Another New Member...

Today we added yet ANOTHER member to our family. Say hello to Squishy. He is a Tiger Salamander. Tyler's Dad found him in their basement, they live in a very old farm house that has a dirt floor. Of course Tyson was thrilled! It took him a little while to warm up to the idea of holding him, but now nothing holds him back from picking up the 5 inch long reptile. Is it a reptile? I'm not quite sure of all the specifics of this little creature yet. We did make a stop at the local pet store to learn more. For now though Squishy will live outside in a converted Superstore bin. Maybe after he has grown on us we will more him to a more permanent home inside, in a tank. I am beginning to feel severely out numbered with all these "boys" in our home. For now though I am content with my adventurous boys. Tyson is definitely a BOY's boy!

Time to Re-Arrange...

My mom spent the weekend with my sister and I. It was fun to spend the weekend together. We went shopping, out to eat (just the girls), and to garage sales. Saturday afternoon my mom came over to my house and we got talking about my living room. I mentioned to her that I needed a little "pick me up." We have lived in our house for 6 years now and I have never changed they way my living room looks. The furniture hasn't been moved, the pictures and accessories have remained the same. I felt in a rut so to speak and just needed to be revived. My mom is a GREAT decorator and has a good eye. So we began rearranging things in my living room. Furniture was placed in a different spot, the fireplace mantel was dejunked, cleaned, and then had a few items place back on it. Shelves were hung, plants were removed, lamps were cleaned and changed around. I am SO happy with how it looks now. I kept telling Tyler that it feels great to switch things up a bit, and that it didn't cost me a penny! That is really the amazing part. I made due with what I had and it still looks like a new room.

This little re-arrangement got me to thinking about other things in my life that need a pick me up. It seems that life gets busy, priorities change, and you get out of the habit of doing things that you once did. I can think of several things in my life that I need to put back in place. One of them being FHE, (Family Home Evening). We have set aside Monday nights for FHE. This is a great opportunity for us to spend quality time as a family. We sing Primary songs, and have a short spiritual lesson that the kids can relate too. We usually finish up the night with a game or a story. It is something that Tyson looks forward to, but as of the last few weeks we haven't made a good enough effort to put this night into practice. We need to get back on track!

I am a firm believe that life with never be easy, things don't easily fall into place, but through constant effort, patience and perseverance anything can be accomplished. Things that once were a habit can easily become obsolete in our life if we don't make an effort every day to accomplish the task we set out to complete. I myself know that I have had many roller coaster moments where at times I am on the uphill and others on the down hill. But amazingly enough after a downhill slide there is yet another hill to climb. It is important to reevaluate your life regularly. There will always be room for improvement, but it is also important to give ourselves credit for our many accomplishments. My challenge it this: think about things in your life that may need a little "rearranging." Set a goal, and carry it through. :)

George Strait & Garage Sale...

Last night Tyler and I went to Calgary to see George Strait. Tyler won tickets a few days ago from a local radio station, so we were thrilled to go. The whole night was AWESOME! There were 2 opening acts before George came out to entertain. Miranda Lambert & Tracy Lawrence were great performers. Tyler was happy to see both of them, and much to our surprise we didn't know who the opening acts were going to be until we got there. When George Strait came out on stage the whole Saddledome was electric, and the noise could have blown the roof off the place. He was such a gentlemen, and very gracious. He sang about 20 songs! It was great, some oldies and some new ones. It was a solid 1.5 hours of him singing. Even though we didn't pay for the tickets I'm sure those that did felt it was worth every penny! So now I have seen George Strait in concert and I would recommend it to ANYONE! On a sad note, I heard the Dixie Chicks were coming and I want to go SO bad! But I found out they are coming on a Sunday...so I won't be going :( I'm bummed out about that. Oh well, better to keep the Sabath Day holy.

My sister and her friend are going to have a garage sale on Saturday and I am going to go in it with them. I am looking forward to it, and at the same time DREADING it! It will feel great to get rid of some unused, cluttering up my house items. But going through ALL those items is going to be a DRAG. It is something that just has to be done though, and once it IS done it will feel great. One of my motos is that if you haul all your junk outside for a garage sale, what doesn't sell DOESN'T come back in the house. So after the sale I will pack everything up and take it to a thrift store. Goodbye JUNK! So wish me luck in my challenge to go through my collections of "things." I have also decided to part with a lot of scrapbooking supplies. If I haven't used it by now, why not let someone else have the chance to use it. So we will see how it goes.

