We Are Back from the LAKE...

Phew....a week of vacation sure seems to go by F*A*S*T! We spent the last 9 days on vacation in Kalispell, MT. For Christmas my parents rented a cabin for all of our family to stay at for 1 week in July. I have to say this was the BEST present ever. We have been looking forward to this holiday for 6 months and FINALLY the day had arrived. After all the packing and preparation was done we finally hit the road. Tyler and I left a few days early to take in the 4th of July celebrations. We went camping with some good friends of our. We went to the water slide on Saturday and it was a PERFECT day to go...there was hardly anyone there. The weather was great and the kids had a blast. Later that night we lit of fireworks and the kids had so much fun. I think we have a little pyro in our family...Tyson had so much fun lighting the fireworks and then running to get out of the way. It was fun to watch them.

Then it was time to go to the cabin. We met the rest of my family there and then the fun began. We spent the next week enjoying each others company, playing in the water, soaking up the sun, eating good food, cray fish hinting, turtle catching, boating, wake boarding, knee boarding, tubing, lighting off more fireworks, and just having fun together. The kids really did well and we didn't have to break up to many fights. Although we were entertained by Hunter and Carson acting like Transformers and attacking each other. It was pretty funny! We had lots of late nights and slept in late as well. The adults had fun playing Risk, Monopoly and Rook.

The week just seemed to fly by and before we knew it, it was time to clean the cabin and head for home. While there I realized a few things. Family is EVERYTHING! They are the people who will support you, laugh with you, cry with you, confide in you, and be happy for your successes. The memories you make with your family are worth so much more than any monetary present anyone could buy you for Christmas.

(I took a little hiatus from writing this post cause we had a family reunion to go to...this post is so late in publishing to my blog...but oh well)

I loved all the time I spent with my family at the Lake, it was so much fun and I am counting down the days until we go again NEXT year...for 2 weeks this time! Yah!

Here are some pictures from the week:

Gracie Turns 1

Happy Happy Birthday Gracie Dear,

Happy Days will come to you all year.

If I had a wish, that wish would be,

A Happy Happy birthday to you from ME!

Today we celebrated Grace's 1st birthday. WOW a year has come and gone so fast. I was thinking this morning that exactly 365 day ago Tyler and I were nervously packing and heading to the hospital to be induced to have our baby girl. I remember the induction wasn't the same as it was for the boys and hoping and praying that I would deliver the baby by noon. I had very fast labours with both the boys and I was hoping the same for this delivery. About 11:20 the Dr. came in and broke my water and I said out loud I hope I have this baby by 12:00. The Dr. just said it was unlikley but not impossible. Well I delivered Julia Grace Pilling at 12:20 and I was so happy!

We were thrilled to have a baby girl and couldn't wait to get her home. This past year has been full of so many fun moments with Grace. We all have loved watching her grow and develope. I have enjoyed every milestone, every night rocking her & every moment cuddling with her. She has brought so much joy to our family. We couldn't imagine our life without her.

Today we celebrated by going to the Raymond parade. We ended up being at the END of the parade and most of the floats were OUT of candy...which our kids were NOT impressed with. But we still managed to have fun.

Gracie was entertained by being fed slurpee by dad. Spoiled girl...well it IS her birthday I guess we can let her have some slurpee. LOL!

Notice Tyson's bucket is EMPTY! LOL!

Uncle Bronc was in the parade with his team & wagon. Grandpa Pilling was riding too.

After the parade we stopped by to see Grandpa's horse. Carson & Grace both had a ride. This was Gracie's first time on a horse.

Then we headed back to Coaldale for the party. We had Grandma & Grandpa Jensen, Hunter, Gunner and Jayda over. Aunt Tiffany & Uncle Trevor were on there way home from Young Women's camp. We just played in the back yard and had a BBQ, The lunch was great and the cake was even BETTER!

It was a great day...and it still isn't even over yet. Grace is just down for a nap and then I am sure we will head in to Lethbridge to continue celebrating Canada day. But for now...I have to go clean up the mess! LOL!

Happy Birthday...Baby Grace!

Happy 11th Anniversary...

WOW 11 years! Time has gone by so fast & I can't even remember a day without Tyler in it. Funny how that happens. Today we are celebrating our 11th anniversary. We made it this far...so it should be all down hill from here right? We have gone through some ups....and some downs but together we have made it through and are stronger together because of it. Along the way we have brought 3 beautiful children into this world and they have made us better people individually and as parents. I can't imagine life any different than it is right now. It just seems so perfect and complete. Yes there are still challenges and I am sure we will continue to have some ups and downs but over all life is GREAT.

