10 years ago....

Today is one of those moments in which I am thinking about summing up my life at the moment and what it has been for the last 10 years. It is my 10 year High School Reunion. The first time that I have seen so many people since High school. I am excited to see how people have changed and where their lives have taken them. I know that facebook has helped to get a little glimpse into peoples lives, like who has kids and the travels that people are going on. But it doesn't actually get you connected to people. It is an interesting feeling anticipating chatting with people that I haven't bothered to keep in touch with. I am interested to see what paths are common or where other people are now so different than I am. I do wish that there was going to be some event for families. That would be great to see peoples kids and to get them to be able to see mine. Talking about them isn't the same as having someone see them and talk to them. It helps to actually get a feel for someones life, to see the little people that their lives are based upon. Hopefully there will be some babies there and I will have pictures of my kids too, but it would be fun to see some of them. Well, we'll see how this goes. Wish me luck!

Well adjusted me.... Where are you?!?

It is always an interesting road when there are a few new things to get adjusted to. That is how I am feeling right now. I am the kind of person that works pretty hard to avoid stressful things, or so I think. I think my crime would more often be inaction then going along roads that I would deem as stressful. It is funny how a few seemingly harmless things together can add up to a stressful time of adjustment.

I have been back at work this month and that in itself is good. I really love my job and find so much fulfillment from it. Also I only work very part time which means that I am mostly a stay at home Mom which I love. Those things are great. The difficult parts are that there have been lots of changes in our health care system and there aren't enough hours available to me. So I have been taking shifts where I can. This has meant I have been working a lot lately getting oriented again so that I can get an extra weekend this month and another extra shift at the end of the month. Good things again but it has sure felt like a lot! Also orientating again after I have been gone for a year and a half. My brain feels really stretched as I am working to remember things and practicing. It will be a little while before I feel back into the swing of things or truly comfortable in doing the things that I do. I know that it takes time. When people at work ask me if I am happy to be back I keep saying that I am happy but will feel much better in another month, when I will feel like by brain actually could answer questions that I know I used to know. Stressful!

Then beyond that I am adjusting to having a busier calling, with the young women. I am the first counsellor. I have loved being in there are getting to know the great girls but it is busy.

Then we have started soccer with Kyndal. It is 2 days a week, Mon and Wed evening. And overall it has been an interesting experience so far. She is having fun but isn't actually interested in soccer. I know that she is still pretty young but there have been some emotional, dramatic days at soccer that I question why we are doing it. And again another something new that just adds to that layer of our business. I am not used to ever having something in the evenings. Now I have 3 nights out for sure, not to mention any other things that need to be done.

I am grateful for my wonderful mothers! That have picked up the slack of helping out with my kids and laundry when they have been here. Those normal things get put to the back burner as I am getting adjusted to other new things. So this feels like a time of change and this kind of a period when I am not in any sort of system and there is a bunch of things that I am not yet adjusted to. So I am looking forward to feeling well adjusted. I like that feeling and I miss it!

PS- I forgot to mention having the kids getting sick, and me starting to get it. And Paul working late the last few weeks, or out of town and yeah, lots of things. I'm not writing this for any sympathy, I just needed to vent a little. I think this might be good therapy. Thats why I'm doing this instead of the dishes. Those are not good therapy!

Exercising in the Garden!

Wow,gardening is sure hard work!! I guess that I knew it was considered excercise but I haven't had much experience with as much hard work as it was today. I spent the last 2 hours out digging, raking and otherwise prepping our new garden for planting. I had thought that it wasn't as big as the one in our last house. But now I think that it is plenty big for our needs. Kyndal was out digging up the hard soil that we are extending into our garden. She had such a fun time practicing balancing on top of the shovel. It was fun. We are so excited to plant our garden, hopefully tomorrow. We will plant peas, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, transplant some tomato plants and prep for raspberries. We already have a healthy growth of strawberries, which is so great! I love our garden to be something that is low key and that we can just eat outside all summer. It will be extra good this year as we have a sprinkler system!! Horray!! That means our garden will actually get enough water to grow well!!