Is The Sky The Limit??

Last night as I watched the National Spelling Bee, I was captivated by the intelligence of these children. As I began to think about their dedication, studying, and commitment to this event it amazed me that children of this age (10-14 year olds) could have what it takes to endure such a gruleing event. Not to mention the countless hours they spend memorizing words, learning the origins of words, and the pronunciations of words. I was thrilled that a Canadian girl, an ALBERTAN girl made it to the final 13 competitors. I was even more thrilled that she made it down to the last 2 contestants. Although it isn't a face paced sport, I was sitting on the edge of me seat (well bed) watching it to see who would win, to see who would have the dreaded bell ring when they spelled a word wrong, and it was so exciting to see the look of relief when they didn't hear the bell sound. It makes me wonder what lies in store for my 2 little boys. What will they be interested in, what will they strive to achieve? There really are millions of possibilities out there for each and every one of us. With a lot of dedication, commitment, hard work, support and perservirance anything is attainable. Tyson has been asking me a lot lately about the moon, telling me he wants to go there. Who knows, maybe he WILL go to the moon one day. Only time will tell. The sky really is the limit to what we can achieve...or is it?

Winners!

So this afternoon Tyler and I were sitting on the couch talking and listening to the radio. On came an announcement to call in to win tickets to the George Strait concert being held on Monday. Both Tyler and I, without telling each other, started to dial the radio station phone number. Mine was busy many times as was his cell phone, but, all of a sudden his phone rang on the other end. He was so surprised to find out that he was caller number 9, the caller they were looking for. I was shocked and excited. Now all he had to do was answer a question. He motioned for me to come and listen to the question so I could help him answer it. The question went something like this, "What Georgian born actress was engaged to Keifer Sutherland and 3 days prior to the wedding called it off. Later she married Lyle Lovitt, who is the celebrity? I immediately said Julia Roberts. So that is what Tyler told the announcer, and I WAS RIGHT! WOO HOO. Now we are on our way to George Strait on Monday. Tyler was glad that I knew the answer because he later told me that he would have answered Lorie Morgan. Lorie Morgan...who is that? I have no idea. So we are both so excited to go see one of Country music biggest super stars! For those of you who aren't country music fans you won't really appreciate the win, but we are SO excited!

Summer Agenda challenge...

While reading Sophia's blog this morning she gave us a challange to post what was on our Summer agenda. Our summer days are already getting very full and busy...and FUN! We have so many fun things planned, I can hardly wait for the days to come.

Here are a few of our plans:

* Calaway Park
* Park Lake day trips
* BBQ's
* Camping at Wasa Lake & Surveyor's Lake
* Silverwood Theme Park & Waterslide
* Running through the sprinkler
* Late night bike rides
* Candy Parade
* Annual Parade BBQ at Grandma's
* Pilling Family Reunion

There are many more activities I'm sure we will participate in during the summer. The weather has be absolutely beautiful the past week and it looks like there is more in store for this week. Tyler is off today and is going to his parents to pick up our travel trailer. I can't wait to get it cleaned out and stocked up. Then we can just hook and and go if Tyler doesn't have to work the next day. This year we are going to have so much fun camping. The kids are the perfect age. Carson is walking, and more adventurous & Tyson is old enough to understand and know the boundaries we set for him. Looks like we have a fun SUMMER ahead of us!

Here are a few pictures from last year...

Beautiful Weather...&...No Camera!

This whole week has been absolutely beautiful! It sure feels like summer is here...I hope it is here to STAY! The kids and I have enjoyed many hours outside basking in the warm sunshine. We were even blessed to have Tyler home for a few days during the week. We spent one of those days at a local park/lake. We invited my grandma to come and enjoy a picnic with us. We packed a very yummy lunch and picked up KFC to top of the meal. I also packed the balls & bats, and the bubble blower. Tyson enjoyed playing on the playground, and also tossing a ball back and forth with us. Grandma H. was impressed with how well he could hit the ball. I can't wait for him to be old enough for T-Ball, I know he will enjoy it a lot! Carson was just his happy-go-lucky boy as always. He found delight in pushing the stroller all over the place. He really is the happiest baby I know!

