Fall really is my favourite time of year. I love the crisp air, the leaves changing colors, star gazing on cold dark nights, Halloween and Thanksgiving. It has been a good Fall. It did snow in September but cleared up a couple of weeks later and now at November 4th, we have no snow and it got up to 11 yesterday so we are enjoying this weather.
Caeleb and Elva went back to school Tuesday September 6th and they have been enjoying it. Caeleb is in grade 3 and Elva is in Kindergarten. We wanted her to have a full Kindergarten year here in Champion - it being a great kindergarten with only 8 kids and 2 teachers (I love the student to teacher ratio).
September is birthday month. LouAnn and Gary came out September 13 to celebrate Chris and Caeleb's birthday on the 14th as well as Caeleb's baptism on the 16th. We celebrated Mary's birthday on Saturday September 15th (her birthday is on the 19th but we wanted Chris to be around for it. On Friday, the Nelson family, Nathan, the grandparents and us went to supper at the Chinese food Buffet in Champion. On Saturday, I took Chris, his parents, Mary and Selman to the temple (They did a session while I look the little ones to a park and the library), and then we went to Waterton and back home so Chris could do some homework. Saturday was stake conference and then Supper at our place (Middletons) and then to Caeleb's baptism at 5:00. I am so proud of my little boy who has made the decision to follow Christ's example in being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost. It is a challenging world out there and I know that as we strive to live with purpose in life by following Christ's example, we will receive an eternal happiness, the kind that doesn't go away.
Monday was LouAnn's birthday and we had watermelon cake and hung out at home. I hope she had a good relaxing day, resting and playing with her grandchildren. Chris had to go back to school that morning and I am getting used to single momming life. LouAnn and Gary left early early Wednesday morning. Caeleb went to bed Tuesday night with a fever and stomach pain. He woke up, threw up a couple of times and was in a lot of pain around 2:00 in the morning, tossing and turning in bed. He wanted to go to the hospital as the pain was not going away and he could not sleep or walk even. I called mom to come over and watch the girls as Gary and LouAnn had just left and I took Caeleb and Selman into Vulcan at 4:00 in the morning. They did blood work and his Nuetrophil count was up so the Doctor suspected Appendicitis (I had a thought that it was that) and he was sent in an ambulance up to the Children's hospital in Calgary while Selman and I followed in the van. Not thinking, I had worn pants with a huge rip in the crotch area so I ended up borrowing hospital pants and wearing them for the next 1.5 days. After an ultrasound and some humming and hawing among the doctors, it was decided that he had appendicitis and we signed up for a study that randomly selected him for either surgery or an antibiotic trial. But he was selected for surgery and he had it at 7:30 that night. Chris was able to miss classes and be at the hospital with us. It was my first time sending a child into surgery and was a little nerve wracking waiting that 1.5 hours to see him again but he came out of it with flying colors and it was a good thing that they took his appendix out as it definitely was appendicitis (is what the surgeon said). Selman and I spent the night in day surgery with a drowsy Caeleb and we were sent home the next day at 1100. He did wonderfully and his recovery was so quick!
For Caeleb's birthday, he wanted warhammer models and to take some friends to the movies so I took him and 2 friends to see Smallfoot Friday September 29th. I thought it was a cute movie and the boys had fun quoting the movie and laughing on the way home.
Chris has been very busy with school and there were a couple weekends were he had an extra course so he could not come home. I have felt like a single mom throughout September and October and I feel very grateful for the help my parents have given me. We have missed Daddy but I have felt busy raising 4 kids and time has gone fast. I love being a mom!!
Nathan and Chris were home for Thanksgiving and we had a lovely turkey dinner at Mom and Dad's house. Our next big family dinner will most likely be at the brick house so we cherished that yummy meal at Mom and Dads. I have had so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. A wonderful, close-knit family, a free country to live in, a good job, a husband who is working hard in school, a beautiful old home to restore and live in and keep in the family. We have been blessed.
Halloween was last Wednesday and Caeleb was Dash and Elva was Violet from the Incredibles movies. Mary was a princess (she wants to dress as a princess every day really) and Selman was the frog Prince. They all looked adorable. We took neighbors Amy and Annabelle in the Van with us and Selman stayed with Mom and Dad. We went to 13 houses and it took 3 hours to do so between driving, visiting, the kids singing lollipop at the houses and getting house tours (te he he). The weather was nice, though it went from light to dark so quickly and we had a blast. It was hard getting Elva up and to school the next day as she was so tired but she did it. Oh, the Saturday before Halloween we went to the Champion Hall Halloween party and dance and it was so much fun. About 50 kids there and my kids had a great time dancing and participating in the games. I love small town living and supporting the community.
An update on the kids. Caeleb has lost 4 teeth now (his upper 2 are out now and it is so cute) and Elva has lost 2 teeth. Caeleb is doing above average at reading comprehension and he was not doing great at it a year ago so it just goes to show that things click at different times in life. He is a good student, doing a lot better at his printing this year and he loves to learn and write books (he is always writing books). He also loves Harry Potter now and just went through stint with Big Foot fascination. Elva is a leader in her kindergarten class - being the oldest - and I think she is a bit of a class clown as she is a funny little girl. She makes me laugh. All my kids do! I do love Elva's sense of humor though. Mary is almost graduated from potty training school. It has been a long slow process starting on and off in the summer but it clicked about a week ago and she has been doing great since the start of November. She loves to talk and voice her opinion. And she loves to play barbies and dollies (she got a doll for her birthday). If I am sitting and feeding Selman, she always says, "lets play barbies" and she brings the dolls to me and we play from the chair. She and Elva love to play polly pockets and so do I. All my kids have great imaginations. They learn it from me I think. Selman started sitting really well 2 weeks ago (mid October). He babbles on and on (lately saying Dadadadada - I don't think he knows what it means though) and he is now loving solid foods. We started feeding him right at 6 months old but he did not seem to like it at first. He loves yogurt! But who wouldn't really. He also likes rice cereal and meaty baby food but is not a fan of avocado or bananas yet (crazy little boy - the rest of us love Avocados).
Mary and Selman and I go to the Champion Legion on Tuesday and Thursdays at 1000 for Play group and Time for Rhymes. It really breaks up our week and I love having a bit of a schedule. We also go to the Champion Library one Friday a month for Winter library club.
Well, Chris is home now for the rest of the semester. Oh, how I have missed him. He starts his student teaching tomorrow at the Nanton Elementary school and he will commute the 30 minutes from home every week day and that is not a bad drive for country living. We are so grateful to have him back in our lives more.
And now, I am starting to look forward to the Christmas season and am itching to listen to Christmas music - but I will hold off for now (though Mom, Camellia and I did make our Christmas turtles a few weeks ago and I had to listen to some then). Lets get through Remembrance day first. I am a huge fan of Remembrance day and feel it so important to remember all those who have fought and died for our freedom. I feel so blessed to live in this free Country and on the farm that I grew up on. Life is good!
Home on the Prairies
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Simple Summer Days 2018
Wow, another Summer has come and gone. It was a simple summer. I liked it that way. We stayed close to home for most of it. We got to know Champion really well. Monday and Thursday mornings from 1000-1200 was Summer reading program at the Champion Library and I think we only missed 2 of them. They made a lot of crafts! We would stay in Champion after as I would pack a lunch and then we would ride bikes and go swimming when it opened at 2:00. We went swimming 3-5 days a week at the Champion pool and would stay in the pool 2 hours at a time playing and laughing and never wanting to leave. The water felt so nice on those hot days and we had a couple weeks of pretty hot weather (middle 30s). Caeleb and Elva have got to be pretty good swimmers this summer. Caeleb did 2 weeks of swimming lessons this year so he is getting really good. After we went to their place for Mountain View Canada day celebrations, The Nelsons joined us the first week in July for swimming lessons and we spent the Thursday night camping at the Champion campground. It was fun but sadly the only camping we did this summer as Chris worked from July 2 right up to the start of school (and is still working 5-10 hours a week while at school) and he has been so busy. What a blessing it has been that he could get hired back on with his old IT company. He worked from home and only had to go into the city on average 1 day a week. He was working in the city the day I took the kids to BMO kids day at the stampede. He dropped me off at the grounds and I braved it with the 4 kids by myself while he went downtown to work. We had a fun day. We got free pancake breakfast and we went to the dog show and the kids really liked that. It was busy and I almost lost Mary in the crowds a few times but we survived and I would do it again. After the movie we went to Max and Sebastian's house (our good friends) for a few hours and I watched all the kids while their parents worked and then we went to a movie (the Incredibles 2). We did not get home until 10:30 pm or so and Chris had to go back to Calgary the next morning early but it was a good day and we had fun!
Camellia and Doug had there little girl on Friday July 20. She was breech and had to be turned before being induced. It was a long day for them but little Evelyn arrived safely. We spent Saturday July 21st going to Lethbridge to visit them and then to Granum for a stake activity. We swam in the lake there, visited other members, ate lunch and supper too that was provided by the Stake. It was fun getting to know some other ladies in Claresholm that have young kids. The kids and I went over to the Claresholm spray park a couple of days this summer and we met up with some of those ladies one of the days. We also tried the Vulcan spray park and the Coaldale Spray park early August ( With Camellia and Amanda and their kids).
Another thing we did this summer was learn to ride bikes. We practiced really hard the first few weeks of July but it clicked for both kids one day when Caeleb's friend Dominic showed him how to ride his bike. We took the bikes to Vulcan one day to ride around the path by the golf coarse but we pretty much kept bike riding to the farm and Champion. We need to get Chris a bike!
Jared and Landon came the second week in August. We went swimming in Champion, to Little Bow beach for a ward party and to Drumheller for about the hottest day of the year (It was high 30s, maybe touched 40?). Chris was able to join us for that so that was wonderful.
Chris and I took a quick Saturday trip to visit Camellia and Doug and so we could go to see the play Newsies in Cardston August 18th. We came back the same night as we had church duties the next day (I am now the second councilor in the primary and there are only 5 kids - but I love our little primary). Newsies was really well done and I sure love to see live theater. We also saw my child friend Gillian at the Nelsons house that day and it was fun to catch up.
Saturday August 25th was the last day the Champion pool was open for the year and so we went to swim as a family of coarse and then we went to the Champion Chinese food buffet after (It is great that the restaurant is open again). The lifeguards let us keep a few floaty toys which was fun and we will save them for more swimming adventures next year.
We Spent Labour Day weekend at Camellia and Doug's place as little Evelyn was blessed that Sunday. We always love to go visit Camellia and Doug at their beautiful paradise home by the mountains and we love their family very much.
Well, that is what I remember of Summer 2018 (I am writing this November 4 in the basement of the brick house as the internet has been set up there and now they have heat there too so it is comfortable). Since we have been living at Micky Middleton's house, we don't have the internet there and it is hard for me to spend time updating my blog. But that will soon change. With a few timeline delays, we are now set to move into our house the end of November (I hope). We are getting so excited and the house is looking great. As for having no internet for the last 5 months, I think everyone should go for a time with no internet in their homes. It is good to live without being so dependent on it at every moment.
Well, I will end this post and continue on with a post about the Fall. But before I do, I want you to know that I am loving the simple life living in the country and I enjoyed our simple summer.
Camellia and Doug had there little girl on Friday July 20. She was breech and had to be turned before being induced. It was a long day for them but little Evelyn arrived safely. We spent Saturday July 21st going to Lethbridge to visit them and then to Granum for a stake activity. We swam in the lake there, visited other members, ate lunch and supper too that was provided by the Stake. It was fun getting to know some other ladies in Claresholm that have young kids. The kids and I went over to the Claresholm spray park a couple of days this summer and we met up with some of those ladies one of the days. We also tried the Vulcan spray park and the Coaldale Spray park early August ( With Camellia and Amanda and their kids).
Another thing we did this summer was learn to ride bikes. We practiced really hard the first few weeks of July but it clicked for both kids one day when Caeleb's friend Dominic showed him how to ride his bike. We took the bikes to Vulcan one day to ride around the path by the golf coarse but we pretty much kept bike riding to the farm and Champion. We need to get Chris a bike!
Jared and Landon came the second week in August. We went swimming in Champion, to Little Bow beach for a ward party and to Drumheller for about the hottest day of the year (It was high 30s, maybe touched 40?). Chris was able to join us for that so that was wonderful.
Chris and I took a quick Saturday trip to visit Camellia and Doug and so we could go to see the play Newsies in Cardston August 18th. We came back the same night as we had church duties the next day (I am now the second councilor in the primary and there are only 5 kids - but I love our little primary). Newsies was really well done and I sure love to see live theater. We also saw my child friend Gillian at the Nelsons house that day and it was fun to catch up.
Saturday August 25th was the last day the Champion pool was open for the year and so we went to swim as a family of coarse and then we went to the Champion Chinese food buffet after (It is great that the restaurant is open again). The lifeguards let us keep a few floaty toys which was fun and we will save them for more swimming adventures next year.
We Spent Labour Day weekend at Camellia and Doug's place as little Evelyn was blessed that Sunday. We always love to go visit Camellia and Doug at their beautiful paradise home by the mountains and we love their family very much.
Well, that is what I remember of Summer 2018 (I am writing this November 4 in the basement of the brick house as the internet has been set up there and now they have heat there too so it is comfortable). Since we have been living at Micky Middleton's house, we don't have the internet there and it is hard for me to spend time updating my blog. But that will soon change. With a few timeline delays, we are now set to move into our house the end of November (I hope). We are getting so excited and the house is looking great. As for having no internet for the last 5 months, I think everyone should go for a time with no internet in their homes. It is good to live without being so dependent on it at every moment.
Well, I will end this post and continue on with a post about the Fall. But before I do, I want you to know that I am loving the simple life living in the country and I enjoyed our simple summer.
Monday, July 9, 2018
New Beginnings
Well, a lot more has happened since I last wrote. Selman will be 4 months old tomorrow. He smiles and even giggles (it took him a while to smile but has been doing quite a bit for the last 6 weeks now). He loves his cuddles and he is starting to be able to lie down on a blanket, kick his legs and be content for about 30 – 45 minutes at a time. He is also discovering his hands and is looking at them quite a bit these days. I wouldn’t exactly say he was a content baby from day one. I feel that from the start he has wanted to be held constantly, but that is lessening a lot more now. His Brother and Sisters love to hold him and play with him and they are a big help for me. Right now he is lying on the floor and cooing away like there is no tomorrow. His little squeaky cooing talk is so adorable.
The BIG news of the last few months is that we have sold our home and we are fixing up the Brick home (Grandma Smith's home) on my parents property. We have talked about this dream of mine since the start of our marriage but it became a reality this last year when Mom and Dad found a good local contractor in November and we decided to make this dream come to life. Someone needs to live in that beautiful 100 year old home and we are lucky enough to be the ones. Chris can work part time from home with his old IT company and he will find a future teaching job in the area. I will keep my 2 day a week job at Rockyview hospital after maternity leave until I find a part time nursing job closer to the farm. Everything seems to be coming together for this Big Change and I know there is a reason for it. We are excited to raise our family on the family farm. We feel so blessed!
Chris started his student teaching in Vulcan on Monday March 19th. Mom took care of Mary that week. I watched all the kids for the first few days that next week (starting March 26) by myself as the kids were off of school then for spring break (we even went sledding that week – I have been feeling so good) and then we came to the farm for the weekend to watch General Conference. I was surprised how well I did by myself with the kids. The next week, Chris was on his spring break so we spent that week painting and getting the house ready to sell. It is hard work getting a house ready to sell.
Chris’ parents came out to our Copperfield home the first weekend in April and stayed for a couple of weeks while Chris was doing his last 2 weeks of student teaching in Vulcan. They were such a big help to me. Gary helped me paint the basement and he cooked some delicious meals (his famous meat loaf) and LouAnn was the official baby holder and snuggled that Selman from dawn until evening and in the night too. I enjoyed our 3:00 in the morning conversations when both Mary and Selman woke up crying. I am so grateful for all the help that my parents and Chris’ parents have given to us! Sunday April 15th was Selman’s baby blessing. He was blessed to be a leader in his family and I think that he will be. I can see by looking into his baby blue eyes that he is full of wisdom and goodness. After the blessing and the rest of church we went to Gainor’s house for pulled pork on a bun and salads and dessert. Thanks to Gainors for hosting the event. Their house is a lot bigger than our Copperfield home (and we were trying to keep our Copperfield home in selling condition). Gainors were there of course, Sister Snow came (she is the lady we have become friends with by driving her to and from church), and Aunt Brenda and Uncle Gord and Todd came too. It is so good to have family get togethers. Family is so important. Chris left that evening to start his last week for student teaching. He came back the Thursday evening for the Copperfield school family dance. Chris’ parents left early Friday the 20th of April and then the kids and I drove Chris down to Vulcan for his last day of student teaching and to show Caeleb and Elva around Champion school. I went to the Friday night Time our for Women that evening with Selman, Mom and Camellia (thanks for the ticket Camellia). It was very spiritually uplifting. Saturday, our family drove back up to Calgary and Chris and I worked hard for the next few days getting the house ready for carpet cleaning on Monday and real estate pictures on Tuesday. Our house was posted on the real estate website the morning of Thursday April 26. We had about 4 showings the first weekend and then I left on the Monday with the girls and baby Selman to stay at the farm so that Elva could start school in Champion on Tuesday May 1st. Caeleb didn’t start in Champion until May 15th as he had a week long living well field trip he wanted to go to in Copperfield and Chris was able to go with him all those days.
