so, one of my bestest friends ever (even though she is now a distant and not often seen but still very much loved friend), sharon, "tagged" me on her blog. so, here it is:
four shows i watch:
1. the mentalist
2. survivor
3. canada's worst driver
4. food network challenge
four things i'm passionate about:
1. my family!!
2. reading
3. fabric
4. strength training
four phrases i say a lot:
1. really?
2. hurry! we're going to be late
3. sleep tight (every night, without fail, to evan)
4. i love you
four things i have learned from the past:
1. being able to laugh at yourself makes life easier
2. i am never alone in my fears or challenges
3. good friends are priceless
4. worrying is a waste of time....still learning this one:)
four places i'd like to go:
1. italy
2. paris
3. disneyland with the fam
4. hawaii
four things i did yesterday:
1. slept in
2. finished Christmas shopping
3. made a delicious chocolate cake for our ward Christmas party
4. visited with friends
four things i am looking forward to:
1. Christmas holidays
2. seeing and spending time with sharon at the vancouver dental conference in march!!
3. camping this spring with our tent trailer
4. an email from my missionary brother robert tomorrow morning!
four things i love about winter:
1. Christmas!!
2. skiing with my boys
3. snowmen and sledding
4. hot chocolate after skiing and sledding
four things on my wish list:
1. books, books, and more books
2. to pay off our school debt asap!!!!
3. a trip somewhere warm with just brent and i
4. motivation to wake up early and exercise before the kids get up instead of trying to fit it in during the day
four people i tag:
1. Erin Cahoon
2. Laura Neilson
3. Andrea Salmon
4. Maja Russell
.....i hope all these people actually read my blog! although they do leave comments once in awhile so i would think so:)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
happenings
since i have last posted, a few major things have happened. things that have tried and tested my emotions, in mostly good ways. things that have been planned for a long time and things that were definitely unexpected! first things first.
one of my youngest brothers, robert, left to serve his mission. he has been called to serve for the next 2 years in the scotland ireland mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. he is currently in the preston enlgand mtc and will be until november 11 or 12. he left from the calgary airport on october 21st. let me first say how excited i am for rob! and (forgive me for saying it!!) how proud i am of him. i know that he will be an amazing missionary as he is an amazing young man. i am so glad that he made the decision to serve the Lord as a missionary. i am so grateful for the example that he is setting for my boys (as they think rob is "the man!") and the growth and strength he will gain from this experience. he is so happy where he is and i couldn't be happier for him. now that i got that off my chest, on to the more selfish side of me. I MISS HIM!!!!! i already miss him so very much!! i have been lucky these past 6 months to be able to spend so much time with rob. we jokingly called this summer our "summer of rob." it seems that he was out here, in cranbrook, boating with us, or camping in the states, or just hanging out with our family almost every other weekend all summer. i had many opportunities to have some real heart to heart conversations with rob and really appreciated the level of trust and love he has for me as his sister...but also as his friend. he is not only one of my younger brothers but one of my bestest friends, as all my siblings are! my kids also have a great love for rob and it was hard for them to say goodbye. my whole family were able to meet for dinner in calgary before going to the airport together to send rob off. it was good to be all together for one last hurrah! to share our love for each other and our great love for rob. there were tears shed as we said goodbye...mostly by us, not so much by rob (which was a good sign:). he was so ready to go!!) not only was i crying for my own heartache but also for the heartache of my boys. i think burton (who really has a special relationship with rob) hugged rob about 10 times and held back his tears until rob walked through security and was really gone. evan didn't really realize what was going on but started his crying once he realized that we really were saying goodbye. and jensen cried hardest of all - my little sweetheart. i think that he was crying for everyone else as much as he was crying for himself. as i already said, it was hard to say goodbye!
needless to say, my emotions have been very close to the surface since he left! we got our first letter from elder swainson last wednesday. it was so GOOD to hear that he is doing so well. he is on top of the world and is so happy that he is serving a mission. it makes missing him not as hard when i know that he is where he wants to be, doing what he wants to be doing, and enjoying it so much. i am again so very grateful for my little brother. and i love him so very much!!