Here are some picture from our day at the park.

On Friday Tyler didn't have to work again so we decided to head to Calgary and go to Calaway park. We haven't taken Tyson there yet, and we weren't sure if he was still to little to enjoy it. Last year though I did take him to Whoop Up Days and he LOVED the rides that he was big enough to go on. So we figured that he would like the rides at Calaway. Well needless to say when we bought our seasons pass (cheaper than buying a regular admission, so if you go 2 times you more than paid for 1 admission, we though it was a good idea.) we found out that the park wasn't open until the NEXT day! I had looked on the net before going and it said that they were open. Well we were really bummed! All was not lost though because it was a GREAT day to go to the Calgary Zoo. I did forget one major thing though...the CAMERA! I never, ever forget the camera when we go places, well this was the first...and the LAST! I guess we will be making another trip to the zoo before the summer is over so we can get the "zoo photos." I know my sisters want to take their kids, so we will tag along with them. It was a fun day, and Tyson's favorite part was the little crocodile, and the play area. It was the perfect weather, a little over cast and cloudy, but still really warm. And there weren't a lot of people. It was a PERFECT Zoo day!

Tyson has been saying some really funny things lately and I think I should keep a record of it. So why not do it here.

When I was in Chicago he got diarrhea. His uncle Bronc asked him how he was feeling and he replies with, "fine but I have the very quickly poo's." How funny is that!

We were driving in to the city and Tyson noticed the old water tower. It used to hold water, but was recently turned into a fancy restaurant. He asked me what it was and I told him, "It is a fancy restaurant where mommies and daddies go to eat a nice dinner, usually steak." That seemed to satisfy his curiosity and we proceeded to go to Burger King for lunch, and also so the kids could play at the play land. When we sat down to eat Tyson said to me, "Mom this is a fancy restaurant." I couldn't help but laugh to myself. It sure isn't hard to please a 3 year old.

We bought Tyson a 2 wheeler with training wheels the other day (pictures to come soon.) The first day we went for a long ride and were surprised at how well he was doing. Although he couldn't seem to concentrate on where he was going, and talk to us at the same time. Tyler said to him, "Boy that is a real cool bike you have!" Then Tyson replies with in his little sarcastic voice, " I know dad, now stop talking about it!" This kid, he just cracks me up!

Well there you have a few of the many many funny things my adorable son has been saying. I plan on documenting more of his funny mannerisms, and comments. It will be SO funny to read them to him when he gets older.

All Gone...

All of the puppies have now gone to their new homes. One by one the new owners came and picked up their puppy. It was sad to see them go, but to me it was bitter sweet. I have enjoyed having 7 little fur balls in our home. But now they are HUGE and getting into everything, and chewing on everything, including the new plants I planted! Tyson was heartbroken when Batman was picked up. He cried plenty of tears, and said he was very sad that we couldn't keep Batman. I have been trying to explain to him for the past few weeks that we weren't going to be able to keep any of the puppies, but I don't think he or I realized how hard it would actually be when it was time for them to go. All seems well with him now, although he still mentions his beloved puppy. It was a great learning experience for him to have to be responsible for these dogs. He didn't hesitate when I asked him to go and feed them, or put them back in their bed for the night. He would spontaneously go out into the yard and play with them. He was always carrying on of them around, usually Batman. He loved those dogs, and with surly miss them. Who knows, maybe someday again Maggie will have another litter of puppies.

Here is a collage I made my mom for Mother's Day. The size will be 10 x 6, and I will put it in an 8x10 frame. It was SO hard for me to get a picture of Carson holding a puppy. 1 they are too big now for him to hold, and 2 he wouldn't sit still! So this picture will have to do. The puppy with Tyson of course is Batman. I am happy that I have these pictures to show the kids when they are older, it will help them remember these beloved pets of ours.

Chicago...An Awesome City!

I am home from a wonderful, fun filled 5 days spent in the "Windy City," of Chicago. Tiffany and I were so excited to go and see a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show. By the end of the 5 days though we were excited to come home and see our families.

Chicago is a wonderful, busy bustling city. All told in the metropolitan area there are over 8 million people. It is hard to really fathom a city of that magnitude. As you fly into the city it seems to go forever and ever. Streets, cars, schools, shopping centers go on for miles and miles,and there are thousands of people going busily about there day. The people of Chicago are always in a rush. If you happen to wait at a green light for even a second after turning from red, you will be honked at. The people there aren't very patient, but friendly none the less.

