75 Candles

My father in law was born 75 years ago. 

Three quarters of a century you all!!!  

As his birthday approached, we knew that we wanted to do something special for him and I had the idea that we could make a book that contained "75 Birthday Wishes" - just for him.   I had John email and petition his family for contributions and from there an beautiful and adorable idea was born.  

John's brother Jordan (and really his wife) proposed the idea of surprising Max, in person, for his birthday.   Every one of John's siblings would fly in/arrive in Cardston on Friday night.  They'd all meet at our house an then when Max showed up ....SURPRISE!!!!

It really is a miracle that eight siblings, their spouses, and their kids could keep this a secret from Max.  (It's especially amazing that my family could keep this a secret.  Every night at supper, it just loomed in front of us and we couldn't say a word.  I was proud of my kiddos.)

On the day of everyone's arrival, Jess made one last snowman for the year, in Grandpa's honor.  

Family began arriving around 3 o'clock. 

First Rachel and Ammon from Calgary.

Then Sarah from Bozeman. 

Ben arrived by 8 and soon after we were able to welcome Dave, and Aaron and Gina and their boys.

It took a lot of planning and sacrifice for some of Johns siblings to make it.   John's brother Ammon has been deployed to Dubai (and then to Japan for three years) and was to fly out the following week.   It was a big deal that he was able to be there with us and this marked the last time (for the next few years) that all of John's family would be able to be together. 

There was a lot of food eaten over that weekend.  

A LOT!

Jordan and Aaron cooked fantastically flavored beasts, Sarah and Rachel spent hours in the kitchen baking stunning desserts in honor of Max, and there was candy in abundance!

John's siblings visited, the kids played, and on Sunday everyone was able to attend sacrament meeting together.   It was a special weekend for John and his family and I felt privileged to get to watch it unfold. 

What an amazing opportunity it was to celebrate Max.

I am convinced that I live a life surrounded by giants, and this man is the "Giant"est of them all!!!

Birthdays and Puppy Propoganda

The only thing this girl wanted for her birthday (the only thing) was a puppy.  

In the weeks leading up to her 11th celebration of life, she grew increasingly persistent and I became increasingly convinced that she deserved one!   There is nothing that I wanted to do more than give this little ray of sunshine exactly what she asked for!!!

Unfortunately (and to no surprise at all) we did not get her a dog.

Fortunately (and to no surprise at all) she was still perfectly happy with how here big day went down.

Jessica shares a Birthday week with our dear friend Jeanne Gladding, so we had her and Jim over for dinner the day before so they could celebrate together. 

Jim and Jeanne spoil our kids and they were delighted to get Jessica a stash of art supplies and more paper then she has ever had to work with in her life!   It is fun to see them love our kids.  

On Jessica's actual birthday, we grabbed five of her friends and headed out to Waterton.  The weather was still pretty freezing cold but we managed to brave conditions and have our first wiener roast of the year.   By the end of lunch - that little kitchen was was toasty warm!

We ended the day by taking the girls swimming at our favorite Waterton Lodge.  

To say Jessica "wanted a dog for her birthday" would be an understatement.   The girl lives and breathes dogs right now and it has been both adorable and heartbreaking.    She has worked hard on her puppy campaign, that is for sure:

*When assigned to teach the lesson for FHE, she made a power point presentation that was designed to teach us all "why our family should have a dog."  She was sure to include lots of pictures, pros and cons, and even a survey in which she pulled people at school and in the community

* Many times I have walked into my room to find messages written on my bedroom mirror, or puppy propaganda hanging from our ceiling fan.  

*One morning she whipped up a darling little book titled "the Book of Cute" which consisted of some of her favorite types of puppies.   

*On a particularly desperate day - she even resorted to making her own puppy out of a water balloon. 

You really have to give this girl credit.  She is tenacious, determined, and strong willed, yet she manages to be all of these things while still being a kind and joy filled angel .  

I love her to bits and I hope she knows I'd sure get her a puppy if I could.  

(Well...if I could bring myself to want one too.)

