That time Sam's hair was dark (and other Halloween fun)

The fall is my favorite time of year and I love all the fall holidays so much, but despite that, there is something about Halloween that makes my brain hurt, just a tad.   I'm just not creative enough to easily help my kids with their costumes.   We spend weeks planning and deliberating, gathering little odds and ends in hopes of building some awesome costume, and then the week of - they all change up their ideas on me anyways!  

This wasn't the case for Jessica, of course.   She went as an old granny, just as she did last year, and much like she will in the years to come.  (Or so she says;)   Jessica LOVES being an old granny and she plays the part so perfectly.   For example, without me knowing, she'd put some yarn and knitting needles in that big bag of hers, before going to school on dress up day.  Apparently during recess, rather than play with the other kids, she sat herself down in the middle of the playground and knitted away.    Without fail, as soon as she would don that wig she would begin walking at a snails pace.  Without breaking character, she'd inch along, hunched over her cane and move at authentic granny speed.  

Thanks to a autumn morning walk down to the Dollar Store one day, Nate settled on being a pirate.    This costume was actually pretty easy.   

Cheap dollar store hat and sword?   check!

White shirt?  Check!

Eye patch?  Check Check!

Parrot sidekick?   ....um, well...we couldn't find one of those, but thankfully Nate didn't bat an eye at the idea of wearing a cardinal on his shoulder;)  

Sam struggled with his costume the most.   He just could not decide what he wanted to be.   At first, he planned on going as Harry Potter, but that was only until he learned that one of the girls in his class was going as Hermione.  ;)   He thought of going as a storm trooper, Samwise Gamgee,  and a wizard.   Nothing really seemed to suit him for long.      Finally, after much contemplation (so much so that we'd almost run out of time;) and after the promise that he'd be able to color his hair for the part-  he settled on going as Waldo!

It ended up being a cinch and he had fun hiding throughout the day "pretending" to be unnoticed.  But really, how could anyone not notice this handsome character, right?    

(That dark hair kills me!;)

Abby decided on her costume simply because she has braces of her own.  Since (pretty much) the day she got her braces, she has planned to dress up as Darla for Halloween.  You know Darla, right?   That crazy kid from Finding Nemo (the Dentist's niece) who can't help but torture the little fishies.  Yeah - that girl.    I can't be too hard on her though - she did come up with the idea herself, which saved me from having to exhaust anymore brain power on costumes, and (as far as Darlas go) she was quite darling!

Here they are all dressed up before our ward Halloween Party.

This year Abby was busy canvassing for a Junior High food drive and was unable to join us trick or treating and John was in Edmonton at a Volleyball tournament.    That meant I was flying solo here at home.  I threw a couple of giant bowls of candy on our front steps with a sign that read, 

"Please take 1" and the kids and I headed out to some trick or treating of our own.  

The weather was perfect.   Granny inched along, of course, but that only meant that she got to fewer houses than the boys did.   By about 7:30 the kids were definitely running out of steam.   They were tired and ready to go home, but they still had their two favorite homes to visit!  

(Grandpas and Paulsons.)   

The kids love stopping by Grandpa's house because he always gives them extra candy.   

They love going to the Paulsons house because they always get to step inside and watch the cool toy train run along its track in their kitchen.  It's seriously a Halloween highlight for these goofy kids;)  

The kids were finished and home shortly after 7:30.  They all dumped their candy into piles on the floor and took inventory of what they'd earned before stowing it away for the night.   

Naturally, I snuck some of it once they'd all gone to bed;)

Oh and I have to share this photo of Abby's Halloween Party.  She's held a Halloween party for a few years now and it always makes for a fun time.   I love how willing her friends are to dress up and they sure are a funny group of girls.  This year they spent their time eating, playing air hockey and board games, and competing with each other in a lip sync battle that even Jimmy Fallon would have been proud of.   Too fun!  (unfortunately a couple of girls had already gone home before I thought to snap a photo, but aren't those some fun costumes?)

Halloween was also John's birthday, but seeing as he chose to spend it in Edmonton and not with us, I figured he doesn't deserve much air time;)  

Just jokes.  

We missed him and were so happy when he finally walked in the door late Halloween night.  It was the perfect way to end a very fun day!

That's one way to end a game...

John's Volleyball season is almost over.

It has seemed to fly by and has really been a most ideal season.   

His team started out so strong and won most of their league games.    They've been tough contenders against some of the leagues best teams the whole season through and now they find themselves approaching zones ranked third in the league.   That really isn't too shabby.  

A couple of weeks ago we had a most adventurous experience watching his team play at a nearby tournament.   The kids and I had gone to Magrath that Friday evening to watch a few of the games.   Everything was going just fine.  And when I say "fine" I mean that  I was watching John's team and the kids were all running around the halls of the school.  (Yes, I was that parent;)

Anyways, about halfway through John's second set, Sam came to me and whispered to me, 

"Mom.  Can we get out of hear.   I really want us to go.  Right now!"   