After waking up at a very early 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, we primped and primped some more to get ready to attend the Oprah Winfrey show. During our trip we spent a lot of time waiting...waiting for trains, for planes, for buses, and for taxis. The weather was nice and there was always people to watch so we didn't mind sitting back and taking in the city. We had to wait quite awhile in a holding room after going through a few security checks at Harpo Studios. Then it was time to go into the studio. It isn't anything like you see on t.v. It is much smaller and a very intimate setting. I was actually surprise that the studio only held 300 people. One of the producers came out and and prepped us for what was going to happen during the taping. She also had us practice exaggerating our facial expressions so that maybe by some chance we would have a few seconds of fame on t.v. Then we were told the topic for the show which was "Betrayal." The announced that Oprah was arriving and the audience went crazy! She entered the studio and we were all in an uproar. She looked beautiful, as always. She was ready to start taping and was all business. It took her awhile before settling in with the audience. We had as a guest Mary Jo Butafuko. She was commenting on the events of her ex-husband and his mistress who shot her 15 years ago. They have been in the new lately when they did a reunion show and sparks were flying. The show continued on with other incidences of betrayal. The show aired only 2 days after taping, on Friday. It shocked me that it only took 2 days to edit the taping before airing. Now onto some info about Oprah. She is an all business type of woman, and it took her awhile before he comedic self came through. During commercial breaks she would comment further on the guests and their situations. She also spoke about her navy blue shoes she was wearing that Sarah Jessica Parker had given here. After the taping she continued to talk about the topic for the day, and joked around a bit. She really does have a great sense of humor and is a compassionate woman when needed. It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity. We watched the taping on Friday and were all disappointed that none of us were shown. Oh well...it was still a fun experience. And NO we didn't get a car, not even a small parting favor, but it was still worth it! Another disappointment was that she doesn't' have a gift store. Totally shocked about that!

After we went to lunch at one of Chicago's famous pizza restaurants called, "Gino's East." Chicago is known for it s deep dish pizza, and it isn't made like our traditional pizza. Everything is made backwards, with the toppings going on first, then the sauce on the top. It was very filling and we enjoyed it a lot.
After lunch Tiffany and I decided to stay downtown and explore the city. Chicago is filled with many things to see and do. From Navy Pier, the Shedd aquarium, Museums, The Magnificent Mile, and Historical buildings. We took a taxi to Navy Pier and enjoyed exploring there. And we also waited...and waited for the free trolley to pick us up. Finally after being entertained by a man who said he worked for the President, and spoke into his cell phone without it even ringing, we headed to the famous Magnificent Mile. LEt me just say, this stretch of road is a shoppers paradise. Everything from fine departments store such as Zach's Fith Avenue, Neimen Marcus to Prada, Gucci, Tiffany, Coach. You name the store and I am sure you will find it there. Not all of the stores were "high end", they also had Gap, the Children's Place, and even Payless Shoes. I found a few stores that I fell in love with. H & M is such a GREAT store, and the prices are cheaper than Walmart... and the clothes are cuter by far!

We also went and ate at the Cheesecake Factory, A TO DIE FOR restaurant! We loved it so much we ate there twice. The portion size is HUGE, and the food is out of this world. The cheesecake is the most creamy, heavenly desert you will ever have. We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening shopping. Then took our first EVER city bus back to Union Station to go back home.

The next day was filled with more tourist attractions. We went on a trolley tour that took us through the downtown area of Chicago. Our guide was very good and humorous. I didn't realize that Chicago burnt to the ground and had to be built up again. We were able to hop on and off the trolley at locations of our choosing and that was fun. We stopped at the Shedd Aquarium, the 2nd largest aquarium in the world. It was magnificent, and I wish we could have stayed longer. It is a great place to take kids, Tyson would have enjoyed it. Once again we went to the magnificent mile and shopped. They have a 3 story Old Navy! A very fun place to shop at.

Here are a few more pockets from the day.

