Court Family Gathering

A couple of week-ends ago all the Courts gathered down at Writing-on-Stone.  It is a  fabulous place to bring families together and create memories. 

The kids love to climb and explore the Hoodoos. 

I think this is right after his dad dumped him in the river.

It was a perfect day to take a leisurely tube ride down the river.

Play in the sand and build all sorts of wonderful creations.

Thanks so much to Cam and Amy for organizing this great week-end!!!

Birds of Prey

 A while back we took a trip to the Bird of Prey Center in Coaldale.  Funny how I lived in Coaldale for all of my growing up years, but never went.  The center was on our list of activities to do this summer and the boys have been asking for a while now.  It was great.  The boys petted the birds, feed the geese and watched a flying lesson with a falcon.  The staff there are wonderful, if you have a chance go!

1. Jarom Loves to comb his hair in all sorts of different styles.  Most days it looks worse then before he brushed it, but since he was always pleased with his hair style and himself; I sum up all my self control and resisted the urge to brush his hair back into place or at the very least ruffle his do up with my fingers.

Lately I've noticed that the front of his hair was looking particularly strange - big gap in the front with long hairs falling on the side of his forehead.  At first I thought it was just the way he was styling it, then I realized in an effort to get his hair to go the way he wanted it, he had cut the front of his cowlick off. 

There was no other solution but to shave his head.  He loves the new style!

2.  Recently I checked a book out of the library where someone had gone through and edited all the grammar.  Totally weird.

3.  I've just finished reading The Postmistress - I would recommend it, although not to everyone, some shady parts.

4. My cousins from far, far away came to visit last week and it was delightful to see them. 

5. My mom and I, with the assistance of Nolan, did up 7 batches of strawberry jam.  It looks like tons, but since it is the family favorite we will see how much is leftover come next spring.  I love canning as I think nothing looks prettier than row after row of jars of preserves.

6.  Spencer and my dad tried to climb MT Cleveland this week-end.  Dad wanted to do it for his birthday.  It didn't go so well.  After 4 hours of bushwhacking they turned back and headed in another direction.  We've decided Mt. Cleveland is my dad's nemesis; this was his 3rd attempt.  Nolan was secretly ecstatic as we wants to be there when they finally reach the summit.  We told him he couldn't climb Mt. Cleveland until the summer he graduates high school.

Our Life

1.  Yesterday I felt was the perfect day. It was hot hot, so we invited some of the kids buddies and headed out to my parents to enjoy the coolness of the pool.  As I sat there watching my youngins play in the sand and listening to their shrieks of laughter escape the sides of the pool, I was so thankful for this time I get to spend with them making memories and watching them grow right before my very eyes.

2. Spencer has been gone to scout camp the last few days and we are all excited for him to come home.

3. I just baked a batch of bran muffins and forgot to add the baking soda and salt.  I shouldn't bake when I'm tired.

3.  Today Nolan participated in 3x3 basketball at the Southern Alberta Summer Games.  They played 6 games in all and remained undefeated.  The championship game was closer then I would have liked and poor Nolan was forced to endure his overly competitive mother sweetly yelling suggestions from the side lines.  Not to worry folks, he just started to ignore me after awhile. 

Just the way we like him!  Sweaty and worn out from a great day of basketball!

July Long

With school being done, it's our favorite time of the time year.  It's Freedom!  We stay up late, we sleep in, we eat when we're hungry and we escape to the mountains! 

We all needed a bit of a get away and even though my get away was more geared to shopping in the U.S. of A, the men in the family had a bit of a different plan and directed our mini vacation to the mountains.  Spencer loves the mountains and so do our kids. 

The men of the family headed down a day before me and my mom and did a hike to Iceberg Lake.  I was very nervous about Jarom and the distance, but I was assured he would be feed and watered properly and he hiked the trails like a champ.

The guys also hiked up to Apikuni Falls; very big and beautiful.  I was very sorry to miss out on this little hike. Waterfalls are amongst my favorite things.

