what - no pictures?

Ok, So I was going to post this a few weeks ago...but I was having problems getting the pictures, I figure I'll post it anyway and then put a new one up as well...

(flash back to December 18th)
So here's the thing. I'm not a big picture taker. I see all these other blogs with tons of pictures on them and I feel a bit guilty, because I don't have tons of pictures of my kids or, well of anything. I don't have my camera around 24/7 and I miss a lot of really funny stuff. I could have my kids blackmailed for life if I started toting a camera. Hmmm... maybe it's not such a bad idea.
Things are going well. I have a cold, but it hasn't caused me too much grief yet. I've been pretty steady in the work department, I know it's going to get crazy in February, so I'm trying to store up some energy now.
We have been working on our night-time routine with the girls. No more diapers. So far in the last two weeks I think we have had one completely dry night. yay. I'm trying to stay positive.
I had the girls write letter to Santa last week. Alma asked for a toy cat and a big dark brown bunny. Ivy asked for a real live pink unicorn, a real puppy and a toy Santa. We mailed the letters to the North pole and yesterday both the girls got letters from Santa. It was so awesome. Santa rocks. By the way, so far Santa has only been able to find - you guessed it - the pink unicorn. I'm going to have to go to the "big city" tonight and do some power shopping.
Speaking of the "Big City" I had a request from a friend for some pictures of the town that I live in. I thought about going around town and taking some photos, but it is really cold outside. Last week we dipped down to -37 degrees with the wind chill. For you US folks that's around -35 Fahrenheit. bhrr.
Anyway, instead of taking my own photos, my super-smart husband suggested I just get the pictures from the town website. Here is the link if you want to see more of our little town.
http://www.stettler.net/default.cfm
Here is a picture of the Christmas tree the the town puts up in the middle of Main street the beginning of December every year:

And here is our local steam train. I think there are only a few left in North America, so this is actually pretty cool:

One of the 7 wonders of Stettler is the Threshing Machine (yes we are that rural):

And last but certainly not least is Main street

So that is my little town...I love it here.

This week was Christmas Program week for the Girls. Alma's was last Wednesday and Ivy's was yesterday.
Here's Alma at her concert:

And here are the girls posing after her concert. They are so darn cute!

And this was taken at Ivy's concert. It was so funny because she was quite upset when she opened the gift from Santa and found that it was a book, not a pink unicorn. "I don't like it". I think she was pretty mad at Santa, but was too shocked to say anything to him. I had to explain that the book wasn't the only gift from Santa this year...he would come to our house for Christmas too. That made her feel a bit better.

I better make this quick, because it's late and I am tired and my eyes are red from not enough sleep and I realized this morning that if i don't start getting more rest, I'm going to look like the walking dead and start getting wrinkles and that would just depress me.
Anyway, I'm still running on all cylinders. I keep waiting for things to slow down, but something always comes up. I wrote a 12 days of Christmas poem for our Branch Christmas party. I based it on my own life (not quite, but that's how I feel sometimes):

On the 12th day of Christmas my Relief Society said to me
Let's make 12 dozen chocolates
eleven crafts
ten minute talk
nine memorized scriptures
eight scrapbook pages
seven books to read
six children crying
five visiting teaching routes
four jell-o recipes
three baby blankets
two primary lessons
and don't forget your family home evening

Only for me right now, it Christmas baking, Christmas concerts, Christmas cards, visiting teaching, etc. etc. etc. Lucky for me though the baking and the shopping are mostly done and things are starting to settle down.

We had a wonderful time at our Branch Christmas party on Friday. Good food, good friends, and the decorations turned out great. Instead of asking Santa Clause to come for a visit, we had a visit from the three wise men (our branch presidency) and they did a great job. I'm just glad I don't have to plan another party until...well January at the earliest.

We have also started night time potty training. so far we have a 0-3 record, but I am going to stick with it. I just have to remember to go up and get them to the potty before I go to bed. Speaking of...maybe I better cut this short and get upstairs now.