Lastly, just as Heather was driving us to the airport we had to Shop once more. I found an Archiver's Scrapbook store that was SO close to where she lives. We just happened to stumble across it. Let me just say that this is the BEST scrapbook store EVER. SO HUGE, SO ORGANIZED, such FRIENDLY STAFF! Oh man, I was in heaven. They have a large work room with lots of free demos and make and takes. We also happened to stumble upon this little gold mine just in time because they were having a class and had extras and we were able to buy the kit. It is an adorable metal music box by Prima. It came with all the extras to doll it up. You will never guess the cost.... ONLY $10! A STEAL OF A DEAL. I am going to make mine for my mom for Mother's Day...I hope I have time :(

Anyway, that was a quick run down of our trip. We had a blast! It is always great to go on a holiday, but great to come home as well.

I'm HOME!

I home, I'm happy to see my family and sleep in my own bed, and I am SO happy I don't have to get on another plane, or wait for hours in an airport. I have so much to tell and share and photos to upload. But first I need to spend some time with my family. They all missed me so much, as I did them. As soon as I can I will update on the AMAZING time I had in the "Windy City."

Phantom Of the Opera...

Recently I saw on our local television station that "The Phantom of the Opera," was coming to Calgary, a city 2 hours away from where I live. I have been in love with Phantom for a very, very long time. I remember hearing of it when I was a young child and falling in love with the music and the story. I have listened to the tape many, many times and have all of the songs memorized. I even learned to play a few pieces on the piano. I also remember my dad plunking out the tune on our old piano as well. I can still hear the melody in my head as I type. I also remember back in high school that Phantom came to Calgary. I was jealous of those you were able to go. I even recall some boys taking girls on dates to see it. How I wished that I would have been asked to go...Unfortunately I was not.

Now is my chance to go! I spoke to Tyler about it and I could clearly see that he would rather give his right arm than endure a few hours sitting through this Broadway. So I called my mom and sister and they were happy at the opportunity to join me. So it is official, I am going to see The Phantom of the Opera on July 27th! I can't wait. What a fun time the "girls" are going to have. A chance for us to bond, get dressed up all fancy, and enjoy a truly remarkable entertaining event!

Hope you enjoy watching the movie trailer on the right hand side of my blog. For those of you who haven't seen the movie...DO IT! It is wonderful. Which reminds me...I haven't watched in a long time.

Playing Around In...

Photoshop. I have had Photoshop 7 for a long time now. I have used it lots to edit photos, but never really anything fancier than that. Today though, I did some research on how to create photo collages/storyboards. I'm hooked! I think this is what I am going to do for my Mom for Mother's day. Now all I have to do is get some ADORABLE pictures of my boys. It has been awhile since they have had portraits, they have had plenty of snap shots. So hopefuly over the next few days I can get some good head shots to make a storyboard for my mom. Here are 2 that I did tonight. I'm happy with they way they turned out. They are 14 x 8 size. So pretty big. I am hoping to have the printed in the next day or two to see what they look like IRL.

It is hard to tell in the upload, but on the right hand side of the picture it says the date. Love these pictures of Tyson playing with his 2 very best friends at the park.

I also LOVE these pictures of Tyson & Lizzie exploring in the back yard trying to find lady bugs.

Another beautiful day today! Supposed to be nice again tomorrow. SPRING is here and I am HAPPY! Short entry today...gotta run and watch Survivor.

p.s. My sister may be coming to Chicago with me! YIPEEEEE!!

American Idol! SHOCKED!!

Just watched the results show of American Idol, and I was SHOCKED! I can't believe that Ace was the contestant voted off. I thought he would go farther than he did...not to mention his great voice, but he is such sweet eye candy as well. My favorite though is Katherine. I love listening to her, she makes me smile :) She is very talented and I believe she will go far in the music industry. I guess we will have to wait and see how far she goes in A.I.

Today was the most beautiful spring day we have had so far. There was just a very light breeze blowing, and the sun was shining brightly. We spent the duration of the day outside doing yard work, and playing with the puppies. Both of the boys just love being outside! Carson is happiest when he is pushing a car around in the sand box, or playing with Maggie. Tyson enjoys exploring and looking for lady bugs to put in his bug catcher. I have noticed lately that his imagination is really beginning to show. I find him talking to himself and making up stories and situations and being so creative in his thinking. I am loving this stage of life that my kids are in. Live is so good, and we are so blessed!

Oprah...HERE I COME!

