June Fishing Adventures

This month it has been all about the fishing around here!!

For Christmas last year, every one of our kids got a fishing rod of their very own.   As the weather has turned warmer, John has grown increasingly anxious to get the kids out there again.  By mid may we had our fishing licences bought and we were ready to go.

As mentioned in a previous entry, our first trip of the year was to Romeril lake with all of my family.  

The week later, we drove out towards St.Mary's and fished in some of the narrow channels that branch out from the reservoir!  We'd seen some crazy size fish that friends of ours had caught (35 pound pike) and John was hopeful he'd catch a big one like that too!   Both him and Sam caught fish that evening (1 walleye and 1 pike) and Sam humbly dubbed himself "the Pikemaster!"  

Clearly, Nate enjoys fishing as well?   We learned fast that if we want this boy to come along, we need to be well prepared.  (As in stocked with juice boxes, popcorn twists and a fully charged cell phone!)

Our third fishing trip was a fun one for John.  He caught a HUGE pike.  So fun!

Just this past week, John and I went on a little fishing date, sans enfants!   It was so much fun!!
Because we didn't have the kids with us we were able to walk around Romeril lake and fish all along the way.  We found some great pockets with lots of pike.   There were three times when John and I both pulled in fish at the exact same time.   We must have been impressive fishers because we attracted quite a crowd.   

I had high hopes of this being a more relaxing evening for John, seeing as he wouldn't need to untangle the kids' lines or re-tie their hooks or anything like that - but nope!   He pretty much had to take care of me as much as ever;)   

With each catch I got, he had to remove the hooks for me (pike teeth are sharp!!) and more than once he had to free my hook from the bottom of the lake.   He didn't seem to mind though, bless his heart:)

This little family hobby has made for many perfect evenings this past month.   

We're looking forward to many more!!!

Magrath Reunion

Every June all of my Rausch relatives get together in Magrath for a two day reunion.   

Abby was committed to participate in her final basketball tournament of the season, so we were only able to attend the reunion on the first day- but it was such fun.  As always! 

The water slide down the hill is always a highlight and Nate soared down this year all by himself!!

John and the kids spent some time down at the creek, catching frogs and such.  They came across this spectacular birds nest with one brand new little baby bird even!  

It was a beautiful Friday evening!

Waterton Food Festival

The town of Waterton did something kind of cool this year.  They hosted the 1st ever Annual Waterton Food festival!!   

That meant that for 3 or 4 days, participating restaurants offered discounted prices on many of their dishes, entertainment was amped up, and celebration was in the air!!  (Okay, maybe it just meant that I had one more excuse to drive out there.  To EAT!)

I waited until I had dropped off Nate for school (that would give me three solid hours alone) and I headed out.   It was the PERFECT afternoon in the mountains.  

 Hot. Windless. And brimming with life!

So many wildflowers are starting to bloom, but oddly enough, what stole my attention today was all of the dandelions.   The landscape was covered in yellow and white and though I know these noxious weeds aren't really native to Waterton, I think they fit in quite beautifully here.

I can't stand the things at home in my own front yard, but find them really quite lovely in Waterton;)

I didn't drive out here though for the flowers (or the weeds;) so I quickly reminded myself that this day was all about the food.   They were offering a little photo contest on Instagram where they encouraged you to snap a photo and then give it the hashtag #mywatertonEATS.   I desperately wanted to win, so I stopped in at my favorite little treat and got to work,photographing those delicious sweet potato fries in all of my favorite Waterton spots!  

First we took a drive (them and I;) up to the Prince of Whales hotel.    

I'll admit I felt a little bit awkward staging my food and photographing it.   This picture represents the time a group of tourists were standing nearby and I didn't want to look totally weird so I just held them up sort of in front of me and did my best to make it look as though I wasn't photographing my lunch.  haha.

I took it a little more seriously up at Cameron Lake though as there was virtually nobody around.  

I love Cameron Lake in the off season.   My favorite thing to do is sit on the dock and watch the clouds as they slowly move across the sky.  I'll admit, I get a bit nervous up here alone though as I always wonder what I would do if a bear were to show up.   