Feeling a little annoyed, I brushed him off and explained that he just needed to be patient and wait as Dad's game wasn't even close to being done.   At that point Sam grabbed my arm and said, "Mom.  The police are here.  There is a man in the school with a gun."    I could tell that Sam wasn't kidding.  he was genuinely afraid.   I got up and started to collect our coats and get the kids ready to leave out a side door.   At this same moment, a few police officers and a school administrator entered the gym.  The principal shut down the two games and got on a microphone.  He explained to us that there was a serious situation going on and that everyone in the school was to stay in the gym.    There would be no going out or coming in.   They told us that under no circumstances were we to text or phone out.   We just needed to hang tight until they could guarantee our safety.   

The kids and I were up on the mezzanine and John was down on the floor with his team.   Several school staff immediately began to tape black paper over the windows.  We all sat in silence and wondered what was going on outside those doors.  It was such a scary feeling and I regretted not listening to Sam earlier.   (Apparently he'd been in the hallways when the police entered.   They told the kids to go find their parents and stay with them.   As Sam was leaving he'd heard the police exchange a description of "a man with a gun wearing camo."    Gulp!!!

This all began shortly after 8:30 pm.   By 9:00 the kids and I began to relax a little.    Actually, they began to relax so much that I began to worry more about their levels of boredom more than the possibility of a raving lunatic with a gun.   ;)    In truth, after a couple of hours) and with three police officers guarding each door, we did really feel perfectly at ease.   

Despite the fact that the rest of the games for the night were cancelled, a few of the teams began tossing around a volleyball.   We watched, and visited and eventually everyone in the gym started getting on their phones and taking pictures.   

(Everybody say Cheese  "Lockdown!")

Just after 10:30, one of the officers told us that they felt it was safe enough to begin evacuating us to our vehicles.   We were given instructions to gather our families and line up at 1 of 3 exits depending on where our vehicles were parked.    They were going to let 20 people out at a time and we were to get to our vehicles and drive away.  No stopping.  No looking around.   Just go.  (Suddenly the idea of sleeping in the gym seemed like a pretty comfy idea;)

We all gathered by the exists and visited for another 40 minutes as we waited for the first group to go.   We were all so anxious to just be home!

John and his team were one of the first out, the lucky ducks!   There seemed to be a good 20 minute wait in between each group that got to exit.   I was really starting to wonder what was going on outside that would cause things to take so long!    

Just before midnight we (the last group) were allowed to leave.   My friend Betsy had so kindly offered to stay back with me to help get my kids to the car.   As our turn to leave approached they had grown increasingly nervous again, and frankly, so had I.     As we ran to the van I was fully prepared to throw myself into a Rambo style dive roll, should the need present itself!   

Fortunately, all was fine.  

As we left the building we did as we were told and walked straight to our van, but not before noticing the dozens of cop cars, the police dogs searching the area, and the officers lining the street with how powered rifles.   

We shut the van doors and the kids all helped each other buckle up (that's a first) as I drove away.   

We were so tired, but really kinda wired too.   As we drove home, I enjoyed a comforting conversation with Betsy and felt reassured that we are all blessed with family and loved ones on the other side of the veil who will protect us in times like this.   I plan to remember that when future scary moments arise.   

We got home just before 1:00 am and the kids fell asleep without even brushing their teeth!

They woke up the next morning still reeling from the drama of the night before.   (John of course was only reeling from the fact that his team had been forced to forfeit their game.  haha)  

The police report was released later in the day shedding more light on what had actually happened.   Turns out, a father of one of the Taber players had gone hunting for pheasants in between his daughters games.   A Calgary coach had witnessed him transferring his gone from his vehicle to his wife's and had called to report that there was a man on school property with a gun.    

The reality is that by the time the lockdown really actually happened - this man was most likely already back home in Taber. 

I could not believe it!

All of that - for nothing!!!

I'm not saying it should have been handled any other way, I'm just saying it all felt pretty anti-climatic, you know?     

And so was.  My kids' first experience with a real lockdown.   I hope and pray it will be their last!

Grateful for it all

I've got about fifteen hundred million blog posts that I want to write, but every time I sit down to do a little journaling - something else comes up!    Either Sam needs help with some piano work, or Abby needs to be picked up or dropped off, or we realize Nate is AWOL and must be retrieved from the park, or Jessica comes in and insists on helping with dinner - which happens to be occurring an hour later than normal these days.   (Not that we tell my Father in law that though.   We still have him come at 5:30 just so he can watch mayhem ensue;)     If none of the above is happening, I've probably become too engrossed in some Netflix movie and can't be bothered to journal the dearest part of my days.   (Our new place has cable people!   I fear for the future of this blog.)

It occurred to me the other day that I may, perhaps, talk too much about how busy I feel.  No really, I've been thinking about this a lot lately.   After lots of existential consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the problem is not that I am any busier than any other Mom of four that I know.   The difference is though,  that my capacity to handle "busy" with - grace is dismally and painfully small.   

That's all there is to it.   

 This would explain why, when Thanksgiving weekend rolled around, I could not WAIT to pack up our van and head out of town on a holiday adventure.    The kids were in need of some cousin time and I was looking forward to - a break!   A reprieve from the six little schedules I was responsible for.   

Oh, and Turkey.  

I was also looking forward to some of that.

Nate insisted on wearing his pilgrim hat (that he made that day in Kindergarten) the entire way to duchess!   He'd planned to wear it all weekend long but as soon as he saw his cousins - all was forgotten.