The boys also did some fishing.  Nolan is big into fishing, although he won't touch the fish or take them off the hook.  He caught the most fish and the biggest fish.  Jarom caught his first fish ever on this trip.

This kid is so cute, I had to share this one. 

If you're wondering where me and my mom are, we are relaxing in the trailer.  My tummy is big, huge in fact and since the border crossing guard scared me into believing if I had my baby in the States they would keep my baby there and send me home to Canada, I was worried and tried to be very low key. 

Schools Out For Summer...

and we couldn't be happier!

 

Although the last day of school was a bit more emotional than I had anticipated.  Nolan was somber to be leaving this amazing teacher and school behind. He's moving on to Jr. High next year.  Yikes!

 

Both boys had incredible teachers this year, they learned lots! So lucky.

 

 

We have big plans for this summer, a little low key compared to previous summers, but still we hope to have lots of fun... will share more of our plans later.

Goings On

This amazing man celebrated another birthday.  He was surrounded by those who love him most and think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Spence took the day off work so he could be part of Nolan's grade 5 field trip.  Nolan was super excited to have his dad with him.  They travel to Calgary and took in the sights of Heritage Park, then headed over to a deluxe swimming compound to cool down.

Jarom had his sports day and loved every minute of it.

Today I am wishing that kids came with a magic button that turned their grumpy, cranky and just plain miserable mood into cheerfulness.

Yesterday I told Spencer he looked Hot in the outfit he was wearing.  Jarom overheard me and said he was going to tell his teacher she looked hot.

Another Season Come and Gone

This cute kid finished another successful season of coach pitch.  For all his wild ways, he really has such a fun personality, which I think this picture captures.  He is proud of his trophy and excited to play again next spring.

This is for Patrice

Patrice apparently loves my posts that really contain a bunch of nothingness, so in honor of her up coming birthday, I thought I would dig deep this quiet Sunday afternoon and share some more thoughts.

1.  The end of the school year is quickly descending upon us; my calendar is filled with end of the year fun activities that the schools are trying to cram in before releasing my angelic children for 2 months of total and complete freedom.

2.  My kids don't know it yet, but their summers are far from free.  Every Summer I make them do homework (don't want their brains going to mush) and house/yard work, yet they still always act surprised when I hand out the daily chore assignments and homework.  There is moaning and groaning and weeping and wailing and thrashing about all over the floor.  Lucky for them and me, I have super mom powers that make me immune to such behavior and in the sweetest voice you can I imagine I lovely encourage them to hurry up and get it done, so we can go and do fun things for the rest of the day.

3.  This has been true for previous years, but my growing belly and raging hormones are turning me into a completely different person and I am worried that my kids and all their whining will win out.

4.  I have a plan that I am hoping will help out.  A wise lady in our RS shared a program she did with her kids when they were little and I am planning to use an adapted version of it with my kids this summer.  When I get it all done, I'll share it with you.

5.  Speaking of the end of school, one of my favorite memories is the summer I finished grade 4.  The last day of school, Shane and I came home and my mom had rented West Side Story and Gone with the Wind.  We spend the rest of the day lounging on big over stuffed pillows, eating treats and watching the movies. Shane endured  238 minutes watching Gone with the Wind just to hear, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn". 

6. I love thunderstorms.  Thunderstorms are actually something I've missed since we move back to Alberta.  Winnipeg could always be counted on for some great storms.  I love the pounding of the rain, the flashing of lightening lighting up the sky and the crash of thunder.

7.  Robert Munch came to Lethbridge a few weeks ago.  It was fun to go and watch him tell his stories.  Jarom was way excited and enjoyed the show a ton, as did Nolan, even though he tried to pretend he was ultra cool and way to old to attend such a show.

After the show Robert Munch was signing books for the kids and since I am a mom that is so on top of things, we had to go and purchase a book, then wait in line, where we were 2nd from last, to get an autograph.  I tried many times to persuade Jarom into getting the heck out of Dodge, but he wouldn't hear of it and so we stood in line forever and now Jarom proudly possesses a autographed copy of Smelly Socks!