But alas, here I sat, photographing my fries and watching the sky.

For the record, after I finished photographing my fries (and then finally eating them;) I stood up and got ready to leave when what do you think I saw?    A BEAR - right there at the visitor centre, smack dab in between me and my van!   It watched me for a bit and started to walk towards the dock, which had me questioning what I would do if he actually ventured out toward me?    

Would I jump in the water?   

Go into the fetal position?

Stop drop and roll?

Punch it in the nose?

Luckily, I didn't have to resort to any of those as I noticed that behind the bear a small group of people had arrived and were preparing to come my way.   I called out to them to let them know a bear was in front of them.   That yelling was enough to cause the bear to lumber away from the dock (and my remaining fries) and explore the bushes, thus giving me the opportunity to skuttle on back to my vehicle (though I tried to look calm and cool as a cucumber;)!

The ride back down from Cameron Lake was just as eventful.  I followed lots of Bighorn Sheep for a good stretch of the time and even came across this very light colored cub.   It was all by itself, though I wasn't about to take any chances.  I stayed stayed in my van with the windows rolled down just enough to snap some pictures.

I didn't want to risk an encounter with a mamma bear!

I got down from the mountain in good time and whipped back into town so I could be home before the kids.  I love being able to have little adventures like this every now and then.   (Though I always find a long delayed To-Do list waiting for me when I get back:)

Thanks Waterton.   The 1st annual Food Festival was a real slice!!

Life on the bleachers

This past month has been all about the sports!  As mentioned in a previous post, I feel a tad bit over scheduled with it all, but the kids are loving life and their not sitting around watching TV so much, so I really should be thrilled!

Sam's track and field day with the school was last week.  I'm not going to lie, he didn't do so great.  BUT he was cheered on by his little posse of pals and coming in 5th or 6th never seemed to damped their enthusiasm.   haha.   It clearly was not about the event at all!  

Sam's also been playing on a minors (baseball) team.  A few months back, when I registered him for it, I thought he'd be playing twice a week from 6-7.    Our first week in, I quickly realized that wasn't really the case.   Baseball is 9 innings people!!!!!   He leaves around 5 on game days (for a pre-game practice) and sometimes doesn't get home until 8:30.   Oh, and apparently when you are in minors, you compete with other towns, which means there has been a bit of travelling to Magrath and Raymond to support this little dude.   

(methinks I should have read the fine print;)

In reality, he is LOVING it and learning lots.   He's been working on his pitching skills and can slide into "Home" like nobody' business!

Nate is fierce!  

He wanted to be in soccer so bad, and for weeks leading up to is first game day, he would meticulously keep his little shoes, socks and shin guards folded neatly beside his bed.  I'll admit he doesn't necessarily love going to soccer these days, but that is only because all they do is work on drills and play relay games that are supposed to teach them basic skills.   For an organization trying to build great future soccer players, it makes perfect sense.   For a little boy who just wants to play a "real game" it's become an exercise in patience for him. 

 The boy wants to play!;)

Abby has been playing on a Spring League basketball team since April and has grown as a player in many ways.  She's the tallest one on her team (and many teams for that matter) and that has it's advantages and disadvantages.   I hope in the weeks/months and years to come, she'll grow to see her height for the gift that it is!  In the mean time, I'll try to stop yelling at her to "JUMP!" or "Get that rebound!"   I'm really very proud of her.  She's had to turn down babysitting jobs, fun with family, and her ward youth days to honour her basketball commitments and that hasn't been easy for her.   She's been to four tourneys in Lethbridge, with her final one being this weekend.  This has been a big deal for us, because I really don't go to Lethbridge often.  (I've gone more in the last two months then I did all last year!;)   Sigh...I hope she appreciates it!  haha

This past month she's really stepped up and tried hard at Track & Field as well.   She started running with John some mornings to build up some endurance and together they would practice/train for other events.  She placed 2nd and 3rd in a few of the events and was able to advance to divisional.

We were able to go watch her compete yesterday and I enjoyed seeing her push herself.  