It had been way too long since my family had gotten together.   Early summer at least!   

Since we'd seen each other last, my brother had taken his entire family to Thailand for a month, my sister had made a huge amount of progress on the home she'd built and all the kids had grown probably two feet taller!    It was so nice to catch up!!

(My niece Ella had brought the older girls back some comfy Thai pants that probably have an authentic name.  If only I knew it?)

My sister Crystal had worked for days preparing a delicious Thanksgiving feast!   (The only thing I had to be responsible for was the stuffing.  Holla!!!)  

It always seems so strange to me that it takes hours to prepare a meal like this, yet it is over in just a few short minutes.   For the rest of the evening we were entertained with photos and stories of Thailand.    

Crystals house had more than enough space for all of our families to sleep and plenty of room outside for them to play.  Jessica found herself a shovel and spent nearly every spare second digging a hole.  I don't know why, but I think it had something to do with the fact that we'd recently watched "Holes" for family movie night.  (I'm sure my sister appreciated the 3 ft crater Jess left behind;) 

The next morning we all drove the short distance to Dinosaur Provincial park.   It is truly a spectacular place!   It's so weird too.   One minute you are just driving along a prairie road and then the next you take a left, and enter into a stretch of badlands like no other!   

This scene went on for miles and the kids could have roamed for hours!

We read on a trail sign that if you threw a stone, you could count on there being a fossil within 20 ft of where it lands.    I thought of John's family and I shuddered to consider the time they'd spend digging and exploring in a place like this.   (Our beloved St. Mary's is nothing in comparison!)

The kids loved climbing around on these hoodoos.   I don't know if you noticed, but there are also 3 dogs in this picture below.   It has been brought to our attention that John and I are the only ones in my family who have yet to add a dog to the family.   I feel sad for my kids.   (just jokes.  I don't;)

We've yet to get together as a family without taking a group photo together.   I love this about us.  Even some of the Dads who may normally be inclined to complain or protest know it would be absolutely futile.   (You'd think we'd grown up without a lot of family photos or something;)    

These moments when we are all together are definitely worth remembering!

John and I had to leave on Saturday morning much earlier then we would have liked.    There was lots of garden work back home (not to mention an impending move) that was calling us back to reality - but we sure were grateful for the fun time we had.   

It was such a pleasant time with my family and a weekend full of Gratitude.

I don't know how John and I have managed to be so blessed but I really do have a heart full of gratitude.    Grateful for the schedules, the messes, the moves, the to - do lists, and definitely the family.    

Sometimes when we are laying in bed, and just before we both doze off, one of us will say, "I love our life" and the other will sleepily agree.   

  To know you love your life is the happiest thought to fall asleep on and is the perfect way to end even the busiest of days!

Autumn in Waterton

For weeks Jessica has been begging and pleading with me to take her to Waterton.    She lives for Mommy/Daughter time in waterton and I LOVE that about her!   Unfortunately, September has continually gotten in the way of our best made plans.   This past Friday though we were blessed with a PLC day (which is really just another form of PD for teachers) which meant my Jess was off school and ready to play.  Woohoo!!!

I tried to talk the other kids into coming with us.  Sam readily agreed, with scout book in hand, as he had lofty ambitions of passing off the final requirements for his "Hikers" badge.  Abby on the other hand begged and pleaded to stay back (how can two girls be so different?) and Nate quickly joined "Team Abby."   With all the disappointment I could muster up, I said goodbye to my two slackers and  left for Waterton - determined to make sure Sam and Jess had the best time ever!!

Waterton was absolutely DREAMY!

I really mean it, September and October are the two.best.months of the year to enjoy this beautiful park.  The tourists (that's not me;) all go home, the wildlife is out making final preparations before winter, and the beauty of the fall season abounds.   (Doesn't the word "abound" make me sound so poetic?  I thought so.)  

We drove up Cameron Road and, straight to my favorite set of falls.   Jess and Sam both had their cameras with them and the three of us snapped photos from different angles and explored a bit.   The overcast sky was beginning to release it's moisture a little, but while the raindrops were small we took as many pictures as we could.   

It rained on us quite steadily while we drove back down to the town site.  

And while we ate at Zums;)

But then, then it all stopped, just as we were debating whether or not it was nice enough to swing by the stables.

I took that as a sign!

Initially I had told Jess that we would just be looking at the horses.  As we pulled up to the barn though, that plan was quickly upgraded to a short pony ride around the parking lot and meadow by the barn.  By the time I'd gotten to the counter to sign us all up though - I'd been talked into a full blown guided tour.   But only a half hour one!  (See?  I can be strong;)

Our guide was a friendly guy.  A high school student who, when finding out that we were Mr.Hardy's family, insisted that "Mr.Hardy was the Best!!"  According to him, Mr. Hardy made him almost want to take physics.   haha   He chatted lots with the kids as he led us back behind the tree line where we usually go to watch the Elk each fall.  It was pretty cool to see this part of the park, which we normally never would.   

Jess and Sam were absolute rock stars with their horses.  Jess was warned that hers (seaba) stops frequently to eat and that she would need to do her best to not even let Seaba get one bite.    Jess handled it beautifully and would occasionally turn back to me and let go with one hand, long enough to shoot me a thumbs up or peace sign.  She was in heaven!!!!