I have been a devote Oprah fan for as long as I can remember. She is a woman I look up to, a woman who has done so much good in this world. A woman who realizes the importance of Motherhood, even though she isn't a mother herself. I remember watching a show of hers where she had Phil Keoghan from the Amazing Race, and he was mentioning his list of things to do before he dies. He inspired me to make a mental list of things that I wanted to do before I die. Well I am going to be able to cross one of those items off my list because...on May 3rd, I am going to a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show in Chicago! I am SO excited! This will be my 3rd trip to the Windy City, but my first time to really experience it. The previous times I visited were for business, and our days were so busy that we had no energy at the end of the day to explore the city. This will be the "break" that I SO need! I am anxiously counting down the days until I am headed on a jet plane to Chicago. Another SWEET thing about this trip is that we don't have to go in debt for me to go, so I will be able to enjoy it even more knowing that I won't have to pay for it when I get back :)

Greys Anatomy...what can I say but I LOVE IT! I have only caught on to the show the past few months so I wasn't quite up to speed and was missing a few key episodes. I found out yesterday that my SIL is also a devote fan, and she has the complete 1st season on DVD. So I borrowed it, and haven't been able to stop watching it since. So many ups and down, learning curves, laughs, cries etc go into this amazing show. It has made me smile more than a few times, and choke up as well. I only have 2 more episodes to watch and then I will be caught up! For those of you who haven't watched it, I recommend it!

You Grew Up In The 80's If...

I just HAD to share this with all of you. I know you will get a kick out of this and have a good laugh! Man those were the good old days...

You grew up in the 80's if....
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "SIKE"
2. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and can do the "Carlton".
3. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
4. Two words: Hammer Pants
5. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
6. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
7. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
8. L.A. Gear...need I say more?
9. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing" and all the Ramona books.
10. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
11. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe)
12. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
13. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
14. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and probably in neon colors, too)
15. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?" 16. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
17. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
18. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
19. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
20. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
21. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
22. "Don't worry, be happy"
23. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
24. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do...getting yelled at by "younger hip" members of the family)
25. You remember boom boxes.
26. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
27. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.
28. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
29. You just sang those words to yourself.
30. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
31. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
32. You remember when mullets were cool!
33. You had a mullet!
34. You still sing "We are the World"
35. You tight rolled your jeans.
36. You owned a banana clip.
37. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
38. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' about Willis?"
39. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
40. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!!!

I was most definitely a child of the 80's!

Dying Eggs & Field Trip...

It has been a few days since I have blogged, I guess nothing too exciting has been happening. Tyler hasn't been working the past few weeks, just a few days here and there. It is Spring break-up time in the oil patch, which means lots of days off. But thankfully the ground is drying up and he will be back to work within the next few days. Funny guy was contemplating getting a 2nd job as a delivery man. LOL! We have enjoyed his time off, but now I say, "time to go back to work!"

Today is Good Friday. What a great day to take time to reflect on its meaning. To think that today, so many many years ago Christ was hung on the cross to suffer for the sins of the world. What a monumental day in history, a day that I will be eternally grateful for. The atonement is something that I hold dear to my heart, an act that I don't fully comprehend the magnitude of, but yet I am thankful for my savior's unselfish devotion to human kind, and for his sacrifice. To think that 3 days later, on Sunday he rose from the tomb to declare that he is the resurrected Christ. I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have that I too may be resurrected one day.

With Easter brings other traditions that are more "worldly." Dying Easter eggs, egg hunts, the Easter bunny, candy, new Sunday clothes etc. One tradition that Tyson and I love doing each year is dying eggs, and we have been doing it since his very first Easter. Tyson especially loved the bright colors we managed to produce this year, I finally read the directions on the package and learned that vinegar with enhance the color of the dye. Tyson's favorite color is blue, and we couldn't get enough blue eggs! He had fun putting stickers on them, and placing them ever so carefully in his Easter basket.

I remember as a child getting a new Easter dress. We didn't get many new dresses but we always got one on Easter and one for Christmas. I remember inparticular one year both my sister and I got matching polka dot dresses for Easter. They were so "girly" and I loved mine. It was white with pastel colored polka dots on it. We also got new white shoes. It seemed the rule was once Easter came we could wear our white shoes, and the after labor day, they were put back in the closet for another season. It is funny the things you remember from your childhood.