Her track & field experience ends here, this year, but she's feeling pretty determined to focus more on this next year, perhaps instead of Spring league.  

We've been so very blessed and lucky that Grandpa has been there for these kids, supporting them every step of the way.   What a great man Max is.   One day he is watching Sam, the next he is cheering on Abby, then he's down in Montana cheering on a grandson there, and soon he'll be in Utah and then Idaho supported milestones in other grandkids' lives.   I sure love him and admire all that he does for family near and far.

I myself am looking forward to summer when their are a few less games to go and watch, but don't tell anyone I said that! ;)  

I know what that is!!!

A few years back John and I had driven down to Pleasant Grove to visit his brother and his family.   It was a trip that almost didn't happen, as just a day or two before we were to leave, our van broke down and needed a repair that was going to cost well over two thousand.    I remember at the time being absolutely devastated by this unexpected cost and I wondered if we should just call off the whole trip.  Looking back though, I'm so glad that we didn't!  Not only were we able to experience all the amazing things that Utah has to offer (um, hello Sweet Tooth Fairy;) I also remember this trip as the time in which John and I learned one of the most important lessons we've ever learned, to date!   It was on our first night there, as we sat in Jordan and Luci's kitchen after the kids had gone to bed, that we got into a conversation about pornography.   It's a conversation that we really haven't ceased having, ever since!

  John's brother Jordan had recently taken a passionate interest in warning others (particularly parents, children and youth) about the tactics used by the porn industry to draw in young viewers and the addictive drug like characteristics of pornography.  On this particular night, he was sharing with us many components of his presentation - which was basically chalk full of everything I didn't know about pornography!!!    I still remember sitting there feeling kinda sick with the realization that despite John's and my efforts to be "good parents" we were really quite naive and we had missed the mark - by a long shot!    By the time we went to bed that night,  we both knew that lots of things had to change!   

I'm not certain that we've done all that we could do since then to prepare our kids for this reality - but we certainly have tried.   We've welcomed opportunities to hear Jordan speak on the subject, we've increased the level of filtering in our home, we've changed the computer habits in our family, banned the internet from bedrooms, but mostly we've just tried to be comfortable talking about it with the kids.   A couple of times a month we devote a portion of family home evening to reinforce some of our feelings and concerns about pornography.  We share experiences we've had where we maybe came across it and how we handled it.  We found a CAN DO plan that we refer to often with them that consists of 5 things that our "CAN DO" when they come across pornography:

1.  Close your eyes (stop looking at it)

2. Alert a trusted adult

3. Name it for what it is.  (ie: That is pornography!)

4. Distract yourself and picture something positive 

5.  Order your thinking brain to be the boss

To be honest, I've worried that our conversations have been in vain and I've wondered if they would really even recognize pornography when confronted with it?  And would they even tell us if they had?

The other day I was thrilled when I went to pick up the kids from school and the moment Sam got in the van (before he told me anything else about his day) he said, "Mom!  Today I saw pornography!"    

Ok... that part didn't thrill me, in fact my heart sank a little and I tried to sound casual as I asked him to describe to me what happened.   He said he'd had an assignment in which he needed to use the internet to research 5 facts about Kevin Durant.  He described how, as he was googling for facts, an image appeared on the sidebar that instantly made him feel uncomfortable.   He said it was a picture of a woman in a very "bad bikini" with the words "how to be sexy for your man" written below it.   (Now, to be entirely fair, I am sure that the school has some sort of filter set up for their school computers and I really don't know how bad that picture actually was. Was it hard core porn?  Probably not.  For all I know, it could have been a Gap add - but to Sam, it was not ok and that is all that really matters.)

He continued to tell me how he felt when it popped up, and how he immediately wanted to close the lid of the laptop.  Then he picked up the computer, carried it up to his teachers desk and said "Mrs______ there is some pornography on my computer and I need you to get rid of it for me."   

 Again, I'm not sure what it was his teacher saw, whether most of us would have found it to be rather benign or not, but I'm glad she responded in the validating way that she did.   She opened the computer, checked for herself and said, "You are right Sam.  This is not something you need to look at.  Let me clean it up and I'll bring your computer back to you when the picture is gone."