We got an offer after about 10 showings – less than 2 weeks on the market. What a blessing as we thought it would take several months. It is a buyers market and the average is about 45 days to sell. After a few little hiccups and another stressful week, the final contract was signed with a closing date of June 1 at noon. That did not make for a lot of time to get things packed and ready but we did it. I spent most of the time at the farm with the kids while Chris packed. Nathan helped pack and clean (Thank you Nathan!) and he moved to his new home in Ranchlands on June 1. He has lived with us for the last 7 years and we will miss him (he is Mary’s best buddy) but change is good and it was time to move on. He is a great Uncle and we hope he stays close friends with his nieces and nephews.
For Mothers Day the boys sent Mom, Camellia and I to Banff for 2 nights at a resort place. We are so spoiled and had a lot of fun. We went to lake Louise and hiked half way around the lake, we ate at Boston pizza and had Chinese food, we walked around town and talked and talked. I love my girls getaways! Thanks boys. Meanwhile they took the kids swimming and to Chucky Cheese so the kids had a blast too.
We were so lucky to have Middletons let us stay in Micky’s old house and to just pay utilities (we are only about ½ km from the brick home that is still being fixed up and should be ready in September) and we moved most of our stuff on Monday May 21st. Our Mahogany ward friends were so helpful as we loaded the moving van that day. We are going to miss that ward. Our new ward helped us unload that day and we are excited for new adventures with the kind people of our new ward and our kind neighbors on our road.
On May 26th, we headed to Fort Mcleod to do the Wilderness run. This year, I jogged 10 kms (a very slow jog) and Mom and Chris walked it. I was trying to prepare for it but between having a new baby and moving preparation, I did not have a lot of time to prepare. But I did jog the whole thing and I plan on doing even better next year.
Caeleb and Elva have been adapting well to their new school. There is only about 100 students from Preschool to grade 9 but the big kids help the little kids and there seems to be a unity within the school that I love. I love small schools. Caeleb and Elva like their teachers and have been making new friends. They have had many adventures already from swimming every school day in June at the pool across the street from the school, a field trip for Caeleb to camp Chestermere to go kayaking, bottle rockets and sling shots (Chris was able to go), a Zoo trip for Elva with her Kindergarten (I went along with Mary and Selman and we got to see the new Panda exhibit), 2 track and field days for Caeleb (he does well with long distance running). The kids also did T - ball and coach pitch this year organized by volunteers from the community. There was a practice on about 6 Wednesdays during May and June and 2 tournaments - one in Champion and 1 in Milo. This is the first sport Caeleb and Elva have done - well, I guess they did Soccer for a couple of weeks a few years ago and Elva did ballet for half a year. They really enjoyed it and we had fun watching them. The last day of school for Elva was Thursday June 21 and for Caeleb was Wednesday June 27. We picked Caeleb up from school a little early that day, went to Lethbridge to order our Kitchen for the brick home and then travelled on to Mountain View to visit the Nelson family for a few days. Nathan came and joined us there as well. Our family went to Waterton for the day and was it ever a beautiful day. No wind and not too hot or cold. Perfect! It was interesting to see all the burned out places in Waterton but it really is as beautiful as ever. Friday was spent with Chris and Doug putting the brick on the Nelson fireplace. They were really focused, spent all day doing it, and did a great job. We celebrated Canada day on Saturday as July first was Sunday. Mountain View had a talent show, games and beef on a bun. Mom and Dad joined us for that. We came back Saturday afternoon so that Chris could go up to a games night with some buddies in Calgary.
This last week has been spent in swimming lessons for the kids with the Nelsons joining us for the week. Monday was Moms birthday and we had a parmesan chicken dinner and cake for dessert, Mom got a birthday calendar, and we sent off a floating lantern which the kids loved. Camellia and I got our hair cut in Vulcan on Wednesday and Thursday we camped in town and spent the afternoon learning to ride bikes, going to the store for a treat, to the library, swimming, playing with cousins and town friends, making smores and enjoying this lovely little town. After the last swimming lesson on Friday, we met Mom and Dad at little bow for a picnic and early afternoon swim. While the first part of this week has been cooler and rainy, the last couple of days have been hot and dry. Today is a low key day. Chris has been working hard all last week doing IT stuff for his old employer (it is a blessing that he has this part time job), so we are spending the day catching up on house chores and relaxing.
The BIG news of the last few months is that we have sold our home and we are fixing up the Brick home (Grandma Smith's home) on my parents property. We have talked about this dream of mine since the start of our marriage but it became a reality this last year when Mom and Dad found a good local contractor in November and we decided to make this dream come to life. Someone needs to live in that beautiful 100 year old home and we are lucky enough to be the ones. Chris can work part time from home with his old IT company and he will find a future teaching job in the area. I will keep my 2 day a week job at Rockyview hospital after maternity leave until I find a part time nursing job closer to the farm. Everything seems to be coming together for this Big Change and I know there is a reason for it. We are excited to raise our family on the family farm. We feel so blessed!
Chris started his student teaching in Vulcan on Monday March 19th. Mom took care of Mary that week. I watched all the kids for the first few days that next week (starting March 26) by myself as the kids were off of school then for spring break (we even went sledding that week – I have been feeling so good) and then we came to the farm for the weekend to watch General Conference. I was surprised how well I did by myself with the kids. The next week, Chris was on his spring break so we spent that week painting and getting the house ready to sell. It is hard work getting a house ready to sell.
Chris’ parents came out to our Copperfield home the first weekend in April and stayed for a couple of weeks while Chris was doing his last 2 weeks of student teaching in Vulcan. They were such a big help to me. Gary helped me paint the basement and he cooked some delicious meals (his famous meat loaf) and LouAnn was the official baby holder and snuggled that Selman from dawn until evening and in the night too. I enjoyed our 3:00 in the morning conversations when both Mary and Selman woke up crying. I am so grateful for all the help that my parents and Chris’ parents have given to us! Sunday April 15th was Selman’s baby blessing. He was blessed to be a leader in his family and I think that he will be. I can see by looking into his baby blue eyes that he is full of wisdom and goodness. After the blessing and the rest of church we went to Gainor’s house for pulled pork on a bun and salads and dessert. Thanks to Gainors for hosting the event. Their house is a lot bigger than our Copperfield home (and we were trying to keep our Copperfield home in selling condition). Gainors were there of course, Sister Snow came (she is the lady we have become friends with by driving her to and from church), and Aunt Brenda and Uncle Gord and Todd came too. It is so good to have family get togethers. Family is so important. Chris left that evening to start his last week for student teaching. He came back the Thursday evening for the Copperfield school family dance. Chris’ parents left early Friday the 20th of April and then the kids and I drove Chris down to Vulcan for his last day of student teaching and to show Caeleb and Elva around Champion school. I went to the Friday night Time our for Women that evening with Selman, Mom and Camellia (thanks for the ticket Camellia). It was very spiritually uplifting. Saturday, our family drove back up to Calgary and Chris and I worked hard for the next few days getting the house ready for carpet cleaning on Monday and real estate pictures on Tuesday. Our house was posted on the real estate website the morning of Thursday April 26. We had about 4 showings the first weekend and then I left on the Monday with the girls and baby Selman to stay at the farm so that Elva could start school in Champion on Tuesday May 1st. Caeleb didn’t start in Champion until May 15th as he had a week long living well field trip he wanted to go to in Copperfield and Chris was able to go with him all those days.
We got an offer after about 10 showings – less than 2 weeks on the market. What a blessing as we thought it would take several months. It is a buyers market and the average is about 45 days to sell. After a few little hiccups and another stressful week, the final contract was signed with a closing date of June 1 at noon. That did not make for a lot of time to get things packed and ready but we did it. I spent most of the time at the farm with the kids while Chris packed. Nathan helped pack and clean (Thank you Nathan!) and he moved to his new home in Ranchlands on June 1. He has lived with us for the last 7 years and we will miss him (he is Mary’s best buddy) but change is good and it was time to move on. He is a great Uncle and we hope he stays close friends with his nieces and nephews.
For Mothers Day the boys sent Mom, Camellia and I to Banff for 2 nights at a resort place. We are so spoiled and had a lot of fun. We went to lake Louise and hiked half way around the lake, we ate at Boston pizza and had Chinese food, we walked around town and talked and talked. I love my girls getaways! Thanks boys. Meanwhile they took the kids swimming and to Chucky Cheese so the kids had a blast too.
We were so lucky to have Middletons let us stay in Micky’s old house and to just pay utilities (we are only about ½ km from the brick home that is still being fixed up and should be ready in September) and we moved most of our stuff on Monday May 21st. Our Mahogany ward friends were so helpful as we loaded the moving van that day. We are going to miss that ward. Our new ward helped us unload that day and we are excited for new adventures with the kind people of our new ward and our kind neighbors on our road.
On May 26th, we headed to Fort Mcleod to do the Wilderness run. This year, I jogged 10 kms (a very slow jog) and Mom and Chris walked it. I was trying to prepare for it but between having a new baby and moving preparation, I did not have a lot of time to prepare. But I did jog the whole thing and I plan on doing even better next year.
Caeleb and Elva have been adapting well to their new school. There is only about 100 students from Preschool to grade 9 but the big kids help the little kids and there seems to be a unity within the school that I love. I love small schools. Caeleb and Elva like their teachers and have been making new friends. They have had many adventures already from swimming every school day in June at the pool across the street from the school, a field trip for Caeleb to camp Chestermere to go kayaking, bottle rockets and sling shots (Chris was able to go), a Zoo trip for Elva with her Kindergarten (I went along with Mary and Selman and we got to see the new Panda exhibit), 2 track and field days for Caeleb (he does well with long distance running). The kids also did T - ball and coach pitch this year organized by volunteers from the community. There was a practice on about 6 Wednesdays during May and June and 2 tournaments - one in Champion and 1 in Milo. This is the first sport Caeleb and Elva have done - well, I guess they did Soccer for a couple of weeks a few years ago and Elva did ballet for half a year. They really enjoyed it and we had fun watching them. The last day of school for Elva was Thursday June 21 and for Caeleb was Wednesday June 27. We picked Caeleb up from school a little early that day, went to Lethbridge to order our Kitchen for the brick home and then travelled on to Mountain View to visit the Nelson family for a few days. Nathan came and joined us there as well. Our family went to Waterton for the day and was it ever a beautiful day. No wind and not too hot or cold. Perfect! It was interesting to see all the burned out places in Waterton but it really is as beautiful as ever. Friday was spent with Chris and Doug putting the brick on the Nelson fireplace. They were really focused, spent all day doing it, and did a great job. We celebrated Canada day on Saturday as July first was Sunday. Mountain View had a talent show, games and beef on a bun. Mom and Dad joined us for that. We came back Saturday afternoon so that Chris could go up to a games night with some buddies in Calgary.
This last week has been spent in swimming lessons for the kids with the Nelsons joining us for the week. Monday was Moms birthday and we had a parmesan chicken dinner and cake for dessert, Mom got a birthday calendar, and we sent off a floating lantern which the kids loved. Camellia and I got our hair cut in Vulcan on Wednesday and Thursday we camped in town and spent the afternoon learning to ride bikes, going to the store for a treat, to the library, swimming, playing with cousins and town friends, making smores and enjoying this lovely little town. After the last swimming lesson on Friday, we met Mom and Dad at little bow for a picnic and early afternoon swim. While the first part of this week has been cooler and rainy, the last couple of days have been hot and dry. Today is a low key day. Chris has been working hard all last week doing IT stuff for his old employer (it is a blessing that he has this part time job), so we are spending the day catching up on house chores and relaxing.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Welcome Baby Selman - March 10 2018
Baby Selman has arrived and we are loving every minute with him! We love family names and so Selman is after my Selman side of the family (I am excited to tell him about his Great Grandma and Grandpa Selman) and Gary is after Chris' dad. Here is his story...
I had my 39 weeks and 2 days doctors appointment on Thursday morning March 8th with Dr. Fahey (she was Elva and Mary's OB as well). My visiting teacher took Mary and Elva had an all day field trip at the Leighton art center. I had been feeling stressed with Chris needing to do finals and assignments and get ready to start his practicum on March 19th in Vulcan which would put him an hour away and living at the farm if the baby came late (due date was Tuesday March 13th but I was thinking he would come later and my tentative overdue induction date had been set for Friday March 23rd). I talked to Dr. Fahey about my stresses and we had a good talk and even a good laugh (it is fun to talk to her). But after another sweep (my 4th one) at the end of the appointment, she looked at me seriously and said that I looked like I felt there was something wrong with baby and that I could be induced the next day if I wanted too. I said I would think about it and left her office feeling caught off guard and confused about that sudden comment. That confusion turned into anxiety throughout the afternoon and evening and I decided I would go to labour and delivery triage the next morning just to make sure baby was okay and to get a second opinion of things.
So the next morning, my friend Laura watched Mary while Elva and Caeleb were in school and I went to triage for a non-stress test at 9:00. Baby looked fine and the doctor on call eased my fears and did yet another sweep (my 5th one in the last 2 weeks). She said my waters were bulging and that maybe she would see me that evening. I naturally thought my water would break that day. I went home and Chris let me get an hour nap in the afternoon. I had contractions on and off about every 15-30 minutes for most of the day and evening. I fell asleep with the kids at 8:30 pm and then went to my bed around 9:30. At 10:30 pm, a contraction woke me up so I felt like "maybe things are starting to happen." I tried to sleep for the next few hours but was not able to get much rest. At about 12:30 am, I felt a little gush of something and went to the bathroom to check it out. Low and behold, quite a bit of blood and a big red clot. "Oh, darn." I knew what bleeding could mean as much of my pregnancy with Elva was with a chronic placental abruption. So I quickly woke up Chris saying "we need to get to the hospital now!" Thank goodness for Nathan watching the kids! Thank you Nathan!! I got my hospital bag but could not quickly find my purse so we left it. Chris was running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off getting his things together and I was like "hurry up!" We would have ran red lights but luckily the 5 minute drive to the hospital was mostly green lights. Chris hurried me up to the 7th floor in a wheelchair as I was still bleeding and they got us in right away in triage. They hooked me up to the monitor and baby was okay (sigh of relief). The Nurse started IV fluids and Dr. Wilson saw me soon after. He checked and I was 3.5 - 4 cm dialated. He was not sure if it was a placental abruption but they kept me on the monitor to make sure baby was okay. I was still having regular contractions about 8 minutes apart so after we were reassured for some time about baby, Chris and I got up and started walking around the unit to see if we could get labour going faster. The bleeding had almost stopped at that point. They found me a room and moved me there at about 2:30 am. I tried sleeping the rest of the night but I was still have contractions about every 8 minutes apart for 30 seconds (I was timing them) and I could not sleep well. They were not very intense but they kept me up. Dr. Wilson came in at 8:00 in the morning and told us that he was not going to send me home due to my history of bleeding and the fact that I was due the coming Tuesday. He wanted to induce me so he broke my water (Labour and Delivery is the messiest, wettest unit in a hospital I tell you) and then I was allowed to order breakfast and get up and walk for a while (just wasn't allowed to walk off the unit). My Nurse hooked me up to a Pitocin drip at 9:15 (2cc/hr) and then I was on continuous baby heart monitoring after that. She upped the Pitocin drip every 30 minutes by 2 cc until I was at about 7 cc/hr (I guess the limit is about 11 cc/hr for most inductions but I did not need that). They do have a portable baby monitor so Chris and I walked around the unit some more. We walked around the unit about 8 times in total during my stay. The contractions got stronger and stronger and by about 1030 I had to stop to breath through them while walking. I bounced on the birthing ball for a while and then found the most comfortable position was leaning against the bed while standing and gripping on to the rails of the bed. Chris spent from that time forward fanning me with a book to help me feel like I was getting more air. I did not want to get into bed as I had found it paralyzed me in a way when I was in labour with Mary and I could not cope well with her labour. Chris called my church friend/Doula Leiah at about 11:00 as I was needing extra support by then (I had wanted a Doula to help me for this labour and I was lucky to find one in my ward). Leiah was there at about 1130 and she took charge and did hip squeezes as the contractions came. The hip squeezes really helped. The contractions were really intense at that point and there was not much of a break in between them. I was quietly moaning through them. The doctor wanted to check me at 1200 and I really did not want her too as I was scared that I had not dilated more (I had been slow dilating with Mary and it had been discouraging) but I let her check and I was super happy when she said I was "a good 7 cm". I could have done a dance I was so happy (okay, maybe not do a dance at that point). I decided to take a shower after that which was kind of awkward with everyone watching (well, it was Leiah, Chris and the Nurse though it seemed like more people were in the bathroom than that - my memory is hazy about some things as I was in la la land with pain at that point). I was needing help to get into the shower while hooked up to the IV and baby monitor and having contractions but heck, I am a nurse, I don't get embarrassed anymore. To be honest, the shower did not help but it helped pass the time for about 5 minutes and it was a change of scenery. When I got out, I leaned against the bed for another couple of contractions and then felt like I could not hold myself up any longer and I felt like I might fall down. Leiah says that wobbly legs is a sign of transitioning to 10 cm so that must have been it. I did not want to get into bed but really did not have an option at that point so I ended up kneeling in bed facing the head of the bed and holding on to the rails. A few minutes later, about 1225, I felt I had to push. Actually I really felt like I had to have a bowel movement and maybe push my rectum out in the process (a little graphic I know).