Yesterday (Thursday), Tyson had a parent pre-school field trip where we went to a neighboring town to take a ride on a mini train. They also had farm animals that the kids could feed & pet. The kids LOVED it! What child doesn't like trains, and what made it more special was that they each got to have a ride or 2 on it. It was large enough to fit 6 children in the small car behind the engine. The train track ran through the property of the residents, and it was complete with a bridge. Even Carson enjoyed himself. He wasn't scared or shy at all when a little goat came right up behind him. I was amazed at how well behaved & friendly those little goats were, they were SO cute! It was a GREAT day, the only thing that could have made it just a bit better was if the wind wouldn't have been blowing 100mph, but that is what we have come to expect here in southern Alberta.

For The Birds...

Today was a GREAT day! We spent the whole day together as a family. It was especially fun because we started the day off by going to Home Depot and building an adorable Bird Feeder. They have a kids workshop that runs once a month and it is completely FREE, and they supply everything! Who could pass that up? Not us. This was our first time attending and we are signed up for next months project. Tyson had a blast, and was so proud of his finished project. I have to admit that I loved helping him pound those nails. I would definitely recommend it for any child!

Carson is in LOVE with the puppies. Today he was more brave than he has been in the past. He was crawling into the box, and even picking them up! We couldn't keep him out of there. Needless to say, these puppies are going to be tough! It is great to see the kids interact with these little creatures. I am so happy that they were able to experience this. I am already so attached to them...all 7 of them, although I have 2 favorites. It is going to be so HARD to let them go, but we know there is just no way we can have more than 1 dog. Tyson is partial to the brown one, and I love the fat white male. We still haven't named any of them, and if you ask Tyson what their names are he says, "It's a secret." He is so funny. thank goodness we have 5 more weeks to spend with these little puppies. The time will go so fast, I know!

I decided to be brave and do a scrapbook resume, in hopes that by some miracle a design team, manufacturer or magazine might notice me. I SO badly want to be more involved in the scrapbook industry. I am also going to participate in more contests. I think it will be the push that I need to try new things, and just "get out there!" This is a hobby that I am so passionate about. It is more than a hobby for me, it is a way of preserving all of our most precious memories. I hope that my boys will appreciate them when they grow older. I already enjoying looking back and seeing all of their milestone. Only time will tell if this was a good decision for me or not, but I figure it can't hurt to try.

Frustrated!

I love my computer when it works...and it hasn't given my any grief since we bought it almost a year ago. I loved watching dvd's while I scrapped and the last few times I haven't been able to. There has been an error on my media player. When there is a problem with my computer I can't leave it alone until it is fixed. So today...that was my mission, and I was so frustrated. I just couldn't understand why it wouldn't work because I hadn't changed anything or done anything different. My only solution was KIDS! I think I have been to lax on letting the kids play on the computer unsupervised. Finally after troubleshooting for a LONG time, I was able to get a download and now...my media player works! WOO HOO. So I am happy one again.

On another note, I was prompted my Heather to make a Scrapbook resume. I need to be more active in the scrapbook community, I feel I am out of the loop. I have been at a stand still for awhile now with the company I was designing for, and I am feeling the need to get involved again. So I am hoping that this will work. I guess we will see. I'll post the link to my resume once it is up and running :)

Choices...

Choices are everywhere, and me make most unconsciously with our day to day living. From the mundane choices of everyday life like; what to eat, what to wear, to drive or walk, shorts or pants, curly hair or straight, the pink lipstick or the brown, there are a thousand choices we make each day without even knowing it. We begin making choices from a very early age, and are taught right from wrong. We were given our free agency to choose what we want. And from those choices there is either a positive or negative consequence that will effect our life, some are more serious than others. Choices not only effect us, but also those around us, and there again have a positive or negative outcome.

There are choices we make that take some thought, consideration and preparation, they are more serious and the outcome has a greater effect on our life. From whom to marry, to which home to buy, a major career change, when to bring children into this world, to sucome to peer pressure of stand up for what we know is right. The choices we make will determine how prosperous we are, successful, or unsuccessful, happy or miserable.

