Corn-mazing!

Last week, Joe's Mom took us to the Lacombe Corn Maze along with Celeste! We went last year and knew the kids would love it even more this year being THAT much older and able.

We tried to capture a fun family pic, ...but it didn't quite turn out as planned. Woops. Sorry Elle.

Thankfully she got over it pretty quickly.

There were rubber-duck-races that surprisingly the kids really got into. Do I suspect a competitive streak?





There was also a little farm where you could feed the animals. Ellie was not afraid.

It's hard to see it in this picture below, but there was the cutest little goat trying to escape! Haha! "Get me outta here! Save meeeeeeee!" We just pet him instead.



The kids loved this too. It was like a Merry-Go-Round thing, but on horses made out of tires. Very small-town-farm-chic.

Joe's Mom is a true farm-girl and knows what she's doing having been raised on a farm in Southern Alberta. My city-boy Joe on the other hand? Faking it. But dang, he looks mighty fine! He just needs him a that there cowboy hat.

He even roped something. Not a bull, but still very impressive. Victory!

Brothers!

They have these hay-bales that the kids can climb on and it was so cute to see Jax help Noah up. "Okay, so put your foot here and grab this rope here and just jump up like this...." Adorable.

These slides were also a big hit for the kids!

Thanks Granny for treating us to such a fun day out! We had a blast! Looking forward to the Corn Maze tradition next year! Yeeee haw!

Seven Crazy Annie's?

I think being in two musicals is starting to catch up with me. I have rehearsals for Seven Brides on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-10pm and Saturday mornings from 8-11am. Annie is on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-8 (or 9pm) and Saturdays right after my Seven Brides rehearsal until 1 or 2pm (but it actually starts at 9 or 10am, so I get to catch up first before jumping right in. Yeay!). Right now Joe is working at home AND taking an online course. I really basically have no husband these days, so going to rehearsals every night hasn't seemed like such a sacrifice. In fact, it's a really fun way to spend my time! I feel like I've totally grown in places that I had no idea I was capable of doing. Like doing a reverse barrel roll turn (and gracefully might I add), or being lifted horizontally on a man's shoulder while being spun around like a swan. It's great. If I don't lose ten pounds from all the dancing and non-evening-eating I've been doing (along with making sure I keep up with my life at home) then I'll be shocked! But tonight for some reason, I feel... stressed? Today we finished Act One from Seven Brides but it still feels so incomplete so I am kind of freaking out. Partly because not only am I playing Dorcas but I have taken upon myself the duties of the Music Director. LOTS of work. And there are a few ...how do we say.... sketchy parts in a few of the songs still. We haven't even gone through one of the songs entirely! Ah! And in Annie, we still aren't 100% with our "Easy Street" song (close though) and in all honesty, I'm not sure I can dance and sing at the same time anyway! I think our dancing is fine because thus far the choreography has been a huge focus. But we are just NOW starting to sing along while dancing. I'm scared. I know I sound awful. I literally should be singing this song while on the elliptical just to get used to singing out while heaving! AND, the show is in a few weeks and we haven't gone through the final scene yet (which I am in and have more lines! Baaaaaah!). AND, ...I offered to be the photographer for the cast. But of course, the cast is never ALL there and ready for pictures in one day, so this feat has taken a few weeks BUT I am down to four people. Getting there. If I take a step back, it's really not a big deal. I think all the nerves and stress are coming from the fact that originally coming to rehearsals was fun and upbeat and I wasn't thinking much about the end result. But now we are getting down to the wire and this all somehow has to come together. I know it will and the plays will be amazing, but I'm just glad I am not the director! All this being said, I am having the time of my life. When I originally said yes to taking these roles in TWO plays, people thought I was crazy and now I am starting to see why. In my mind, I just wanted to get in as much fun as I possibly could while I still felt young enough and before we started considering baby #4 (another thing that people think I am crazy for). Anywho, do I have some unhealthy addiction to being really busy? Maybe. But I will tell you this, I have never had to use my brain this much in a long time. That sounded bad. Haha! But I used to be able to remember things, HOWEVER, ever since having babies, bit by bit my brain has escaped so I've been a touch nervous about memorizing lines and dance steps and blocking, etc. The saddest part is, I lay in bed and I am SO tired but I cannot turn my mind off. I'm thinking about what position I need to be in before this or that move or how I should project my line or how am I going to teach them this song in time? Or.... the list goes on. (Jayna and Grant, my directors, would be happy. Haha!). I have been surviving on 5-6 hours of sleep every night for the past two weeks. Why? I am so tired? Why can't I sleep? It's like having a new born baby again. It's my musical-newborn baby. My Seven Crazy Annie's.