WOOT WOOT!!!

I know many will think this is not a big deal, these things are all around us and yes, darn near impossible to keep from my kids.  To me though, it wasn't really about what he saw at all!

   I was bursting at the seams proud of him for deciding for himself that what he saw was not okay to him!  I was proud of him for realizing that he had the ability to control how he responded to what he saw.   I was proud of him for having the courage to take it to his teacher even though he was afraid she'd get mad at him.   Mostly though, I was so grateful that the first thing he wanted to do when he saw me was share this experience with me.  To him, this was a victory, and that (if you ask me) was reason enough to celebrate!!!   

So...I took him to Dave's-Drive-In and bought him the biggest milkshake he could get;)

                       

I know as parents, our job is to teach our kids how to think, not necessarily what to think, but that is a constant challenge for me to figure out sometimes where one begins and the other ends.   I feel very anxious when I think of all that is thrown at my kids; things that I have absolutely no control of and I desperately want to stop it before it ever even reaches them.   I suppose the only comfort that I will feel will come with knowing that my kids will act according to what they feel is right.      

The best part of the whole day came when he said to me, "Mom, I just knew what it was."

Absolutely music to my ears!!

Celebrating 35

This past week I turned 35 which I am THRILLED about!   

I'm not like many who dread to admit their ages, rather I embrace each additional year with all my heart!   I'll even go one step more and say I can't WAIT to reach 50!!!  haha.    

It was a fun day on Friday and I felt so grateful for all of the loving people in my life.   

Abigail made me laugh so much when shortly after 9:00 that morning she called me from school.  When I picked up, she said, "Mom.  We have a message from you from all of Mr.Hardy's homeroom class:"    The entire class proceeded to sing/yell/scream Happy birthday to me over the phone.   (Abby swears that Uncle Kendall was in the classroom and gave her permission to do that, but I don't see how any teacher would authorize such craziness!;)     When they had finished singing, Abby then sang one more song with a few of her friends, which was a little less joyful.    It went a little bit like this:

Happy Birthday to you

It's your Birthday.

Pain and Misery to spare- 

people dying everywhere, 

but it's your birthday.

So, Happy Birthday.

It was pretty much the most morbid Birthday song I've ever heard, but it had me looking forward to my 50th more than ever!!! ;)    It was hilarious!

That evening we all went over to Jim and Jeanne Gladdings house for a Birthday picnic.  The kids had been planning this with them all week long, and though it was not a surprise like last years Birthday dinner, it was still just as fun!   Jeanne told me that they were the ones who chose the menu (fried chicken, potato salad, egg salad sandwiches and veggies), they baked the cake, prepped all of the food and dear Nate set the table.    

The kids had all gone over to the Gladdings the day before to help with some of the food prep and to bake the cake.   Naturally it included a lot of sugary stars.  How can you tell this was designed by a bunch of kids? ;)

It was fun to visit with them, as we have truly missed them since leaving the ward, and it was especially fun to watch my kids work to put on a dinner.   I was proud of them and so thankful to the Gladdings!!!

My brother Chad and sister Crystal (and their families) were also in town at this same time.  We didn't visit much on Friday due to the above plans, but we were able to make up for that on Saturday.   One of the gifts John had gotten me was a fishing rod of my own!!  (He's grown tired of me tangling up his line perhaps?;)  At any rate- I was thrilled and took it as a sign that he was willing to go fishing with me!   We could hardly wait, and so on Saturday we talked the family into going fishing out at Romeril.    It was a gorgeous afternoon!!!

Picture 16 kids (8 months-15 yrs), 3 dogs, 12 fishing rods, and 8 adults - all searching for a spot to enjoy and relax in our own chosen way.  I was impressed at how many of the younger kids wanted to fish!

Nate was so determined to catch a fish this time, it was breaking my heart!  

He's developed a pretty good cast though and we're certain that he'll catch one soon - but still, so sad to see his quivering lip at the end of the day and here him exclaim that he's "just not a fisherman."   

