layer or two before we even reached the lake.   Once there, we enjoyed our picnic lunch, walked over the lake, and watched a Stellar & Grey Jay familiarize themselves with us.   I've skied this road a few times now, and this was by far the warmest and most enjoyable trip yet!

On the way down we were shocked to notice how truly calm and still things were.  It's not often that you find a wintry day in Waterton with NO WIND!   

For a day that had started out so frustratingly, this was a perfect way to make everything right!   

Year end Tourney!

Basketball began last month for Abby.   She got o play on a Grade 6 league and this gave her her first real opportunity to be on a team.   I am CONVINCED that this is where the real growth starts.  There is something about playing on a team that helps solidify the love for the sport.   Abby, in the past, has been a little wishy washy about all things athletic, and John and I have certainly not wanted to push her.  It was so refreshing to watch her the past couple of months really develop some new skills and as a result - her confidence and interest in basketball has intensified as well!

John was asked to fill in and coach her team during the season end tournament.   It was fun to watch the two of them together.   Abby loved having John around, and he always puts is heart into any team he coaches.    I was a proud momma sitting on the sideline watching!

  

She's definitely got the height going for her, but like I said, John and I haven't really pushed basketball on her in the past, and so she's a little bit behind some of the others her age.  It will be interesting to see how things unfold as Abby gets older.    If she really takes this and goes with it, or not.    John and I both agree though that we'll be happy so long as she just finds something to put her heart and effort into.    Besides watching old episodes of Studio C,  that is! ;)

The boy who cried wolf and other February happenings

February is famous (in my mind) for providing some of the most stunning Sunrise and Sunsets of the year.  I'm not sure if there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon or if I've just made this up, but I swear it - November and February make the most beautiful skies!!

More than once this month, I've impulsively rushed out the door, camera in hand to get a picture.  (FYI-a beautiful sunrise totally trumps breakfast, doing kids hair, and prepping lunches.  Yes it does!)   On the morning I took this particular photo I was standing on the top of a snowdrift, wearing jogging shorts, John's winter coat, imitation uggs, with residual makeup from the day before still smeared all over my face.   A kind and well intentioned man, headed in for the first session of the day,  approached me and asked if I'd like for him to take a picture with me in it.  

 I tried to give the most emphatic NO I could, while still being polite.   I mean, for all I know he could have had very poor eyesight?

LOVE this building and all that it represents!!!!

On another note, a few weeks back we had a FHE lesson on the 10 commandments.   We took a moment to review each of them and the good news is - most of them are a CINCH!   That dang 4th one about keeping the sabbath day holy is really kicking our butts though.   haha.   So.... in an effort to work on the one thing holding us back from absolute perfection, we compiled a long list of ideas of things the kids can do before or after church.   It's been fun to see how some of them have responded:

One day Jessica started this giant painting of an owl.   Abby soon joined in, and within the week they'd created this masterpiece.    I was super proud of them for sticking with it.   Of course, it's large, and made of cardboard, so after taking a picture of it I managed to find a great place for it in the garage;)    (The garage is where I store all of my favorite treasures.  ...REALLY!!!)

One week later, I came home from a Young Women's meeting to find the kids sitting on a row of chairs, staring at a homemade pulpit in front of them.   That person standing at the pulpit is supposed to be our bishop, Bishop Heggie.   haha.   I got such a kick out of the Kleenex box and the scriptures.    

For the entire day, Jessica made us keep this thing set up.  In fact, at dinner time (because we needed to use the chairs) she agreed to let us push the Bishop over to the table.   

After awhile though it all got a little bit old.  Every time I walked into the room I'd be startled for a second thinking someone was in our kitchen!   Again, it wasn't long before this little gem made it to the garage as well;)

By the third Sunday I'd felt pretty confident that we'd all gotten into a better, more reverent groove.    All of us but Sam, that is.   For a good 10 minutes that Sunday morning I stood at the sink peeling potatoes and listening to him complain about being "bored!"     Over my shoulder I'd respond to him with a distracted suggestion of what I though he should do.  His response was always the same.   "MOM- I'm BORED!!!"  

