Wax On Wax Off

Ellie and Lucy started karate this year.

They have had the best time.

They were a little hesitant at first but now they absolutely LOVE it.

Normal.

For the past oh I don't know like 8months our life has been dare I say hectic.... I have been pouting a bit (just a bit... and not really out loud) and I keep saying that I just want things to go back to normal. But I had this epiphany today that maybe THIS is normal?!?!

So now I think I would like to be abnormal.

Our day today wasn't so bad. I have been a tad on the tardy side of blogging so instead of just updating you all I am just going to carry on and ramble like you should know what I am talking about....

So someone came to look at our house today. That was exciting and terrifying. I had a bit of a panic attack for 2 er 3 reasons. 1) I feel like my house is NEVER clean enough
2) I really want it to sell so I can just move on
3) I don't really want it to sell because I am not ready.

anyways, we had some really positive feedback so that's good....

Lucy had swimming today and she loves it. I told her she must be part fish. She informed me that if something was PART fish it was called a MERMAID..... hahahaha what a kid.

Ellie is sick. One person gets better then we are back at the doctor. I think I must have a lesson to learn somewhere in all these doctors visits. She isn't going to die by the way.... in case there was concern.... she's fine.

Penny is well..... penny. Loud.... bossy.... did I mention loud????

well that is life on Wednesday. I am pumped for bedtime popcorn and a diet Pepsi. It's the small things in life people!

mumified

I had a break from reality..... or maybe it was a snap..... anyways, it was kind of nice to cancel everything one day and just hang out with the girls. In school the unit we are on is called, "Once Upon a Time". One of the chapters is about the story of the gingerbread man.... it suggested we bake some. BUT I am opposed to out of season baking.... like really morally against it. So I decided to change the suggestion (you have that sort of control when you're in charge ;) ). So we made sugar cookies with the gingy cut out and decorated them into mummies.

Now sometimes I might come across as fun but it is a myth. My children will tell you I am a horrid supporter of sticker books, colouring pages, playdough, and cookie decorating for children. I cannot sit idly by and watch children INCORRECTLY colour, decorate, and place stickers. It drives me crazy. BUT like I said.... i had snapped. So the kids actually got to decorate the cookies. I may let them do it again. It wasn`t so bad. There were only but a few times I had to distract myself with facebook.

Now with out further adu.......

THE MUMMIES

some of them may suffer from the egyptian flu.....

falling back

It's felt like fall the last few days here. I thought I would feel melancholy about the entire ordeal but instead I find myself smiling. I am smiling because I love the leaves and the crispness in the air. I smile for the polar fleece sweaters and squishy hugs. I smile because of the smell of fresh bread and soup. I also smile because of play dates and girls nights out and lunches with friends. I love the break from rushing from one weekend to the next trying to squeeze every ounce of summer out. I love looking through Halloween magazines and looking at the treats and decorations and costumes.

Life's Garbage.

I am feeling the need to spring clean....
Right now I feel very bogged down..... I have sympathy for my house (which is also probably wanting to be dejunked).

Anyways, I am not going to get into all the garbage I was carrying around but I turned to a friend for some advice and she told me to read the serenity prayer (commonly used in addictions counselling)....

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Garbage being disposed of.......

I am thankful today for my friends. I am thankful that Lucy is feeling better. I am thankful for my computer and my blog. I am thankful for the opportunity church gives me to grow and to continually push myself. I am thankful the breeze and the fresh air. I am thankful for Dusty's stable job. I am thankful for my family. I am mostly thankful for life.

Oh the Places You'll Go

The girls are beyond excited. Ecstatic would be a more accurate description. Ellie and Lucy LOVE LOVE their quads. In fact, it is the first thing they ask for in the morning.... and they make me promise every night that I'll let them ride them. I'm not going to lie, the things TERRIFY me. Dusty assures me that they are governed down and that they won't perish...... none the less I still spend most of the time with my hand firmly wrapped around the kill buttons!

Lucy- first one on the brand new quad and testing out her new quad helmet. 

Ellie's turn and a little more than happy (she had to borrow Lucy's helmet... hers was at home) 

Ellie trying to make it up the ditch with a little coaching from Dusty- I may have asked for them to be governed a little low.... she couldn't quite make it up the "hill".

Lucy at the lake with "stealthy black little girl pirate" quad..... hahaha we bought one quad thinking that we would see how it would go but it was such a huge hit that Grampa kicked it and helped Lucy buy hers.

Ellie at the lake with her quad and helmet.. this picture freaks me out.....I think I may have a lot of years of worry ahead of me......

Well our little life has been seriously crazy lately but it's amazing how fast a trip to the emergency room can slow you down!! And in all honest one should of slowed us down.... Too bad it took me 2 times to get it through my head! I was really sick a couple weeks ago and I ran myself right down till I was so sick that I had to go to emerg. And then I got some antibiotics and was right back in the thick of things... Well this week it's Lucy who's takin the beating. Poor little girl. I took her the emergency room yesterday morning and even when we got home and Ellie was ZOOMING around our yard on her quad, Lucy just curled up on the couch with her blankie and stinky and fell asleep. I think it might be a quiet couple of days.....

Life in June Looks like.....