I am so happy to be married to Tyler. He is the perfect man for me. He tells me often that he is the only man with enough patience to put up with me. LOL! I think he is right though. I am amazed everyday that Heavenly Father chose a dentist office for Tyler and I to meet. Everything leading up to us meeting wasn't just luck there was definitely some divine intervention. I am thankful for his integrity and his willingness to go the extra mile and serve others. He is such a great example to me. I couldn't have asked for a better father for my kids. I am thankful for anniversaries that help me remember how lucky I am to still be married. In this world where commitment doesn't seem to exist and "throwing in the towel" seems to be an easy option, I am happy that we have worked together to make our marriage strong.

Happy Anniversary Ty...I love you! I can't wait to see what the next 11 years has in store for us.

Father's Day

Yesterday was a GREAT day. I had all of my family over for Father's Day dinner. Thankfully it was nice enough that we could eat outside. It was great to be together and let the cousins play. They loved playing in the hammock and having grandpa swing them back and forth. I wish I would have taken a video of it cause it was so cute...but I didn't. The girls talked about meals for when we go to the cabin & we got that all planned out so that was good. We are all counting down the days until we go...we are ALL so excited!

Yesterday morning I got up before Ty and made him waffles with whipped cream & strawberries & bacon. This was a treat cause I usually don't get up first on Sunday mornings and I don't usually make such a fancy breakfast. But I know he likes big breakfast so he deserved and him & the kids LOVED it...and so did I. After church Tyler took a long much needed nap...totally uninterrupted. I made sure the kids were quite and stayed out of the bedroom. I know he appreciated it. All the while I was busy preparing things for dinner later that night. All the work was well worth it. Even though I didn't spend a lot of money on Tyler for Father's day, the little things I did meant more to him. Some kind words of affection expressing my appreciation to him meant more than any present I could have bought him. He is the BEST Father to our kids and the BEST husband for me. It never fails to amaze me how Heavenly Father knows exactly who the perfect match for us is. Even though Ty & I are so opposite we fit together so well. We are a match made in heaven! Happy Father's Day Tyler..I LOVE you!

(Really OLD picture of us together 2005 befor my high school reunion...but I still like it...and we haven't taken very many since then with just the 2 of us. Time to do that!)

A Small Vent...

So today I had a friend stop by with her kids and they stayed for a little visit. During the course of the visit the 5 year old says to me, "Jodi why don't you like xxxxx's mom?" She told me that her friend told her that I didn't like her friends mom. I then told her that wasn't true and she should tell the little girl that. Then I got to thinking...okay where has this little girl heard this from? And who in their right mind would say that to a 5 year old so she could go and tell all her little friends. Now if I am completely honest here what the little girls said is partially true. I don't dislike her mom, I just choose not to associate with her because of past experiences. It isn't like I'm not nice and cordial to this mom, but I just choose to distance myself from her. If I don't care for a person I certainly DO NOT tell my kids that so they can go and tell their friends. I was just kind of shocked at the immaturity of this mother to be speaking like that around her daughter who then goes and tells a daughter of a really good friend of mine. I know this is probably so confusing cause I am not using names...but that doesn't' matter. You get my point.

Sometimes I don't think we watch what we say around our kids enough. They seem to be little sponges and pick up on everything. I have noticed this a lot lately with Tyson. He will ask me questions about money cause he has heard me talking to Tyler about it. He will ask me how much $200 is and if that is enough for groceries. LOL! On one hand it is kinda cute how he is so concerned if we have enough money and on the other hand it makes me sad that he has over heard these types of grown up conversations. It bothers me that a 6 year old is concerned about our families finances. It has really made me take a step back and think about what I am talking about in front of my kids. I don't want to take away their childhood with adult concerns. I also don't think it is right that we put our opinions of people on our children. I have always said to Tyson in the morning before he goes to school, "Be a good friend to everyone." I really want him to follow this council. And until he is old enough to know how to handle adult situations and relationships I want him to always live by that rule.

So there is my little vent or rant for the day. Sorry to bore you to death, but I just wanted to get it off my chest and now I have...enough said about the subject!

I DID IT!

So race day has come and gone and I DID IT! What a beautiful day for the Ladies Fest 8km walk/run. It was a bit on the HOT side though...about 20 degrees when we started and about 24 when we ended...but I would WAY rather have it on the warm side than rainy...so I'm not complaining.