now, on to the unexpected part of my week. i have been serving as a councillor in the young women's organization in our ward for just over 2 years. i got called shortly after we moved to cranbrook. i didn't really know anyone yet and was excited to be able to serve with girls and women (paige wasn't yet born and i was really looking forward to some girl time). as i have served in yw's, i have made life long friends that i love and cherish - with the other leaders as well as the girls. i came to love the women i served with and the young women we served. things were going great. and then the bishop called and wanted to meet with me. any time you accept a calling, you know it won't last forever. but, i must say i was not expecting a change yet - especially not the one he gave me. i have been called to serve as the new primary president in our ward.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
i must admit, with my emotions being so close to the surface as i previously described, i started to cry after the bishop released me from my yw's calling. not because i am sad to be moving on to primary, but because it means leaving my yw's position behind - working with such wonderful women, spending so much time with such amazing young women, and having so much fun as we strengthened and taught eachother. i felt embarassed for crying:) but i think the bishop understood. anyways, the last few days have been filled with LOTS of self doubt mixed with a few moments of thinking, "i can do this." it is a big calling - i have never been the president of anything before!!! but i have been given some great councillors to work with and, after talking to them, i feel much more able to fill the big shoes that are before me. i am grateful that i have a testimony of callings in the church - that i know they come to the bishop through inspiration and prayer. i know that this is the Lord's church, and if he thinks i can be the primary president, i will be.....i just pray i am a good one:)
so, that's it for now...really. atleast i hope that this is it for now. i think i have had enough major changes to last me for a little bit. now that i am finished writing this novel of an entry, i will finish with this.
I LOVE YOU ROB!!! and i will be the best i can be - just as you have asked us to. you are awesome, amazing, fabulous and i know you will be a greater than great missionary.
one of my youngest brothers, robert, left to serve his mission. he has been called to serve for the next 2 years in the scotland ireland mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. he is currently in the preston enlgand mtc and will be until november 11 or 12. he left from the calgary airport on october 21st. let me first say how excited i am for rob! and (forgive me for saying it!!) how proud i am of him. i know that he will be an amazing missionary as he is an amazing young man. i am so glad that he made the decision to serve the Lord as a missionary. i am so grateful for the example that he is setting for my boys (as they think rob is "the man!") and the growth and strength he will gain from this experience. he is so happy where he is and i couldn't be happier for him. now that i got that off my chest, on to the more selfish side of me. I MISS HIM!!!!! i already miss him so very much!! i have been lucky these past 6 months to be able to spend so much time with rob. we jokingly called this summer our "summer of rob." it seems that he was out here, in cranbrook, boating with us, or camping in the states, or just hanging out with our family almost every other weekend all summer. i had many opportunities to have some real heart to heart conversations with rob and really appreciated the level of trust and love he has for me as his sister...but also as his friend. he is not only one of my younger brothers but one of my bestest friends, as all my siblings are! my kids also have a great love for rob and it was hard for them to say goodbye. my whole family were able to meet for dinner in calgary before going to the airport together to send rob off. it was good to be all together for one last hurrah! to share our love for each other and our great love for rob. there were tears shed as we said goodbye...mostly by us, not so much by rob (which was a good sign:). he was so ready to go!!) not only was i crying for my own heartache but also for the heartache of my boys. i think burton (who really has a special relationship with rob) hugged rob about 10 times and held back his tears until rob walked through security and was really gone. evan didn't really realize what was going on but started his crying once he realized that we really were saying goodbye. and jensen cried hardest of all - my little sweetheart. i think that he was crying for everyone else as much as he was crying for himself. as i already said, it was hard to say goodbye!
needless to say, my emotions have been very close to the surface since he left! we got our first letter from elder swainson last wednesday. it was so GOOD to hear that he is doing so well. he is on top of the world and is so happy that he is serving a mission. it makes missing him not as hard when i know that he is where he wants to be, doing what he wants to be doing, and enjoying it so much. i am again so very grateful for my little brother. and i love him so very much!!
now, on to the unexpected part of my week. i have been serving as a councillor in the young women's organization in our ward for just over 2 years. i got called shortly after we moved to cranbrook. i didn't really know anyone yet and was excited to be able to serve with girls and women (paige wasn't yet born and i was really looking forward to some girl time). as i have served in yw's, i have made life long friends that i love and cherish - with the other leaders as well as the girls. i came to love the women i served with and the young women we served. things were going great. and then the bishop called and wanted to meet with me. any time you accept a calling, you know it won't last forever. but, i must say i was not expecting a change yet - especially not the one he gave me. i have been called to serve as the new primary president in our ward.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
i must admit, with my emotions being so close to the surface as i previously described, i started to cry after the bishop released me from my yw's calling. not because i am sad to be moving on to primary, but because it means leaving my yw's position behind - working with such wonderful women, spending so much time with such amazing young women, and having so much fun as we strengthened and taught eachother. i felt embarassed for crying:) but i think the bishop understood. anyways, the last few days have been filled with LOTS of self doubt mixed with a few moments of thinking, "i can do this." it is a big calling - i have never been the president of anything before!!! but i have been given some great councillors to work with and, after talking to them, i feel much more able to fill the big shoes that are before me. i am grateful that i have a testimony of callings in the church - that i know they come to the bishop through inspiration and prayer. i know that this is the Lord's church, and if he thinks i can be the primary president, i will be.....i just pray i am a good one:)
so, that's it for now...really. atleast i hope that this is it for now. i think i have had enough major changes to last me for a little bit. now that i am finished writing this novel of an entry, i will finish with this.