I finally got the trailer to the lake!!! We have had a whirl-wind of a weekend/week. It has been so super awesome.
SOOOOO I am totally going to start from the top..... (but in list form so it's way easier to read... I am doing this for you.... haha not really....it's also way easier for me to type)

This starts in May.... like the 30th
1) had my visiting teachers over
2) put books together for all the primary kids (I am still not done handing them all out but I am totally going to post them cause they turned out pretty cool... in my humble opinion ;) )
3) handed some of the books out
4) packed the trailer
5) went out for lunch with a friend
6) handed out more books
7)TOOK THE TRAILER TO THE LAKE!!!!!!
8) went to Lethbridge and helped my folks
9) visited Dusty's parents
10) went on a date (to homedepot..... my favorite kind.... for real.... LOVE IT)
11) hung out with katlyn just us girls and the kids
12) Went to the temple with a couple of super fine ladies (I meant super fine like super awesome not like ghetto attractive although they are also good looking as well but I just thought I should clarify)
13) hung out with Amy totally alone for like an hour. we ate carrots. it was pretty sweet.
14) walked on my 'rents (is this even gangster?!?) new floors..... they were also super fine.
15) bought a kids quad (pink camo) and put it together
16) bought another kids quad (stealthy black) after riding around on the pink one cause it was so awesome. (thanks dad for stealthy black quad)
17) came home. AHHHHH  (huge sigh) oh so good to be home.... for 12 hours...... we are off to the lake first thing in the morning.... EEEEPPPPPPPSSSS (mass hysteria now kicking in)

I now must prepare a lesson for sunday, bake a bunch of squares, posters, packing and unpacking, and sheesh.... 1 million other things....

I will post pictures of the awesome quads. and the most adorable kids ever..... when I come back...

and PS i ALMOST bought an iphone this weekend BUT I totally decided to spend the money on a new camera. I am so so so excited for a new camera. Mine has been testy lately (which is the reason for the lack of pictures) so I am going to splurge and buy a semi-fancy pants camera..... anyone have a camera they LOVE and why???

Head, heart, and a serving of Cheesecake please.

I needed a day like today. I have a new calling at church and it's been a huge change for me. I have had to dedicate much much much more time not only to the direct needs of that calling (sort of like a job at church) but also a lot of time indirectly and more time on just making sure that I am up to par. The last 5 or so Sundays have been so super busy like can't breathe busy but finally today, I finally caught up. I felt like finally I was on top of it... (that and I stayed for an extra hour and wasn't rushing out the door to go home or to another meeting)....
It's funny how things turn out in life. I never thought I was good with kids (in fact they totally freak me out). I never liked to babysit. I didn't mind older kids but for the most part I would of way rather spent time with old people. I became a mother and thought that I really only liked my kids and that I was good with them because they were actually mine. I felt really inadequate at this new calling. I still do. But today, I sat at the front of the primary (the children's organization at church) children and I looked at them, I felt home. I wish that my brain could just follow my heart and trust that I will be good at this. I know that I am in store for an uphill climb that promises an amazing view.... I hope my legs hold out for the next couple weeks while everything gets tweaked...

I also got to go for dinner to a friends house. It has been a long time since we've been to "Sunday dinner". Both Dusty and I grew up with Sunday dinner and we both loved it. The tradition of getting a good meal and visiting with everyone. Dusty works shift work and we've found it very challenging to make it "home" for dinners and we've found it equalling as challenging to do Sunday Dinner at our home. he is either working or we are starving when we get home.... Today was lovely. Sunday dinner and visiting and it just felt so good. I would say my goal for next week would be to have Sunday dinner BUT it's the long weekend and Dusty is working and I have extra meetings at church.... so alas.... I may have to settle for Saturday night dinner.

Do you know what else is awesome about sunday dinner?
Dessert. and especially cheesecake. YUM!

Hope the rest of ya'll had a good sunday!

The trip... part 4...

We woke up in Comox

(cause that's where the hotel was)

Did I mention we stayed at the holiday Inn?

It was nice.

Reasonably priced... good continental breakfast... clean... good pool

After getting loaded we decided to stop at the information desk just to see if there was anything so amazing we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see it.

There wasn't.

BUT

on our way over the power steering went out on the truck.

I thought for sure that was it.

Vacation over.

heading home.

BUT

oh no...

dusty pulls out yet another surprise.

He wanted to keep going.

Why let a "little" thing like power steering stop us?

So we went to cathedral grove

(which is awesome)

(the bathrooms there....not so much)

and then we decided to go to Ucluelet.

and as we are going through that pass..

the power breaks went on the truck.

So we had no steering or breaks.

I was ready to come home.

BUT

I think Dusty was determined to eat fresh fish and chips.

and we did.

and they had palm trees.

(which was the HUGEST deal)

Ellie said a vacation isn't a vacation if you don't get to see palm trees

(she really wants to go to Disneyland... and Hawaii... and Mexico... and Bahamas and pretty much anywhere that had palm trees)

After lunch we went out the the light house.

The girls wanted to go climb on the rocks with their dad.

I said no.

I am mean like that.

(mostly because a few years ago a little boy was standing on a rocky shore like this and his parents turned around and he was gone. They suspect a rip tide carried him away but no one knows for sure because they couldn't find him. This story was particularly traumatizing because on a previous trip to the coast I stood on that EXACT same spot and was looking at the water. Freaked me out... anyways. I did tell dusty this story and yet he still went out there. he is crazy)

After the light house we hit two more beaches on the way back to the ferry.

It was incredible.

The first beach was black rock and crushed shells. It was so pretty.

but the second was

heaven.

Long sandy beaches, tons of shells, and we got to dig for clams.

Lucy was a digging machine.

She could of dug all day.

Finally after convincing them

(which took bribing them with ice cream)

we started heading back to the truck.

Lucy passed dusty her bucket of shells and looked at us and said,

" I want to move here right now forever"

she then took off running, barefoot, jeans rolled up and as she was running full out down the beach we could hear her yelling,

"This is the beeessssst dayyyy EEEEEEEEvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvEEEEEEEERRRRRRR!"

(it was the best part... I thought)

If he had a job there that's where I'd be.

We headed back and got on the 900pm ferry.

By 1200am we were in Chilliwack.

and 10 hours

and only a little bit of crying

we were home.