Here is my hard work so far. Including some fun additions to our garden. Visitors for the kids to play with as well as something fun that Kyndal made. Not yet the fruits of our labours, that will take a few months. Anyways I am so glad that it is spring and that we can plant a garden! Happy planting to you all!!

My Kyndal Joy!

My dear firstborn daughter! Kyndal is such an amazing girl. She is constantly amazing me by what she knows and how she sees the world. She has a mind of her own and she is sure to use it. She has a memory like no other 5 year old. She talks randomly about something that she remembers happening or doing even 2 years ago. Like the flowers that were at the stampede when we went 2 summers ago. Something that we have never talked about since then. She doesn't miss a thing that we say. We can't even spell things out anymore because she can figure out what we are spelling. She really thrives on learning and is very academically driven. She got a new reading journal from school and proceeded to read and write about a bunch of books because she was so excited about it.

She is so kind and caring to her sisters. She loves them and really tries to look after them. She does that in her own way! When playing with Grandad tonight, he likes to pick them up and rough them up. It was fun to see them coming to each others rescue, to fight off Grandad (all in good fun!) They are like all sisters, they love hard and fight hard. Really girly in some ways, like always wearing a dress, really always, loving to play dress-up and princess and not girly in others, like playing wrestling wolves (or whatever animal it happens to be at the time).

I love to see those moments when they are just like me. Well I love them and regret them at times too. But she is like me when a camera comes out and she puts on her pose. It is either the camera smile, the new hand-to-face pose or the silly face that won't change until a picture is taken. Depending upon what mood she is in. She is such a funny, goofy girl!

I have been really shocked with how grown up she is getting. She is having experiences at school that she is learning and growing. She is developing that mind of hers. I am amazed at times when we are butting heads over something and she tells me why she wants it a certain way, it often makes sense. And with some good negotiating and deal making we can both be happy. And that is a great process because there are not easy ways for me to change her mind, or make her do something that she doesn't want to do. She is strong minded!

She is just so amazing and I am grateful for all of the things that she teaches me about being a parent. She challenges me to be better and try different things. She is forgiving of my many mistakes and thinks my short memory is really funny, as she gets to remind me of many of the things that I forget. She is such a great child and I am grateful that she is my girl! My big girl, my Kyndal Joy!!

What a Man!!

I am sure a lucky woman! I have such a great Husband. He is so supportive of me. He is easy going, especially when I am not so much. He is a good Dad. He is such a Babe. He sure makes my life so great!
This is one of my favorite looks on him. I call it the "Danny Ocean" look. You know in Oceans Eleven how he is always wearing a suit without a tie. It is the best look, I love it!! And i almost never get to enjoy Paul in a suit because he leaves his jackets at work and hardly ever wears them home. So it is fun to see him with a crisp new haircut and showing off in his Danny Ocean look! So fun!

My latest handiwork!

I have recently repurposed a few articles of clothing. I had a bathing suit that I never really felt comfortable in. It didn't have much support and was too short in the body. So I actually had 2 of these bathing suits tops and I still liked the bottoms. A cute little skirt swim bottom. And I actually got them super cheap, so not an investment loss if I messed them up. So I cut them apart and put them together into a much more flattering top. I am quite excited about it. Of course it is far from perfect, especially in the sewing a straight line department, but cuter anyways.

And my second project is repurposing a dress for Kyndal. A Value Village find that I thought was so cute. And she is growing so much, out of so many of her dresses, and when that is pretty well all she will wear we need to have a few of them. So here it is. I love how it is so long on her, and she does too. And it will fit her for a long time and still be modest. I think that is in style these days too, from what my cute Young Women are wearing. So it is pretty fun! And I love the little ribbin in the middle, it ties it all together. It is sure fun to have a project and love how it turns out!

Birthday!