I'll post pictures and fun stuff soon

My Alma girl

Of course the most exciting news from this week was Alma's 5th Birthday! We had a lovely little princess party for her and 5 little friends.

We painted our fingernails and got dressed in princess dresses and had a lovely princess cake. I am so proud of this cake - I did it all by my self, and it actually turned out pretty adorable.

My little girl is growing up so fast. She still loves the cuddles, the bed time stories and the stuffies to sleep with but, she is growing and learning faster than I could have imagined. We got her report card this week. A report card for kindergarden. Wow. She is doing so well in school. This week was also the primary presentation in our branch. She was so cute. The littlest one up there. and she said her lines so well..."the Doctrine and Covenants teaches me how to live the Gosple", and "I can help my family by taking care of my little sister". It brought tears to my eyes.
I have found that she has a remarkable memory. She can recite whole poems that she learns at school to me when she gets home. I usually only have to tell her something once and she gets it. However, If it's something that I want her to do for me...well that's another thing all together.

Being busy makes me happy. No, really. I think I can accomplish a lot more when I'm under pressure - As long as I know that there will be a break at some point, I thrive on busy-ness. I know that in two weeks, I will be ready for Christmas, the cards will be sent, gifts given to teachers, all the parties will be done and I will be able to sit and watch Christmas movies and read books all day long. As long as I can make it through the next two weeks!

Of course part of the busy was going to see Twilight. Yes, I am a fan. My name is Becky, and I am addicted to Twilight. I know that it is geared to teenage girls, but I was one once, so that makes it alright. Not only did I buy and read all the books and go to the movie on the first night, but I forced all my friends to read it too. And sometimes I told random strangers in the stores to read the books. I figure I'm just a romantic at heart, and I can't resist a good vampire love story. I just hope that the next movie will have a larger budget, so the cinematography will be a little better. I did love looking at the beautiful scenery. It made me miss home a little.

Well, now I'm on to other fun adventures. I am planning a little skit for our Relief Society and need to come up with the 12 days of Christmas relating to the Relief Society. My best thinking spot for this kind of thing is on the floor in the girl's bedroom. Unfortunately, right now it is occupied with a plethora of Barbies and Polly Pockets, so I guess I'll have to wait my turn.

Cheese!

Last week Ivy says to me: my name is Cheese.
ok, Cheese - lets go run some errands. We went to Walmart. I was talking to the gals I know so well. And Beth turns to Ivy and asks, so what's your name? Cheese. Oh - what kind of cheese?
White Cheese.
I have to mention that Ivy really loves cheese. She would eat it day and night if I would let her.
Speaking of my daughter Cheese, we got her playschool photos this week. What a cutie!

On a different note...my wonderful husband had a birthday this week. I have realized that Graham doesn't share my love of birthday parties (or just being in the spotlight for that matter). So this year I decided that Graham should have a birthday HE could enjoy. I did not give him a card, or a present. I did however, make him his favorite meal (shepherds pie) and instead of buying a fancy bottle of sparkling cider, I bought a 4 litre jug of chocolate milk. I think it made him happy. I know the chocolate milk did. The girls made him home-made birthday cards. Very understated. Very Graham.
I do get to go overboard next weekend for Alma's birthday. and Thanksgiving.
We did our family photo for the year. We decided (in other words - Graham decided) that we would try to get a good picture with our camera instead of going into a portrait studio. I think we did pretty good..

.

Here is Alma and Mommy sharing a special moment

ok, and now the real one...

Not too bad for us amateurs!

