Spa Day for an ‘Almost’ Birthday Girl

I got an evening out… by myself!  I managed to get a bunch of errands done (amazing how fast you can get in and out of places without kids!) and then I got to help out at my niece’s ‘almost’ birthday party.  Her birthday isn’t until August, but since it’s way easier to invite kids when you see them at school instead of tracking people down in the middle of summer holidays, they opted to do an extra early party!

My sis-in-law, Nysha, did the girls hair.  Shauna and Melissa did nails (Sarah got in on the action too).  There was even a foot bath… that everyone, including the boys had fun with!  Mason and Gideon got their nails done too, but I’ll let their mom’s share the pictures!  They are priceless!  And last, but not least, they had birthday cake and opened presents.  Here’s Grace showing that she’s 'almost’ 11!

It was a fun evening and I even got to snuggle my littlest nephew, Will!  Thanks for the invite, Shauna!  I’ll try to get pictures to you ASAP!

Summer Bucket List Displayed

I took some time this morning and made a display of all the things on our Summer Bucket List.  Emma was SO excited to help me make it and wanted to put every thing up by herself!  I only hope that we can actually DO everything on the list!  It will make for a very fun summer if we do!

Sunday Afternoon

Getting out of church at 2:30 in the afternoon, we always have the dilemma of whether or not to make the kids go for naps.  On one hand, they REALLY need it, but on the other hand, they won’t go to sleep at a decent hour if they have a late nap.  After eating dinner, we decided to put them in the van and go for a drive.  It’s definitely the easiest way for them to fall asleep (no fighting!) and whenever we stop the van, they wake up… so they don’t over-sleep! 

We drove out to Police Lake and ended up out at my mom and dad’s home.  I love that we live so close to them now, and best of all, that my kids have the same kind of relationship with their grandma and grandpa that I had with mine!  LOVE it!  It was such a beautiful day that while daddy took a break in the house, we went for a walk with Grandma! 

 

Emma was so full of energy that she ran ahead of us most of the way, except when she came to a patch on the road and then we would yell, “STOP everybody!  Look at this patch!” 

Ben would have been right in the middle of the ‘puddle’ if I hadn’t told him not to… but he still managed to run along the edge of it and splash water right up to his waist!

        

Look how innocent he looks… NOT!  What a funny boy.  All along the road there were buffalo beans (that’s what we’ve always called them and I have no idea if it’s the actual name or not).  I have such good memories of going on family walks and picking bouquets of them with my sisters.

I love this view.  I love where I grew up.  I love the beauty, the quiet and the contentment I feel every time I come down the hill into the hamlet.  I loved knowing every single family (not now, but when I was growing up) in the area.  I love feeling safe and knowing that my kids can run ahead of me on walks and I don’t have to stress!

  

Of all the pictures I took this afternoon, I LOVE these two.  I love seeing Ben look up at my mom with complete love.  It makes me so happy to see them together.  Every time I tried to get a picture of Emma she would turn away… but I managed to snap this one.  I love that she is ALL in pink… definitely her favorite color right now.  Even the stuffed puppy is pink!  (First thing she looks for when we get to Grandma’s house!)  I feel so incredibly blessed to have these two crazy kids in my life.  I’m so glad that we went for a drive this afternoon… and made some incredible memories together.

2013 Summer Bucket List

Saw this idea on Pinterest today (thanks, Nicole!) and decided that it was something that would be fun to do this summer.  I started writing down some ideas and figured that this would be a good place to document our accomplishments/family time.  I may add to this list too as ideas come to me…

In no particular order:

-plant a garden

-swim in an outdoor pool

-watch fireworks

- go visit the dinosaurs in Drumheller

- go camping

- finger paint

- go on a weiner roast

- climb Bears Hump

- go to Calaway Park

- go to Wally’s Beach

- watch a parade

- blow bubbles

- have a picnic

- do some stargazing

- go to the park

- have a water fight

- make popsicles

- go to the library

- put up a bird feeder

- read a story book every day

- fly to the Maritimes (aka: survive two weeks without the kiddies)

Stay and Play Friends

We walked to Stay and Play today.  I should have brought the stroller with me as a ‘just in case’, but I didn’t and I paid for it.  Ben made it until just before the temple before he gave out and wanted me to carry him… By the time we got down to the Provincial Building my back felt like it was on fire!  At least I had two hours at Stay and Play where I didn’t have to pick them up! 

I loved seeing Emma and Izzy ‘reading’ the ‘potty book’.  They make me smile.

Family Vacation

We decided about a month ago that we wanted to go away somewhere for the long weekend.  We picked Kalispell and booked a campsite and then anxiously awaited the time to arrive!  We had planned on leaving after Lennard got off work, but then as the time drew nearer, we started thinking about how crazy the border might be and decided that we would leave at noon instead.  Then when Friday came and I was busy getting clothing gathered up and loaded into the trailer, Lennard called and said – Let’s leave earlier!  Well, I raced a little faster, got everything loaded in record time and we were hooked up and on our way by about 10:00!  We only had to wait for 20 minutes at the border and we were in Kalispell and at our campsite in good time.  We set up and then headed out to HuHot for a late lunch.  We managed to get to one store after that before the kids melted down and we headed back to the trailer to try to get them to take naps (didn’t happen).  They love being in the trailer and exploring.  We managed to take a walk by the river with them before the weather turned on us.