My Mothers Day Roses

I had such a nice birthday this week. There is something about it being a special day that makes it special, even if we are just doing pretty normal things. We got up and I made myself a nice breakfast of french toast and watermelon smoothie. Then I spent the morning in a nice long bath, which I have wanted to do in the daytime in this house because the sun shines in the window over the bath. It was nice and relaxing and the kids enjoyed watching TV for the morning. Then my great friend Lindsay and her kids came over for lunch, which is always fun! Then we headed off to the beach for the afternoon. It was a balmy 26 degrees and we enjoyed the beach and made it home about 5 mins before it started on a downpour. For me a thunderstorm is such a great birthday present. We sat on the deck and watched and listened. We ran in the rain. I love the rain and lightning and thunder. Then Sharan brought a nice supper and put the kids to bed while I had fun learning about camp stuff with our YW. It was a really nice day! I do love my birthdays. I am hoping to go out with Paul this weekend to get some birthday freebies. So much fun!

My Second Born!

Oh my Ellie is such a funny girl. She is so full of personality! I am just starting to realize how much she is starting to get big and seems so much more grown up! She carries on great conversations with you, comes up with great ideas of games to play, is so creative, is so great at anything physical, says the funniest things and is so kind, loving and sharing with her sisters. She will share anything with Kyndal if she will only ask her nicely. Of course if she doesn't ask nicely there will be a giant fight over the same item, and she is up for that too!

She copies anything Kyndal says, literally she sounds like an echo most of the time, trying to say the same thing at the same time as Kyndal but mostly saying it just after.

She ran today at Kyndals soccer game nearly non stop (Stopping only for the snack time!) There was a big goal post that was not in play and we would say ready, set, go and she would run there and back over and over and over and...

It is neat to remember how they have changed over time as well. Elliette used to be really fearless, she rode her trike last year so fast even though she couldn't reach both of her feet to the pedals at the same time, they would pedal away at the right timing getting the next foot back onto the pedal. This year she is much more timid with her bike and not feeling comfortable riding it much.

She has also decided that she doesn't like bugs. This does change from minute to minute as she has bug friends that she catches but if they come to her uninvited then she is afraid of them. She says that she is allergic to spiders, scorpions and killers. So funny! I am allergic to killers as well!

My dear second born daughter always makes me laugh and gives me so much lovin! Oh Boy do I love that Kid!!!

By Kyndal

This is Kyndal:

i am excited for my birthday. 208 mor day s. it is so much fun. rmembr it s in 208 mor day s. love kyndal

Grandpas Plaid

We are so grateful to have Paul back home. He was away for the week, working in Trail BC. He doesn't travel almost ever so it is not something that we will ever get used to. When he came home the kids were so excited, as Kyndal has been saying that she misses Daddy when he was gone for 10 mins. After hugs and kisses Kyndal asks Daddy why he is wearing Grandpas shirt. I haven't really noticed that Paul doesn't often wear plaid, but I guess that is what stands out to Kyndal of what Grandpa Wigg wears. it is so amazing what stands out to them about people.

I have so enjoyed hearing my girls laughing together, being silly and just having fun together today. It is the greatest thing. Playing in the sprinkler, making muddy hand paintings over the backyard, filling up buckets of water. The joys of summer days! And getting to enjoy it together is the best part!

PS- Kyndal has been reading nearly all of this blog while I have been writing it. She is doing so well learning to read! It is so much fun!

A day at the farm!!

We love to spend time at Aunt Bev and Uncle Richards farm!! It is really one of my favorite places to be. Just to see the animals. Baby Chicks growing, the horses and cows around, the calves, their new foal, hanging out in the chicken coup, Lad following us all around. Especially getting to ride on the horse! Just being out there is so relaxing. I feel like it is getting back to the roots of life, that we are more sheltered from here. Actually getting eggs from real chickens, it is so fun! The kids just love it and we play so hard outside! They always crash on the way home. It is so fun to visit with Aunt Bev and Uncle Richard who are some of my favorite people!! It has just become such a wonderful, comforting place for us to go visit and play! We love our day at the farm!
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I also wanted to remember the funny thing that Kyndal said this week. We were talking about some animal, I can't remember which one and she asks "Did the white man kill them all off?" I just sat there not knowing how to respond and trying to figure out where she got that from. It must have been from the Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump museum that we went to a month ago. As I don't think I ever talk about the "White Man". I don't think that she actually knows what that is either. Too funny. After that also when we saw a cliff Elliette got really mad at us for there being a cliff there because "Cliff are only for Buffalo" They are so funny!