I got a haircut the other day. I'm liking it a lot. Graham says he like the curly hair better, but I think it's fun to try something different once in a while. Her is me with no makeup and only three hours of sleep (I worked an overnight shift the night before)

Our great haul for Halloween

I never learned how to juggle.
That's why, when I start working a lot, other things fall behind, like blogging, cleaning the house, and feeding my family. oops. (that's a gummy worm in Ivy's mouth)
We had a fantastic Halloween party on the 30th. Everyone went as a superhero that they made up. It was meant to reflect your personality in some way. We had the Control Freak, Captain Vegetable, Alternate reality girl, and Captain Cartography (that was Graham). For some reason my friends though my name was rather fitting - Spazztastica. There were so many good costumes. We had so much fun, good food, good music. I just love it when a party pulls together so well.
Alma had a Halloween party at school on the 31st. She wanted to be a fairy princess, so I got a pretty pink dress up dress and a crown of flowers and little pink shoes and of course her wand - she must have looked adorable, but because the kids were not allowed to wear their costumes until after lunch, and she took it off before I picked her up from school, I never saw her in it. After school she told me she wanted to be a pink fish for Halloween. Ok - pink fish it is. So I put Ivy in a Fairy princess costume and Alma with a big pick fish on her head. It lasted for about 5 minutes until she said it was too hot. We went to Daddy's work, and to the Stettler mall, where the girls both got about three pieces of candy and then they crashed. They were done. "I don't want to go trick or treating - I want to stay home".

Our little pink fish - swimming on the carpetThe girls in front of the house

and now were done.

Fine, stay home, I really don't need the extra candy in the house. We got bad Chinese food from the grocery store and watched the new Tinkerbell movie. Maybe we can always do Halloween this way. less cavities - right?
I just got Alma's first school photos. She is so adorable - I was really impressed with how well they turned out. Ivy should be getting hers soon too.


Oh, yes, and we finally got a new camera. Our old one would have cost about $600 to fix, which is more than the new ones anyway, so we bit the bullet. I really love having a husband that figures out all the best deals so I don't have too. I would go to the nearest store, pick up the cheepest camera and call it good enough. not Graham - he is a spreadsheet guy. Sometimes it drives me a little crazy, but I like that he really researches to get the best deal.
Well, thats about all. until next time Nanu Nanu (for all those Mork and Mindy fans out there).

ok - who is the real grown up here?

So last night the girls decided to sleep in our bed. As all four of us were trying to fall asleep in our queen sized bed, I asked if the girls had their night time diapers on (I don't care what anyone else says - I don't like waking up to change the sheets in the middle of the night). The girls said yes! and jokingly Daddy said I don't!
Then Ivy grabs Daddy's face as says "why aren't you wearing a diaper Daddy?"
And Daddy says to Ivy "I don't need a diaper, I can get up and use the potty in the night" and then she says to Daddy "I don't like that excuse"
So who's the parent now?

I have tried to encourage the girls to use logic to resolve their problems, because that's just the right thing to do - most of the time. Unfortunately, a three or five year olds logic does not always work the same as us more educated grown ups. Sometimes it makes even more sense.

Anyways...
I had my VT Branch conference last night. We preformed a play based on the wizard of OZ. I got to be Dorothy. I painted some shoes red with sparkles and wore a blue and white checkered table cloth as a skirt. I felt a little silly to tell the truth, but I think the message we were trying to send got across. Some of my favorite parts: When Saidy (Sister Scarecrow) said "I don't think I have a brain!" and the crowd all gasped...or when Sandra (The TinSista) said "You don't get it - I don't have a heart!" I couldn't really keep a straight face because she had a large stainless steel bucket on her head. My favorite part was when my best friend (the cowardly sister lion aka. Lisa Smith) said here lines: I-I-I'm just so afraid - what if they don't like me? with these huge wide eyes...how could anyone not like that?
All in all, we had a good evening, with lots of yummy food and company - the company wasn't yummy, just the food - the company was good though.

Next party is the Halloween party - I hope it turns out Spook-tactular! ha ha ha

New pictures to come soon - I'm getting my camera back this weekend - Yay!
This is Halloween 2005 - Alma was a lady-bug and Ivy (she was only two weeks old) was Wendy the Witch.
Here is Halloween 2006. Alma was an Indian Princess and Ivy was a frog - a very warm frog.