Dr. Zachariason and resident were called in and I had to turn around in bed which was hard and I was dreading that as I did not want to be on my back. I remember asking if baby was coming as I just really felt I had to go to the bathroom at that point. I don't think I was that loud but I was definitely making some weird noises. 3 contractions with pushes later and Baby Selman was born. They immediately put him on my chest and it took a couple of minutes for him to give a good cry but no one was worried and he did well. When he was coming out they said he looked like he had a lot of hair (but not nearly as much as Mary). The nurse said he was a big boy and he weighed in at 8 lbs 6 ounces but that really did not seem a lot compared to Mary. What a handsome little boy he is! I had a 2nd degree tare like I did with Caeleb and Mary and so I was stitched up after the placenta was delivered. They did such a good job and I have not felt it since (with Caeleb it was a different story - so pokey and uncomfortable). Things went so well and I feel so blessed that I was really only in active labour for about 2.5 hours. The doctor did say after the placenta was delivered that she thought it was an abruption that caused the bleeding. But baby was never affected by it and it turned out so well. I did bleed quite a bit after and the doctor had to clean things out by hand (which was a weird experience but not nearly as painful as they said it would be and I did not need the fentanyl and laughing gas they offered me). The Doctor and Nurse said I was tough but that part really wasn't that bad. My hemoglobin only went down to 100 and I believe that my healing has been so fast due to the interventions that the doctor took. We stayed in the hospital until 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Mom, Dad and Camellia brought the kids to visit baby Selman on Saturday afternoon and they were immediately smitten by him. Chris stayed overnight with me. The rooms are so big and new and comfortable and it is nice to have a bed for a partner. We came home to supper provided by Camellia, Mom and a lady in our ward. We were also brought supper Monday to Friday by families in the ward. We are so grateful for all that has been done for us. I have felt so wonderful ever since baby has been born. Just tired of coarse as Selman is not the greatest sleeper (none of my kids have been great sleepers) but otherwise I feel really really good. In fact, I went to church yesterday with Caeleb, Elva and Mary to teach Chris' primary lesson while he stayed home with baby Selman (he does good with taking a bottle and with nursing). I also took Caeleb, Elva and their friend Sydney to the play Annie on Saturday while Chris watched Mary and Selman. Paul and Kamille's daughter Kyndal was in the play and she did great! Mom and Dad took the girls for half of last week - Thank you so much! I had Monday and Tuesday just baby Selman and me while Caeleb and Chris were at school. Wednesday - Sunday have been busy with the 4 kids but Mom and Dad took Mary again yesterday (Sunday) evening and will have her until Friday. Chris is down at the farm as well for Student teaching in Vulcan. I really feel so blessed to have baby Selman here safe and sound. I know I write a lot but I feel like every unique experience of when Heavenly Father sends a child to a family is a miracle and an amazing blessing and I want to remember everything about this experience. We feel so blessed to have Selman Gary Watters in our family.
I had my 39 weeks and 2 days doctors appointment on Thursday morning March 8th with Dr. Fahey (she was Elva and Mary's OB as well). My visiting teacher took Mary and Elva had an all day field trip at the Leighton art center. I had been feeling stressed with Chris needing to do finals and assignments and get ready to start his practicum on March 19th in Vulcan which would put him an hour away and living at the farm if the baby came late (due date was Tuesday March 13th but I was thinking he would come later and my tentative overdue induction date had been set for Friday March 23rd). I talked to Dr. Fahey about my stresses and we had a good talk and even a good laugh (it is fun to talk to her). But after another sweep (my 4th one) at the end of the appointment, she looked at me seriously and said that I looked like I felt there was something wrong with baby and that I could be induced the next day if I wanted too. I said I would think about it and left her office feeling caught off guard and confused about that sudden comment. That confusion turned into anxiety throughout the afternoon and evening and I decided I would go to labour and delivery triage the next morning just to make sure baby was okay and to get a second opinion of things.
So the next morning, my friend Laura watched Mary while Elva and Caeleb were in school and I went to triage for a non-stress test at 9:00. Baby looked fine and the doctor on call eased my fears and did yet another sweep (my 5th one in the last 2 weeks). She said my waters were bulging and that maybe she would see me that evening. I naturally thought my water would break that day. I went home and Chris let me get an hour nap in the afternoon. I had contractions on and off about every 15-30 minutes for most of the day and evening. I fell asleep with the kids at 8:30 pm and then went to my bed around 9:30. At 10:30 pm, a contraction woke me up so I felt like "maybe things are starting to happen." I tried to sleep for the next few hours but was not able to get much rest. At about 12:30 am, I felt a little gush of something and went to the bathroom to check it out. Low and behold, quite a bit of blood and a big red clot. "Oh, darn." I knew what bleeding could mean as much of my pregnancy with Elva was with a chronic placental abruption. So I quickly woke up Chris saying "we need to get to the hospital now!" Thank goodness for Nathan watching the kids! Thank you Nathan!! I got my hospital bag but could not quickly find my purse so we left it. Chris was running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off getting his things together and I was like "hurry up!" We would have ran red lights but luckily the 5 minute drive to the hospital was mostly green lights. Chris hurried me up to the 7th floor in a wheelchair as I was still bleeding and they got us in right away in triage. They hooked me up to the monitor and baby was okay (sigh of relief). The Nurse started IV fluids and Dr. Wilson saw me soon after. He checked and I was 3.5 - 4 cm dialated. He was not sure if it was a placental abruption but they kept me on the monitor to make sure baby was okay. I was still having regular contractions about 8 minutes apart so after we were reassured for some time about baby, Chris and I got up and started walking around the unit to see if we could get labour going faster. The bleeding had almost stopped at that point. They found me a room and moved me there at about 2:30 am. I tried sleeping the rest of the night but I was still have contractions about every 8 minutes apart for 30 seconds (I was timing them) and I could not sleep well. They were not very intense but they kept me up. Dr. Wilson came in at 8:00 in the morning and told us that he was not going to send me home due to my history of bleeding and the fact that I was due the coming Tuesday. He wanted to induce me so he broke my water (Labour and Delivery is the messiest, wettest unit in a hospital I tell you) and then I was allowed to order breakfast and get up and walk for a while (just wasn't allowed to walk off the unit). My Nurse hooked me up to a Pitocin drip at 9:15 (2cc/hr) and then I was on continuous baby heart monitoring after that. She upped the Pitocin drip every 30 minutes by 2 cc until I was at about 7 cc/hr (I guess the limit is about 11 cc/hr for most inductions but I did not need that). They do have a portable baby monitor so Chris and I walked around the unit some more. We walked around the unit about 8 times in total during my stay. The contractions got stronger and stronger and by about 1030 I had to stop to breath through them while walking. I bounced on the birthing ball for a while and then found the most comfortable position was leaning against the bed while standing and gripping on to the rails of the bed. Chris spent from that time forward fanning me with a book to help me feel like I was getting more air. I did not want to get into bed as I had found it paralyzed me in a way when I was in labour with Mary and I could not cope well with her labour. Chris called my church friend/Doula Leiah at about 11:00 as I was needing extra support by then (I had wanted a Doula to help me for this labour and I was lucky to find one in my ward). Leiah was there at about 1130 and she took charge and did hip squeezes as the contractions came. The hip squeezes really helped. The contractions were really intense at that point and there was not much of a break in between them. I was quietly moaning through them. The doctor wanted to check me at 1200 and I really did not want her too as I was scared that I had not dilated more (I had been slow dilating with Mary and it had been discouraging) but I let her check and I was super happy when she said I was "a good 7 cm". I could have done a dance I was so happy (okay, maybe not do a dance at that point). I decided to take a shower after that which was kind of awkward with everyone watching (well, it was Leiah, Chris and the Nurse though it seemed like more people were in the bathroom than that - my memory is hazy about some things as I was in la la land with pain at that point). I was needing help to get into the shower while hooked up to the IV and baby monitor and having contractions but heck, I am a nurse, I don't get embarrassed anymore. To be honest, the shower did not help but it helped pass the time for about 5 minutes and it was a change of scenery. When I got out, I leaned against the bed for another couple of contractions and then felt like I could not hold myself up any longer and I felt like I might fall down. Leiah says that wobbly legs is a sign of transitioning to 10 cm so that must have been it. I did not want to get into bed but really did not have an option at that point so I ended up kneeling in bed facing the head of the bed and holding on to the rails. A few minutes later, about 1225, I felt I had to push. Actually I really felt like I had to have a bowel movement and maybe push my rectum out in the process (a little graphic I know).
Dr. Zachariason and resident were called in and I had to turn around in bed which was hard and I was dreading that as I did not want to be on my back. I remember asking if baby was coming as I just really felt I had to go to the bathroom at that point. I don't think I was that loud but I was definitely making some weird noises. 3 contractions with pushes later and Baby Selman was born. They immediately put him on my chest and it took a couple of minutes for him to give a good cry but no one was worried and he did well. When he was coming out they said he looked like he had a lot of hair (but not nearly as much as Mary). The nurse said he was a big boy and he weighed in at 8 lbs 6 ounces but that really did not seem a lot compared to Mary. What a handsome little boy he is! I had a 2nd degree tare like I did with Caeleb and Mary and so I was stitched up after the placenta was delivered. They did such a good job and I have not felt it since (with Caeleb it was a different story - so pokey and uncomfortable). Things went so well and I feel so blessed that I was really only in active labour for about 2.5 hours. The doctor did say after the placenta was delivered that she thought it was an abruption that caused the bleeding. But baby was never affected by it and it turned out so well. I did bleed quite a bit after and the doctor had to clean things out by hand (which was a weird experience but not nearly as painful as they said it would be and I did not need the fentanyl and laughing gas they offered me). The Doctor and Nurse said I was tough but that part really wasn't that bad. My hemoglobin only went down to 100 and I believe that my healing has been so fast due to the interventions that the doctor took. We stayed in the hospital until 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Mom, Dad and Camellia brought the kids to visit baby Selman on Saturday afternoon and they were immediately smitten by him. Chris stayed overnight with me. The rooms are so big and new and comfortable and it is nice to have a bed for a partner. We came home to supper provided by Camellia, Mom and a lady in our ward. We were also brought supper Monday to Friday by families in the ward. We are so grateful for all that has been done for us. I have felt so wonderful ever since baby has been born. Just tired of coarse as Selman is not the greatest sleeper (none of my kids have been great sleepers) but otherwise I feel really really good. In fact, I went to church yesterday with Caeleb, Elva and Mary to teach Chris' primary lesson while he stayed home with baby Selman (he does good with taking a bottle and with nursing). I also took Caeleb, Elva and their friend Sydney to the play Annie on Saturday while Chris watched Mary and Selman. Paul and Kamille's daughter Kyndal was in the play and she did great! Mom and Dad took the girls for half of last week - Thank you so much! I had Monday and Tuesday just baby Selman and me while Caeleb and Chris were at school. Wednesday - Sunday have been busy with the 4 kids but Mom and Dad took Mary again yesterday (Sunday) evening and will have her until Friday. Chris is down at the farm as well for Student teaching in Vulcan. I really feel so blessed to have baby Selman here safe and sound. I know I write a lot but I feel like every unique experience of when Heavenly Father sends a child to a family is a miracle and an amazing blessing and I want to remember everything about this experience. We feel so blessed to have Selman Gary Watters in our family.
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Baby is Almost here - Also catching up on Christmas 2017
Well, I need to catch up on Christmas 2017 before baby arrives. It is about to get even more busy around here with another little one. The kids are excited to meet little boy (well, I don't really think Mary understands too much about it).
When we got back from Victoria the week before Christmas, I went right back to work the next day and worked 4 days that week. Chris was busy that week finding us a new vehicle and we were blessed to find a 2012 Kia for a little less then what they gave us from insurance for our totalled Mazda 5 (we got about $10000 for the Mazda). It is just the right van for us, we love the extra room and we have felt many tender mercies by getting this newer vehicle.
Thursday December 23, we went to the Nutcracker Ballet (see the last post) and on Friday December 22 we went to the Nativity Pageant at Heritage Park which is tradition. It was a cold night but we enjoyed watching the true meaning of Christmas.
I worked Saturday evening as well as Christmas eve Sunday. They were busy but good shifts and even though it is hard being away from the family when I work holidays, I like the spirit at work during the holidays.
On Christmas morning, the kids woke up about 6:30 and opened their stockings. We had Sister Snow ( a lady in our ward that we drive to church) over for a breakfast of crepes. At about 1000 we opened our gifts. Caeleb got some minecraft lego from Santa and Sterling and some Warhammer models from Daddy. Elva got a baby Alive from Santa and her and Mary got doll strollers from the Nelsons. Mary got a barn playset from Santa and the girls also got a Barbie pool. The grandparents got the kids coloring supplies which we love and new ornaments for the tree. I got Chris a Warhammer book and he got me a calendar. I know I have missed lots as it felt like we got a lot as usual. I will try to come back and fill in the gaps.
We took Sister Snow down to the farm for Christmas dinner and she came back with Nathan that evening. Elva had the flu that day and the poor little girl slept most of the afternoon but she was better by the next day. The kids acted out the Nativity on Boxing day and we had a little Smith family program. We played games that day and watched movies and hung out inside as it was a very cold week.
The day after Boxing day we went to Camellia and Doug's house to watch the kids while Camellia worked and they went on a date to the Temple. It was still very cold out but we did get out to do a little sledding while we were there.
We cleaned the church the Saturday before New Years Eve and after church on New Years Eve, we had a couple in our ward and their twin 15 year olds over for supper, appetizers and to play the game DC superheros. The kids were in bed around 9:00 that night and we stayed up until midnight.
I picked up a couple of extra shifts in January and went on vacation time/maternity leave February 5th (that was my last shift). I probably could have worked longer (I was only 35 weeks at that time) but my scheduler suggested I take my vacation time and I have been feeling very pregnant with ligament pain down below that is affecting how fast I can move.
Also, we are getting our house ready to be put on the market at the beginning of April so we are starting to paint and declutter and organize. And the kids have been keeping me busy with school and life - this last week Mary has not been sleeping well and has been keeping me up at nights. I am writing this at 3:00 in the morning and I think it is pregnancy that is keeping me up right now - just can't sleep.
So, I fell 3 days ago on Wednesday Afternoon February 28th. It was silly really. Mom and Dad took Mary for the day as Chris was down in Vulcan spending a day at the elementary school he will be student teaching at in a few weeks. I walked Elva to school and I took her skating at the rink by the school before going to kindergarten. She wanted to go sledding down the small hill at the park there ( I took Caeleb and Mary sledding there the last Monday) and I agreed to go down with her once. I did not realize there was a jump at the bottom and we got some good air and I came right down on my pelvic bone. It was very painful and hard to get up but I hobbled Elva to her class and then Ellie's dad (that is Elva's best friend at school) drove me to the South Hospital and I spent 4 hours there making sure baby was okay. It was very hard for me to move after this fall. Chris picked up the kids, then picked me up at the hospital and I rested that evening (thanks Chris) and have been taking it pretty easy since. I had an appointment and Ultrasound (to see if baby was okay with the fall) the day after, Thursday, and thanks mom and dad for coming to watch the girls that day. Today, Saturday early, I feel a lot better. We even went to the Home and Garden show (amidst a snow storm) yesterday and it was good to walk and walk and walk. I was tired after but hopefully it will move baby along (I have also tried spicy indian food which I crave these days and pinapple). The kids love the Home and Garden show and all the free treats. They made little tool boxes at the Home Depot exhibit and they got lots of candy.
Well, I best be getting to bed again as it is after 3:00 in the morning on Saturday. I am not feeling any contractions - just a little cramping on and off the last few weeks). I will be 39 weeks this coming Tuesday and I feel like baby may hold on for a few more weeks. I guess we will see. I am due Tuesday March 13 but I have an induction date set for Friday March 23 at 2:00 (Chris should be able to make it back from Vulcan by then) if baby does not come before then. It is a little nerve-wracking as Chris is very busy with homework now and he starts his student teaching on Monday March 19th and will be living at the farm - but I guess it is just an hour and 15 minutes away and it will all work out. I am excited to meet this little boy (the ultrasound on Thursday showed he weighed around 8 and 1/2 lbs so he will most likely be a big baby boy). I will just enjoy the last of this pregnancy and will meet this little one when he is good and ready. I feel so blessed to feel him kicking around inside. I just want him to be safe.
Well, I best get back to bed soon. I will keep you updated on what happens in the next few weeks.
When we got back from Victoria the week before Christmas, I went right back to work the next day and worked 4 days that week. Chris was busy that week finding us a new vehicle and we were blessed to find a 2012 Kia for a little less then what they gave us from insurance for our totalled Mazda 5 (we got about $10000 for the Mazda). It is just the right van for us, we love the extra room and we have felt many tender mercies by getting this newer vehicle.
Thursday December 23, we went to the Nutcracker Ballet (see the last post) and on Friday December 22 we went to the Nativity Pageant at Heritage Park which is tradition. It was a cold night but we enjoyed watching the true meaning of Christmas.
I worked Saturday evening as well as Christmas eve Sunday. They were busy but good shifts and even though it is hard being away from the family when I work holidays, I like the spirit at work during the holidays.
On Christmas morning, the kids woke up about 6:30 and opened their stockings. We had Sister Snow ( a lady in our ward that we drive to church) over for a breakfast of crepes. At about 1000 we opened our gifts. Caeleb got some minecraft lego from Santa and Sterling and some Warhammer models from Daddy. Elva got a baby Alive from Santa and her and Mary got doll strollers from the Nelsons. Mary got a barn playset from Santa and the girls also got a Barbie pool. The grandparents got the kids coloring supplies which we love and new ornaments for the tree. I got Chris a Warhammer book and he got me a calendar. I know I have missed lots as it felt like we got a lot as usual. I will try to come back and fill in the gaps.