Sam did great too.  He made me laugh when we were headed home and, for no reason at all, said, "Mom.  You looked really pretty riding a horse."   haha.   Again, I took this as a sign.

Clearly, I'm meant to spend my days in Waterton.

Or with a horse.

Or maybe, just with my kids.

Something made this a day great for Sam, and made me beautiful to him.  

I'm hoping for a repeat experience sometime soon.

If I'm lucky, hearing about our adventurous trip to Waterton will make Abby and Nate feel excluded and extremely jealous.   Perhaps even enough to make them want come with us next time!  

A great start!

The family has already been back at school for almost a month!  I wish I could say that we have ironed out all of the kinks and got the whole "routine" thing down pat - but that would be a lie.

The truth is, September is flat out kicking my butt!

Twice I've dropped Nate off at school twenty minutes early, smack dab in the middle of his teachers lunch break; more than once I've been a half hour late picking up Abby after volleyball practice, and Sam and Jess are already complaining that their school lunches are boring.   haha. 

  Clearly, I am off to a good start;)

  It's all good.   I'll get everything down pat sooner or later, and I'm starting to realize that this quest for simplicity and balance may be a little bit delusional.   At least for now;)

Two weeks ago, John helped the school host the pre-season tournament.   Nobody could remember the last time it has been held here in town and John was excited at the prospect of hosting future ones.

His team played GREAT!  In fact they took second place after losing to the winning team in the 3rd set.   This is a huge thing for John as his team is usually not super strong starting out, but already these guys are accomplishing lots and winning lots too!   They've beat teams that they never have (or rarely have) in the past, and that alone is exciting for John.     He thinks it's great that already these boys have proven to themselves and others that they can pull off a victory against some of the strongest teams in the league.    

The kids are really enjoying every chance they get to watch John and the team too.    A couple of times this month, I have had to attend a Moroni's Quest fireside or be somewhere else during a home game.  The kids (determined to go) have gotten themselves to the games to cheer Dad on.   Granted, it's just a short walk down the street, but I think it shows great motivation on their part!  (Granted,  there is a well stocked vending machine there that the kids have "cart blanche" access to when I'm not around - but still - they are motivated, Ok!;)

Another highlight for the younger kids each Volleyball season, is of course, the weekends when John has an away tourney.   An "away tourney" means only one thing to these kids - Dad is likely going to be bringing home a bus!

Without fail, when they see this big huge thing pull up, they drop what they are doing and run around the house screaming, "Dads got the bus!!  Dad's got the bus!!!"   They storm out of the house and on to the bus, each assuming a role, whether it be to "drive the bus" or simply be a passenger - the make believe play begins.  Of course they always beg and plead with John to take them joyriding around town.   If they are lucky, he'll take them with him up to the bus barn.   And that is all it takes.  

 Their life is fulfilled.

Nate has been enjoying kindergarten.  I've heard from his teacher that (aside from his lunch break interruptions;) he's been a "joy to have."   A joy to have?  I sometimes wonder if that is just what teachers say.   I mean, he's a joy to me, definitely, but I can actually picture him being quite a little turkey in class.  Jessica once told me that she walked by his class one day while he was having snack and he was hanging upside down on his chair talking to others from under the table.  I guess that could be considered joyful?   She has told me that he is a leader in class (which could be code for "Turkey?") and I'm Ok with just leaving it there.   He is a Joy and a Leader;)

Abby has been enjoying her braces this month (sarcasm intended;) and is constantly reminding us of all the injustices that are now hers to bare as a result.  (ie: others get popcorn during family movie night and she does not.   Others get to chew gum at church still and she does not.)  Sigh...it's hard living such a privileged life and having to deal with 1st world problems such as this.  

She has enjoyed being on the volleyball team and has her first real game this week.  On top of that, she's this close to talking me into let her join girls choir.   She auditioned last week, on the fly, and has been trying to convince me that her schedule will permit this added commitment.   To tell you the truth, it is not her schedule that I'm worried about;)

For a young Women's goal she helped me preserve peaches AND pears this year.   She still has to help me do salsa and relish, but the darn girl keeps running off and doing other things!  It's been fun to visit with her while we work together and I am proud of that fact that she already knows more than I ever did at that age.   And she doesn't hesitate to tell me so, either!;)

I realize that Sam and Jess were barely mentioned in this journal entry, but stay tuned - the next one is all about them!

Adjusting...

Yup, I was right. 

The first day of school played out exactly as I thought it would.   

Called it! 

...or did I create it?  

 (I could spend hours analyzing that question;)

Bottom line - it was crazy.   It was hectic.   It was (in my opinion) a month too early, still.

Despite my resentments - the kids were all so very excited.  John pretended that he was sad summer was over, but he wasn't fooling me - he couldn't wait either.  

 Sigh...  Run along little ones.  I'll be fine.

The rest of the week has been spent adjusting.  (Mostly to a new schedule, but there have been a few extra adjustments for our family that have made this past week extra exciting.)