(Nate and Jess performing "puppy surgery" on one of their stuffies.

Spring Drives with my bird watcher

After a long winter, we were glad to seize a couple of opportunities this past month to go for a drive in search of "Spring."  One opportunity came shortly after Jessica's birthday when her and I realized we still had to make our annual "birthday drive to Waterton" together happen.   The other opportunity came a couple of weekends back when we found ourselves enjoying a Saturday with a few rare unplanned hours to burn.  

We enjoyed seeing Waterton and notice some of the tell tale signs that the park is starting to wake up.  The lakes are beginning to thaw, birds are returning, and the massive piles of snow are beginning to shrink.   

We've also noticed (outside of the park) many eagles soaring mightily above us.   

March is "Eagle Month" around these parts and I am glad we were able to get out and see some of them.

On one particular drive through Beazer, John, Jessia and I saw 15 eagles!!!!

Jessica has been a darling and loyal sidekick to have around on drives like this.  She likes photography too and she not only has an eye for spotting the wildlife but an appreciation for it all too.

Both her and I are counting the days until Spring.  

We feel confident it is just around the corner...ish.  

Families who fall down mountains together - stay together!

Our annual family ski trip was a success!  

And by "success," I mean that...

- the whole family skied 

- Nate killed it all day long, insisting on riding up alone, and going down by himself

- Abby, Sam and Jess ventured further up different trails

- and I fell only once the entire day!  (Dang bunny hill chair life...)

See what I mean?

Total SMASHING success!!

Happy New Year!

Oh the holidays were dreamy!   

We've been back at school for one week now and already we are counting the days until the next break.   It just won't be the same without a tree though;)  

I. Love. New years. 

Like love love LOVE It!

I love it so much, I usually take the Christmas decorations off our tree and spend a few days enjoying a NEW YEARS themed tree.  Super fun.  

This past New Years fell on a Sunday which made for an interesting day.  

We attended church in our ward and then had Grandpa join us for supper.   

We had a roast beef dinner, talked about the past year and evaluated who had been most accurate with their predictions, and then made predictions for the year to come.  I think we are creatures of habit.  We do the same things every year - but it never gets old!

Later that night we headed on over to my sisters house so the kids could all ring in the New Year with their cousins.  

It  was a fun time.  Mafia, board games, food, a countdown and more!

I feel so grateful for all that this past year was for us and I feel hopeful of what this new year will bring.  John and I are blessed beyond measure!

Sixteen Years

 Yesterday (Dec 28) John and I celebrated our 16th Wedding Anniversary.

We drove into the city (as in Lethbridge;) and went bowling before eating out at Moxies.  

All that was nice and fun, but it was really great coming home to this:

I love everything about this sign.

I love that Jessica misspelled Anniversary.

I love that my kids worked together to make this day special for us.

I love that this banner is hung below a picture of our kids.

I just love it all!

I've thought often on the experiences that we have had over the past sixteen years.   Four kids, one miscarriage, a BRCA1 mutation, a preventative double mastectomy, hours and days and years of worry/anxiety, a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis, jobs we've hated and then jobs we've loved, financial strain and then abundance, lost loved ones, answered prayers, family vacations, blessings upon blessings, happy memories,  and a multitude of seemingly ordinary days in between.   When I consider what we have gone through together, I feel as though we have run the gamut, and yet I also sense that we have barely scratched the surface of what we are meant to accomplish together. 
 We are each individually the product of what we experience,  yet I am convinced that our marriage is a product of each experience too.

I am so very grateful for the life John and I have created, and very excited for the life that we still want to create together. 

Post Christmas Party

What a fantastic week we have had!

Rachel, Brent, Ben, Kat and their kids came down and joined us for a couple of days and we are so glad that they did.  They turned boxing day into a real party!!

As if we hadn't had enough to eat in the three days leading up to boxing day - we decided this would be the perfect time to have a Turkey dinner.   We ate, played games and visited long into the night.  My kids were delighted to have some cousins to play with!   