My Ivy Girl

Ivy Shannon Scott - October 16, 2003

My baby girl turned 3 today. We had a fun day doing crafts, going to dance class and eating cake!
She is so great, my little Ivy. her bright spirit always warms my heart. She is so full of love and laughter and I am so grateful to have her as my daughter.

What else has been happening lately..
Happy Thanksgiving. For those Americans out there, we Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. I believe that has something to do with the earlier harvest. We have celebrated two Thanksgivings at my house since I was a little girl, so it is natural to me, but a lot of people give me strange looks when I start talking Thanksgiving in November. I don't care, I love it because it means one more Turkey Day for me. I have very fond memories of waking up with my Mom the Friday after Thanksgiving at 4:00 in the morning to get to the mall for the early bird sales. It was so exciting to be one of the first one hundred people to Target and get a goodie bag full of stuff.

now on to other topics...
We've been busy up here in the almost frozen north. I've had to pull out the winter gear, mittens to go to school etc. etc. I forgot how much longer it takes to get out when you have to put on so many layers.
On another completely random tangent, I really love my calling. One of the things I love most is that I get to plan a lot of parties. As of right now I have 6 parties in the next four weeks. yes 6. And it's not like these are little things either...no these are little girl birthday parties, Relief Society events, Halloween parties and the list goes on and on. I have little bags of party favors all over the house. I have become close friends with all the ladies in the craft department at Walmart. And the thing is, I absolutely love it.
I still haven't gotten my camera back yet, so I'm going to have to post more old photos. I think this time we'll go back to the year 2006, when my Ivy was just a wee little thing.

Here is Ivy with two (the Scott side) cousins that were born the same year.

And here she is now...

It's fall - that's all

fall is a very busy time of year. I never realized this until now. Oh, all the other mothers said it, but I did not really believe them until now. Between school, ballet, work, working out, church callings and meetings, and don't forget all the parties we have been really busy. My calendar actually scares me. But enough of that...let me tell you what has been going on lately.
Obviously Alma has started school. she loves it. She has a very best friend named Lane, but I'm not sure if he is really a best friend or if Alma has her first crush. I feel bad for Graham because he is going to have to start fighting off the boys soon. Good luck with that honey.
Speaking of Graham, the other day he was making us a milk shake. whoops - he cut his hand on the blade of the blender. He had to go to the hospital. I found out that I don't handle emergencies well. I just kept hovering around him and saying "stop getting blood all over my kitchen" - not very supportive.
I had a Cookie Lee Jewelry party last week. We had a fun. I made Indian food. Samosas, Chicken Korma and Naan bread. There isn't a lot of different cultural food here in Stettler. If you want something besides burgers, we pretty much have to make it yourself.
I am still trying to get caught up on my paperwork. I almost got around to it today, but I thought it would be more appropriate to get caught up on blogging. Sure, I won't make any money this way, but I think it needs to be done.
I have decided that Blogs are a lot more fun if you have pictures to look at, so I'm posting some more of my family...just so no one gets bored of reading.
This is an older one of the girls and Graham on our way to the Calgary Science Centre.

This is the girls and I at the Twin Falls Idaho temple visitors centre this summer. I had to find a rest room and it seemed like a good opportunity to teach the girls. They loved the statue of Christ.
This is Ivy freezing her tail off on the top of Mt. Baker. It was July, but hey, it is really cold on top of a mountain no matter what time of year it is.

My bother Jim took the girls out for a spin on his bike when we were in Washington this summer. Alma looks so tiny up there.

I really do love them

I love my kids. I love that they listen to me...sometimes.

I had a great "teaching" day on Friday. After school I took Alma and Ivy to the Bottle Depot to recycle our juice containers. We made $3.85 (oh yeah, we were rollin' in the $$). I wanted to teach the girls the importance of recycling, taking care of our environment, and also that you can get a little back in return. So I gave the girls the recycling money and reminded them that they need to pay their tithing. I felt very good about this, until Ivy ate her money.

"Mommy, it went all the way down."

"What went all the way down honey?"

"My money".

"Where did your money go down Ivy?"

"In my tummy".

AGHAGGH!