First, Nate started going to "real" school.  (Not just that silly preschool stuff;)   He has woken up all week long, made his bed (sorta) and spent the morning anxiously watching the clock.  He knows that, for him, kindergarten starts just after noon.   He loves the fact that he now attends every single day and he also thinks it's pretty cool that is older siblings pick him up and bring him home.   When the whether is good, Nate and I ride bikes to school so that he can ride home with the siblings.   The little turkey always insists on riding in front of me and reminds me often that I have to "ride far back."  (As in, far enough behind him that it doesn't look like he's riding to school with his mommy.)

Ouch!

When we get to school, he throws me a coy little wave and tells me not to come in with him.    I watch for as long as I can to make sure he gets in the right door and hopefully down the right hallway, and then he is outta site.   I've been reduced to some sort of "Mommy Paparazzi," it's ridiculous!!    Of course I have to ham it up and act like I'm devastated that my little boy is growing up (because he loves it when I'm devastated) but in reality - it kinda thrills me to!   I LOVE not having to walk him into his classroom as it saves me from having to reveal the bed head that exists under my bike helmet;) Three hours each afternoon I now have to catch up on things (or not) hasn't been too shabby either.    Run along little one.  I'll be fine.

Another excited event this week came when this happened:

Braces!!!!

I can hardly believe how much this girl has changed lately.  She just entered grade 7 and thankfully loves it, so far.   (knock on wood)   I worried that getting braces the first week would embarrass her greatly, but the darling girl has taken it in stride.   She even mustered up the courage to run for Sports Rep during the school election.   She worked hard making posters, gluing notes to Hi-Chews (bribery perhaps?;) and wrote a sweet speech.  She didn't win the election, but John and I both knew that she likely wouldn't (sports rep and other similar positions usually go to kids in the older grade) but I was so.darn.proud of her for trying.

And really she is going to be busy enough playing volleyball, anyways.

(Now this girl growing up on me does make me sad.  She needs to knock it off!)

Other crazy adjustments for us:

*John is in full swing with the volleyball season.  He's expressed more than once that he doesn't feel like an experienced coach yet, but I think he's the bee's knees.   (whatever that means;)

* As of this week - Young Women's, Young Mens, Cubs, Activity Days, choir and piano are all back in full swing.   Time to dust off the ol' Calendar!

*  I received the call this week to serve as 2nd councillor in our Stake Young Women's Presidency.   I have about two months total experience ever serving in young women's.   I've prayed all week that I could learn my role fast.

* I also got hired as a substitute EA (Education Assistant) here in the school division.  During my interview, the super intended I was talking with, encouraged me to instead consider going back to school and getting my teaching certificate.   "Dare to Dream," he said.    

* This beautiful autumn season arrived in a blustery way.   Leaves are beginning to turn yellow, the air is cool, and we've even seen SNOW!    Waterton's Red Rock road closes today for the season and I had so badly wanted to drive it one last time this year.    I'll just have to look forward to spring;)

Tomorrow is Labor Day and we plan on enjoying our first Holiday of the school year in a big way. 

I mean, seriously, I feel like we could all use a break!;)

A long walk to water

John took the kids out to Wally's Beach one.last.time before school officially began.   

I stayed home to get some things done, but I wish I hadn't.   I've never seen Wally's like this before!

Poor Nate seems a little confused as to what he should do.  haha.   

See those trees back there?   There is usually the slightest beach between those trees and the lake.   The kids had to walk for quite a ways before they found a deep enough water hole;)

John's excited to explore this place a little more this fall, in search of fossils and ancient artifacts, of course;)

Smoky Skies and dry dry conditions.

It seems like a good time to welcome a cooler season.  

Random August Highlights (as if there could be more to say)

Tomorrow morning I will get up at 6:30 am.

By 7:00, the house will be filled with little people that I love, all rushing to get ready.

I'll make breakfast AND five bag lunches.  (which I haven't done in awhile)

We'll panic as 8:00 approaches and undoubtedly scramble to brush teeth, find shoes and fill backpacks with all that will be needed.

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to steal a picture of them all.

After that, they'll be gone.  Off to school for a new year.

And then, I may sit down and cry.

SUMMER - WHERE DID YOU GO?

I've often complained commented to others about how busy this summer seemed and how quickly it raced by on me.   It was a summer full of family, and food, and fishing, and exploring new places right her in our neck of the woods,  and lots and lots of fun!   

As I looked back though through some of my photos, I realized that there were still a few summer memories that I had neglected to record.   So, in an effort to always remember what made this summer great, let me add just a few more highlights to the list.   (As if there could be more to share, eh?;)

A Dam fun time:

Is it ok to say that?  Because it is true.   We had a really fun time one summer evening out at 

Beaver Dam Lake!  (What did you think I meant?)

Beaver Dam lake is a charming little lake not too far from the more well known Payne Lake.   It's a bit of a drive + hike in though, that's for sure, so I wouldn't recommend trying to haul a bunch of food and drinks.   A fishing pole and some grubby clothes are pretty much all you'd need.  We visited this spot with my sister Jewel and her family.  The kids LOVED this rope swing, we lugged in way too much food (my warning comes from experience;), we fished, picked Saskatoon berries and just enjoyed the summer evening.   The highlight for me was discovering the patch of lily pads in full bloom.   I haven't seen Lily Pads in a coon's age!  (That's how you have to talk when you are at Beaver Dam lake, just so you know.)