You may be wondering where this entry is all going, or where the thought even came from. There has been a situation arise in my husband side of the family that has disrupted a family,and has in turn affected everyone. One wrong choice can change a family, disrupt it, and bring it to the breaking point. I would like to delve into all the details but I want to spare the person's identity and dignity. Needless to say it is going to be a challenge for the next few months. But through all this heartache and struggle I hope that habits can be changed, and that lessons will have been learned. We must make a more conscious effort to make right choices, ones that will enrich our lives, make us a better person, draw our families closer together, and keep us succeeding, and living happy, prosperous lives.

Now on a more happy upbeat note, I have been working on my project for Big Picture Scrapbooking, and it has been so fun, and a labor of love. I have loved reading stories about my ancestors, so many wonderful facts I never knew. Is it slowly coming together, I am having a hard time finding pictures for everyone. So I am completing as much as I can, with the intent of adding to it as time goes on. Here are a few pictures of the project. This is the front of Tyler's info card. I will put the info sheet on the back. Nothing fancy, and minimal embelli's because there isn't much room in the lunch pail for extra bulk.

I have also been working more on Carson's album. Here are a few LO's.

If you LOVE country music, you have to check out Rascal Flatts new CD called, "Me and My Gang." It is AWESOME!

April Fools Day!

I have never been a practical joker, I have the worst poker face ever, and find it very difficult to try and pull a straight face without breaking out into laughter. I have conjured up big plans or ideas in my head to try and attempt to pull of a prank, but have always failed due to my inability of fooling anyone. April Fools Day has never been a day that I look forward to, in fact it often comes and goes without even a thought. Well today...all that changed! Tyler and I spent the night at his parents ranch after staying up into the wee hours of the night playing cards and visiting. By the time we finally rested our heads on the pillow after settling a fussy baby, we were exhausted. Before I knew it, children were awake and ready to eat and play. Tyler is a morning person, and finds it easy to function with little sleep. I on the other hand will take every opportunity to sleep in, and take advantage of Tyler being home to get up with the kids so I can get a few more minutes of shut eye. While enjoying a peaceful slumber, I heard the words, "Jodi, where is the car?" I bolted up out of bed, not quite sure if I heard Tyler right, or if I was only dreaming. I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, and looked out the window and sure enough our car was GONE! I had gotten into the habit of leaving my keys in the car when we visit the ranch, I never in a million years thought that it wouldn't be safe. My heart sunk, I began to panic, and a million scenarios ran through my mind. How were we going to pay for another vehicle? What about my purse, it had all my personal info in it, not to mention my credit and debit cards. Immediately I told Tyler to call his dad at work, he is a guard at the police station. Soon Tyler was on the phone and told his dad that our car was gone, and to notify the officer on duty. Very soon after an officer called and asked to speak to me. He began asking me various question about our car. What make, model, year, and color it was. I also told him that I had made the mistake of leaving the keys in the car, and he began to tell me that the insurance company wasn't going to look to kindly on that. He then informed me that earlier in the night another officer recovered a green vehicle from the Indian Reserve, but it was very beaten up, and he would have to read the report to determine if the car was ours. Then he proceeded to ask me if I had looked in the barn...and I said no! After that I knew this was a very cruel joke. After I got off the phone everyone yelled "April Fools!" Those little stinkers. They had me going, and were relishing in every minute of it. How very, very thankful I am that it was only a joke. I have no idea what we would have done if in reality our car was stolen. I don't even want to think about what a burden that would have brought to Tyler and I. So the joke was on me, and they pulled it off. I have to wonder though...was this just a way for Tyler to get me out of bed? I believe it was, and it worked!

Now for a wonderful recipe I thought I would share.

Decedent Triple Chocolate Desert

1 c. Oreo cookie crumbs
1/4. margarine
3 squares Bakers chocolate
1/4 c. Eagle Brand Milk
2 pkgs. Chocolate Instant Pudding
2 c. milk
1 tub Cool Whip

1. Melt margarine and add to cookie crumbs. Place in bottom of 8x8 pan to make the crust.
2. Melt chocolate and then add Eagle Brand Milk. Pour over cookie crumb crust. This will be the fudge layer.
3. Combine pudding with 2 cups milk. Whip with wire whisk, Pudding will be very thick. Spoon & spread 1/2 the pudding over fudge layer.

4. With the remaining 1/2 of the chocolate pudding, mix it with 1/2 the cool whip. Spread onto of chocolate layer.

5. Spread remaining cool whip on top.

6. Refridgerate for 3 hours. ENJOY!