8. I've been working on this post for awhile now, I never seem to have enough time to finish it.

9.  So Patrice's birthday has come and gone as has Patrice.  It was great to see her and be entertained by her never ending wit!

10. I made this recipe Honey Chicken Salad for supper last week and we all loved it.  The pickiest little eater in the house even requested it again.  Score

First Trip to Waterton this Season

Sunday, the skies once again opened up and released tiny droplet of water, adding to the already saturated grass.  We'd been hiding in the house far too long and the troops were getting restless.  Spencer and I packed the van for all kinds of weather, herded the kids in and headed for the mountains.  We made a quick stop to pick up my dad and continued on our way. 

We all love the mountains and being amongst the vastness of the peaks; even the rain couldn't stop our spirits from being rejuvenated.  We deeply inhaled the glorious freshness of the cool mountain air. 

After a very wet and somewhat treacherous drive to Cameron Lake (Spencer likes looking at the mountains more than the road) we headed to the Big Scoop for a treat.  Don't worry, we would never think of buying something on Sunday - all the workers thought we were the most adorable family they had ever seen and gave us our ice-cream for free!  Can you Believe it?

Someday I am going to make this Peanut Butter Chocolate Cup Cake! I think it is about as close to heaven as I could get.

The Beginning

A tree fort is something my kids of have been dreaming about for years. We have listened as they dreamt the dreams of those not restricted by the confines of having to make a reality of their design. They've imagined escape entrances, rope ladders, climbing wall water balloon launch spots and zip lines. We’ve been sucked into the make-believe world of all the good time and adventures they are going to have in their very own secluded get away amongst the trees.

Thursday night their castle in the sky started to become a reality.

My boys and their cousins are about the luckiest kids alive to have grandparents wanting to make their dreams a reality.

Digging the post holes

The posts going in.

Support columns in place (Spencer named this picture)

View from the future zip line start.

More Nothing

1. This super cute kid invited me to a Mother's Day tea where I was pampered and treated like a princess. He massaged my hands and back, and then treated me to the prettiest pedicure a mother could get. I had 3 blue nails and 2 red nails- it was awesome. Then I was served a lovely glass of punch and a cookie after which he sang me the loveliest of songs and sent me on my way.

2. Paul and Rachel came down for Mother's Day and the men who love us most made us a superb dinner and showered us with much appreciation for all we do as mothers.

3. Aren't these about the most handsome group of men you've ever seen!

4. I've been ignoring the fact that my sewing machine is broken and sewing anyhow. I think this would really bother someone who actually knew how to sew, but since I just fake my way through it, my machine and I have become quite chummy.

5. I've been sewing Nursing Covers and Blankets for my friends and family. I find this very calming, relaxing and frustrating all at the same time. Once I've mastered the first one, which let me tell you, uses more than a couple of brain cell; I am good to go.

6. Some days I feel like this baby is never going to come and then other days I feel like he is coming way to fast. I am beyond nervous about having a new baby, I forget how to do everything.

7. I made this little number for supper last night - Spinach and Feta Pasta . I thought it was so scrumptious - my kids did not. They picked out the noodles and left all the good stuff behind. Regardless I will be making it again as it was ultra quick and lip-smacking good.

8. Today seemed like the perfect day to make cookies, but that seems to have become Nolan’s job so I thought I would save it for him. Then I thought of making cinnamon buns, but I don’t have a Bosch and so that will have to wait until I make a trip out to my mom’s. I am still trying to think of something else to make that will be just as comforting.

9. I started reading a book called Cutting for Stone. I like it, I think I like it a lot. I have to put it aside as I am suppose to be reading my book for book club next week.

10. Some kind of Wonderful sung by Michael Buble always makes me cheerful and want to dance!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

I really have nothing to blog about, the weather is making me depressed, but it's been a while so I thought I would share a whole lot of nothing with you.

1. Yesterday I was super annoyed at all the shoes in the front entry way - then I realized all but one pair were mine.

2. Nolan has learned to make chocolate chip cookies all by himself. I enjoy this very much and it seems to be a great source of pride for him. Yesterday was his wrap up party for his book club and he took a batch of his cookies, everyone gave rave reviews and told him to pass them along to his mother - Nolan was quick to share the news that he was the baker, not his mom. He does have a secret ingredient. If you ask him, I am sure he would be more than happy to whip you up a batch!