We got into a bit of a pickle:

So once upon a time I placed an order for 50 lbs of baby cucumbers from a nearby hutterite colony.   The next day, worried that I would not receive that order, I put in a different request for 50lbs of cukes from an entirely different company.   I figured I was probably one of a million other local people trying to buy from the hutterites and I'd be wise to cover my bases, yes?

No!

It didn't take long to realize that both orders were going to come through and I was soon to face the arduous task of dealing with 100 pounds of cucumbers!    Now we like our pickles but that is aLOT of pickles!!!   I thought of cancelling an order (duh, of course I'd thought of that) but  I didn't know which order to cancel.  I wanted to take the order that would be ready on the same day I was available to process them.   (That's how it works when you preserve food.  The food tells you when you are ready to do the work, not the other way around;)   I guess I was kinda "playing the field" so to speak.   

As it turns out I got a call on the same day and the pick up times for both orders were much too close for my sanity.  The solution came in the form of my sister Jewel.   She luckily wasn't too busy (which is really not ever the case) on one of the days and so she graciously picked up one of my orders, enabling me to only have to work with the 50lbs of cucumbers that I wanted.   Nothing like pawning a days worth of work off on those you love most, but hey - we both got 45 jars of pickles out of the deal!

You may think that is too many pickles - but you'd be wrong.

You may also have thought that this was a stupid, pointless story, but again - you'd be wrong about that too;)

Lemonade Wars

At one point in early July, I started reading a short novel to the kids at bed time.  It was called
The Lemonade War and it was all about a Brother and Sister who struggle to get along one summer.  Their frustrations and inability to communicate with each other are played out over a week long Lemonade War.  It was a darling story that took about four days to finish with them.   The day after we'd finished it - they wanted to have their own Lemonade War.

So, Team Sam and Jess set up shop around the corner and across the street from us on a good friends front lawn.   They sat out there for a couple of hours together and capitalized on the traffic of the busy road they were on.  Even Auntie Jewel passed by serendipitously and stopped for them!

Team Nathan was a one man operation as per his request.  We set his stand up right outside the house so that I could sit on the lawn and be near him.   He hadn't been set up for two minutes before a kind elderly woman stopped by and bought a cup.  She paid him $2 for it and Nate was so shy he could barely look her way.   She graciously took the time to teach him that when thanking his customers, he should always look them right in the eye as they do so.   It was a sweet exchange.   He didn't have nearly as much traffic go by, but his cause was aided by the fact that I phoned Grandpa and tipped him off as to what Nate was up to.    When Grandpa stopped by to buy a cup, I could tell Nate was trying extra hard to look right at him and say "Thank You" as professionally as possible.
Such valuable social skills these Lemonade stands teach, eh?  haha

After two hours we called the kids back and they tallied up their money.  Sam and Jess had made $15 but had to split that amount between two of them, so they each got $7.50.   Nate, on the other hand earned $13 but had to share that with no one.    The kids instantly declared him the winner.

Unfortunately, word had gotten out that Jewel had stopped at Sam and Jess stand.   

Nate was so devastated by this fact you would have thought he'd lost the war.  With fist full of money, and sticky lemonade and candy all over his face, he sobbed and sobbed at the unfairness of it. I wanted to say "hey, it's economics dude" but I could tell it really had nothing to do with business.  

 Next year we'll have to remember, it's not about who makes the most $, it's about who's stand Aunt Jewel visits!

Beans, Beans and Beans!  ...and corn;)

This year was unlike any other when it comes to harvesting.   

The kids were front and centre, HELPING!    Believe me,  that is pretty rare.  

 (I think the reason being that in the past, neither me or Grandpa Max have wanted to let these four clowns anywhere near our gardens.)  This year though we were either overwhelmed with the work of it or we could sense that they might actually be helpful.  And boy were they ever helpful!  

As soon as John and his Dad had gathered all the bean plants from the garden, the kids descended on them with more energy then I've ever had.  They visited with Grandpa, counted beans as they went, and competed to see who could pick the longest bean.   If we ever suspected to have the longest, we'd challenge the owner of the current longest.  It reminded me of that game "bigger and better" that youth in town sometimes play.  In the end, I think Jessica was the one holding the longest bean.  

Despite her searches for the World's longest green bean, she obviously also found time to skip out of working.   At one point I looked up to find this lazy little lizard chilling up above us all up in the tree.   Harvesting beans + Climbing trees = a perfect summer day at Grandpa's house.

I could hardly blame her;)

The kids had so much fun doing beans that day, we had a repeat party the following week!!!

Hooray!!

Balloon Babies!

I'm not sure who in the world inspires my kids to do some of the ridiculous things they sometimes do (I'm going to take a stab in the dark and suggest it's Jewel's kids?) but boy do they latch on to some weird ideas!   For example, Around the middle of August we were blessed with a couple of down days, where for the first time in over a month, the kids were at a loss of what to do.  It wouldn't be summer without the age old "I'm bored, what do I do?" bit, now would it?    Their boredom didn't last long though thanks to a large bag of balloons they discovered high up in a cupboard.   Of course it wasn't enough to just blow up the balloons and play with them.   No, they had to be filled with water.   FILLED!