I LOVE YOU ROB!!! and i will be the best i can be - just as you have asked us to. you are awesome, amazing, fabulous and i know you will be a greater than great missionary.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
back to normal
summer is over - boo! school has started - yay! and things are back to normal - somewhat! we had such a fun and fabulous summer! as busy and hectic and tiring as it was, i wouldn't have changed a thing about it. jensen and burton have been back to school for 2 weeks and are loving their new teachers and being back in touch with their friends. jensen is in 3rd grade and burton is in 2nd...where does the time go!!!??? fall soccer has started and i must say that with soccer 4 nights a week, i am counting the days until it is finished! only 2 more weeks!! we will have to make sure to have the boys' soccer on the same nights in the spring! and maybe brent will only coach 1 team instead of 2??? as fun as it has been to watch the jensen and burton improve their soccer skills and really enjoy playing, it has been crazy! i really have become a soccer mom - washing uniforms, filling water bottles, driving to practices/games, and cheering from the sidelines. it has begun!! and i really do enjoy watching the boys excel and grow in their abilities.
evan started preschool this fall. he goes on tuesday and thursday afternoons and is really liking it. he is such a confident and social boy and already loves his teachers and classmates. and everyone loves evan! with his big brown eyes, cute little grin, and adorable personality, it is hard not to love evan! his preschool teacher has already told me what a special and wonderful little boy evan is and how much she would just love to take him home. and all i can say to her is, "take a number." really, that seems to be the response he elicits from just about everyone he meets. i am just glad that i DO get to take him home every day and keep him forever and ever...because i am his mom.
paigey continues to be a delight in our home. being the only girl makes her that much more special and we all love her so much! she loves to dance, play hide and seek, play with her brothers, and be a part of everything. her hair has lost most of its curl and really bleached out this summer. she loves to explore! and she is my little shadow - she follows me around the house, helping where she can, and gets the biggest kick out of throwing her diaper in the garbage. all i have to do is look at her and she smiles. and as much of a mommy's girl as she is, she is always SO excited to see her daddy when he comes home from work at lunch time and at the end of the day. paige's giggles and smiles bring such joy to each of us. and i love her little, or rather BIG, personality.
things are good. life is great. we are happy!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
phew!
so, i am finally sitting down and updating our blog. we have been busy!!!! of all the weekends we have had since the end of june, we have only been home for 2 of them! although the summer has been a blur with all the traveling and activities, it has been G!R!E!A!T!! first and foremost, we have spent so much time with our kids. waterskiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, wakesurfing, tubing, and dancing it up on our new toy - the one that has been sitting in our garage since last november, waiting to be used, our best purchase to date, totally worth the scrimping and saving, and so much fun!!!!!!
our new boat. we love it! we have put so many fun and fabulous hours on our boat. with friends and family. jensen and burton have both learned how to waterski and kneeboard this summer and get better every time they go. even evan goes out on the kneeboard and has found a new love for tubing. paige loves to "shake it" when we crank the tunes and loves cheering her dad on when he is doing his sweet tricks.
brent continues to amaze and impress me. yes, even after 10 years he still does it for me! i love to watch him wakeboard, pulling flips, spins, twirls, and superman's left right and centre. he really is amazing to watch. and he assures me he loves to watch me ski...
i sometimes wonder if he is just being nice because he is also a brilliant water skiier! regardless of my skill level, i do love to waterski! there is nothing like throwing rooster tails on a lake, skiing across glass like water. seriously one of my most favorite things to do!!!!!
we camped with friends, stayed for a week in a SWEET lake house on hayden lake in idaho with family, welcomed a new niece, gretchen, in to the family (and a nephew, jasper, in may!!), went with my beautiful sister jessica to the temple for her first time, spent a week at the farm with mom/gran and dad/papa, had my brother rob out for a camping trip that turned in to just days at the lake while sleeping at home, went camping again on lake pendorielle
with brent's brother jeff and his family and my brother rob tagging along (again!! i swear it has been the "summer of rob" around here...and i love it!!!!!!!! he is leaving on his mission in october and i LOVE all the time we have been able to spend with him!!! i love him a lot!!!), found a new favorite local spot to cliff jump in to crystal clear water - a truly beautiful little mountain lake!!, not to mention all the day trips to the beach with the kids while brent is at work.