3. I hate it when people moan or try to console me when I tell them we are having a delightful baby boy. I want to say, if you knew how long we waited for this baby and how happy we are to have to him you'd be dancing!

4. I'm anxious to start making baby blankets for my baby and my friends and family babies, but my sewing machine in on the outs.

5. The other night Spencer painted my toe nails. I realize he probably had a gazillion other things he would rather have done, but since he knows I like my toe nails painted he did it for me and then I thought myself the luckiest gal in the world to have such a man.

6. Jarom is playing coach pitch baseball this year - I hope the weather co-operates soon and he gets to play as he enjoys it so.

7. Jarom love to draw, paint and trace. Then he loves to tape his creations to the walls of our house. Spencer hung a huge piece of sheet metal in his room as a bulletin board (not sure what to call it when it's magnetic), which he has quickly filled up and doesn't want to take down any of his old drawings to make room for his new art work. He wants another magnetic board.

8. The other day I was snuggling with Jarom and the baby kept kicking him. Feeling the baby for the first time, must have made the baby more real to him as he said, "It seems like there really is a baby in your tummy".

9. I have bad taste – in clothing and decorating. My house is pretty much all browns and black, boring! I’m too scared to introduce color. I need a personal shopper.

10. I’m trying to find a another good book to read; it seems to be my ever ending quest!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My Visiting Teaching Companion made me this beautiful birthday cake.  Do you think I can eat a piece for breakfast?

That's Right - I won!!!

As if there was really any doubt!  I pulled out all the stops and since I am a mother I was able to block out all the sad faces and make her do it anyways. 

We did have a lot of fun with our little photoshoot - I think Spencer thought we were crazy, but it was fun.

Anne has been my best friend ever since we got called to work in the RS together, so it is extra fun that our babies are due 2 days apart.

Our week-end together was great, we mostly just hung out and ate and then ate some more and visited with all the people around here who Anne knows.

Revamp

I'm just off to drag the kids around doing errands - they are so excited. But I wanted to quickly share this picture with you. When I picked the picture up from the printers I wasn't happy with how washed out everything looked, after much fiddling I finally got everything nice and vibrant. Much happier with this version.

Tomorrow I will share pictures of my fun week-end with Anne - You'll find out who won the belly shot fight.

A New Perspective

Nolan joined the book club at school. This makes me unbelievably happy as there was a time when I thought this kid would never learn to read. Now he is crazy for books. His latest series obsession is the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Series - I'm sure he would highly recommend them. 

Anyhow, the books the kids have to choose from in the book club are all up for an award; for every 4 books they read they are able to vote on which book they think should win. One of the books Nolan read is called War Brothers. War Brothers deals with aids in Africa as well as boys being a kidnapped and forced to join the Lord's Resistance Army. It's a sad book and one that opened Nolan's young and innocent eyes to world he has this far been spared. His grade 5 classes is currently studying the Slaves in America - another eye opening experience for Nolan and his tender heart.

I know the time comes when every child must learn about the reality of life and the cruelties one human being can inflict upon another. But there is something about watching my 10 year old struggle to come to terms with this different and new world, that make me wish he was still little and spared the sadness of life.

A New Skill

There is something about figuring out something new that makes you feel proud of yourself. I saw this over at Sew Dang Cute and wanted to make one for my family. Since my Photoshop skills are next to nonexistent I've looked at it daily and this morning I finally took the plunge. Anyhow, after lots of trial and error and a few calls to Spencer I got it done and sent off to be printed. Hooray for me!

Once I finally figured it out, it's quick and really quite easy. I'm very excited for our new baby to come so we can add him into the mix (I don't know what our baby is... I just don't like referring to our baby as "it").

Anyhow, Sew Dang Cute does give you step by step instructions, but if you don't have Photoshop and want one of your family - send me a picture and I'll be happy to make a copy for you!