I have been monitoring the toilet for the last few days...lucky me. Today we had success. out came the dime and now she seems fine.

I had a gals night out at my place Friday night. We had a lot of fun. There was yummy snacks, fun games and we had pedicures and a paraffin wax treatment. Thank you to my mom for buying me the paraffin wax bath. I thought it was such a odd gift honestly, but I was very touched that she would get it for me. It turns out that may be the most popular gift I've gotten in a while.

Right before everyone showed up, I was on the couch with my friend, when I smelled diaper cream. Both of the girls have been out of diapers for a while now, so I quickly got nervous. Alma was hiding beside the couch smearing the cream all over her hands. I ask you, do other 5 year olds do this? why now, when I spend the entire day getting the house ready for the party, does she decide this is the time for arts and crafts in the living room?

Thanks to my speedy reflexes and the use of my "angry eyes" things were quickly taken care of, and we had a lovely party. It wasn't until Saturday morning when I was rushing around trying to get everyone out the door to drive the 1 1/2 hours up to Edmonton did I realize that Alma also got diaper cream all over our micro suede foot rest. Mommy wasn't happy. Diaper cream is designed to withstand wetness, so using water does not work. Luckily (through a previous experience with lipstick and my best friends floor - another story for another day) I have found that baby wipes have a magical property that can get out many different messes.

Sometimes I get a bit frustrated that I seem to run around in circles, cleaning this, fixing that, playing nurse, housekeeper and teacher. But I realize that this is what makes me happy. My children, bless there little mess-making hearts are my life and I couldn't be happier at the end of the day. They are my world. They may not be perfect in the worlds eyes, but to me - they are everything.

Now if only I can hang on to that feeling...

Just a regular day

So Graham and I went grocery shopping together with the kids last night. It was kind of our date night and Family Home Evening and doing chores all wrapped up in one. One of us had to carry Ivy most of the time because she fell asleep. We always buy too many things when we grocery shop together. I do much better when I arm myself with a list and force myself to keep to it.

Anyway, frozen juice concentrate was on sale. A really good sale actually, and because we were together and I didn't have my list, I picked up quite a few.

Fast forward to this afternoon, when the girls and I were once again out running errands. I spied an escapee juice rolling around the back of the van. Always the cautious one, I put the juice (now very unfrozen) in the front where I would remember to take it into the house. Well, silly me. What was I thinking? Two little girls and an unfrozen juice container - what could possibly happen?

Disaster was mostly averted. I had to drive home one handed holding a still mostly full container of very stain-able juice concentrate, while trying very hard not to scream, or laugh, or cry. The van doesn't show any permanent damage, at least not that I have found yet. I don't think I've scarred the kids too badly...they still kissed me good night and told me they love me.

Just another normal day at my house.

This is a picture of Ivy after playing outside for a few minutes this summer. I've decided that staying clean is not a battle worth fighting unless you are on your way to something important.

I have also discovered that I don't care how the girls dress themselves unless we are going somewhere important. Alma have excellent fashion sense as you can tell from this photo.

Our crazy summer pt. 4

So we made it home. It felt so good. my own bed, my husband by my side. It was too good to last. Away again, this time to Memphis Tenn. Because I was flying, I had to leave my children at home. This was a first. I have never not been there in the morning. I don't like being away from my kids. They are my security blanket. That being said, I had a wonderful time even though they weren't there.
Nathan and Audra were married in the Memphis Temple, and it was beautiful. She was a lovely bride and Nate looked so good and natural at her side. I also fell in love with the South. Maybe it was the Southern hospitality, or maybe it was the sauna-like heat, but I would love to go back and visit again soon.
Audra's family is absolutely wonderful and they made me feel like part of their family immediately. They showed me all over Memphis. We went to a baseball game and ate "ball food" - which is nachos with BBQ. I love early American History, and we were able to see some neat places, river boats, and the Peabody Hotel (which houses some very famous mallards). I even got to see Graceland (long live Elvis). I also learned that BBQ is something you eat, not something you do. And it is very tasty.
Unfortunately, I do not have any documentation of my trip. My camera was in the shop and the piece of junk I bought for the trip didn't take any good photos. Hopefully Mom will be able to send me something to post.
And then - at last - I arrived home. I gathered my family in my arms and vowed to myself not to go on holiday for at least - well, until the next time I get the itch to travel. For now, I love being at home. My crooked little house, with all it's flaws. Home sweet home.