Finally I turned around, prepared to give him an idea (mingled with a threat;) and found myself staring at this:

Get it?   I'm BOARD! haha    (baddaboom!)

Seriously, I thought he was delightfully clever. 

 Annoying, but clever!

This past weekend was a busy one for us.  On Thursday Abby and I (and 4 other Moms and daughters from town) headed to Calgary so that she could be a part of a Provincial Children's choir.    We got there in time to do a bit of shopping together before I had to drop her off.   From that point on we were pretty much tied to the down town core as she practiced 9-10 hours each day with a group of kids she'd only met once the month prior!   

She practiced each day in the beautiful Knoxx Church!  It was acoustically amazing and the atmosphere was dreamy.   I could have sat there forever and listened!    But alas, the nearby shopping centre called my name a time or two;)   

We were proud Mama's the evening of these kids' performance.   Their beautiful voices echoed through the whole church and it was obvious to me that they had all grown as singers because of the training they'd received over the past few days.   My favorite song of all was "Goin' up a Yonder."   Angelic.

(getting a Standing Ovation at the end)  

While I was in Calgary, John was back at home keeping the other half of our family alive!  ;)  

Every time I phoned home to check on things, one of the kids would answer and give me a long drawn out story of all that was going wrong.  "The house is on fire!"  "Dad just burnt dinner!"  "Nathan's been lost for days!"  ...stuff like that.   All lies, of course, but they all seemed to get a kick out of teasing me.   Saturday morning, Sam phoned me and told me that the night before he'd cracked his head open and needed stitches.  Naturally, I told insisted that he was a liar and refused to believe him.   A few hours later I received an unexpected text (from the Dr. who had attended to him the night before) with these photos:

I pretty much felt like a winner after that.

Let this be a lesson to you all of why you never EVER cry wolf!!!!

Three in Three

I have THREE minutes to share three highlights from the last little while.  Ready, Set....Go!

1.  

Jessica is turning 8 in one month and she is in constant planning mode.   She has lists that contain the plans for her "Friend Party,"  lists for her "Family Party," and lists for her "Baptism Party."  When did it all get so complicated?!!  I finally had a little chat with her and she's decided to focus her efforts and planning on a Baptism Party.  (Thank goodness!)  

We wanted her to understand why she was getting baptized as much as possible and so we asked the missionaries in our ward if they would mind teaching her the discussions.   So, for the past few weeks we've all enjoyed sitting in while they teach her.   Jessica is soaking up the attention, but she's also doing the homework reading and praying on her own about what she's taught, so we're thrilled too!  

 We laughed so hard this past week when she showed us the Lego Baptismal Font that she'd made! 

Definitely a one track mind!

2.

Back in the fall Abby was recommended to be a part of a provincial honor choir and just before Christmas we learned that she'd been accepted.   It involves a lot of home practice, one rehearsal in January and then a three day session in February, culminating in a concert on the last day.   

Last week, I took Abby and two of her friends up to Calgary for the first rehearsal.  

It was held in a spectacular old church just off of 17th.  It smelled old and had a tonne of character, I just love it!!  Even more though, I loved hearing the beautiful sound that these 30+ kids made together.   It was SUBLIME!!   They'll be back together next month for the three day session and I am so excited to attend the concert.  I hear the church they will be performing in, (and the acoustics)  is even more spectacular.   It's going to be SO good!!!

3.

We heard around Christmas time that the owners of this house will be back April 1st.   APRIL 1st!!!  yowsers;)   John and I have begun looking around for homes to buy, but nothing really jumps out at us.  We know of a great home that we both know we could like, but it is a tad bit outside of the budget we've set for ourselves.    We keep trying to remember that our goal is to find a great house, that doesn't however require that I go to work in order for us to pay for it.  