We took Sister Snow down to the farm for Christmas dinner and she came back with Nathan that evening. Elva had the flu that day and the poor little girl slept most of the afternoon but she was better by the next day. The kids acted out the Nativity on Boxing day and we had a little Smith family program. We played games that day and watched movies and hung out inside as it was a very cold week.
The day after Boxing day we went to Camellia and Doug's house to watch the kids while Camellia worked and they went on a date to the Temple. It was still very cold out but we did get out to do a little sledding while we were there.
We cleaned the church the Saturday before New Years Eve and after church on New Years Eve, we had a couple in our ward and their twin 15 year olds over for supper, appetizers and to play the game DC superheros. The kids were in bed around 9:00 that night and we stayed up until midnight.
I picked up a couple of extra shifts in January and went on vacation time/maternity leave February 5th (that was my last shift). I probably could have worked longer (I was only 35 weeks at that time) but my scheduler suggested I take my vacation time and I have been feeling very pregnant with ligament pain down below that is affecting how fast I can move.
Also, we are getting our house ready to be put on the market at the beginning of April so we are starting to paint and declutter and organize. And the kids have been keeping me busy with school and life - this last week Mary has not been sleeping well and has been keeping me up at nights. I am writing this at 3:00 in the morning and I think it is pregnancy that is keeping me up right now - just can't sleep.
So, I fell 3 days ago on Wednesday Afternoon February 28th. It was silly really. Mom and Dad took Mary for the day as Chris was down in Vulcan spending a day at the elementary school he will be student teaching at in a few weeks. I walked Elva to school and I took her skating at the rink by the school before going to kindergarten. She wanted to go sledding down the small hill at the park there ( I took Caeleb and Mary sledding there the last Monday) and I agreed to go down with her once. I did not realize there was a jump at the bottom and we got some good air and I came right down on my pelvic bone. It was very painful and hard to get up but I hobbled Elva to her class and then Ellie's dad (that is Elva's best friend at school) drove me to the South Hospital and I spent 4 hours there making sure baby was okay. It was very hard for me to move after this fall. Chris picked up the kids, then picked me up at the hospital and I rested that evening (thanks Chris) and have been taking it pretty easy since. I had an appointment and Ultrasound (to see if baby was okay with the fall) the day after, Thursday, and thanks mom and dad for coming to watch the girls that day. Today, Saturday early, I feel a lot better. We even went to the Home and Garden show (amidst a snow storm) yesterday and it was good to walk and walk and walk. I was tired after but hopefully it will move baby along (I have also tried spicy indian food which I crave these days and pinapple). The kids love the Home and Garden show and all the free treats. They made little tool boxes at the Home Depot exhibit and they got lots of candy.
Well, I best be getting to bed again as it is after 3:00 in the morning on Saturday. I am not feeling any contractions - just a little cramping on and off the last few weeks). I will be 39 weeks this coming Tuesday and I feel like baby may hold on for a few more weeks. I guess we will see. I am due Tuesday March 13 but I have an induction date set for Friday March 23 at 2:00 (Chris should be able to make it back from Vulcan by then) if baby does not come before then. It is a little nerve-wracking as Chris is very busy with homework now and he starts his student teaching on Monday March 19th and will be living at the farm - but I guess it is just an hour and 15 minutes away and it will all work out. I am excited to meet this little boy (the ultrasound on Thursday showed he weighed around 8 and 1/2 lbs so he will most likely be a big baby boy). I will just enjoy the last of this pregnancy and will meet this little one when he is good and ready. I feel so blessed to feel him kicking around inside. I just want him to be safe.
Well, I best get back to bed soon. I will keep you updated on what happens in the next few weeks.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Fall and Winter adventures - Boston and Beyond.
Well, the end of 2017 was very busy and full of amazing adventures. We spent Canadian Thanksgiving weekend at the farm and then I worked the Thanksgiving Monday - I traded with someone who wanted it off. Halloween was cold and rainy but the kids did get out for some good trick or treating in their costumes. Elva and Mary were Fairy Princesses and Caeleb was Aragon from Lord of the Rings. I love celebrating all the holidays with my kids and I do like Halloween (I like watching kid scary movies like Casper, Hocus Pocus and Goosebumps).
The kids and I spent November 11 at the farm making turtles. Camellia and Dad went to the Remembrance day service in Champion. Chris and I went to the kid's school Remembrance day assembly the day before. One guy played bag pipes and a teenage girl played the last post on her trumpet. I feel it is so important to Remember those who have sacrificed so much so that we can have our freedom. I hope my kids never forget to honor Remembrance day.
I had a tough shift the end of October where I had to send one of my patients to the ICU. I know I can not put the blame on myself and it all happened so fast (she went Septic) but I have a tendency of putting blame and stress on myself. That shift set me back and I was feeling discouraged. But I keep going back to work and I have had plenty of good shifts since then and I realize that there will always be more good days then bad and that I need to keep trying and trying and never give up. However, after that shift, my amazing - wonderful sister Camellia thought I needed some get away time and so she found a cheap ticket to Boston and sent me on my way there for 5 days - Thursday November 30th to Monday September 4th. Thank you so much Camellia!! On Thursday my flight left at 9:00 am and I flew from Calgary to Montreal and then ran through the airport to get on the plane to Boston. I arrived in Boston at 5:30 and my cousin Sarah picked me up at the airport. It was so good to see her and her family. Their house is beautiful (she is great at decorating) and the whole New England atmosphere is so appealing. We spent Friday touring downtown Boston, walking through the oldest park in America, walking many parts of the freedom trail, eating Cannolis in little Italy, learning about the Minute Men in the revolution, visiting a lot of ancient cemeteries and touring Louisa May Alcott's home in Concord.
Saturday, Sarah and I got up early and left the house for New York City at around 6:30 am. We went with 3 of Sarah's friends (her friend in Rhoda Island drove) and we were in New York around 1100. We drove by the Temple and took some pictures. We got some yummy cookies at Lavina's bakery. We parked a few blocks away from Central park (Cost was $53 for 12 hours) and we walked to the park from there. We did a Pedicab tour of the south 1/2 of central park (it was $30 per person if I remember right) and it was fun to have someone tell us about where the movie stars lived around central park and about the history of some structures in the park. We walked by the Plaza hotel (it was too busy to go in) and took the subway all the way under the strait to Brooklyn. We ate a yummy chain burger place in Brooklyn and then walked the Brooklyn bridge back to Manhattan (it probably took 45 minutes to walk the bridge and there were LOTS of people). We saw the statue of Liberty at a distance with the sun setting - it was beautiful. Then we took the subway north to Grand Central station and ate some banana pudding at a bakery called Magnolia. Then we did a lot of walking - walked to Macy's department store (lots of fun Christmas displays), past the Empire State building, to Saks department store (there was a fun light show on the side of Saks) and St. Patricks Cathedral across the street. The streets were so crowded! And it even got more crowded as we ventured into the Rockefeller plaza to see the big Christmas tree there. Then we walked another block or so to see the lights and crowds at Times square. We got pizza at Rays pizza which is near there. And I had to get a $2.00 hotdog (hotdog stands on every block). We then walked back to the Hotel that we parked at and left around 9:30. We got home around 1:00 am. I enjoyed my one day in New York. The shocking part of it was the crowds. There were many times in the evening when I thought I was lost from my group as the crowds pushed us in different directions. I am thinking that is a Christmas thing. I am so grateful that I have got to cross New York city off my bucket list!
Sunday, we went to 9:00 church and then took off to Rockport and Gloucester Mass. They are right on the coast of the Atlantic ocean. Gloucester is where the movie and book "The Perfect Storm" took place and Rockport is where much of "The Proposal" was filmed. It was my first time to the Atlantic ocean and I loved seeing the villages, beaches and lighthouses in the area.
We watched the LDS Christmas Devotional back at the Cole home. Sarah dropped me off at the airport around 6:30 the next morning and I flew to Toronto and then to Calgary (with a 2 hour delayed flight in Toronto). What a wonderful trip it was. It was so good to see my cousin and her family. But it was good to come home and see my family. I missed them. I am grateful for Mom and Camellia from watching Mary and Elva and for Chris and Nathan for watching Caeleb.
We celebrated Elva's birthday Wednesday December 6th after work (I am a horrible mom and was in Boston on her birthday December 3rd). We had a free pass to the flying Squirrel so we went there to celebrate and the kids loved that. Elva got a Barbie car and 2 barbies for her birthday (One from Aunty Camellia/Nana and Papa).
A week at home and 3 shifts later and we took off to Victoria at 4:00 a.m Monday morning (a few hours after my Sunday evening shift). The weather was beautiful in Calgary when we left and on the way out to Victoria. And since Chris was in an accident a few weeks before, the insurance company gave us a new Kia rental van for our drive out - free of charge - while our car was in the shop. What tender mercies we have seen!!! We even made it in time for the special Christmas Monday Watters get together. I have always wanted to go and it was fun to visit with family and eat yummy food. Chris spent the week working for the family company ( he is there IT guy). I entertained the kids and had fun visiting with relatives - we went to butterfly gardens - thanks LouAnn - we went downtown to the inner harbour and looked at a gingerbread house competition. We went out for supper downtown for Nathaniel's birthday and we went to the new Star Wars movie.
After 10:00 sacrament meeting on Sunday, we caught the 1:00 ferry. The weather was turning bad and we wanted to get on the road before we hit snowy weather. We slept at Chris' cousin Athena's house in Kamloops on Sunday night and ended up leaving at 4:30 on Monday morning as Mary got up early and was hard to settle. The roads were not great from Kamloops to Golden but we drove slow and got to Banff around 2:00. We stopped there for an hour for a Beaver tail treat (it was the kids first time to Banff and we had to take advantage of this Free 2017 year for national parks).
We got home around 4:00 and went straight to look at a new vehicle (They ended up writing off our vehicle the Saturday before and gave us until Thursday to give back our rental). I worked Tuesday and Wednesday day shifts while Chris went crazy on the vehicle search. We did find one at our local Kia dealership - 2012 Kia van, simple, yet roomy and just what we needed. The money we get for the Mazda from insurance will pay for the Kia and then we got a 3 year warranty on the Kia (as we had lots of fix ups with the Mazda and we did not want to chance that again). We picked up the van on Thursday just in time for Chris and I to go to the Nutcracker Ballet (Michelle gave us tickets as we have watched Max and Sebastian a few times this Fall). I am glad I got the opportunity to see a ballet. It was beautiful. Camellia and I used to go to sleep listening to Tchaikovsky's nutcracker. We ended the night with some wings and bubble tea at a favourite restaurant of ours on 16th ave - Bubblemania.
Well, I best end this now. I will continue writing about Christmas in a bit. I can hear the kids screaming upstairs.
The kids and I spent November 11 at the farm making turtles. Camellia and Dad went to the Remembrance day service in Champion. Chris and I went to the kid's school Remembrance day assembly the day before. One guy played bag pipes and a teenage girl played the last post on her trumpet. I feel it is so important to Remember those who have sacrificed so much so that we can have our freedom. I hope my kids never forget to honor Remembrance day.
I had a tough shift the end of October where I had to send one of my patients to the ICU. I know I can not put the blame on myself and it all happened so fast (she went Septic) but I have a tendency of putting blame and stress on myself. That shift set me back and I was feeling discouraged. But I keep going back to work and I have had plenty of good shifts since then and I realize that there will always be more good days then bad and that I need to keep trying and trying and never give up. However, after that shift, my amazing - wonderful sister Camellia thought I needed some get away time and so she found a cheap ticket to Boston and sent me on my way there for 5 days - Thursday November 30th to Monday September 4th. Thank you so much Camellia!! On Thursday my flight left at 9:00 am and I flew from Calgary to Montreal and then ran through the airport to get on the plane to Boston. I arrived in Boston at 5:30 and my cousin Sarah picked me up at the airport. It was so good to see her and her family. Their house is beautiful (she is great at decorating) and the whole New England atmosphere is so appealing. We spent Friday touring downtown Boston, walking through the oldest park in America, walking many parts of the freedom trail, eating Cannolis in little Italy, learning about the Minute Men in the revolution, visiting a lot of ancient cemeteries and touring Louisa May Alcott's home in Concord.
Saturday, Sarah and I got up early and left the house for New York City at around 6:30 am. We went with 3 of Sarah's friends (her friend in Rhoda Island drove) and we were in New York around 1100. We drove by the Temple and took some pictures. We got some yummy cookies at Lavina's bakery. We parked a few blocks away from Central park (Cost was $53 for 12 hours) and we walked to the park from there. We did a Pedicab tour of the south 1/2 of central park (it was $30 per person if I remember right) and it was fun to have someone tell us about where the movie stars lived around central park and about the history of some structures in the park. We walked by the Plaza hotel (it was too busy to go in) and took the subway all the way under the strait to Brooklyn. We ate a yummy chain burger place in Brooklyn and then walked the Brooklyn bridge back to Manhattan (it probably took 45 minutes to walk the bridge and there were LOTS of people). We saw the statue of Liberty at a distance with the sun setting - it was beautiful. Then we took the subway north to Grand Central station and ate some banana pudding at a bakery called Magnolia. Then we did a lot of walking - walked to Macy's department store (lots of fun Christmas displays), past the Empire State building, to Saks department store (there was a fun light show on the side of Saks) and St. Patricks Cathedral across the street. The streets were so crowded! And it even got more crowded as we ventured into the Rockefeller plaza to see the big Christmas tree there. Then we walked another block or so to see the lights and crowds at Times square. We got pizza at Rays pizza which is near there. And I had to get a $2.00 hotdog (hotdog stands on every block). We then walked back to the Hotel that we parked at and left around 9:30. We got home around 1:00 am. I enjoyed my one day in New York. The shocking part of it was the crowds. There were many times in the evening when I thought I was lost from my group as the crowds pushed us in different directions. I am thinking that is a Christmas thing. I am so grateful that I have got to cross New York city off my bucket list!
Sunday, we went to 9:00 church and then took off to Rockport and Gloucester Mass. They are right on the coast of the Atlantic ocean. Gloucester is where the movie and book "The Perfect Storm" took place and Rockport is where much of "The Proposal" was filmed. It was my first time to the Atlantic ocean and I loved seeing the villages, beaches and lighthouses in the area.
We watched the LDS Christmas Devotional back at the Cole home. Sarah dropped me off at the airport around 6:30 the next morning and I flew to Toronto and then to Calgary (with a 2 hour delayed flight in Toronto). What a wonderful trip it was. It was so good to see my cousin and her family. But it was good to come home and see my family. I missed them. I am grateful for Mom and Camellia from watching Mary and Elva and for Chris and Nathan for watching Caeleb.
We celebrated Elva's birthday Wednesday December 6th after work (I am a horrible mom and was in Boston on her birthday December 3rd). We had a free pass to the flying Squirrel so we went there to celebrate and the kids loved that. Elva got a Barbie car and 2 barbies for her birthday (One from Aunty Camellia/Nana and Papa).
A week at home and 3 shifts later and we took off to Victoria at 4:00 a.m Monday morning (a few hours after my Sunday evening shift). The weather was beautiful in Calgary when we left and on the way out to Victoria. And since Chris was in an accident a few weeks before, the insurance company gave us a new Kia rental van for our drive out - free of charge - while our car was in the shop. What tender mercies we have seen!!! We even made it in time for the special Christmas Monday Watters get together. I have always wanted to go and it was fun to visit with family and eat yummy food. Chris spent the week working for the family company ( he is there IT guy). I entertained the kids and had fun visiting with relatives - we went to butterfly gardens - thanks LouAnn - we went downtown to the inner harbour and looked at a gingerbread house competition. We went out for supper downtown for Nathaniel's birthday and we went to the new Star Wars movie.
After 10:00 sacrament meeting on Sunday, we caught the 1:00 ferry. The weather was turning bad and we wanted to get on the road before we hit snowy weather. We slept at Chris' cousin Athena's house in Kamloops on Sunday night and ended up leaving at 4:30 on Monday morning as Mary got up early and was hard to settle. The roads were not great from Kamloops to Golden but we drove slow and got to Banff around 2:00. We stopped there for an hour for a Beaver tail treat (it was the kids first time to Banff and we had to take advantage of this Free 2017 year for national parks).
We got home around 4:00 and went straight to look at a new vehicle (They ended up writing off our vehicle the Saturday before and gave us until Thursday to give back our rental). I worked Tuesday and Wednesday day shifts while Chris went crazy on the vehicle search. We did find one at our local Kia dealership - 2012 Kia van, simple, yet roomy and just what we needed. The money we get for the Mazda from insurance will pay for the Kia and then we got a 3 year warranty on the Kia (as we had lots of fix ups with the Mazda and we did not want to chance that again). We picked up the van on Thursday just in time for Chris and I to go to the Nutcracker Ballet (Michelle gave us tickets as we have watched Max and Sebastian a few times this Fall). I am glad I got the opportunity to see a ballet. It was beautiful. Camellia and I used to go to sleep listening to Tchaikovsky's nutcracker. We ended the night with some wings and bubble tea at a favourite restaurant of ours on 16th ave - Bubblemania.
Well, I best end this now. I will continue writing about Christmas in a bit. I can hear the kids screaming upstairs.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Birthday Month
September is birthday Month in our home. Not all of our birthdays but Chris, Caeleb, and Mary and even some other family members have birthdays this month. Poor Chris doesn't get much of a birthday as Caeleb became his best and "last" (well, I guess he gets some small gifts) birthday gift 7 years ago.