On the 27th, we all went to the school gym and played around for a bit, had lunch at Dairy Queen, and then played games/relaxed until everybody left for home.

 It has been a week long celebration here and nothing makes a party better than family!!!

Christmas Day Drive...

Christmas Day is typically super chill around these parts, and being the creatures of habit that we are, it always plays out in the exact same way.  

First:

 The kids wake up and excitedly gather to cuddle/visit until Grandpa's 8:00 am arrival.   

Once Grandpa is here, the kids race into the living room, breaking through the wrapping paper barricade and head straight for their stockings.   (This year I did do something a little different.   I wrote a letter to each of my kids sharing some of the things I have enjoyed about them this year and encouraging them to remember the true meaning of Christmas.  I like the effect this had on our morning and I just may write them a letter for their stocking every year now;)   

Second:

After stockings comes the presents, of course!   I struggle every year to know what to get my Father in law for Christmas.  Theoretically each of his kids combine funds to provide him with an experience of some sort, but that tradition seems to be waining a little.   I always feel the need to make sure there are presents under the tree for him, but what do you get the man who needs little but deserves so much more than I could ever give?   It's a major conundrum every year.  

This year we gave Grandpa a basket of milk chocolate treats, some work/garden gloves with extra grip,  a book of Mormon study guide that him and John have been interested in, and three tickets to see our local theatres summer productions.  

Third:

BREAKFAST PIZZA!!!!!

Not sure why I didn't take a picture of that beautiful Christmas tradition.   I must have been in a slacker mood on that morning;)   It is one of my favorite things about Christmas.

Fourth:

Our annual Christmas drive to Waterton!  Not to be confused with our monthly drive to Waterton, our Christmas drive  always happens on the afternoon of Christmas day, always includes Grandpa, and usually proves to be a great time for animal watching.   This year we drove past a a massive herd of Elk and watched three large dogs (I like to think they were wolves) play on the frozen lake.  

  

 It was a very frigid afternoon with gusting winds, but as per tradition, we just had to pose for a picture or two before heading home.   

Fifth:

The rest of the day was spent playing with gifts, reading and playing board games together. 

It's the same story every single year, but it is a story that I NEVER get bored of.   

Love this holiday time with my family.

Christmas Adam and Christmas Eve

Christmas Adam is a thing in our home.  Is it in yours?

It's a play on words you see (because "Adam came before Eve?") that justifies us beginning our Christmas celebrating one day early!!!    

We usually have our massive Seafood extravaganza on Christmas Eve, but seeing as that fell on a Sunday this year (and we'd have to buy our seafood fresh) we decided that Christmas Adam, aka December 23rd, would be our big night to party.   And boy oh boy, what a party it was!!!

John and Grandpa went into Lethbridge Saturday afternoon to get the goods and by the time they got back, we had taken care of everything else needed to ensure that Christmas Eve Adam played out exactly as it always does each year.

We had the Lobster.  (An 8lb lobster to be exact) 

We had the giant Crab.

We had the Crab Legs.

We LOVED the Savory Clams.

We balanced all that out with some steak, potato wedges and shrimp cocktail.   

It was an absolute feast!

My kids get a kick out of watching our kids each year.  They're always very diligent in naming their crustacean friends prior to eating them.    Every year we make John have the honors of shelling it all (an honor equivalent to carving a turkey, no?) which kept him pretty darn busy for a good hour or two.   By the time he was finished, we'd had all of the seafood our happy little bellies could handle and even some to spare for our new favorite seafood chowder the next day.   

If you can't tell - it is pretty much all about the seafood around these parts;)

Can't think of a better way to kick off the next few days of Christmas celebration!!

We spent the morning of Christmas Eve at church.  Well, technically not the whole morning - just an hour of it as our Church meetings were reduced to just the sacrament meeting block. 

 I love it when that happens!

It was so nice to celebrate Christmas Eve on a Sunday.  There was no shopping to do, nowhere to go, and the perfect amount of time spent at church remembering and singing about the birth of our Savior.  It really was so very pleasant!