We put on a movie for the kids in the evening when it was too cold to be outside.  Ben enjoyed it… Emma just wanted to be climbing, jumping, exploring, etc.  Lennard loved the free Wifi and was analyzing the latest rugby standings!

The next morning we managed to get a bunch more shopping done.  I found some really good deals on groceries and clothes for the kids.  Of course, I didn’t manage to find anything for me… grrr!  As you can see in the pictures, the weather closed in on us and we had rain all afternoon.  Thankfully, the kids actually went down for a nap, though it took us about an hour to convince them to lay still enough for them to go to sleep!

Sunday morning, the kids discovered that the furnace vent would blow air into Ben’s blanket and it entertained them for quite a while!  Who needs toys, right?!  We got ready and headed out to Bigfork to attend church with the Clarke’s and then go to their cabin on Echo Lake for dinner.  The kids had a blast running around the deck.  We had a bit of a scare when we couldn’t hear Ben playing and discovered him down on the dock at the end of the diving board!  I’m so thankful that nothing happened to him and that I’d had the thought to check on him.  Lennard convinced him to turn around and come back to the dock and then they sat there for a while.  Ben was quite content to sit on the dock and splash in the water.

       

Monday morning was absolutely beautiful (of course!).  We managed to fit in a few more shopping stops before we had to load up the trailer and head home.  We had such a fun time and are already planning our next trip!

           

         

We had about a 45 minute wait at the border, but thankfully we didn’t have to pay anything.  The kids had fun ‘entertaining’ us… and probably everyone else that was near us!

When we got home we managed to get everything unloaded, have a weiner roast for dinner and put together Lennard’s new lawn mower.  We mowed both lawns and got the kids in bed and asleep at a decent hour!  Such a good way to finish off our family vacation!

Beauty ‘Queen’?!

I was changing Ben into clothes this morning and he got upset at me when I took off the necklace he’d made me for Mother’s Day.  I put it back on and he promptly made this pose!  I just about fell down laughing.  I ran and grabbed the camera and this is what I got… complete with jam all over his cheeks from breakfast!  Oh, Ben… you make me laugh!

  

Dandelion Bouquet

Emma was SO excited when she discovered ‘flowers’ outside!  She came racing in and exclaimed, “Look mom!  I got you flowers!” 

Thanks, Emma.  You made my day.

 

Traditions: Glacier Lilies

Lennard had a rugby tournament in Red Deer this weekend, so Friday morning I packed up the kids and we went in to Lethbridge with my mom.  While she went out to lunch with Dave & Nysha for Mother’s Day, I hung out at Mindy’s and had lunch with her and the boys.  The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins, jumping on the trampoline, etc.  When we got home, mom invited me to come out for dinner at her place, so I grabbed our van and followed her out to Mountain View.  We had a yummy dinner of chicken wings (which Emma devoured) and then we decided to go see if we could find any glacier lilies.  It’s been a long time since I’ve gone and picked these flowers, but we used to go every year to pick them for my grandma and Aunt Ardith for Mother’s Day.  They weren’t as big as I remember from years past, but it made me feel good to pick a few and place them at my grandma’s gravesite.  I miss her so much.  She was such an amazing woman.  I can just imagine her smile and chuckle if she could be here to watch Emma and Ben race around.  She would have loved them so much.  Definitely the perfect way to end the day.

Rugby

Lennard has been very busy with rugby practices and games since the first week of March.  I haven’t been able to go to any of the away games as it is too much ‘fun’ with Emma and Ben who think they need to be on the field playing rugby… not just watching it!  Tonight, I got the chance to go to Pincher Creek and watch two full games without my ‘helpers’!  (My mom graciously watched them for us!)  Unfortunately, they didn’t win the games, but I enjoyed being able to watch Lennard in action!  The other coach drove the bus home, so Lennard was able to drive home with me.  It was such a beautiful evening to be out and a nice break from the kids!

Coaches – before the games                                            Lennard – what a good coach!

Completed Project!

We had the playhouse done earlier this week, but I finally went and took pictures!  As you can see, the kids are LOVING it!  Ben loves the slide, while we have yet to convince Emma that she CAN go down the slide without us holding her hand!  They both love the swings and are figuring out how to get on them without help!  Thanks, Grandpa for the many, many hours that will be spent outside!

   

Dr. Emma

Emma LOVES stickers.  Really… that is an understatement, but I’m not sure what word would really express how much she adores stickers!  There are stickers EVERYWHERE in our house.  Her latest obsession is being ‘Dr. Emma’ and fixing everyone’s ‘boo-boo’s’.  Lennard was home for lunch and she was immediately helping him feel better.  Gotta love her doctor outfit too!  Nothing like winter boots, a toque and a sticker background on her forehead to make a person feel comfortable!

Hair Cuts

Emma and I took advantage of Lennard taking the day off work (again) today and we went on a ‘date’ to the hair salon!  I got my hair chopped off (a lot more than I thought was going to come off!) and Emma got about 3 inches taken off hers.  When I told her we were going to get our hair cut, she asked me if she would get to dress up and wear a tiara!  Too cute.  She did really well, even when they didn’t have a booster seat for her to sit in.  Her hair looks so much better get all the uneven ends taken off.  It was a fun way to spend an hour together!