Caeleb wanted a birthday party this year. So Camellia and her gang came up and helped with it. I made a pea shooter (from plants vs zombies) piñata days before, planned some games and Camellia tidied up the place while I was at work on the special day, Thursday September 14. When I got home we had Sterling, Liam, Porter Sebastian, Max, Lane (from Caeleb's class), Sydney (a neighbor friend) and of course Caeleb, Elva and Mary here for the party. We had the typical hot dogs, chips, watermelon, juice, etc, with a homemade (I tried at least) Lord of the Rings/Warhammer cake (with a gummy bear army) for dessert. Caeleb got some fun toys including a mechanical robot building set, a cool minion t-shift, pokemon cards and a Warhammer Tyranid start collecting set (which was expensive and so also a gift for Chris too). Chris got a lunch bag with the kids hand print on them and the day after I gave Chris a few hours of my time to learn more about his Warhammer models/game hobby. Thanks to Camellia for watching the kids. I can't believe Caeleb is 7. He is such a delight to have in our family. He is a great big brother to his sisters - very protective. He has a great imagination and loves to play by himself - Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. He just runs around, points a wand at things, makes punching sounds and has a blast. He is well behaved at school and he loves to go there. He is quiet, happy and cooperative (well, most of the time -not so much at bedtime though).
Mary had her 2nd birthday on Tuesday September 19. It was simple. All she needed was her favourite food "pizza!", a little chocolate cake to get all over her face, a few balloons and some people singing happy birthday,to her to make her day special. She did get some puppets (that a nice family in the ward gave to us the other day) and the other kids put on a puppet show for her. Wow, Mary is 2. Not a baby anymore. She has a strong "I do it" personality. She loves balloons and bubbles, jumping on the trampoline, singing the ABCs and Mr. Sun, and counting (she even counted to 10 the other day - I could barely believe it). She has started to recognize some colors and she is a talking quite a bit and will ramble on and on at times in gibberish but says a lot of small coherent sentences too.
Well, I best be going. Chris and I are playing a Warhammer game before bedtime. (Chris is lucky to have me to play these 2-3 hour long games). Should be fun and I love to see Chris' face light up when he gets excited to do something.
Caeleb wanted a birthday party this year. So Camellia and her gang came up and helped with it. I made a pea shooter (from plants vs zombies) piñata days before, planned some games and Camellia tidied up the place while I was at work on the special day, Thursday September 14. When I got home we had Sterling, Liam, Porter Sebastian, Max, Lane (from Caeleb's class), Sydney (a neighbor friend) and of course Caeleb, Elva and Mary here for the party. We had the typical hot dogs, chips, watermelon, juice, etc, with a homemade (I tried at least) Lord of the Rings/Warhammer cake (with a gummy bear army) for dessert. Caeleb got some fun toys including a mechanical robot building set, a cool minion t-shift, pokemon cards and a Warhammer Tyranid start collecting set (which was expensive and so also a gift for Chris too). Chris got a lunch bag with the kids hand print on them and the day after I gave Chris a few hours of my time to learn more about his Warhammer models/game hobby. Thanks to Camellia for watching the kids. I can't believe Caeleb is 7. He is such a delight to have in our family. He is a great big brother to his sisters - very protective. He has a great imagination and loves to play by himself - Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. He just runs around, points a wand at things, makes punching sounds and has a blast. He is well behaved at school and he loves to go there. He is quiet, happy and cooperative (well, most of the time -not so much at bedtime though).
Mary had her 2nd birthday on Tuesday September 19. It was simple. All she needed was her favourite food "pizza!", a little chocolate cake to get all over her face, a few balloons and some people singing happy birthday,to her to make her day special. She did get some puppets (that a nice family in the ward gave to us the other day) and the other kids put on a puppet show for her. Wow, Mary is 2. Not a baby anymore. She has a strong "I do it" personality. She loves balloons and bubbles, jumping on the trampoline, singing the ABCs and Mr. Sun, and counting (she even counted to 10 the other day - I could barely believe it). She has started to recognize some colors and she is a talking quite a bit and will ramble on and on at times in gibberish but says a lot of small coherent sentences too.
Well, I best be going. Chris and I are playing a Warhammer game before bedtime. (Chris is lucky to have me to play these 2-3 hour long games). Should be fun and I love to see Chris' face light up when he gets excited to do something.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Summer 2017
This summer went by fast. They always do. But it felt like a good complete summer and we were all ready to move into the Fall. Here is an overview of Summer 2017.
Lets just begin by saying that it was a hot, dry summer - all summer long. Probably only rained 2 or 3 days. The land is parched and wild fires have ravaged much of BC and even down in Waterton this last week (luckily not much was damaged at that wonderful place and the Nelson family did not have to be evacuated even though a lot of their community was).
Much of the summer was spent with Chris trying to finish up his math classes online at Athabasca University. It was stressful year as Chris studied math classes that he found difficult. In July, we were unsure he would be able complete his classes and we thought we may have to wait a year for him to go to the University of Calgary (U of C). But in the end, we experienced a big tender mercy and he did not need one of the math classes and so was able to get into the elementary education program at the U of C. (His target was the secondary education program but one of his math classes that he needed for it did not go well). Long story short, he is now at the U of C entering his 3rd week there and he is really enjoying it (he even gets to take an Institute class to get free parking). I loved my university days and I feel a little envious at times. But I would not trade my mom role for anything!
Let me rewind a bit as I forgot to mention something I did in May. Camellia, Aunt Marilyn and I ran a 10 km race in Fort McLeod. Aunt Marilyn is a great runner. It was actually easier than I thought it would be and I am definitely game to do it again - maybe even a half marathon - next year. I love to run. It makes me feel so good inside!
Since then, I have not been doing much running. In fact, I have been feeling too sick to run. Can you guess why?.. Yep, baby number 4 is on the way and due the middle of March 2018. I found out on July 15. We went downtown to the stampede that day. Since we were there early, we got plenty of pancakes and bacon and we even got a pass for the whole family to ride around downtown in a horse pulled wagon. We rode down into rope square and around by the river. It was a blast, except that I was feeling a bit queasy so I took a test that day and it was positive. Of coarse I am nervous as every even pregnancy I have had has ended in a miscarriage around the 17-18 week (#2 and #4) and this would be that pregnancy (#6- if going by the pattern) but we are keeping positive and we would love to add this little one to our family.
Okay, back to the summer. We spent July 1st down at the farm and in Champion. It was mom's birthday so I made a Korean feast which we ate on the floor (as they do in Korea). I thought it turned out pretty good. We went swimming in Champion and we went on the early morning walk around Champion and had breakfast there. Nathan put on a fireworks show that evening at that farm for Mom and to celebrate Canada day. He did a great job!
On Friday July 7th, the kids and I made a quick trip down to Mountain View so I could see The Music Man with Mom and Dad at the Carriage House Theater. It was our birthday gift. I then worked Saturday and Sunday. Monday was my birthday. Chris' parents were at our place that weekend and we took the kids to swim at Sicome lake on Monday and then the parents treated us to Chinese food and Blizzard cake from Dairy Queen.
The kids and I spent a few days at some lakes in the area. A couple of friends invited us to Mahogany lake a couple of times. We went to Little Bow lake with Mom one Saturday and we went to Mckenzie lake with another friend on another day. The kids did swimming lessons the second week in August at the champion pool. Mary and Porter had their own private lessons too. All the kids enjoyed their swimming lessons there and I hope that they can continue having them in Champion for many summers to come.
Camping consisted of our June ward campout in High River, another ward campout west of Nanton that happened beginning of June (It was with the Inverness ward and we were invited by friends). We only last until 4:00 in the morning at that campout as I was not prepared and it was sooo cold and I had to work later that same day so I needed a good rest. The kids and I also set up the tent in our back yard and camped outside one night.
August 12 (Saturday) was spent going to a ranch near Cochrane so I that could go on an hour long trail ride (Chris' gift to me for my birthday). I had so much fun and could have ridden all day. I love riding horses and one day I would love to get my kids a horse.
The Nelsons joined us August 14 at Calaway park. The kids had a blast (I think the favourite was the log ride) but it started to rain halfway through the day and we ended up having to go home. How funny that it chose to rain that day when it has been so dry out.
Camellia, Mom and I served at our friend TerryLynn's wedding reception at the Waterton lds church on August 18th. It was a beautiful reception and we were glad to help. The next day Chris took me to Phantom of the Opera at the Jubilee auditorium for an early anniversary gift. It was amazing and we had a fantastic time! I must say, even on a tight budget, we have managed to spoil ourselves this summer.
We headed off to Victoria on Tuesday August 22 after a late night of work the evening before. Chris did a great job driving and the kids did really good at staying calm in the car. We sang songs, listened to Phantom of the Opera and Disney music and watched a few movies on the laptop. We enjoyed the ferry ride like we always do. The kids had fun running around on the decks outside. We enjoyed our time being with family in Victoria. We went downtown to the inner harbour, had fish and chips at fisherman's warf, and went to the breakwater. We went on a hike with Jarad and his girlfriend. I went on a walk with my sisters in law and we had a games night. I love going to the island. I love the smell of the ocean. I love being around family. We came back to Calgary on August 30th so I could do my CPR class and have an ultrasound on the 31st. It was a good trip and I wish we could go more than once a year but we will take what we can get.
We watched Max and Sebastian 4 days a week this summer (Chris watched them on the days that I worked). The little extra money has been nice. It did limit us to what we could do as our van does not fit all the kids. We would spend the mornings at our house coloring and playing and then after lunch and clean up, the kids and I would walk across Copperfield and spend the afternoon at the Islas home (playing those darn video games but also playing outside too). There were some hot days this summer and walking across Copperfield with 5 kids was a chore.
And now we are back into school. Chris and the kids started on Tuesday September 5. Caeleb was excited to go to grade 2 - his school is 8:20 to 3:20. Elva has been a little hesitant about kindergarten but she has been doing great. She goes in the afternoon from 1230 - 3:20 and then it is Mary and me time. While Mary naps, I do things like work on my blog and tidy the house. Well, Mary will wake up soon so I think I will try to get some laundry done before then. I will catch you up on September birthdays later.
Lets just begin by saying that it was a hot, dry summer - all summer long. Probably only rained 2 or 3 days. The land is parched and wild fires have ravaged much of BC and even down in Waterton this last week (luckily not much was damaged at that wonderful place and the Nelson family did not have to be evacuated even though a lot of their community was).
Much of the summer was spent with Chris trying to finish up his math classes online at Athabasca University. It was stressful year as Chris studied math classes that he found difficult. In July, we were unsure he would be able complete his classes and we thought we may have to wait a year for him to go to the University of Calgary (U of C). But in the end, we experienced a big tender mercy and he did not need one of the math classes and so was able to get into the elementary education program at the U of C. (His target was the secondary education program but one of his math classes that he needed for it did not go well). Long story short, he is now at the U of C entering his 3rd week there and he is really enjoying it (he even gets to take an Institute class to get free parking). I loved my university days and I feel a little envious at times. But I would not trade my mom role for anything!
Let me rewind a bit as I forgot to mention something I did in May. Camellia, Aunt Marilyn and I ran a 10 km race in Fort McLeod. Aunt Marilyn is a great runner. It was actually easier than I thought it would be and I am definitely game to do it again - maybe even a half marathon - next year. I love to run. It makes me feel so good inside!
Since then, I have not been doing much running. In fact, I have been feeling too sick to run. Can you guess why?.. Yep, baby number 4 is on the way and due the middle of March 2018. I found out on July 15. We went downtown to the stampede that day. Since we were there early, we got plenty of pancakes and bacon and we even got a pass for the whole family to ride around downtown in a horse pulled wagon. We rode down into rope square and around by the river. It was a blast, except that I was feeling a bit queasy so I took a test that day and it was positive. Of coarse I am nervous as every even pregnancy I have had has ended in a miscarriage around the 17-18 week (#2 and #4) and this would be that pregnancy (#6- if going by the pattern) but we are keeping positive and we would love to add this little one to our family.
Okay, back to the summer. We spent July 1st down at the farm and in Champion. It was mom's birthday so I made a Korean feast which we ate on the floor (as they do in Korea). I thought it turned out pretty good. We went swimming in Champion and we went on the early morning walk around Champion and had breakfast there. Nathan put on a fireworks show that evening at that farm for Mom and to celebrate Canada day. He did a great job!
On Friday July 7th, the kids and I made a quick trip down to Mountain View so I could see The Music Man with Mom and Dad at the Carriage House Theater. It was our birthday gift. I then worked Saturday and Sunday. Monday was my birthday. Chris' parents were at our place that weekend and we took the kids to swim at Sicome lake on Monday and then the parents treated us to Chinese food and Blizzard cake from Dairy Queen.
The kids and I spent a few days at some lakes in the area. A couple of friends invited us to Mahogany lake a couple of times. We went to Little Bow lake with Mom one Saturday and we went to Mckenzie lake with another friend on another day. The kids did swimming lessons the second week in August at the champion pool. Mary and Porter had their own private lessons too. All the kids enjoyed their swimming lessons there and I hope that they can continue having them in Champion for many summers to come.
Camping consisted of our June ward campout in High River, another ward campout west of Nanton that happened beginning of June (It was with the Inverness ward and we were invited by friends). We only last until 4:00 in the morning at that campout as I was not prepared and it was sooo cold and I had to work later that same day so I needed a good rest. The kids and I also set up the tent in our back yard and camped outside one night.
August 12 (Saturday) was spent going to a ranch near Cochrane so I that could go on an hour long trail ride (Chris' gift to me for my birthday). I had so much fun and could have ridden all day. I love riding horses and one day I would love to get my kids a horse.
The Nelsons joined us August 14 at Calaway park. The kids had a blast (I think the favourite was the log ride) but it started to rain halfway through the day and we ended up having to go home. How funny that it chose to rain that day when it has been so dry out.
Camellia, Mom and I served at our friend TerryLynn's wedding reception at the Waterton lds church on August 18th. It was a beautiful reception and we were glad to help. The next day Chris took me to Phantom of the Opera at the Jubilee auditorium for an early anniversary gift. It was amazing and we had a fantastic time! I must say, even on a tight budget, we have managed to spoil ourselves this summer.
We headed off to Victoria on Tuesday August 22 after a late night of work the evening before. Chris did a great job driving and the kids did really good at staying calm in the car. We sang songs, listened to Phantom of the Opera and Disney music and watched a few movies on the laptop. We enjoyed the ferry ride like we always do. The kids had fun running around on the decks outside. We enjoyed our time being with family in Victoria. We went downtown to the inner harbour, had fish and chips at fisherman's warf, and went to the breakwater. We went on a hike with Jarad and his girlfriend. I went on a walk with my sisters in law and we had a games night. I love going to the island. I love the smell of the ocean. I love being around family. We came back to Calgary on August 30th so I could do my CPR class and have an ultrasound on the 31st. It was a good trip and I wish we could go more than once a year but we will take what we can get.
We watched Max and Sebastian 4 days a week this summer (Chris watched them on the days that I worked). The little extra money has been nice. It did limit us to what we could do as our van does not fit all the kids. We would spend the mornings at our house coloring and playing and then after lunch and clean up, the kids and I would walk across Copperfield and spend the afternoon at the Islas home (playing those darn video games but also playing outside too). There were some hot days this summer and walking across Copperfield with 5 kids was a chore.
And now we are back into school. Chris and the kids started on Tuesday September 5. Caeleb was excited to go to grade 2 - his school is 8:20 to 3:20. Elva has been a little hesitant about kindergarten but she has been doing great. She goes in the afternoon from 1230 - 3:20 and then it is Mary and me time. While Mary naps, I do things like work on my blog and tidy the house. Well, Mary will wake up soon so I think I will try to get some laundry done before then. I will catch you up on September birthdays later.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Spring 2017
The Spring has come and gone and now we are well into summer. In my last post I mentioned that Elva had her Mahogany preschool Graduation on June 17. Caeleb's last day of Grade 1 with Ms Feltham at Copperfield school was Wednesday June 28th. He spent his last 3 days of school learning how to rollerblade for gym class. How fun! Also, Caeleb and his class went to the Zoo at the beginning of June and Elva and her class went on a field trip to Butterfield acres. I am proud of both kids and all they have accomplished this year with their schooling. Caeleb is becoming a good little reader and writer - he loves to write and illustrate his own little books. Elva has become good at patterns and counting numbers.
Caeleb lost his first 2 teeth in June. It was really interesting. The adult teeth had been coming in behind the baby teeth so he had 2 sets of teeth for what seemed like a few months. Those 2 front bottom baby teeth wanted to keep holding on and I even tried tying some floss around them to pull them out which loosened them more and they both fell out soon after. Of course he left them under his pillow for a visit from the tooth fairy and he got a toonie per tooth so he is getting rich.
Mary is talking so much now. Her language took off in April I believe and she has been repeating everything everyone says. Shoe was one of her favorite first words and she loves to get her "shoes" on and go "owsi" (outside). She says so much now and is speaking short sentences - "les go (Lets go), Come on, eat, peas (please), tankoo (thank you). And she sure knows the word No! She says that one and stomps her foot when she does not want to do something. She is an opinionated little girl and like most 1 year olds, she wants to be outside exploring all the time. Oh, and she just learned to say her age. When asked how old she is, she say "un" (one).
We are watching Max and Sebastian Tuesday to Friday this Summer from 7:30 to 5:15 which makes for a long day and really limits us to staying at home as we do not have enough seats in the van but I guess we do not have much money anyways, so we best stay at home so as to not spend money. The kids play pretty well - with the standard daily fight or two or three. But Sebastian and Caeleb are best friends and they all do have fun together - even Mary tries to keep up and toddles after them as fast as she can go. I am not sure if we will have more kids so I need to enjoy this time with these 5 kids running around. I can hear them all playing downstairs right now and I am going to miss this someday - it really is a busy beautiful sound!. And now I hear Mary crying so I got to run. Until next time.