That evening Grandpa joined us again for Max's Seafood Chowder (it's a recipe I made up but we call it that because without Grandpa's contribution of seafood- we wouldn't ever have it;) chicken wings, crackers, cheese and other fun horderves.   

After pigging out on food for the SECOND night in a row, the kids wanted to exchange the gifts they'd purchased for each other.   This provide some interesting moments.  

Nate gave Abby a jewellery case, chocolate bar and a sketch art kit.  

Jess gave Sam five dollars, one quarter, and a case of slime.  She stuffed all of that into a balloon, as if her gift wasn't already random enough!  haha;)

Sam gave Nate three fidget spinners.   Not one - but THREE!  Nate pretended to be surprised with the second two. 

Abby took Jessica's little blue Ukelele and painted/sealed a darling flower pattern onto it.   It actually looks darling and speaks to the hippie within Jess.  

Of course the kids had to receive their annual Christmas Jammies.

We had to do our annual drive around town with Grandpa to look at Christmas lights.   

And what would Christmas Eve be without our annual watching of the Polar Express.  (The home we are currently renting has a wood burning stove which made for extra cozy movie watching)

As always, Nate and Jess fell right to sleep after the movie without any delay, while Sam and Abby did their best to wait up long enough to help set the gifts under the tree.   They thought it was great fun to get to be a part of that this year!

John and I stayed up only long enough to fill the stockings and then we too went to bed, feeling hopeful that the kids would like their gifts the next morning.  

 I adore the anticipation of Christmas Eve.  

It was a fun couple of days!

Christmas Joy

Jessica announced to us a week or two ago that she no longer believes in Santa Clause.  

She's non believer now as well.

A muggle, if you will.

It breaks my heart a little bit, but I take comfort in knowing that I still have one child clinging to the magical mysteries of Christmas.    I suspect that deep down he does know that John and  I am really the one behind his presents, but he seems to sense that the presents flow so long as you believe.  It's common knowledge around here that once you stop believing - you start getting socks for gifts.   

Seeing as he is our last (sorta) believer, I am trying maximize every opportunity to help him feel the magic; therefore, the infamous Christmas Elf has returned to our home this year.   

This whole Elf on a Shelf thing is a lot of work! 

I love love LOVE Sunday afternoons in December when John sits down at the piano to play some Christmas music.   He plays right up until the moment that I need him to cut the meat for supper and his music always adds a sweet, reverent feeling in our home. 

After a month of Autumn like temperatures and absolutely NO snow at all- winter finally arrived, and just in time for Christmas too!!

John got the idea (where does he get these ideas?) to point the snow blower to one spot on our front lawn making a giant snow pile.   The next day Jess and Nate hollowed that baby out to create a snow Igloo/Quinzee.   Nate is still upset at us for not letting him sleep outside, but unfortunately with the snow came -30 degree temperatures too!!

Earlier in the month Nate performed in his first ever Christmas Choir concert!   

Of course, he did fabulously well:)   It was fun to watch him sing each song with so much heart.

  His choir teacher is a remarkable woman to put up with little holligans like this;)

 It was a great way to kick off the Christmas season!

 Jess was in the mood to make some Christmas cookies one day, so I told her all about these yummy Candy Cane ones that a friend of mine had made.   Jess immediately went to work, making the dough and rolling them into balls all by herself.   Part way through the process she sampled her creation only to discover that she had added 1/4 cup of SALT rather than 1/4 teaspoon.   Yowsers!!!

She got an A+ for effort though;)

Every year one of the wards in our Stake put together a live Nativity.   This year my nephews Oscar and Chaim were Shepherds.  It was a super chilly night, but nothing a little bit of Hot Chocolate couldn't remedy;)

 Waterton Lakes National Park has not opened any roads/trails for Cross Country skiing this winter (boo), which has forced us to find more local options.    John and Jess and I have been exploring the Golf Course and newly made trails down by Lee Creek and have been pleasantly surprised.   

These trails could make for some fun wintery weekends!

It's been a dreamy weekend here. 

  Can't wait to update on the Christmasy goodness!!