What a little man!

Sam, on the other hand, was celebrating big time, when just as we were getting ready to call it quits, managed to real in a catch.  His first PIKE!   It was made all the better by the fact that 15 of his cousins were cheering him on and rejoicing with him.   (Later that night I heard him talking/singing to himself in his room that "this was the best day ever - yes it was!!!)  

(That is seriously a gross looking fish.   Doesn't even look tasty if you ask me;)

It was a really fun weekend with them, full of visiting and celebrating of birthdays.   It was a wonderful reminder to me that these people that make up our families are the ones we'll know and care about through all of the eternities.   My younger sister often reminds me that it's often these eternal relationships that require the most effort and that shape and mould us the most.   I know I sometimes get so preoccupied thinking about schedules and logistics that I forget to just be in the moment and enjoy the ones I am with.   

 What matters most is what lasts the longest - and our families are forever!  

                                                                                      -Elder Ballard

When life gets busy...it helps to eat out;)

There are a few months of the year that try my patience (as in- it wears so thin it's practically transulenscent;) and I've grown convinced that May, September and December were all created to teach me a lesson!   What that lesson is, I'm still deciding, but I think it has something to do with balance.  Or maybe the lesson is about staying calm when there is no balance to be found, I'm not sure, but one of these days I'm going to get it down pat!:)

Though deep down I do love May, (the sun starts shining, the flower beds start showing signs of growth, and evenings get longer) - our schedules always fill up mega fast with all sorts of events that I have no control of.   It all tends to breed a little bit of resentment in this controlling little heart of mine.  (Oh May, how I wish I could just sit back and enjoy you a little bit more!) 

 Thankfully, my kids have embraced the spring busy-ness with full enthusiasm.   They've gracefully juggled cubs, activity days, young women's, soccer, baseball, spring league, recitals, concerts and more without even batting an eye.   (I could probably learn a thing or two from each of them!)

On one particularly busy day this past week I was rushing around, kinda fretting about what we should do for dinner when Abby nonchalantly said, "Easy.  Why don't we just eat out?"  She said it as though this is a common occurrance for our family, when I can literally count on one hand the number of times my kids have eaten dinner in a restaurant.  I think she was hoping that I was actually desperate enough to consider her suggestion and in a way - I guess I was:

I've learned that when things get so crazy and so busy with exterior demands that it starts making me cranky, the best thing to do is take a step back (and a deep breathe or two while I'm at it;) leave the cleaning and schedules behind and go where peace and calm is always waiting to be found.  

This time that place happened to be St. Mary's!

Thanks to the amazing invention called a Wonder Box, I was able to grab our half cooked lasagna, a few things from the fridge and some granola bars for dessert and oila... we were dining Al Fresco in no time!!!

Nate wouldn't join us at the picnic table, but rather found his own little table for one.  (Not that he really needed it.  He ate a carrot, drank some water and then explored this play place that was his dining room for the evening;)

After we all ate and visited, we took a little stroll that I knew would lead us to our favourite place to find fossils.   John found a large fossil that he suspects is a leg bone or a rib but it hardly seemed exciting compared to the teeth he usually discovers.  

The marmots were sticking their heads out of the ground, watching us, and it was fun to see so many little marmot babies too!  Before heading home we made sure to stop off at the playground so that the younger kids could burn off the last of their energy before bed.  

It was a perfect evening and the best way to get away from our schedules and just be together.

It reminded me of how much I really do LOVE May!!!

           I absolutely love that this is what 

      "Eating Out" looks like to my family!   

Rental Renovations

Well, the search for our new home continues!  You might have missed the memo, but we've been renting a home for the past two and a half months now while we search for our next house to buy.   I admit some people may question the intensity of our search as, like I said, it's been two months now,. (surely a couple could find a home in two months, no?)   The thing is, we are searching.  We are looking at homes whenever one pops up on the market, people approach us often and suggest we consider theirs (which we are always willing to do), and we have poured ourselves over blueprints during one atypical moment when we briefly considered building.  