Caeleb lost his first 2 teeth in June. It was really interesting. The adult teeth had been coming in behind the baby teeth so he had 2 sets of teeth for what seemed like a few months. Those 2 front bottom baby teeth wanted to keep holding on and I even tried tying some floss around them to pull them out which loosened them more and they both fell out soon after. Of course he left them under his pillow for a visit from the tooth fairy and he got a toonie per tooth so he is getting rich.
Mary is talking so much now. Her language took off in April I believe and she has been repeating everything everyone says. Shoe was one of her favorite first words and she loves to get her "shoes" on and go "owsi" (outside). She says so much now and is speaking short sentences - "les go (Lets go), Come on, eat, peas (please), tankoo (thank you). And she sure knows the word No! She says that one and stomps her foot when she does not want to do something. She is an opinionated little girl and like most 1 year olds, she wants to be outside exploring all the time. Oh, and she just learned to say her age. When asked how old she is, she say "un" (one).
We are watching Max and Sebastian Tuesday to Friday this Summer from 7:30 to 5:15 which makes for a long day and really limits us to staying at home as we do not have enough seats in the van but I guess we do not have much money anyways, so we best stay at home so as to not spend money. The kids play pretty well - with the standard daily fight or two or three. But Sebastian and Caeleb are best friends and they all do have fun together - even Mary tries to keep up and toddles after them as fast as she can go. I am not sure if we will have more kids so I need to enjoy this time with these 5 kids running around. I can hear them all playing downstairs right now and I am going to miss this someday - it really is a busy beautiful sound!. And now I hear Mary crying so I got to run. Until next time.
To the Men in my life
Well, when I wrote my "shout out to women" post, I said that I would write about Fathers day and that was almost a month ago but it has been on my mind. I think my thoughts may flow better if I just start writing. I hope Chris had a good Fathers Day. It was Elva's preschool graduation the day before and Nana and Papa came up for that. Elva looked so cute in her graduation cap ( I did take pictures but can not upload them here as it is tricky to do). They sang "Down by the bay where the watermelons grow" and "where or where has preschool gone." Elva had two amazing teachers who went above and beyond with their class. She had 8 classmates. Afterwards, I took the kids to the farm so that Chris could study a little and then have the evening to himself to do whatever he wanted. He has been working so hard and I wanted to give him some time to relax. We came back on Sunday after going to Sacrament meeting in Champion. I had to teach Relief Society. Then we had supper and an evening as a family. We went for a long walk discovering new paths around Copperfield.
I am so grateful for my husband Chris. Sometimes I have my eyes down and it is hard to see past the bumps and curves in life's road but when I do look up, I see forever and I see Chris. He is part of that forever and that makes complete sense to me even when I have a hard time making sense of the here and now. I am grateful for Chris' christ like example. For is optimism. For his perseverance. For the love that he has for his children. For his unconditional love for me. I would feel lost without him!
I am grateful for my dad. For his christ like example, his quiet goodness, his steadfastness to doing what is right, his simple yet strong unwavering faith, his love for his Grandkids.
I am grateful for my brother, for his love of life, his love of new hobbies and adventures. For his ability to be an amazing uncle/second dad to the kids.
I am grateful for my father in law Gary, for his love of life. He always has a twinkle in his eye and is always laughing and enjoying the present. And we always love listening to his stories.
I think some things that these men have in common is that they don't waste time fretting about the future but they enjoy the moment to the fullest. They don't compare themselves to others, they don't spend time thinking about regrets, they just move forward and they are okay being who they are. I admire these attributes and want to do better applying them in my life.
I know that Fathers day is important. There are some amazing men in the world and they need to know how amazing they are!
I am so grateful for my husband Chris. Sometimes I have my eyes down and it is hard to see past the bumps and curves in life's road but when I do look up, I see forever and I see Chris. He is part of that forever and that makes complete sense to me even when I have a hard time making sense of the here and now. I am grateful for Chris' christ like example. For is optimism. For his perseverance. For the love that he has for his children. For his unconditional love for me. I would feel lost without him!
I am grateful for my dad. For his christ like example, his quiet goodness, his steadfastness to doing what is right, his simple yet strong unwavering faith, his love for his Grandkids.
I am grateful for my brother, for his love of life, his love of new hobbies and adventures. For his ability to be an amazing uncle/second dad to the kids.
I am grateful for my father in law Gary, for his love of life. He always has a twinkle in his eye and is always laughing and enjoying the present. And we always love listening to his stories.
I think some things that these men have in common is that they don't waste time fretting about the future but they enjoy the moment to the fullest. They don't compare themselves to others, they don't spend time thinking about regrets, they just move forward and they are okay being who they are. I admire these attributes and want to do better applying them in my life.
I know that Fathers day is important. There are some amazing men in the world and they need to know how amazing they are!
Saturday, May 20, 2017
A shout out to Women
Mothers day was last Sunday. I worked an evening shift but I felt blessed that 4 out of my 6 patients were women and I hope that I was able to help them feel a little better on their special day. It was a good day!
I am so grateful for my Mother. She is an incredible example to me and I love her so so much! She is the best mother and grandmother anyone could have.
I want to share something that has been on my mind lately which actually concerns women. Growing up I always felt that as a woman, I was less than a man. Nothing in my past would have led to those thoughts. I have a wonderful father and brother. Perhaps it was because I did not date much in High School and University and I always seemed to see guys dating who they wanted because it was the guy that chose who and what he wanted. I guess I just thought there were less guys out there and that they were entitled to what they wanted and that they did what they wanted to and life was easier for them and consequences did not matter as much to them. I know that is not true but for some reason that way of thinking has been a struggle for me for as long as I can remember. Those thoughts have been even more of a struggle to me when I have seen many women have to be strong as they face many challenging circumstances in life. This "guy complex" that I seem to have has controlled my thoughts at times. But I am learning to and trying to control my own thoughts and make them positive ones!
So I will put my lack of understanding away for now realizing that all my questions will be answered someday and my sense of imbalance will one day be made right. For now, I will focus on the good. And this week, that good is centered on the women in my life. In a few weeks, on Fathers day, it will be centered on the men in the world. For now, here is my shout out to Women:
Thank you...
To the woman who keeps trying better even when she makes mistakes
To the woman who forgives others even when it is hard and life doesn't make sense
To the woman who lets her emotions drive her down a positive path in life
To the woman who tries to be less critical and more accepting
To the woman who keeps trying and keeps trying...
To the woman who fights for what she believes in
To the woman who is graceful when faced with obstacles
To the woman who has to raise her family by herself
To the woman who has to face this life alone right now
To the woman who has puts her hopes and dreams on hold in order to support the dreams of another
To the woman who cares for and does so much for her husband even when it does not seem to be returned
To the woman who cares for and does so much for her children or nieces and nephews, or others when it does not seem to be returned
To the woman who leaves her children in order to work outside of the home when she would rather not
To the woman who sacrifices money and other things to be at home and be at the crossroads of her children's lives
To the woman who is scared and confused but continues to move forward during challenges
To the woman who supports her family through their challenges as is able to put her challenges aside to do so
To the woman who has goals and works to accomplish them even when life is hard
To the woman who works day after day in the home creating a place of love and security
To the woman who comes home after a day of work and has to keep working in the home to keep it from falling apart
To the woman who makes up the difference when others do not know that it needs to be made up
To the woman who goes the extra mile
To the woman who is sensitive and caring and can put herself into another's shoes
To all the women out there...
Thank you for doing all you do and for being who you are!
I am so grateful for my Mother. She is an incredible example to me and I love her so so much! She is the best mother and grandmother anyone could have.
I want to share something that has been on my mind lately which actually concerns women. Growing up I always felt that as a woman, I was less than a man. Nothing in my past would have led to those thoughts. I have a wonderful father and brother. Perhaps it was because I did not date much in High School and University and I always seemed to see guys dating who they wanted because it was the guy that chose who and what he wanted. I guess I just thought there were less guys out there and that they were entitled to what they wanted and that they did what they wanted to and life was easier for them and consequences did not matter as much to them. I know that is not true but for some reason that way of thinking has been a struggle for me for as long as I can remember. Those thoughts have been even more of a struggle to me when I have seen many women have to be strong as they face many challenging circumstances in life. This "guy complex" that I seem to have has controlled my thoughts at times. But I am learning to and trying to control my own thoughts and make them positive ones!
So I will put my lack of understanding away for now realizing that all my questions will be answered someday and my sense of imbalance will one day be made right. For now, I will focus on the good. And this week, that good is centered on the women in my life. In a few weeks, on Fathers day, it will be centered on the men in the world. For now, here is my shout out to Women:
Thank you...
To the woman who keeps trying better even when she makes mistakes
To the woman who forgives others even when it is hard and life doesn't make sense
To the woman who lets her emotions drive her down a positive path in life
To the woman who tries to be less critical and more accepting
To the woman who keeps trying and keeps trying...
To the woman who fights for what she believes in
To the woman who is graceful when faced with obstacles
To the woman who has to raise her family by herself
To the woman who has to face this life alone right now
To the woman who has puts her hopes and dreams on hold in order to support the dreams of another
To the woman who cares for and does so much for her husband even when it does not seem to be returned
To the woman who cares for and does so much for her children or nieces and nephews, or others when it does not seem to be returned
To the woman who leaves her children in order to work outside of the home when she would rather not
To the woman who sacrifices money and other things to be at home and be at the crossroads of her children's lives
To the woman who is scared and confused but continues to move forward during challenges
To the woman who supports her family through their challenges as is able to put her challenges aside to do so
To the woman who has goals and works to accomplish them even when life is hard
To the woman who works day after day in the home creating a place of love and security
To the woman who comes home after a day of work and has to keep working in the home to keep it from falling apart
To the woman who makes up the difference when others do not know that it needs to be made up
To the woman who goes the extra mile
To the woman who is sensitive and caring and can put herself into another's shoes
To all the women out there...
Thank you for doing all you do and for being who you are!
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Mini Vacations
Life is busy and stressful at times. But every once in a while we get a little escape from the craziness of reality. Chris just got back from a one and a half day mini vacation to Las Vegas. The kids and I picked him up at the airport after church today. This vacation was to celebrate Chris Father's birthday. We love our Grandma and Grandpa Watters - they are such wonderful people! I am happy that Chris could help celebrate a milestone for Gary. Chris and 4 of his 5 siblings flew to Las Vegas to walk up and down the Strip, go gun shooting at a famous gun place and have an expensive, elaborate steak dinner at the Paris hotel. They planned this a few weeks ago and I will tell the truth by saying when I first heard about it I thought to myself "okay...wait, what the...!" I have been feeling a little bit of the weight of the world on my shoulders these days and sometimes tears are close. Spending money on an expensive dinner in Las Vegas did not really lessen my stress. Starving student phases in life are hard and I feel like I can not seem to get out of them. But, I love my husband, and I love the Watters family and I have to keep my emotions at bay and my thoughts simple. I keep telling myself that. Sometimes life doesn't really make sense but I know that I will go through many times in life where everything will make sense and life will seem easy and I will look back on tough times as small learning moments and I will wonder why I thought they were a big deal. I keep telling myself this too. And I move forward.
Now to talk about another mini vacation. This one involved the whole Smith family. Thank you for making this happen Mom. I used our petro points to book a few hotel rooms at the Sheraton Cavalier in NE Calgary the first Friday night in March. We stayed at this hotel when I was a little girl on New Years eve and it brought back fun memories. It has a nice waterpark with 2 fun waterslides, a kiddie pool, hot tubs and a sauna. We went swimming for hours Friday evening and Saturday morning. We had a pizza party and we went exploring in the hotel with the kids. Mary loved the elevators and went up and down and up and down. Mom brought muffins for breakfast and after swimming some more, we checked out on Saturday at 1100 and went down the road to Chuck E Cheese for an hour so that the kids could play. Then mom and dad treated us to Korean food at an authentic Korean restaurant on McLeod trail. I may never be able to go to Korea but I sure do enjoy the food that they have there. I think it takes mom and dad back to their mission days in Seoul.
Well, life is good. Caeleb and Elva are on Spring break this week and the weather is great. Maybe Spring is here to stay. It feels like it has been a hard winter with the cold spells and snow but it has not been too bad so I can not complain. I work a few days this week but I hope the weather stays nice and the kids and I can enjoy walks to the park and maybe around Fish Creek park. We shall see. Chris will be studying this week. The more studying the better. I am looking forward to General Conference this weekend. I look forward to listening to the uplifting messages twice a year. We are also looking forward to Jared and Landon's visit in a few weeks. Life is good.
Now to talk about another mini vacation. This one involved the whole Smith family. Thank you for making this happen Mom. I used our petro points to book a few hotel rooms at the Sheraton Cavalier in NE Calgary the first Friday night in March. We stayed at this hotel when I was a little girl on New Years eve and it brought back fun memories. It has a nice waterpark with 2 fun waterslides, a kiddie pool, hot tubs and a sauna. We went swimming for hours Friday evening and Saturday morning. We had a pizza party and we went exploring in the hotel with the kids. Mary loved the elevators and went up and down and up and down. Mom brought muffins for breakfast and after swimming some more, we checked out on Saturday at 1100 and went down the road to Chuck E Cheese for an hour so that the kids could play. Then mom and dad treated us to Korean food at an authentic Korean restaurant on McLeod trail. I may never be able to go to Korea but I sure do enjoy the food that they have there. I think it takes mom and dad back to their mission days in Seoul.
Well, life is good. Caeleb and Elva are on Spring break this week and the weather is great. Maybe Spring is here to stay. It feels like it has been a hard winter with the cold spells and snow but it has not been too bad so I can not complain. I work a few days this week but I hope the weather stays nice and the kids and I can enjoy walks to the park and maybe around Fish Creek park. We shall see. Chris will be studying this week. The more studying the better. I am looking forward to General Conference this weekend. I look forward to listening to the uplifting messages twice a year. We are also looking forward to Jared and Landon's visit in a few weeks. Life is good.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Tender Mercies
I am a bit emotionally drained right now but I still want to write about something that has been on my mind. I have been pondering on the concept of tender mercies for the last 6 months or so. Elder Bednar spoke on this topic several years ago during conference. Through the challenges that we have had in life, Chris and I have learned to focus more on the tender mercies, using them to strengthen our testimony about the purpose of life when it gets a little hard.
Last Sunday Chris bore his testimony in church on tender mercies and it really touched me. My visiting teaching partner has a sick little boy the same age as my Mary - just 2 days older I believe so it hits a little close to home. Our Ward family has been praying for this family and emotions were strong in testimony meeting that day. Chris shared an experience that I had not thought about in a while. When Elva was sick in the PICU, we were unsure if we would be bringing her home. I was pregnant at that time, about 14 weeks along. On Elva's sickest day, I was so worried and wanted to make sure that the baby I was carrying was okay as I felt that my stress would affect the baby. The staff at the PICU could see my stress and were very empathetic and supportive. They offered to do a portable ultrasound on me in the PICU but when doing so, they could not see a heartbeat (It was a poor quality ultrasound, not used for obstetrics and they could not see much at all). I was panicking at that point and raced to a nearby walk-in clinic to get a second opinion. The doctor there could detect a strong heartbeat and I was instantly relieved. A week after Elva came home from the hospital, I went for a regular check up on our about 17 week along baby and after a heartbeat could not be detected, an urgent ultrasound was done and we found out our baby had died. Chris mentioned this experience as a tender mercy in his testimony last week. One might think that how could it have been a tender mercy if we ended up loosing our baby in the end. But I agree with how Chris explained it. Would it not have been worse to know that we had lost one child and could loose another one at any time. How blessed I feel that that little baby held on until we knew Elva was okay. I absolutely know that we can see tender mercies in any situation in life as long as we look for them!
I also know that we can see small tender mercies everyday as long as we take the time to look for them! They may be so small they can easily go unnoticed, but they are real and they are there. They are like little hugs from our Heavenly Father to let us know that he is real and is watching out for us. I have been watching for them and have seen them more frequently as I have intently looked for them lately. A few months ago, I was having a bad day at work and feeling like a crummy nurse. I silently prayed to Heavenly Father to let me see a tender mercy that day. Not long after, a co-worker came up to me and gave me a big hug saying "I love you Katherine." It was so unexpected and not like her at all. But I feel that it was inspired and it completely turned around my day.
Another tender mercy experience is one that I shared in my last post but I am going to repost it here as well: Working Christmas was tough but I made sure to look for tender mercies! We went to Sacrament meeting on Christmas day and then the kids and Chris dropped me off at work. The kids sang Frosty the snowman to some patients including one grumpy old man who not only let the kids sing but he smiled at them too (and trust me, that is from a guy who swears at the nurses all the time). I believe the Christmas spirit had a lasting effect on him and that is a tender mercy for him and for me to witness it.
We may overlook some tender mercies as coincidences or everyday occurrences. But I honestly believe that if we see them as tender mercies, they become tender mercies and we can see more of the workings of Heavenly Father and the hand the Lord in our lives. And how much happier can we be if we choose to live with purpose, believing and knowing that a Heavenly Father has his hand in our lives and has a plan for our existence.
