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.