I have walked through more homes in this town then I ever thought was possible, but still, nothing has really held our attention for long.   Perhaps we are just being too picky, but we do feel confident this next home will be the last one we buy (moving is starting to get old;) and we both know what we want in a home.  For the time being - we are content to wait and hope for the right thing to come along.   So, we wait.  

Meanwhile, we are doing our best to make this rental feel like home.   

This is a 100 year old home that we are renting (as in it was literally built in 1915) and it originally existed as the maternity ward for the hospital.   It's definitely got a lot of charm to it (old doors, original hardwood etc) but it's age definitely shows.   The owners put a lot into renovations and updates, but one room of the house that had yet to receive any real attention was the front entryway:

This is what the front entryway looked like when we moved in.   The first door had to remain unlocked at all times because the doorbell was actually located inside the entryway just off of the 2nd door.    It really wasn't a huge problem.  This wall of nails, however, did cause us a little bit of concern.    (We felt pretty certain that if we didn't do something about it then eventually some unlucky visiting family member of ours was going to need a Tetanus shot!;)  haha

One afternoon I came home to discover that John had made up his mind.   He was going to kill two birds with one (very big) stone and renovate the whole thing!  I tried to tell him not too, because...well...for heaven sakes it isn't even our home!   Not only that, but I also didn't want him to go and make improvements on a home that is currently for SALE!!   I mean, what if he makes it look so good that it sells?  I'll tell you what would happen - we'd have to move!  (In case I haven't mentioned it, we've not yet found a house to move to?)    John kindly listened to what I had to say,  patted my head and said "there there" and then went and got his tools.

Here he was trying to explain to me all the reasons why this was a good idea.   Something about stripping it to the studs, re-wiring the thingamajic through the ceiling, adding watchamacallit to the walls and then "yadda yadda yadda yadda."    I think it was around this point that we both recognized the futility in trying to change each others minds.   (Besides, he was already deep enough into the project that it is too late to turn back anyways;)

Here is what the room looked like a couple of hours later.   

Can you believe it?  All of this for a little doorbell? ;)

The next day John had successfully repositioned the doorbell to where it now is, outside of the front door, and he added insulation everywhere that he could.    (I have to admit, I didn't expect that step to make as big of a difference as it did!)   

On the third day he drywalled everything.   

On the fourth day he sanded and painted.   

On the fifth day he installed baseboards and trim to finish it all off. 

And...

On the 6th day - he rested!!  

TA-DA!!

I love how much better it looks now and I hope the owners like it too.   

 I love love LOVE how John works so hard to improve the places that we live.   I am so thankful for the way he makes our house a HOME.  (I love how I am willing to say that after the work is done;)

Since this time, we have planted our garden, painted some of the rooms that had been damaged before we came, and have done some mild landscaping outside.    John has promised me that we are done with the renos, but quite frankly, I just don't know if I believe him.  

Something tells me, the only thing that will get him to stop fixing up this house, is to find one of our very own!  

 Stay tuned......

Spring Break Adventures

Spring break came and went with a flash.   We were initially planning on going to my sisters house for a few days, but had to cancel that due to a B-Ball tourney that Abby was scheduled to play in.  That ended up not being the case which was perfectly fine because we were also expecting lots of American company over that week.  But then they ended up not being able to come.   Just as John and I were starting to settle in for a long and quiet week - my entire family serendipitously all arrived in town on the same day, so we ended up having a bit of an Easter party after all!  haha

My family weren't here for long though, and so it was up to John and I to fill that glorious week off of school with all sorts of fun.  Some of the highlights included:

1.  Temple visits:

John and I were able to accompany Abby for her first ever trip to the temple to do Baptisms for the dead.   We were with a group of our ward young women, but it was nice to be able to help Abby through that special day and to watch John baptized her.   I've enjoyed seeing how her love for the temple has increased now that she can go in!   

The kids and I also had a fun afternoon picnic on the temple lawn one day while John was busy officiating at a funeral.   I was sure to send him a photo of us having fun, so that he could know that he was missing out;)  

2.  We got to spend a day out at Sommerland!!!

Some friends (and landlords;) of ours invited us out to their family cabin one day during the break.  It's aptly called "Sommerland" and it is a great place to spend a spring day.  John grew up next door to some of this family, and their Grandpa Dean sure had a lot of quads for the kids to ride.   