Our crazy summer pt. 3

We got back from Manitoba on a Sunday. That Tuesday, I was off again. This time I left Graham at home, packed the girls in the van and drove to Utah. It takes around 19 hours (give or take a few, depending on how heavy my foot is). So I broke the driving into 3 days. Day one got us across the U.S. border and into Great Falls, Montana. I have to say, I really like Priceline.com. We had a really nice stay in a very nice Inn for a very nice price.

The next day we made it to Logan, Utah and had a great visit with my Uncle Phil. He and Aunt Marty get a bit lonely up there in Logan, and it was really good to visit with them again. Day three of travel finally got us to Orem, and my brother Mike's place. They have a beautiful home and three wonderful little girls. We had a nice time visiting and ate at some great resturants. I love Utah. There is something wonderful about going into Walmart and finding Chuch books, movies and music. But it was HOT. Here is a picture of Mike and his girls.

For that reason alone I was glad to pack up and (this time with my Mom as co-pilot) drive out to Washington. This is another 20 hour trip, so we broke it into 2 days. The first stop was in Boise, ID. We have an Elder serving here in Stettler whose family lives in Boise, so it just made sense to stop and pick up anything they wanted to send him. So we packed a few extra things into the van (including a couple nice outfits, which I thought about keeping for myself, but that just didn't feel right). We made it into Bellingham, Washington about 9:00 that night and I vowed we would not get back in the van for at least - well, a day.

This is the exciting part. I met my new sister-in-law (to be - the wedding was a few weeks later) while we were out there. Because she and her kids have never been to the west coast, we did quite a few touristy things. We went up to Mt. Baker and to Larabee Park (which is a beautiful park along the coast, with a sand and rock beach). We went on a ferry ride to Orcas Island and climbed Mt. Constitution. We saw an amazing circus/theater show and went to the art festival. What a great time!

Well, Once Audra left for home, it was down to work. We got some wedding stuff done. We did some major school shopping, and got Nathan's storage unit packed up for his move to Memphis, Tenn. Below is a picture of my brother Jim taking Alma out for a ride on the bike. I don't know if the girls can pick a favorite uncle or aunt, but Uncle Jim and Auntie Linda are always great fun.

Finally, It was time to head home. I missed my husband and the girls missed thier daddy. Time to pack into the van again. Because this drive is only 14 hours, I split it into 2 days. We stopped in Revelstoke, BC. It is a beautiful town nestled into the Rocky Mountains with a river running through it. We stayed at Poppie's Private room hostel. This was the first time that I've stayed at a hostel; it was a good experiance. If you ever have the need, I would suggest staying there.

I was so happy to be home. And I got to stay there too...for a week and a half. Next trip in part 4.

Our crazy summer pt.2

So, we had a few weeks at home before we were off again. This time to Clear Lake, Manitoba. We spent the week with Graham's Dad and Family. It was wonderful sitting by the beach, canoeing, riding in the boat, or just lazin' at the cabin. I loved it there, and we had such a good time with the family. Here are Graham and the girls sitting at the cabin.

Our crazy summer pt. 1

This summer we travelled a lot. I thought I would journal the trips here.

On June 13th, we packed up the camping gear and headed out to Golden, BC for some camping. Luckily, the people we were camping with were much better prepared than we were, and we all had a wonderful time. Graham went rafting down the Kicking Horse river. On Sunday morning we drove back to Canmore and stayed at a resort for a few days. It was lovely up in the mountains.

here we go

So, I realized that almost everyone I know now has a blog, so I figured, why not...I have enough time on my hands - ha ha.