with brent's brother jeff and his family and my brother rob tagging along (again!! i swear it has been the "summer of rob" around here...and i love it!!!!!!!! he is leaving on his mission in october and i LOVE all the time we have been able to spend with him!!! i love him a lot!!!), found a new favorite local spot to cliff jump in to crystal clear water - a truly beautiful little mountain lake!!, not to mention all the day trips to the beach with the kids while brent is at work.
we really have been going and going and going! i must admit that i am starting to feel a bit worn...but i wouldn't have it any other way! we have been able to have so much fun and make some lasting memories this summer with those i love the most - and i wouldn't trade that for anything. it is worth being tired for!! even as i type this blog, my younger bros are coming out for the weekend. i am glad that andrew is able to come this time!! he has been busy working all summer and i have missed hanging out with him! i am grateful for any time that i get to spend with my siblings! so, another weekend of the lake and boating, followed by YWs camp next week, then another week at the farm with my family, my mom's 50th birthday party on labor day weekend and then back home for a while.....just in time for school to start again.
like i said before, PHEW!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
rewind
this is a picture of me roughly 27 years ago. i am standing on the stairs at my gran and papa's house.
here is a picture of paige, taken a few weeks ago, on those same stairs.
i love the feeling that these pictures give me. kind of like things coming full circle. i love my grandparents and cherish the relationship that i have with them!! how it warms my heart to have them so involved in my life and the life of my children - that jensen, burton, evan, and paige have a relationship with them and have been able to feel of their love as i have.
looking at these pictures also makes me realize (yet again) how much i love and adore my little girl. how precious is my paigey! how beautiful is my daughter. how blessed i am to be her mother.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Nuts for Bolts etc now open!
so, this post is a few weeks late but oh well! our online fabric store is now up and running. check us out at www.nutsforboltsetc.com. also, we have our own blog for our store so add it to your blog lists! it is www.nutsforboltsetc.blogspot.com. we are so excited to FINALLY have our website up and running!! we have some really great stuff and i encourage you all to check it out....and, all subjectivity aside, we really do have some great stuff:)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
2 birthdays and a baptism
we ended our birthday month with paige's first birthday last friday, april 30th. with 3 kids all in april, our house was full of balloons and decorations for weeks! it really was the party house. jensen turned 8 at the beginning of april but we weren't able to get all the family together for jensen's baptism until the last weekend of april. as it was also paige's birthday that weekend, we were also able to have a fun party for her! paige was in good form for her first birthday - charming the crowd, "saying" cheese for pictures, laughing at everyone, and just being her regular happy, delightful, and adorable self.
how we love our paigey cakes!!! what a wonderful addition she has been to our family. i can hardly believe that it has been a whole year since she was born!! i LOVE having a little girl - i love having a daughter. she definitely holds my heart in her hand. one look with those big blue eyes and i am all hers - and i think she is starting to figure this out!! not good. i think this will eventually catch up to me but for now i can't help but spoiling her with all the attention she asks for and more! paige says a few words - hello, hi, daddy, mom. i think it is funny and somewhat telling that her first word was hello and she always says it when the phone rings...indicative of things to come!? this girl will never be getting her own cell phone! unless she smiles really sweetly at me with those baby blues. then i just might change my mind! seriously, we are all so in love with our little paigey!
moving on, jensen was baptized on may 1. i found my self questioning whether i was even old enough to have a son getting baptized!!!?? and, yes, sadly i am! actually, not sadly as it was a wonderful weekend with my oldest son! how touched i was by the spirit as i looked at my oldest boy, all dressed in white, with his dad, waiting to be baptized and then entering the waters of baptism. what a sweet and special boy he is and i am so thankful and feel very blessed to be his mother. it really was a wonderful day, filled with family and the spirit. how i love jensen! and how thankful i am that he is gaining his own testimony of our Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation.
i feel very blessed.
and last but not least, we celebrated brent's 33rd birthday a few days after jensen's baptism. i am so in love with my man and am fully convinced that he really is the world's best husband. after all, he has to put up with me and all the angst that i must cause him! 
and poor brent - all i "made" him for his birthday was drumstick ice cream cones! really, i was so birthday caked out that i just couldn't muster the energy to make another one. with 3 birthdays and a baptism in 4 weeks, can you blame me?? the kids and i made up for it by taking him out to dinner on the weekend. the birthday dessert they brought for him was WAY yummier than anything i could have made!! we sure love you brent - even if you are an old fart!
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