My kids had never been on a quad, let alone drive one themselves!!  They went all sorts of crazy, riding nonstop (literally until the fuel ran out), and they've each decided that this is what they are saving up their money for.   And hey, I'm okay with that!  (whatever takes their minds off the lizard they've been wanting;)

When the kids weren't out joyriding, we all kept ourselves busy visiting, building forts in the trees, playing Yahtzee, and eating lots of yummy food!    One thing that was particularly thrilling for me was to find little crocuses starting to poke up from the ground.   "Oh, hello SPRING!!!!!"

We got home that night just after 10:00 pm and the kids were all asleep the moment their heads hit their pillows, which is always a sure sign of a great day!!

3.  A bit of Paleontology out at St. Mary's

Towards the end of our spring break, we realized that we had not yet made a trip out to our favorite fossil hunting site.  In fact, we hadn't been out there at all since last fall, and I could tell that John was anxious to see if the winter weather had unearthed anything exciting.  Boy did it!!!  We hadn't been there five minutes before the kids started stumbling across all sorts of fossils.    And unlike searches in the past - they hardly had to search at all!!!   It was the strangest thing to walk along and look down and realize that you were staring at something really amazing.   

Picture 1 (with the pail) shows where all the major fossil finds were.   Picture 2 shows Jessica holding what we have since learned (from a local expert) was most likely a tooth from a Crocodilian dinosaur.   The third picture shows a giant tooth that Abby discovered.  It was all broken up, but we snapped that photo before Abby scooped each piece into a pail.   The fourth picture shows scattered fossils that John excitedly gathered one by one.   A similar find as this consisted 7 tiny serrated teeth that looked different than anything we'd ever found before.   John was excited to show those to his colleague as well who was able to identify them as Shark teeth.  They likely belonged to a "Snaggletooth" shark.  The cool thing about that though is because so many were found in one spot - Shane felt that this might mean that an actual skeleton is buried somewhere nearby, just waiting to be unearthed!  I generally just walk around and take pictures when the family wants to go fossil hunting, but this particular day was pretty darn exciting!!!

Abby carried all the tiny pieces of that tooth home and with a little bit of "Kragle" (haha) and a whole lot of patience, she worked on piecing that tooth back together!

John was pretty much on cloud 9 for the rest of the day (and pretty much every day since;)

I tell ya, it's bordering on an obsession now, but who knows, perhaps one of these four little hooligans may really take an interest in this whole thing.   

Other fun events of our week long holiday included sleepovers with cousins, trips to the local pool and a couple of days spent on some minor home renovations.  Yes, on the home that we are JUST RENTING!!!  (Stay tuned;)

It was a great week off, and one in which life taught me (yet again) that sometimes the best kind of plan to have - is NO PLAN AT ALL!!!!

Spring Catch up

Grandpa spent a chunk of March travelling in the US with John's sister Sarah.   They made their way to the Platt river to watch a large gathering of Cranes.  How amazing would that have been?!   We saw pictures afterwards and got to hear him relay the experience of watching thousands of Cranes as they stopped at this point in their migration.   Breathtaking!   He came home just in time for his Birthday and we were so glad to get to sing to him in person!!   As the kids swarmed him with stories and noise and the regular dinner time drama - I'm sure he felt a tinge of longing for the peaceful serenity of the Platt, but man o man, we were happy to have him home!!!