A Sunday Walk

As a teenager one of my fondest memories of living at home was going on Sunday walks. It usually included my Mom or my sisters (or both!). We would talk and talk and talk. And walk. Looking back I can see how it was a fantastic bonding experience (not to mention a way to not feel so bloated after a Sunday meal!). As a Mom now, I am seeing the wisdom in it. It's a time to be together as family. And of course, bond. We would usually only go around the block several times as a kid, but yesterday I wanted to go to what is now becoming one of my favourite places near our house. Smith's Crossing.

The kids love it because they can get their hands dirty and throw rocks into the water. Why is throwing rocks into the water such a peaceful and soothing experience?

We tried to capture some bonding moments. But this is about as good as it got with Ellie. No way was I going to pull her away from her rock-throwing duties.



I packed a little picnic so we could stay there for a while. The only way I was able to get Ellie to eat her bun was to sit her on this pipe-thingy. She was ticked and could not for the life of her figure out how to get down. Haha! It was great! She had no other choice but to eat her food. Thank goodness!

I'm so grateful for my Mom who always made an effort to stay close to me and understand me. Those walks (among other activities) really helped. I get pretty nervous every once in a while when I think of how my kids might be as teenagers. In all honesty, I think I was a pretty good kid (Joe still thinks I am pretty niave and I'm 30!), but the world is such a scary place with way different kinds of temptations than what I had growing up. Joe and I were talking about this recently and we decided that all we can really do is just love our kids and keep an open line of communication with them so they can always feel like they can talk to us (and pray like crazy!). I really hope that they feel that way. I know I did with my Mom. I was really lucky to have a close relationship with her. I am certain I asked her the dumbest questions and she never made me feel stupid. But the reason I asked was because I knew she would never make me feel dumb for asking. I'm really grateful for her. She's taught me a lot about unconditional love. Thanks for all the Sunday walks Mom.

The Vicious Vacuum

I think I may have instilled a little too much fear into my children. I should say child. The other two don't give two hoots when I haul out the vacuum, but Jackson on the other hand (yes, my FOUR year old. Nay, my ALMOST five year old, as he would put it) has decided that if there is even the slightest toy on the ground when I turn it on that it's time to throw a fit. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I believe it all started when I told the kids that if they didn't pick up all their toys I would vacuum them up. That was my mean-Mom way of getting them to pick up their toys quickly instead of lolly-gagging around. I have used this technique on them for quite some time, so I don't know where all of these emotions are coming from, but as of late I think Jackson has really taken me seriously. He bawls and follows me around with the vacuum just to make sure I do not suck up any of his toys. It is so cute that I have to chuckle. But then I feel bad and I try to explain to him that I would never really vacuum up his toys, I just want him to clean them up quickly. He doesn't believe me though. Or he's just too past delirious that crying is the only emotion I'm going to get from him whenever the vacuum goes on no matter what. The tears are automatic, just like the vacuum switch!

Who knew that turning on a vacuum could create such chaos?

And who knew I could have such a clean home in no time?

The Park

Ah yes. The park. The glorious park. Trust me when I tell you that we became VERY dear friend this Summer. Daily visits, picnics, you name it. BFF's!





Why? Why the highest thing in the park?

The stairs of doom. I hate these stairs. Finally at the END of the Summer I feel like I can let Ellie climb them on her own. She is so fearless (has to keep up with the boys right?) so I usually get to follow her all over the park. But NOW, she can finally do most things on her own. Thank goodness. Next Summer will be amazing. I'll get to sit and watch my kids. SIT! Can you believe it? Maybe even bring a book? ...fine, wishful thinking. But I'll take the sitting.





Bahahaha! Here's Ellie trying to keep up. "If they can do it, so can I!"

Dear Park,

Thanks for those long sunny afternoons we spent together. I especially enjoyed our picnics and slurpee days filled with endless sunshine. Until we meet again....

My Idea of a Perfect Sunday Evening

The only change would be having people actually sitting in the chairs. I promise there were! Matt and Tarilyn occasionally come over for Sunday dinners, put the chilluns down and we play games into the week hours of the night! I couldn't help but post this picture below of the kids watching a movie on the bed. I love how Charlie looks like this little outcast in the back working on her leg-stretches without a care in the world! Cute! And don't ask me why Jackson is clinging to a pink kitty. He loves that cat.