Last Sunday Chris bore his testimony in church on tender mercies and it really touched me. My visiting teaching partner has a sick little boy the same age as my Mary - just 2 days older I believe so it hits a little close to home. Our Ward family has been praying for this family and emotions were strong in testimony meeting that day. Chris shared an experience that I had not thought about in a while. When Elva was sick in the PICU, we were unsure if we would be bringing her home. I was pregnant at that time, about 14 weeks along. On Elva's sickest day, I was so worried and wanted to make sure that the baby I was carrying was okay as I felt that my stress would affect the baby. The staff at the PICU could see my stress and were very empathetic and supportive. They offered to do a portable ultrasound on me in the PICU but when doing so, they could not see a heartbeat (It was a poor quality ultrasound, not used for obstetrics and they could not see much at all). I was panicking at that point and raced to a nearby walk-in clinic to get a second opinion. The doctor there could detect a strong heartbeat and I was instantly relieved. A week after Elva came home from the hospital, I went for a regular check up on our about 17 week along baby and after a heartbeat could not be detected, an urgent ultrasound was done and we found out our baby had died. Chris mentioned this experience as a tender mercy in his testimony last week. One might think that how could it have been a tender mercy if we ended up loosing our baby in the end. But I agree with how Chris explained it. Would it not have been worse to know that we had lost one child and could loose another one at any time. How blessed I feel that that little baby held on until we knew Elva was okay. I absolutely know that we can see tender mercies in any situation in life as long as we look for them!
I also know that we can see small tender mercies everyday as long as we take the time to look for them! They may be so small they can easily go unnoticed, but they are real and they are there. They are like little hugs from our Heavenly Father to let us know that he is real and is watching out for us. I have been watching for them and have seen them more frequently as I have intently looked for them lately. A few months ago, I was having a bad day at work and feeling like a crummy nurse. I silently prayed to Heavenly Father to let me see a tender mercy that day. Not long after, a co-worker came up to me and gave me a big hug saying "I love you Katherine." It was so unexpected and not like her at all. But I feel that it was inspired and it completely turned around my day.
Another tender mercy experience is one that I shared in my last post but I am going to repost it here as well: Working Christmas was tough but I made sure to look for tender mercies! We went to Sacrament meeting on Christmas day and then the kids and Chris dropped me off at work. The kids sang Frosty the snowman to some patients including one grumpy old man who not only let the kids sing but he smiled at them too (and trust me, that is from a guy who swears at the nurses all the time). I believe the Christmas spirit had a lasting effect on him and that is a tender mercy for him and for me to witness it.
We may overlook some tender mercies as coincidences or everyday occurrences. But I honestly believe that if we see them as tender mercies, they become tender mercies and we can see more of the workings of Heavenly Father and the hand the Lord in our lives. And how much happier can we be if we choose to live with purpose, believing and knowing that a Heavenly Father has his hand in our lives and has a plan for our existence.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Christmas 2016
Well, I better write about Christmas 2016 before I forget all about it. It was a simple Christmas but sometimes simple is better. Elva celebrated her birthday on December 3rd and she got an American girl lego horse stable set that I have since put away for her to play with when she gets older (I guess I was more excited about it then she was - too many small parts). It was a busy day. Mom and Dad came up to see her preschool Christmas concert (they sang songs - like little snowman - and made gingerbread houses) Chris and the kids went to see the movie Trolls that afternoon while I cleaned the house with Mary. And we had our ward Christmas party that night which was great as usual. The kids sat on Santa's knee - Mary was not a fan but what do your expect from a 1 year old right.
We got our tree from the Mckenzie town lot the first weekend in December (was about $60 and we were supporting two guys with cancer who drove those trees out from Nova Scotia). I love decorating the tree with my family and putting out the nativity sets. We went to the nativity pageant the week before Christmas at Heritage park and that brought a special spirit to the season. I hope that we can continue that tradition in our family.
Because I worked Christmas evening and Christmas day evening (Saturday and Sunday), we spent the weekend before that at the farm. We had our Smith family Christmas program and the kids acted out the nativity as per tradition. We made Gingerbread houses and had appetizers and played games and watched Christmas movies. The kids drew names this year and got their person a gift. I think they got more into the giving aspect of Christmas this year and were not too much about the getting part. I do want to record some of their gifts as to remember what their interests were at this age. Caeleb got Ghostbusters lego and night vision goggles, Elva got doll clothes and little plastic mermaids. Mary got baby treats. It was the year of the games. We got the Bop it game, the Star Wars operation game and the Pie in the Face game and that is one we really enjoy as a family.
Working Christmas was tough but I made sure to look for tender mercies! We went to Sacrament meeting on Christmas day and then the kids and Chris dropped me off at work. The kids sang Frosty the snowman to some patients including one grumpy old man who not only let the kids sing but he smiled at them too (and trust me, that is from a guy who swears at the nurses all the time). I hope the Christmas spirit had a lasting effect on him.
The week after Christmas as well as New Years Eve was spent with Chris cramming to read Great Expectations and another book and complete 2 essays for English. I was proofreading his work at 1130 pm before he sent it in just before the midnight deadline on New Years Eve. We were too busy talking about his essay to welcome in the New Year. Poor guy, he sure is working hard though and it is paying off. Lindsey and I took the kids over to Michelle's house for a few hours that evening to play games and hit a piñata with Max and Sebastian. They really had fun with that. They were in bed by 1000 that night.
Chris made Valentines day so special this year. He surprised me by taking me to the play Peter Pan in Cardston. Thanks Camellia and Doug for watching the kids! We had fun walking by the Cardston temple and downtown and then we ended up at the Carriage House Theater and I had no idea that that was where we were headed. How fun! I made our traditional scor truffle for Valentines day. I am all about little traditions.
Well, we are almost to March now. I have had a rough couple of months with work (the anxieties are getting to me once again and I find work a bit of a rollercoaster ride going on ups for a few months and then downs for a few months) but with the love and support of some coworkers and with some phone counselling suggested by my manager, I feel like I am back on track again with my confidence at work. I do love being a nurse and count my blessings every time I go to work. I am so blessed to have such a good job!!!
Okay, so I need to write about a random ironic parenting moment that happened last Thursday. I have been slacking on combing Elva's hair daily as she hates it so much and it is a fight each time we try. Chris is usually the one to get it done - what an amazing husband. Elva usually goes about with wild and crazy hair (which is still growing back from the 2 times she cut it in September). Well, today I combed her hair all nice and put it up in a scrunchy and off we went to her preschool. Lo and behold, it was crazy hair day at preschool so when I noticed the other crazy hairdos, I quickly back combed her hair with my fingers to get her hair back to looking crazy again. It just had to be that day. How funny is that! It reminds me of when I forgot about Caeleb's Halloween party when he was in preschool. I hadn't even finished making his elephant costume yet. When I realized that he was the only one not dressed up, we quietly slipped away back to home and I know I called up my mom, crying and feeling like a horrible mom - Caeleb was fine though. Oh, those funny parenting moments - I suppose most of us have them and it is part of life.
Well, the kids are all over me now and I need to enjoy moments like these while I can so until next time...
We got our tree from the Mckenzie town lot the first weekend in December (was about $60 and we were supporting two guys with cancer who drove those trees out from Nova Scotia). I love decorating the tree with my family and putting out the nativity sets. We went to the nativity pageant the week before Christmas at Heritage park and that brought a special spirit to the season. I hope that we can continue that tradition in our family.
Because I worked Christmas evening and Christmas day evening (Saturday and Sunday), we spent the weekend before that at the farm. We had our Smith family Christmas program and the kids acted out the nativity as per tradition. We made Gingerbread houses and had appetizers and played games and watched Christmas movies. The kids drew names this year and got their person a gift. I think they got more into the giving aspect of Christmas this year and were not too much about the getting part. I do want to record some of their gifts as to remember what their interests were at this age. Caeleb got Ghostbusters lego and night vision goggles, Elva got doll clothes and little plastic mermaids. Mary got baby treats. It was the year of the games. We got the Bop it game, the Star Wars operation game and the Pie in the Face game and that is one we really enjoy as a family.
Working Christmas was tough but I made sure to look for tender mercies! We went to Sacrament meeting on Christmas day and then the kids and Chris dropped me off at work. The kids sang Frosty the snowman to some patients including one grumpy old man who not only let the kids sing but he smiled at them too (and trust me, that is from a guy who swears at the nurses all the time). I hope the Christmas spirit had a lasting effect on him.
The week after Christmas as well as New Years Eve was spent with Chris cramming to read Great Expectations and another book and complete 2 essays for English. I was proofreading his work at 1130 pm before he sent it in just before the midnight deadline on New Years Eve. We were too busy talking about his essay to welcome in the New Year. Poor guy, he sure is working hard though and it is paying off. Lindsey and I took the kids over to Michelle's house for a few hours that evening to play games and hit a piñata with Max and Sebastian. They really had fun with that. They were in bed by 1000 that night.
Chris made Valentines day so special this year. He surprised me by taking me to the play Peter Pan in Cardston. Thanks Camellia and Doug for watching the kids! We had fun walking by the Cardston temple and downtown and then we ended up at the Carriage House Theater and I had no idea that that was where we were headed. How fun! I made our traditional scor truffle for Valentines day. I am all about little traditions.
Well, we are almost to March now. I have had a rough couple of months with work (the anxieties are getting to me once again and I find work a bit of a rollercoaster ride going on ups for a few months and then downs for a few months) but with the love and support of some coworkers and with some phone counselling suggested by my manager, I feel like I am back on track again with my confidence at work. I do love being a nurse and count my blessings every time I go to work. I am so blessed to have such a good job!!!
Okay, so I need to write about a random ironic parenting moment that happened last Thursday. I have been slacking on combing Elva's hair daily as she hates it so much and it is a fight each time we try. Chris is usually the one to get it done - what an amazing husband. Elva usually goes about with wild and crazy hair (which is still growing back from the 2 times she cut it in September). Well, today I combed her hair all nice and put it up in a scrunchy and off we went to her preschool. Lo and behold, it was crazy hair day at preschool so when I noticed the other crazy hairdos, I quickly back combed her hair with my fingers to get her hair back to looking crazy again. It just had to be that day. How funny is that! It reminds me of when I forgot about Caeleb's Halloween party when he was in preschool. I hadn't even finished making his elephant costume yet. When I realized that he was the only one not dressed up, we quietly slipped away back to home and I know I called up my mom, crying and feeling like a horrible mom - Caeleb was fine though. Oh, those funny parenting moments - I suppose most of us have them and it is part of life.
Well, the kids are all over me now and I need to enjoy moments like these while I can so until next time...
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Fall - My Favourite time of year!
It has been a beautiful Fall. I feel so happy right now. I think part of it is because I love the Fall. The leaves are almost done falling off the trees and are sprinkling the ground with red, yellow and orange colors. The air is crisp. We have had a couple of snowfalls but they only lasted a few days and there is no snow on the ground now. The Fall holds a lot of important events for us. Let me update you all on the Watters' life this Fall.
Caeleb started grade one at the brand new Copperfield school at the beginning of September. It is a 10 minute walk away on a path going around a beautiful pond. Chris walks him there in the morning (school starts at 8:20) and I take the other kids and pick him up in the afternoon at 3:20. He is doing so well at school. He is starting to read simple books and he loves to write his own simple books that have to do with his favourite things - Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (he doesn't read or watch the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings but he plays some Lego computer games with Chris) and tonight he wrote the Jungle book with pictures and words too. He likes Math and Science as well. When I have taken the kids to the park by the pond, sometimes Caeleb is out with his school class for recess. Kind of fun to see them and have him close during the day.
Elva started preschool. She is going to Mahogany preschool which goes from 9:00 to 11:00 on Tuesday and Thursdays and is run by two Moms in our ward. There are only 9 kids (mostly from our ward) and it is a little more affordable than other preschools which helps when we are on a tight budget ($160 a month as opposed to Caeleb's $200/month preschool). Elva likes to do the crafts and she seems to like her classmates.
At 13 and 1/2 months, Mary is walking! She has been cruising on furniture for a few weeks now. She took her first step by herself a couple of days ago and today she took about 5 steps by herself several times throughout the day. Soon she will be running and there will be no stopping her. She crawls up and down the stairs like a pro and just started opening up cupboards and pulling things out and making big messes so life just got even more busy. She picked up something the other day and pretended it was a phone saying "I...I" (for Hi). She has about 6 teeth and we love her big toothy grin and her cute little giggles. She also likes to put things in her mouth - even more than the other two did if my memory serves me right. And she has had her share of tumbles. She tumbled head first off of Mom and Dad's kitchen couch a few months ago, she somersaulted head first down our stairs a few weeks ago, and yesterday she fell off of our bed. But she is a tough little girl!
Chris is busy busy with school. I feel for him. It has been a rough go and the classes are hard. I have mentally prepared myself that this school journey may take a bit longer than originally anticipated but I still hope that that might not be true and that we will keep on schedule. But we will get there no matter how long it takes. I hope I can be a good support for him as he carries a heavy load.
I started work again on October 3rd and I have felt many prayers come my way. They have helped so much! This time around I was extra anxious to start work again but it is going well so far and while this work, family, school juggling act is stressful, it is definitely doable. I feel so very blessed for my job and I know I can do it!
Chris and I went 'temple hopping' again for Chris' birthday (September 14)/our Anniversary (October 24). We went to Billings Montana September 23 and 24 and did a session at the temple there on the Friday. Mom and Dad have been there before and that is where we got the idea. The temple is central to our Marriage. Chris started us on a temple hopping journey for our Honeymoon and now it has become a special thing for us to do. When life starts to not make sense, the temple helps to bring perspective back to our marriage and family. We are working for something eternal here and the temple helps us remember that when life's stumbling blocks come around.. We used our petro points to stay in a hotel in Billings. We also enjoyed the hot tub at the hotel, eating out, and the beautiful scenic drive 6 hours both ways. Thanks to Mom and Dad for watching Mary and Camellia and Doug for watching Elva and Caeleb. We got back Saturday evening in time for me to watch Women's conference in Mountain View and we went to church with Mom and Dad on Sunday in Champion. Chris and I hope to make it to the Regina temple in the next few years as well as several in Utah. (Temples we have been to so far - we were counting them on our drive - Cardston, Calgary, Edmonton, Billings, Vancouver, Spokane, Tri-cities, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake, Provo, Rexburg - just me - Idaho Falls, Nauvoo, Guayaquil, Oakland - just Chris - Toronto, Jordon River, Manila, Palmyra). We hope to add many more temple visits in our lifetime. Our actual 7th anniversary was on Oct 24. We had our traditional Lasagna and Moose Tracks ice cream supper (the meal we had on our first date). It was a simple but great evening.
September Birthdays were good. We had an (attempted) Harry Potter Hogwarts/Lord of the Rings cake for Caeleb and Chris' birthday on the 14th and Caeleb got some generic lego and some pieced together Harry Potter lego figurines done by Elva. He got his Halloween Harry Potter costume from the Nelsons, a cool little Elephant figurine from Grandma and Grandpa Watters that moves when light shines on it and some money from Nana and Papa. Mary had a chocolate cake for her 1st birthday on the 19th which she dug into with her face like it was no ones business. She got the Zoo set that has been passed along in our family and seemed quite satisfied about that. What am I doing going on about gifts. I probably missed mentioning some gifts but I will fill them in when I remember. Thanks to everyone who made these days special. I can not believe I have a 6 year old Caeleb and 1 year old Mary.
Halloween was fun. I worked the 2 evenings before and when I came home at midnight, I worked on my procrastinated project which was cutting 2 scarfs up and piecing/sewing them together to make Caeleb and Elva each Gryffindor scarfs to go with their costumes. They were the most adorable Harry Potter and Hermione and Mary was the cutest little Hedwig owl. It was a fun night trick or treating around the neighborhood - great weather too!
Well, life is great. I am sitting at our table, listening to Chris read Harry Potter to the kids up in their bed (well, the noise has since stopped so I think they may all be asleep). I have been blessed. Until the next post them...
Caeleb started grade one at the brand new Copperfield school at the beginning of September. It is a 10 minute walk away on a path going around a beautiful pond. Chris walks him there in the morning (school starts at 8:20) and I take the other kids and pick him up in the afternoon at 3:20. He is doing so well at school. He is starting to read simple books and he loves to write his own simple books that have to do with his favourite things - Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (he doesn't read or watch the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings but he plays some Lego computer games with Chris) and tonight he wrote the Jungle book with pictures and words too. He likes Math and Science as well. When I have taken the kids to the park by the pond, sometimes Caeleb is out with his school class for recess. Kind of fun to see them and have him close during the day.
Elva started preschool. She is going to Mahogany preschool which goes from 9:00 to 11:00 on Tuesday and Thursdays and is run by two Moms in our ward. There are only 9 kids (mostly from our ward) and it is a little more affordable than other preschools which helps when we are on a tight budget ($160 a month as opposed to Caeleb's $200/month preschool). Elva likes to do the crafts and she seems to like her classmates.
At 13 and 1/2 months, Mary is walking! She has been cruising on furniture for a few weeks now. She took her first step by herself a couple of days ago and today she took about 5 steps by herself several times throughout the day. Soon she will be running and there will be no stopping her. She crawls up and down the stairs like a pro and just started opening up cupboards and pulling things out and making big messes so life just got even more busy. She picked up something the other day and pretended it was a phone saying "I...I" (for Hi). She has about 6 teeth and we love her big toothy grin and her cute little giggles. She also likes to put things in her mouth - even more than the other two did if my memory serves me right. And she has had her share of tumbles. She tumbled head first off of Mom and Dad's kitchen couch a few months ago, she somersaulted head first down our stairs a few weeks ago, and yesterday she fell off of our bed. But she is a tough little girl!
Chris is busy busy with school. I feel for him. It has been a rough go and the classes are hard. I have mentally prepared myself that this school journey may take a bit longer than originally anticipated but I still hope that that might not be true and that we will keep on schedule. But we will get there no matter how long it takes. I hope I can be a good support for him as he carries a heavy load.