Time is starting to tick away on us, and though we should perhaps be a little more worried, we just feel really confident that everything will work out exactly as it should.  It has in the past, right?  

If we don't find a house to buy in the next month and a bit, we'll simply rent until the right thing comes along.  

Or maybe we'll just become squatters in Waterton!!   

I think we could easily pull that off.  (For a few months of the year at least;)   

New Years!

Well we started this New Year running, that's for sure!!   

For weeks I've wanted to update on some of the things that are going on around here, but there has.been.no.time to do that!!   

Our New Years party was a blast though.  My family all met at Jewels house New Years Eve for some great fun, games (ie Mafia) and late night visiting.   Grandpa Max 

It was especially fun for my kids because there were four dogs that joined us for the festivities as well!  FOUR!! (Jewel and Kendall recently got a dog for their kids, and Chad and brought their little guy and two other dogs with them, so the odds were very good that my kids always had a furry friend to play with;)   

I always get ridiculously lazy during the holidays, but even more so when we all gather at Jewels house.   With my kids occupied by cousins and four legged friends,  I just sat around for two days eating, holding my little nephew Remy, and visiting.   It was so nice!

On New Years Day we went down to the hotel pool for a bit so the kids could swim off some of their energy;)  

 I really love how much these cousins enjoy being together.  There is such a range of ages, but even my oldest nieces love doting on the younger kids and there are NEVER disagreements or arguments, it's awesome!

I thought that whole week long about the goals that I wanted to set for this new year but I just never got it all sorted out in time for January 1st.   I like to set goals, and then set sub-goals that will help me accomplish the bigger goals.   For some reason though, it all just seemed to busy for me this time around;)  Here we are a month in and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to accomplish in this great year!!  There are a LOT of changes coming our way this year, that is for sure.

Perhaps my goal should be to just simply BE.    

Here's to embracing whatever the year brings.

Happy 2015!!!!

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and more!

Wow this Christmas was great.   Special.  Awesome. Delicious.  And so fulfilling!

I think the pictures do a good job of depicting some of the highlights for us, so here are about a gazillion photos:

It's become a tradition in our family (thanks to the Hardy clan) to enjoy seafood on Christmas Eve.    

It was a perfectly long and drawn out dinner that was served in courses.   Grandpa Hardy and I worked together on this dinner (with Grandpa providing the seafood!) and it was sure fun to watch how excited the kids were.  First Course:  Mussels, French Onion Soup and bread.  Second Course:   Steak and Lobster with Baked Potatoes  Third Course:  Salad and Crab

Mmmm MMmmm - it was delicious!    The kids were initially very thrilled to see so many live crustaceans in our home and they were convinced for a time that we'd actually allowed them to have a pet!!  They named the lobsters "Scary" and "Larry"  and the crab was affectionately dubbed "Cranky."    (Don't worry- these little guys were so tasty, the kids didn't mind one bit saying goodbye;)  

After dinner (and after a fabulous group of carollers stopped by - thanks Jewel;) the kids all got dressed up to reenact the nativity.   It's always a special part of our Christmas Eve and gives us a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the season.    Our little Joseph couldn't quite contain his excitement this year.    

He was beyond irreverent!  (But he's 5 and it was Christmas Eve -not sure we could have expected anything more from him;)

After the kids reenacted that beautiful story, the kids all said goodnight to Grandpa and then (for the one and only time in all the year) they started asking to go to bed.  Yes- ASKING!!!

   But first - they had to open up their new Christmas Jammies!

Once that was over though, it was straight to bed without so much as an argument.   Nate was quite panicked actually as he worried he wouldn't get to sleep in time.   When else does that happen?  NEVER!  (It stands as proof to me that kids are in fact capable of falling asleep without resorting to a string of crazy stalling tactics.  Who knew?)   

Each Christmas Eve, the kids like to sleep under the tree in hopes of catching Santa.   That tricksy guy though- he always sneaks past them.  (It's a good thing we always have two trees!!)  I love the softness and tenderness of this picture.   Each of the kids were sleeping contently and I was convinced that there really may have been "visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads."