Mean Mom Alert

Guys, I am so mean. Today has been a really bad mean-Mom day. I haven't screamed yet so it couldn't have been THAT bad, but bad enough that I want to leave the house and not come back until the kids have been in bed for a while. I think it all started bright and early this morning with cleaning. I've been cleaning my house non-stop. Going and going and re-cleaning and re-tidying up everything that keeps getting undone (and of course, more laundry today). It just seems endless. The worst is I am looking around and it looks like I have done nothing. I think I MIGHT be a touch happier if I could see the fruits of my labours. But I can't. My kids aren't even being awful, they are just being kids. I am just in an awful mood. I feel like every once in a while I get in these ruts where I feel like, "If I have to sweep this floor ONE MORE TIME, so help me!" And so help all of us. At lunch, Noah and Jax told me multiple times that they didn't like the way I was talking them. And then they both got to sit in Time-Out. Haha. Sigh.... Thankfully right now Ellie and Noah are napping and like a good Mom I sent Jackson downstairs to get out of my hair for the afternoon.... uh, I mean, to play Xbox. Is it bad that he's been playing it all morning as well? Shouldn't I be reading with him or something? Or encouraging him to do a craft? No. Because my energy is gone. Spent! It left me the moment I woke up.

So tired.

So tired.

Where is the cleaning Fairy?

And the vacation Fairy? I could use her too.

Ventiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnggggggg COMPLETED! Now I will go read my scriptures and feel guilty for having such a bad Mean-Mom attitude. ;)

Pinterest Project Time!

Pinterest. Such an addicting thing. But also a fantastic resource for ideas! I love looking through and finding things that I can perhaps one day create myself. One of these ideas was this little craft-tote for Jackson. Sometimes I run out of ideas of what kinds of things to bring to church for my kids that will allow them to be relatively occupied (ie: quiet). I thought this was a great idea.

I had to boy-ify it of course. Batman style, to make it cool. ...A touch tacky I'll admit. But "cool" for a four year old.

A Quiet-Book for Ellie is next. I need to start it relatively soon. I'm hoping to give it to her in time for Christmas! Looking at all the ideas I have in mind, I'll need all the time I can get!

Don't Make Me!

Laundry. It's truly the worst chore invented. Don't even ASK me what I would have done if I were born a hundred years ago. Just don't. I hate the folding. I hate the putting it away. I hate then realizing after it's all said and done that I have to do the same thing in a couple of days. And if I don't do it? It triples in size! I can't even show the laundry who's boss by leaving it be for a few days. There are no breaks when it comes to laundry. Three kids four and under means that one outfit cannot see the end of day without some sort of stain or mark or stinkiness attached to it. (And THEN include Joe and I in the mix....). However, I have found a way to make it more manageable. Even, ...dare I say, enjoyable!

Skyping Jenny.

Having a laundry buddy guarantees some sit down time and good conversation with my best friend. And before I know it, it's all folded! It's a fantastic way to feel productive AND have some good, wholesome adult conversation. Who knew right? Now I just need to find a way to make putting it all away not seem like such an awful pit-in-my-stomach chore. Ideas?

And literally, ...if Jenny's not there to Skype?

I leave laundry for another day.

Crafty Kid?

So, I caved and bought this craft kit for Jax a week or so ago since he is in LOVE with drawing pictures and making crafts. He literally draws something every day. But to my happy surprise it was NOAH who had broken into it the next morning. I cannot tell you how proud I was of him. Jackson has always had a love for taking the time to sit still and draw but Noah, on the other hand, has never really had the patience for it. I woke up to find him like this.

It could be that I allow him to play with the scissors now (child-safe of course. C'mon, who do you think I am?) AND let's not forget the "sticky tape" (as my kids call it), but I think we're off to a good start. He actually likes having craft time now. Who knew!

Perhaps Jackson has some healthy competition?

Sweet Summer Returned?

I think I've lived every single day this week in my swimsuit. I don't mind Summer in September. Here we are at the beach!

Joe had taken the boys golfing so it was just Mommy-daughter time. So nice.

Ellie with her boyfriend, Jarom.



What a dare-devil trying to stand up on her own.

Ellie was in Heaven all day long. And thanks to Sarah, it was pretty low-key for me. She even watched Ellie while Barb and I went for a quick swim across the lake and back. That swim solidified to me how out of shape I really am. I used to be able to swim that kind of distance without blinking (before my days of Mommyhood, of course). Two days later and I am still stiff! Baaaa!



...and CRASH!

The next day I took the kids to the Gibb's pool. Again, Heaven.

Noah and Scarlett.

True hot-tub-love?





Jax was so pumped that he could "swim" in the deep end. He even jumped in a couple times. What a stud. "I'm so brave Mom, I didn't even cry."

Pretty girl! Who has eyes like this? I mean, really!

Whitney and Taylor. Best buds!

It was Cassie's birthday yesterday, so we celebrated by eating cake and jumping in the pool (yes, we even got our hair wet! That's how crazy we are!).

And the synchro dive.

Eating cake in the club house. This is seriously my dream backyard.

Thanks to Barb, my week has been full of beautiful sunshine and water. I'm not ready to let it go! But alas, until next year....

Sniff... sniff....