Not only does March bring us a chance to celebrate Grandpa's birthday, it is also the month that signals an end of winter.   The piles of winter snow begin to shrink, buds start to appear on the trees, and all sorts of wildlife once again venture into town while travelling along Lee Creek.   One day, while driving Abby up to the Junior High, we were a little surprised to see two large moose (meese?) making their way from the grocery store to the park.   It was a beautiful morning, and definitely the perfect weather for a day at the park, so why not!? ;)

March also seems to be the month of registration as the kids agendas/backpacks are sent home with all sorts of spring sporting opportunities!    Because we are super duper overprotective with our schedule (I offer no apologies;) the rule is that our kids are only allowed to participate in one sport per season.   March registration meant that Abby signed up for Spring League (she'll play at several Basketball tournaments in Lethbridge), Nate is signed up for Soccer, and Sam chose to play on a Minors Softball team.    Poor Jessica has yet to decide on anything, bless her heart!  haha

The other night we went up to town square so that the kids (especially Sam) could practice batting.   We played until dusk and it was the perfect spring evening!

Early in April I found myself wanting to find me some pussy willow branches.   Pussy Willows remind me so much of my Grandma as she had a beautiful willow tree that was such a source of fun and memories for me growing up.    I drove around for a day or two, only to discover that there aren't many pussy willow trees around this small town here;)  At least none I could get away with stealing branches off of.   Luckily, a friend of mine just outside of town was kind enough to offer all the branches I wanted.   I gathered an armful and have placed little twigs randomly around my home now.

They make me happy!

Leading up to Easter we had our traditional passover dinner.  I think the common criteria for all food served this night is that it had to be served plain and in its most raw form.  Sometimes I consider adopting a "Whole Foods" sort of diet and then we have this annual dinner and I am reminded of how much better food is as we currently enjoy it!  (ie: Olives are only good on top of pizza or some sort of dish laden with cheesy enchilada sauce!)

The kids always love to dress up for this meal and (despite the mugshot type expression on Jessica's face) this year was no different.   Abby however was M.I.A this year though as she had chosen to go down and catch a movie with her friend.   She walked in shortly after we'd all finished, looked at her siblings and asked, "Uh...was I supposed to dress up for this or something?" 

Luckily, we had saved her all the olives;)

No Easter would be complete (for me at least) without making these darling little Rice Krispie Birds nests.   The first time I remember making them was when I was 8 years old, when my step mom at the time showed me how easy they were.   They are my go to treat when mini eggs are abundant!

Nothing says spring to me like Easter treats, Pussy Willows and a schedule laden with practices and games!!!  

Sigh.....I love it all!

Finally official!

For months (maybe even the entire past year?) I've been talking to Abby as though she were already 12.   When she'd get upset at her siblings, I'd chastise her a little and remind her that "she was the one who was 12, not them."    When she'd start to argue with me about practicing the piano I'd tell her that she's practically 12 already!!  It's "time to stop fighting and start developing her talents!" 

 blah blah blah...      This type of logic with Abby always bothered John, for many reasons, the main one being that she just simply wasn't 12!  (He's all about accuracy at all times.  He gets equally upset when I tell people he's almost 40, because he's "not almost 40, he's 39!" ;)  

Anyways...back to Abby and the real reason for this post - She is now OFFICIALLY TWELVE!!!

Finally I can justify all of my lofty expectations for her, because she is indeed a young woman.

And she is a BEAUTIFUL young woman at that!!!

I was super proud of her last month when she completed all of her Faith in God goals!  (Just in time to graduate from Primary, but still - she did it!!)

Her actual birthday was a bit of a let down (have I mentioned that we had just moved and hosted a few days prior?  Poor girl got the short, exhausted end of the stick;) but I tried to compensate by decorating the kitchen and making her a Bacon laden supper! ;)   Her cousins Ava and Mya stopped by later that night to present her with some super special gifts!!

The Highlight for Abby though is that she is now old enough to be a part of the Young Womens Program.   She is coming to her first YW activity TONIGHT and is SO excited!   

I'm so excited for this girl and all that she is becoming!  

She's so helpful around the house,  wants to do what's right, and has just enough attitude to keep life interesting;)  

I once heard someone say, "We're not just trying to raise good children, we're trying to raise good ADULTS!"  I often reflect on that and wonder how I am doing with that charge, but when I watch Abby, I feel very content and satisfied that this is a remarkable human being.  She's filled to the brim with gifts and talents that are helping her grow into the type of adult that I know I will one day strive to be like.   

In short, I absolutely adore her!