John and I, ahem...I mean SANTA got all the gifts ready and barricaded the stairs with wrapping paper.  (We learned this from Jewel and Kendall.  It prevents kids from getting to the loot early the next morning and it also gives them something to SMASH through when they are finally permitted to find their stockings and gifts!)  haha

Speaking of gifts- I really think Santa nailed it this year.   Not a single video game or electronic device was given, yet they didn't complain!  Again, who knew? ;)    They each have a favorite gift.  Nate's is his super speedy sled.   (It's a little too speedy for his Moms comfort;)  Sam has been mastering all sorts of magic tricks and loves confusing and astounding us all.   Jessica spends hours hunched over her art pad.  This week she's been working on pictures of birds and has drawn a Puffin, an Avocet,  an Owl and a Hummingbird!

Abby got this bust and sewing supplies.  She's been fashioning and designing clothes all week long!   I was really impressed with her skills considering she has NEVER sewn before.  She seems to have an eye for it, not to mention a keen interest.  (Perhaps a sewing machine is in order for her Birthday?)

Ben and Kat came down Christmas day and stayed for a few days.  It definitely helped add to the festive mood to have family around.   We enjoyed a Turkey Dinner (which included Max's traditional shrimp Cocktail), the kids played board games, we lit our BBQ on fire (literally;), watched the Hobbit down at the theatre and spend an afternoon sledding out in Waterton.   So FUN!!!

They left on the 27th and we were grateful to have lots of memories of a lovely Christmas week.   We're leaving the tree up for a few more days as there is just something delightfully cozy about it.   (Jess in particular loves to sit by it while she knits or draws.)

I sure love this Christmas season and all the blessings that come with it!!

Twas two weeks before Christmas....

The last two weeks have been jam packed with Christmas fun.  So jam packed in fact, that I've barely had a moment to pause! ;)    This little town of ours seems to be inundated with flu's, strep throat and colds right now, and luckily, I was able to avoid it all until the busy-ness was done.   As soon as our "break" started?  It hit.   So now I sit here, snuggled up in a blanket, box of Kleenex in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other - trying to document all the fun of the past to weeks!  

Our Christmas season officially began early in December with the CES choir concert.  This year THREE of my kids were able to be a part of this choir, and that is definitely a first for me.   I was thrilled to get to watch them all.  

  Abby is sad that this is her last year as a part of this choir.  Jessica LOVES performing and sings her heart out.  Sam was thrilled to get the opportunity to join this year, though he was admittedly VERY disappointed to discover (on concert night) that he would have to wear blush and lipstick for the performance.   The whole time he kept coming to me and saying, "Mom, I'm very uncomfortable with this."  ;)   Bless his heart though, he did great, make-up and and all!!!

That same week, we were lucky to enjoy a visit from John's two sisters.   Sarah travelled up for a few days, and Rach and her family have been in Alberta for a couple of weeks so that little Maddax could receive some innovative treatment/rehabilitation.    It was great to see them each for a few days.  We ate lots, laughed lots (huge thanks to Uncle Brent for the laughs;) and my kids loved being able to follow their cute little cousins around.    One afternoon, everyone embarked on a gingerbread house making challenge and I must say, I love the way John's family always thinks big.   Like, ALWAYS!!!  This simple little activity soon became an EXPLOSION of glue guns, crackers, ice cream cones, icing and more candy then you could ever imagine.   I felt sick after, and I just watched!!!! haha.

A couple of years ago (on a beautiful boxing day morning) I snapped this photo of the temple and it's been a favourite of mine ever since.   Two weeks ago, I posted it on my Facebook page.  It has been shared over 130 times and without even trying, I sold 22 prints over the past two weeks.   My niece told me that a guest speaker from Calgary came and spoke to her seminary class this week and apparently he was using this photo as part of his lesson!  The interest in this picture has been a fun and unsuspecting surprise, which I'm sure won't last much longer;) haha

We've also been enjoying our monthly tradition of candle light dinners each night.  I swear it helps slow down our dinner time and I keep hoping it will encourage/produce more thoughtful manners at the table?   (Though the verdict is admittedly still out on that;)    It's a childhood tradition that I hope the kids love as much as I do!!!