Then Jessica decided that she couldn't just have a water balloon.   No....she had to have a Water Balloon Baby!!  So that became the new game.  Every day.  All day.   For a good week.
Who could take the best care of their water balloon baby.   They had ice cream pails for "car seats" thank goodness , but only because I refused to let them walk around the house with bulging water balloons in hand.   Jessica was by far the worst.  She dressed her water balloon, bounced it lovingly in her arms and took it everywhere we went.    You might be thinking I'm exaggerating, but let me refer you to this photo of her at COSTCO as evidence.

The kicker came when we were standing in line at a check out and Jessica got distracted by a toy.  "Here" she said tossing me the balloon.  "Hold my baby!" and off she went.  

I stood there, bouncing her baby in my arms, afraid to put it down anywhere for fear that they'd be calling for a clean up on Isle 2 at any point.  

IS THIS NOT PSYCHOTIC?

I think it is certifiably CRAZY.

That's when we told her "no more making babies and transporting them around."  She seemed to handle it gracefully enough, but the next day I went upstairs to discover that she had ramped up production.   Though she insisted that her babies would never leave the tub - there were definitely more than I ever wanted to see.   And FYI- our tub is still full of them.   Abby does strategically pop a few of them on a daily basis, bless her heart.   (Perhaps if we do it gradually enough, Jess will never notice?)

And perhaps now that school is about to begin we will be able to line up some sort of intervention (or counselling?) for this delusional, albeit funny daughter of ours;)

House Hunting:

As busy as our summer was, we managed to find enough time in early July to completely wig out over our search for a new home.    Our plan had been to stay in this house until the summer, but to purchase one by September for sure.  By mid July we realized that that just might not be the case.
We came close though.

We found a house that was pretty darn decent, had a great yard,  a good location, and a fantastic price.   We talked with the owners often and even had some contractors give us some quotes for some updates/construction that would have been needed.   In the end, we did not put in an official offer.

I don't know if it was the work and money that would be needed to get it to where we'd want it to be, or if it was the feeling that there was still a better possibility down the road - but we just held off.
For now, we are waiting.  Hoping.  And trusting.

We did notice this beauty passed through town the other day though and I was awakened to all the possibilities.   Perhaps this is what we've been waiting for?

Heck NO, we won't go!

Our last Friday night of the summer was spend doing what I think depicts the underlying theme of our life the past two months.

Fishing!

It was the perfect (though smoky) evening out on Romeril lake and I felt determined to hang on to the last of summer for as long as I could.   All the kids were enthusiastic about joining us, even Nate.  Perhaps they could sense that it would be awhile before we did this again.

We stayed out until the sun was almost down and snapped one last grainy photo of us in the dark.

As we drove home that night I felt so grateful for every event of this past summer.   I may spend all of September napping to recover, but it was definitely one for the books!!

Camping (Part2)

After such a successful camping trip in July with John's family, my kids were more than happy to have a repeat Waterton excursion in August.   We sat down in front of the calendar in hopes of choosing the best possible group of days, only to find out that we had only one slot of time with nothing going on.   August 13-15th.   Before that...after that...all filled up.  August was spent!  Done!  Before long, school would be starting and summer would be over.  

I took a moment to freak out and then I wiped my tears away and booked our site.   

This little family camping trip took on new meaning for me now.  

It wasn't just a summer camping trip.

It was our final summer camping trip. 

The last hurrah!

This time around I had asked all of the kids to pack their own bags for a change.  I mean, why do I always insist on doing everything for them anyways?  I felt 100% certain that they were all, each and every one of them, more than capable of packing their own essentials for a two day period, no?

Nate was packed in two minutes tops.  Luckily, I checked his suitcase before leaving, which gave me the opportunity to explain to him, with a little more clarity, just what exactly "essentials" meant.  haha.  The second picture shows his bag after my little tutorial.   Still a whole lot of extra stuff, but hey- underneath all that, there was a pair of skylander underpants, one change of clothes, and his red plaid pajamas.    Fine with me!

John and I are always amazing at how much we seem to pack when we go camping.  I mean, how can we ever think we are "roughing it" when we haul more for a three day stay then we ever actually use at home?  It's CRAZY!!!   Though I'll admit, filling the van to the roof did cut down on the noise and arguing as we travelled.  Everyone had there own little designated pocket of space in which they had enough room to stare ahead and breathe;)

Before long the kids were released from the confines of our filled to the roof van and we had spread our things out rather nicely in the beautiful big outdoors!!!    All that time spent preparing all morning?   #worth it!

I loved unzipping the tent each day and finding the kids' stuffies laying nicely on their sleeping bags.  I totally remember camping with my favorite stuffed Taradactyl "Petrie" when I was there age.   

We had a wiener roast for dinner and Abby reminded us of how fun it is to cook the wiener in a squiggly shape.   It holds that shape even once it's put in the bun, which of course, makes it taste all that much yummier!!!

We did a couple of fun things that evening.   First, we drove up to the Prince of Whales hotel to explore a bit.   Jasmine Low was playing the harp and it was nice to sit there and enjoy the music and beautiful scenery.   We all spent way too much time in the gift shop, compiling long lists of things we suddenly realized we need.   (ie: T-shirts, grizzly bear flashcards, and wildflower seeds!)