Inspired Friends

I am so grateful for visiting teaching. I really love to have assigned friends through this wonderful program and I know that it is inspired to have people that may be of help to you. It is always helpful to me to talk through things and it is even better with a visiting teacher who is there on the Lords errand and can be so helpful. I hope to be as helpful to the ladies that I visit! I have felt of the lasting friendships that have come and feel very blessed by this inspired program. I Love Visiting Teaching!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

We had a very fun and Busy day today! I am now back at work. I am working hopefully about 1 day a week as a Public Health Nurse here in Okotoks. I am really excited to be back as I really love my job. I feel like I am contributing to the world in such an important way in my job and I love to see parents and new babies and help and teach them. It is so great. I also think that I am a better Mom because I get just enough of a break from my kids that I miss them and appreciate them. I really do miss them as soon as I leave. It is good to miss them!



And then we have started Soccer! Kyndal is playing and had her first game today! I was grateful to come home from work and had my Mom fixing supper so that we could eat a nice meal together before we headed out to soccer. It was so cute and fun to watch her run up and down the field. She told me that she didn't want to score any goals and that she stays behind the people and the ball on purpose for some important reason.

She had fun and ran back to sit with me on the sidelines every chance that she had. She is so big in some ways but so little still in others. I love to appreciate the moments when I realize how little she is! It is great!

Dawsyn and Elliette also had a fun time cheering loud for the Pirates, crawling around and eating snacks. We were thankful to have a blanket with us. Thanks to whoever gave us that tip. What a fun time it will be to watch Kyndal play and learn this soccer season! So cute!

A Day for Mothers!

I am so thankful for a day to really remember and celebrate Mother!! I do try to be thankful for the love and support that I do receive all the time from my wonderful mother and mother-in-law. They are so amazing and supportinve of me. They are the listening ear to all of the many things that I need to discuss (which can be a lot). They come out here to help me or my kids at a moments notice. They let us drop in and stay until we feel like leaving. They are such wonderful grandmas and love my girls just like I do! I know how blessed I am to have such amazing Mothers around me. I am so thankful for them. I love them so much! I hope that I show it enough and tell them enough. But here is another time that I am telling them, Thank you so much for all that you do for me. I could not be the mother that I am without you.
And for celebrating my day with my kids, I want to be thankful for the small moments of the day. For Dawsyn giving me the gift of sleep and going through the night (for only the second time ever!) For the cuddles from Elliette this morning, one of my favorite things. For Kyndal sleeping in (this means she will be happier today!) For the kids getting dressed by themselves, in the clothes that I laid out yesterday. For getting their hair done without crying or even whining. For the lovely breakfast that I can smell Paul making, with the amazing fresh farm eggs from aunt Bev. So yummy! I am just the luckiest girl ever to have such a great family!! I feel very blesssed as a mother and wife. My kids make me so happy and I couldn't imagine how life would be without them! I have such an amazing husband that loves and supports me. And even forgives me when I am hard to get along with! He is so great!
I love this day of celebrating motherhod with my family!! And I think that I have said enough! To all mothers, have a great day celebrating mothers!

Work in Progress!

It sure took more work to get started then I thought! This will be a constant work in progress. I guess that everything that I do is that! I am grateful that I finally got this blog looking cute! So fun!! Now to learn to put up pictures! The adventure continues!

To blog or not to blog

I have been deciding whether or not to start a blog. I figure that I waste enough time on the computer anyways, maybe this will be more productive. I would really like this to be something that I may share not just what is happening in my life but the things that I am grateful for. Sharing these things helps me to be positive and appreciative of my life. As I am looking back, seeing pictures and actually writing how I feel I think that it may be better then talking. At the very least I can edit this more then what may come out of my mouth without thinking. So here goes! My attempt at Blogging!