I started work again on October 3rd and I have felt many prayers come my way. They have helped so much! This time around I was extra anxious to start work again but it is going well so far and while this work, family, school juggling act is stressful, it is definitely doable. I feel so very blessed for my job and I know I can do it!
Chris and I went 'temple hopping' again for Chris' birthday (September 14)/our Anniversary (October 24). We went to Billings Montana September 23 and 24 and did a session at the temple there on the Friday. Mom and Dad have been there before and that is where we got the idea. The temple is central to our Marriage. Chris started us on a temple hopping journey for our Honeymoon and now it has become a special thing for us to do. When life starts to not make sense, the temple helps to bring perspective back to our marriage and family. We are working for something eternal here and the temple helps us remember that when life's stumbling blocks come around.. We used our petro points to stay in a hotel in Billings. We also enjoyed the hot tub at the hotel, eating out, and the beautiful scenic drive 6 hours both ways. Thanks to Mom and Dad for watching Mary and Camellia and Doug for watching Elva and Caeleb. We got back Saturday evening in time for me to watch Women's conference in Mountain View and we went to church with Mom and Dad on Sunday in Champion. Chris and I hope to make it to the Regina temple in the next few years as well as several in Utah. (Temples we have been to so far - we were counting them on our drive - Cardston, Calgary, Edmonton, Billings, Vancouver, Spokane, Tri-cities, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake, Provo, Rexburg - just me - Idaho Falls, Nauvoo, Guayaquil, Oakland - just Chris - Toronto, Jordon River, Manila, Palmyra). We hope to add many more temple visits in our lifetime. Our actual 7th anniversary was on Oct 24. We had our traditional Lasagna and Moose Tracks ice cream supper (the meal we had on our first date). It was a simple but great evening.
September Birthdays were good. We had an (attempted) Harry Potter Hogwarts/Lord of the Rings cake for Caeleb and Chris' birthday on the 14th and Caeleb got some generic lego and some pieced together Harry Potter lego figurines done by Elva. He got his Halloween Harry Potter costume from the Nelsons, a cool little Elephant figurine from Grandma and Grandpa Watters that moves when light shines on it and some money from Nana and Papa. Mary had a chocolate cake for her 1st birthday on the 19th which she dug into with her face like it was no ones business. She got the Zoo set that has been passed along in our family and seemed quite satisfied about that. What am I doing going on about gifts. I probably missed mentioning some gifts but I will fill them in when I remember. Thanks to everyone who made these days special. I can not believe I have a 6 year old Caeleb and 1 year old Mary.
Halloween was fun. I worked the 2 evenings before and when I came home at midnight, I worked on my procrastinated project which was cutting 2 scarfs up and piecing/sewing them together to make Caeleb and Elva each Gryffindor scarfs to go with their costumes. They were the most adorable Harry Potter and Hermione and Mary was the cutest little Hedwig owl. It was a fun night trick or treating around the neighborhood - great weather too!
Well, life is great. I am sitting at our table, listening to Chris read Harry Potter to the kids up in their bed (well, the noise has since stopped so I think they may all be asleep). I have been blessed. Until the next post them...
Monday, September 5, 2016
Summer of 2016
Well, the summer is almost done. And being that I am using this as a journal right now, I think I will sum up all the fun we have had in the last couple of months. I don't want to forget it. It really has been a good summer. Chris started his studies the beginning of June and has been working hard on those. I am so proud of him and how hard he works. I was right in thinking that it will not be easy for him and our family, but he is studying hard and we are working on balancing study time, family life, finances, etc and we will make this work! I love him so much and would be lost without him. I hope he knows that.
I spent the summer watching Max and Sebastian on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and sometimes other days, along with my 3 kids. We mostly were over at their place as my friend Lindsey and her cat lived at our place June until beginning of August and Sebastian is allergic to cats. It was fun watching my kids play with Sebastian and Max. They are all such good kids. We could not all fit in the van so we mostly played in their house and at the nearby park. It has been such a blessing in our lives to watch these two boys.
July 1st found us at the farm with our Smith family. Mom's birthday is that day and I hope she had a good one. We went to a cousin's wedding reception in Lethbridge that night (Gennie). The next weekend, for Camellia and my birthday, Doug and Chris gave us a night in Waterton. We went out to eat and stayed at a hotel. It was wonderful to spend time with my Twin sister. She and I are so close and I am so grateful for her. She has helped me through a lot of rough times.
Chris, Lindsey and I took the kids to the Stampede grounds for kids day. We had the 5 kids (Max and Sebastian along with our 3) so it took the 3 of us to control the kids on the crowded train and stampede grounds. We had fun at the kids morning grandstand show, dog show and motorbike show. Even though kids days is busy, I like to go as it is free and I like to do something Stampedish every year. I also like to go downtown for the rope square pancake breakfast, stampede show and square dancing but that didn't happen this year.
July 21-24 was the Selman family reunion at Payne lake lodge by Mountain View and it was so wonderful! I love my Selman family and I do not get to see some of my cousin's, Aunts and Uncles very often. We had a blast visiting, going hiking, berry picking, swimming and visiting some more. We had a talent show and played games. We were sad that Uncle Ken was not able to be there as he passed away in February of this year. His wife Sandy and their 3 children came and it was good to visit with them. Even though Uncle Ken was not physically there, I know he was there in spirit. It brings peace to know that families are forever and that there is life after this life. This weekend was such a special time and I wish we could have a Selman family reunion every year.
Wednesday August 3rd we slowly made our way out to Victoria for our annual Watters family visit. We stopped at Lindsey's cabin on the Shuswap lake for Wednesday night and it was so worth the 2 hours out of the way travel on gravel roads to get to the very remote location. It was beautiful! We swam, had a bonfire and made smores and Lindsey's dad took us on a boat ride to a floating store. I really hope we can go again.
We made it the rest of the way to Victoria on Thursday. The Ferry ride is always a highlight for the kids. They like the playroom and the game room. The ocean is beautiful. I love the sights, smells and sounds and wish I could go out there more then once a year. But, it is expensive to ride the ferry and we are students at the moment. We spent the time visiting with family. Thank you LouAnn and Gary for letting us stay at your place. Rachel, Wendy and I had a great walk and talk around Elk lake. There was a BBQ at Rachel and Eric's nice spacious home. Rachel should be an interior designer. We had a game night there as well. Chris studied a lot at a local library during the day but we did manage to get out on a date to the breakwater. We also took the kids to Mount Doug. LouAnn and I took the kids up to Nanimo to visit Aunt Mary. I have not seen her in while so it was fun to see her. And I had some good talks with LouAnn. We started our journey back on Saturday and camped at the Hidden Valley campground by Salmon Arm (we stayed there a few years ago with Camellia and Nathan). We got up early on Sunday and made it back by 3:00 to finish church in our ward. We also had time to stop at the Calgary temple to walk around the grounds with the kids. I hope they learn to love the temple as much as I do.
Jared and Landon came to visit us around August 17th to 19th. Landon played so well with the kids. He is a great older cousin and adapts well to playing with different age groups. Jared played the guitar for us and we had a fun time singing an afternoon away while he accompanied us on the guitar. He is very talented.
Wendy and her 3 boys came out to visit us August 24th to 30th. She is an amazing mom! I can not imagine having to raise 3 kids by myself but she not only does that, she does an incredible job at it! And her little boys are growing up to be great young men. It was fun getting to know each one better. I obviously did not know Chris when he was a kid but I think Quinton is a bit like he might have been in personality and looks. I got a 8 foot trampoline on kijiji for $25 and Quinton pretty much set up the whole thing with a little help from his mother. He is a smart guy. And Calvin is hilarious. And Oliver is a cute little snuggler. It was great to bond better with Wendy and I hope she knows how much I admire her.
Caeleb and Elva did swimming lessons with Sterling and Liam at the Champion pool for the week of August 22 to 26th. They did very well. Caeleb has come so far from being scared of the water and Elva is a natural little swimmer. The cousins played well together in the pool and at the farm. I believe we will do the same thing next year. Thanks to Mom and Camellia for helping with the kids that week while I watched Mary, Max and Sebastian in Calgary.
Well, the weather is turning colder (it seemed like a cool and rainy summer) and I would not be surprised if we are in for a long, cold winter (though I hope not too long or too cold). I hope we get to enjoy the Fall though before the snow comes. I love the Fall! It is my favourite time of year! The last few nights, Chris and I have been going for walks after the kids have gone to bed. The air is crisp and I love it! I also love laying down beside Chris on our new little trampoline and looking at the stars. I love that Chis loves astronomy and can talk all about the stars, planets and universe.
Caeleb starts school tomorrow. Grade one here he comes! He is going to brand new Copperfield school which is only a 10 minute beautiful walk away around the nearest pond. We will miss the Spanish immersion but this school made more sense as we only have one vehicle and our finances are tighter. (I will have to do better at using my Spanish to teach my kids Spanish). I think Caeleb is excited but I know it will take some adjusting to all day school. However, I know he will do well. And Elva starts preschool next Tuesday. We feel like she will benefit from a year of preschool so we made this a priority. She is a spirited little girl, very bright and I know she will do well if she directs some of that extra energy into learning. I am excited for her. Elva gave herself a "back to school" haircut last Saturday morning after she went through my makeup bag and found my hair scissors. I guess she felt like a mullet should be her new style. Silly little Jean bean. Chris took her for her first professional hair cut after that but there was little they could do. But she is cute no matter what. Nathan thinks the front of her hair looks a little like Haley Mills on the old parent trap. We are continuing to watch Max this year and we enjoy having him around. Even though she will not admit it, Elva likes her friend Max and they mostly play well together. It is fun to watch their imaginations run wild.
Mary is doing well. As cute as ever. She started crawling the first week in August (a little past 10 months old). She has her 4th tooth coming in. She says Dada and Mama with meaning. She is just starting to get into drawers and cupboards and she loves to eat everything except baby cereal (and sometimes she would rather throw cheerios on the ground instead of eat them). She still loves the jolly jumper and was jumping this morning. She is starting to get up on her knees but has not stood up yet. And she loves her brother and sister and they love her. Caeleb and Elva are a great help with her. They hold her hands during diaper changes, they sing to her when she is sad (which is not often), they play with her. They are so great with her. I love my family!
Lets see what the fall brings as I prepare to go back to work. I am nervous and feel a little like the weight of the world is on my shoulders with working but Chris is a great help with the kids and I plan working hard to get back to speed on the unit. I did my CPR course on September 1st in Lethbridge and that helped me gain more confidence in going back to work. I have done this twice before (going back to work after maternity leave) and I can do it again! Life is good! Go team Watters!
I spent the summer watching Max and Sebastian on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and sometimes other days, along with my 3 kids. We mostly were over at their place as my friend Lindsey and her cat lived at our place June until beginning of August and Sebastian is allergic to cats. It was fun watching my kids play with Sebastian and Max. They are all such good kids. We could not all fit in the van so we mostly played in their house and at the nearby park. It has been such a blessing in our lives to watch these two boys.
July 1st found us at the farm with our Smith family. Mom's birthday is that day and I hope she had a good one. We went to a cousin's wedding reception in Lethbridge that night (Gennie). The next weekend, for Camellia and my birthday, Doug and Chris gave us a night in Waterton. We went out to eat and stayed at a hotel. It was wonderful to spend time with my Twin sister. She and I are so close and I am so grateful for her. She has helped me through a lot of rough times.
Chris, Lindsey and I took the kids to the Stampede grounds for kids day. We had the 5 kids (Max and Sebastian along with our 3) so it took the 3 of us to control the kids on the crowded train and stampede grounds. We had fun at the kids morning grandstand show, dog show and motorbike show. Even though kids days is busy, I like to go as it is free and I like to do something Stampedish every year. I also like to go downtown for the rope square pancake breakfast, stampede show and square dancing but that didn't happen this year.
July 21-24 was the Selman family reunion at Payne lake lodge by Mountain View and it was so wonderful! I love my Selman family and I do not get to see some of my cousin's, Aunts and Uncles very often. We had a blast visiting, going hiking, berry picking, swimming and visiting some more. We had a talent show and played games. We were sad that Uncle Ken was not able to be there as he passed away in February of this year. His wife Sandy and their 3 children came and it was good to visit with them. Even though Uncle Ken was not physically there, I know he was there in spirit. It brings peace to know that families are forever and that there is life after this life. This weekend was such a special time and I wish we could have a Selman family reunion every year.
Wednesday August 3rd we slowly made our way out to Victoria for our annual Watters family visit. We stopped at Lindsey's cabin on the Shuswap lake for Wednesday night and it was so worth the 2 hours out of the way travel on gravel roads to get to the very remote location. It was beautiful! We swam, had a bonfire and made smores and Lindsey's dad took us on a boat ride to a floating store. I really hope we can go again.
We made it the rest of the way to Victoria on Thursday. The Ferry ride is always a highlight for the kids. They like the playroom and the game room. The ocean is beautiful. I love the sights, smells and sounds and wish I could go out there more then once a year. But, it is expensive to ride the ferry and we are students at the moment. We spent the time visiting with family. Thank you LouAnn and Gary for letting us stay at your place. Rachel, Wendy and I had a great walk and talk around Elk lake. There was a BBQ at Rachel and Eric's nice spacious home. Rachel should be an interior designer. We had a game night there as well. Chris studied a lot at a local library during the day but we did manage to get out on a date to the breakwater. We also took the kids to Mount Doug. LouAnn and I took the kids up to Nanimo to visit Aunt Mary. I have not seen her in while so it was fun to see her. And I had some good talks with LouAnn. We started our journey back on Saturday and camped at the Hidden Valley campground by Salmon Arm (we stayed there a few years ago with Camellia and Nathan). We got up early on Sunday and made it back by 3:00 to finish church in our ward. We also had time to stop at the Calgary temple to walk around the grounds with the kids. I hope they learn to love the temple as much as I do.
Jared and Landon came to visit us around August 17th to 19th. Landon played so well with the kids. He is a great older cousin and adapts well to playing with different age groups. Jared played the guitar for us and we had a fun time singing an afternoon away while he accompanied us on the guitar. He is very talented.
Wendy and her 3 boys came out to visit us August 24th to 30th. She is an amazing mom! I can not imagine having to raise 3 kids by myself but she not only does that, she does an incredible job at it! And her little boys are growing up to be great young men. It was fun getting to know each one better. I obviously did not know Chris when he was a kid but I think Quinton is a bit like he might have been in personality and looks. I got a 8 foot trampoline on kijiji for $25 and Quinton pretty much set up the whole thing with a little help from his mother. He is a smart guy. And Calvin is hilarious. And Oliver is a cute little snuggler. It was great to bond better with Wendy and I hope she knows how much I admire her.
Caeleb and Elva did swimming lessons with Sterling and Liam at the Champion pool for the week of August 22 to 26th. They did very well. Caeleb has come so far from being scared of the water and Elva is a natural little swimmer. The cousins played well together in the pool and at the farm. I believe we will do the same thing next year. Thanks to Mom and Camellia for helping with the kids that week while I watched Mary, Max and Sebastian in Calgary.
Well, the weather is turning colder (it seemed like a cool and rainy summer) and I would not be surprised if we are in for a long, cold winter (though I hope not too long or too cold). I hope we get to enjoy the Fall though before the snow comes. I love the Fall! It is my favourite time of year! The last few nights, Chris and I have been going for walks after the kids have gone to bed. The air is crisp and I love it! I also love laying down beside Chris on our new little trampoline and looking at the stars. I love that Chis loves astronomy and can talk all about the stars, planets and universe.
Caeleb starts school tomorrow. Grade one here he comes! He is going to brand new Copperfield school which is only a 10 minute beautiful walk away around the nearest pond. We will miss the Spanish immersion but this school made more sense as we only have one vehicle and our finances are tighter. (I will have to do better at using my Spanish to teach my kids Spanish). I think Caeleb is excited but I know it will take some adjusting to all day school. However, I know he will do well. And Elva starts preschool next Tuesday. We feel like she will benefit from a year of preschool so we made this a priority. She is a spirited little girl, very bright and I know she will do well if she directs some of that extra energy into learning. I am excited for her. Elva gave herself a "back to school" haircut last Saturday morning after she went through my makeup bag and found my hair scissors. I guess she felt like a mullet should be her new style. Silly little Jean bean. Chris took her for her first professional hair cut after that but there was little they could do. But she is cute no matter what. Nathan thinks the front of her hair looks a little like Haley Mills on the old parent trap. We are continuing to watch Max this year and we enjoy having him around. Even though she will not admit it, Elva likes her friend Max and they mostly play well together. It is fun to watch their imaginations run wild.
Mary is doing well. As cute as ever. She started crawling the first week in August (a little past 10 months old). She has her 4th tooth coming in. She says Dada and Mama with meaning. She is just starting to get into drawers and cupboards and she loves to eat everything except baby cereal (and sometimes she would rather throw cheerios on the ground instead of eat them). She still loves the jolly jumper and was jumping this morning. She is starting to get up on her knees but has not stood up yet. And she loves her brother and sister and they love her. Caeleb and Elva are a great help with her. They hold her hands during diaper changes, they sing to her when she is sad (which is not often), they play with her. They are so great with her. I love my family!
Lets see what the fall brings as I prepare to go back to work. I am nervous and feel a little like the weight of the world is on my shoulders with working but Chris is a great help with the kids and I plan working hard to get back to speed on the unit. I did my CPR course on September 1st in Lethbridge and that helped me gain more confidence in going back to work. I have done this twice before (going back to work after maternity leave) and I can do it again! Life is good! Go team Watters!
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