After supper we made our way to the head of the lake so John and Sam could feed their fishing addiction.  (Just kidding, we all enjoy it, but they just enjoy it on a whole other level.)   While they fished, Jessica showed us the most enchanting little tree fort ever!  It's right at the head of the lake and has probably existed in that grove of trees for the last couple of years.   We've been missing out!  

I could have sat in there all day.   (Though John took one look at it and said, "Well that's a forest fire waiting to happen.)   Some people see a magical tree fort - others see timber and kindling.  

While John and Sam fished, the rest of us went and watched a live show at the Falls Theatre where we learned all about some of Waterton's toughest creatures.  (ie: the mountain goat and surprisingly the teeny tiny mouse like Pika.)   The kids were fascinated and the walk back to our tent that night was spent talking about how cool little Pikas must be to with stand the cold Alpine conditions.

We got back to the campsite just time for some hot chocolate and cookies.
 This has got to be my most favorite part of camping! 

Things get magical in Waterton, when the sun goes down.  The kids love watching the sky for bats and constellations.  Our voices get softer as we all whisper about the highlights of the day and our plans for the next.  

It's dreamy.

We did notice though that camping in August is significantly cooler than camping in July.   Our hot chocolates were a welcome thing on this night when the low dipped down to 5 degrees! 

As much as we love the whole "mug up" thing, we were all pretty excited to don our toques and get into those warm sleeping bags;)

Morning couldn't come soon enough.  It always takes me one night to adjust to sleeping outside, but falling asleep this particular night was even more challenging thanks to a noisy couple camping beside us.   They sat outside their tent and talked until 11:30.   They talked so loud I felt like I was right there, a part of the conversation, and believe me, it was the most ridiculous conversation I've ever not been a part of!  haha.   Finally they quieted down and I was able to fall asleep to the rustling of the wind and babbling creek.

In case you didn't know - that's how one is supposed to fall asleep in Waterton.

And for the record, one is also supposed to wake up in the same zen like manner.  

That's why as soon as the sun started to rise (and before anybody else in town woke up) I made my way down to the head of the lake for a bit of yoga.    My little buddy Nate came to and played on my phone while he waited.  (I think that's how he meditates;)   

(For the record, this is one of three yoga poses that I know.   

John's the real Yogi in our house, but don't tell him that I said so;)  

The forest fires to the north and west and south and south west of us (seriously, fires everywhere) have made for a pretty smoky/hazy sky the past couple of weeks.   There was even a forest fire in Waterton while we were there.  Though it was isolated to the far end of Waterton/Goat Haunt area, a couple of popular hiking trails were closed as a result.   This provided some extra motivation for us to try something new.   Lower Rowe Lake!

As you can see, we started the hike bundled up in sweaters, blankets and toques.   An hour later, we'd shed all of our layers and stuffed them in the hiking backpack for John to carry.   

The hike into Rowe Lake was a beautiful one and this trail quickly became a new favorite of mine.  

The walk up begins with some beautiful waterfall views before climbing up and through a meadow eventually leading to this lower lake. 

I think my favorite part about hiking is always the lunch we have when we arrive.   Ham Sandwiches, granola bars, fruit and hummus with crackers could not have tasted better!  This giant rock we are all leaning/sitting on is what we chose to use as our table.   Due to the slant of it though I think we spent more time catching our food then eating it!

 Nate, John and Sam all spent some time fishing.   Unfortunately, this was not a very ideal lake for fishing.   Not a single nibble, jump or bite.  The kids noted that there weren't even minnows in sight.  W

hat it lacked in fishing it made up for in beauty;)

The back drop behind the lake consisted of a steep wall of rock and shale which provided a good hours worth of fun, right there.    The chipmunks were as friendly as they are atop Bears Hump and we even heard and spotted, you'll never guess - 

...a PIKA!!!

(a million dollars to whoever can find it in this picture;)

Pika's live in the sub Alpine/Alpine regions in Waterton and fair much better in the harsh cold winter temperatures then they do in warmer temps.   Abby was the first to recognize the sound of it (thanks to the lecture we'd attended the night before) but it didn't take long for us all to spot it too.   It's small like a mouse or squirrel but is actually a part of the Rabbit family.   It was pretty darn cute, I have to admit.

Though it took us two hours to get up to the lake, it was probably a 50 minute walk down.   And every second of that time was spent walking hand in hand with Jess and she did her very best to negotiate with me a way to get a pet.  (Preferably a Pika!)

Other highlights of this trip included:

* watching the kids play badminton with neighboring campers

* going to Big Scoop and letting the kids order WHATEVER they wanted.  (That never happens;)

* Swimming late into the eve at the hotel pool 

& 

* Enjoying the absence of telephones, computers and ipods!  

On Wednesday morning as we enjoyed our last meal there we all sat around and considered the possibility of staying at least a couple of more days.   The kids all wanted to.   John wanted to.  

I wanted to!

In the end, practicality won out and we packed our things and headed home as planned.

But not before agreeing that next year - we'd go camping for a whole week!!!

Thanks Waterton.  You've been so very good to us this summer;)