This photo depicts some of the other December highlights so far:  

1.  Sam, Jess and Nate joined Dad outside yesterday and went cross country skiing around the neighbourhood.  They were skiing on nothing but hardback, but that didn't dampen their spirits!   Even Nate got the hang of it.    2.  Speaking of Nate- he's turned into quite the little cook extraordinaire.  He's learned how to pop microwave popcorn himself and as a result, pretty much eats an entire bag in-between each and every meal.  It's sad, really.   A parent should intervene.   3.   We've been playing LOTS of fun Christmas games with the kids, and I'm pretty sure Family Game Night has to happen every night now!    4.  Some friends of ours gave us Hot Chocolate this year as a gift, and so I've got a fun little Hot Chocolate Nook going on.  It makes me happy, and the kids (yes even Nate!) love being able to make their own "cup of chocolate" anytime they want!    (Our little Elf even enjoys it;)   

Yesterday the kids spend all afternoon watching Studio C episodes and decorating gingerbread cookies.   Sigh...it was such a mess.   WHY does Christmas have to be so MESSY!!!!  ;)

On Friday night, we were tempted to do our regular "Family Movie Night," but decided to switch it up a little.   Inspired by Aunt Sarah (who spent an evening reading with Sam) we decided to have a Family Reading Night.   We all made a cup of hot chocolate, Nate popped popcorn (of course!) and we each grabbed a book.  Sometimes we read to each other, other times we read to ourselves.   It was so delightful!!!   Of course, everything is more enjoyable when done while sitting by a Christmas tree.

Christmas is just half a week away!!!    

Hope it is a MERRY one for everyone we love!!

"Oh Martha, ...Oh CHRISTMAS!!!"

Every year we set up the Christmas tree on November 11th.    (Unless we get a real tree and then we wait a couple of weeks but this year we didn't get a real tree, so November 11th it was, and now I'm just trying to make this the biggest run on sentence possible;)

The kids were SO stoked to get to use the Ridleys tree this year as ours is packed away.  (or perhaps we donated it to the Bargain Barn?)    

Abby made sure to crank up the Christmas tunes real loud, Nate had to get into his coziest jammies (in the middle of the afternoon;) and the kids all loved each other a little bit more the whole day long.   Setting up Christmas is seriously the happiest day in our home, in fact it can get downright cheezy!! 

I love getting the kids to bed and enjoying the soft glow of the Christmas lights with a snack that I've kept secret from them all day long good book and a blanket. 

  

I'm pretty sure that there is nothing better then this time of year!!

Now that Daddy's back!

It has been two weeks now since John's last volleyball tournament (which means I'm two weeks late with my journalling;) and we still get excited to wake up Saturday morning to the smell of one of Dad's breakfasts!!   The kids LOVE his hash browns and french toast and I just love that I can stay in bed a little later and smell it;)

Everyone is happier when Dad is around!!!

It was a good season though, and John had a lot of fun with his boys.   They improved so much throughout the season and I seriously feel as though John improved right along with them!   He always says he isn't a very experienced coach, but he's been doing this for six years now and he gets better and better each time.       To celebrate the end of a good season, we had his team over for a dinner (Cafe Rio) and a movie consisting of some of their highlights.   It was fun to see them interact with Joh and the kids were glad to get to be included.    

 Awesome group of Young Men right there, that's for sure!!!

Now that John is around a lot more, the kids have resumed their favourite winter pastime - 

Skating!!   

Not a single one of my kids are very accomplished skaters, but slowly (ever so slowly) they are improving.   We generally try to carve out time each weekend to get to the rink, but the kids would go every single day if we let them!