I can't describe how great I felt accomplishing this goal I had set out for myself. All through my growing up years I was NEVER good at sports! I was always picked last for any sports event. I remember dreading youth day (youth softball tournament in Cardston) every year cause I wasn't any good. I HATED P.E. which we had to take in grade 10, otherwise I would have opted out for sure. I have never been the exercising type either, always had better or more lazy things to do. I would very often be jealous of fit people who had the energy to exercise and still be a mom and take care of a household. Well now I can finally say that I chose a goal and I stuck TO IT! Another thing I haven't always been good at. I am so thankful to the girl who suggested we run the Ladies Fest. I am so proud and happy that I stuck to my goal instead of procrastinating or just settling for walking the race, although I think walking the race is an accomplishment too. I am happy that I had the motivation, and energy to "train" before the race instead of just trying it on race day. I am thankful for my husband who supported me and would quite often put the kids to bed so I could go for a run, or get Tyson off to school so I could go running early in the morning. I am thankful for the positive attitudes of everyone during the race. It didn't feel competitive at all and it was great to hear people's words of encouragement.


I am happy that I reached my goal of completing the race in under 1 hour. My official time was: 55:31 and I came in #272 out of 674. A great accomplishment for my 1st 8km race. I was also thrilled that Tiffany and I placed #10 in the sister's category.

Pre-race face.

I was so happy that Tyler made it into town in time to see me finish the race. I was happy for their support. The kids wanted to know if I had won. LOL! Carson was in tears when I told him I didn't win...so Tyler had to fib...and tell him I did. LOL!

And here is Tiffany (she will probably KILL me for putting this on here) but I want her to know how proud of her I am and happy that she accomplished this goal with me. It was great to have her support and encouragement.

So there is the recap of my 1st 8k race. Now I have set a goal to do a 10k in TWO weeks in Raymond. Any of you girls want to join me? I could always use a running partner. I may have to opt out of the 10k to the 5k though...we will see if I can bend my thighs tomorrow and if I am not as stiff. LOL!

Be Good To Your Feet...

I have been running for about the past 6 weeks in preparation for the 8k Ladies fest THIS Saturday! I have learned a few things while training. The number one most important thing is your feet. You have to wear proper comfortable shoes. Remember you are running for a long time and travelling over quite a few miles. I had a pair of running shoes that were relatively comfortable. The weren't expensive by any means. I thought they would do...well they didn't! After the toe nails on my big toes turned purple underneath and one was throbbing so badly I decided I needed to invest in a good pair of shoes. My toes were so sore I could hardly touch them. I even had to drill 2 holes in each one so the liquid could escape. It was so gross...but felt so much better once I drained them. So I bought these shoes and they are SO comfy, well worth all the $$.

They are Asics...and so awesome. It really is important to have the right equipment when you do anything, it makes the experience so much better.

Another piece of equipment I have picked up is this...the Nike Plus. It is so awesome. You connect it to you Ipod and it will calculate how far you have run, your pace, and your calories burned. I am the type of person that has to know what I am accomplishing and this handy little tool has been so worth the $. It plugs into your computer and keeps track of all your stats. It is great!

And of course I couldn't be without my PINK Ipod Nano. I have all my favorite tunes in there that help me stay motivated to put one foot in front of the other!

If any of you watched Biggest Looser this season they had to run a marathon and they were wondering how on earth they were going to do it. I heard one of the trainers say...the best way to run a marathon is to just RUN...one foot in front of the other. That is what I tell myself when my body feels like shutting down and stopping. It actually works.

I have set a few more running goals, some short term & long term. I have really enjoyed training for this 8k race and am so looking forward to it. Next I am going to do a 10K...and then on to a HALF marathon. So I guess over the summer I will be hitting the pavement LOTS with all my great equipment to get me though those longer runs to come.

Playing Catch Up...

It is totally amazing how much you can get done when you don't have a computer. I actually spent quality time with each of my kids (I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't do it often enough.) I got laundry done, books read, and played outside...LOTS. It was great. It made me realize just how much time I invest in the computer. It is such a WASTE of time! I know I need to use the computer on occasion...but to the excess that I do isn't really justifiable. So I am going to try my hardest to limit the amount of time I spend on here. I think I need to train my brain that the computer isn't working or in the shop getting fixed. LOL! Maybe that would help.

I am looking forward to this weekend as the boys have a Father & Sons camp out. The boys are SO excited...they have wanted to go camping since last September. LOL! It will be a good time for all 3 of them to be together. So I have a babysitter booked for Friday night and me and the girls are going to hit the town! Nothing like a little ME time.

I went to visit my parents on Sunday when Tyler was out of town. It was such a nice day. The kids were goofing around and came up with this crazy hat. They all looked so cute. Even grandma participated.

FINALLY....

Yesterday was a BEAUTIFUL day...FINALLY! Here in Southern Alberta we have dealt with an unbelievable COLD LONG winter...and then a rainy miserable Spring. But I think the weather has mad a change for the better and it looks like it is here to stay...for awhile anyway. Yesterday I sat out on my patio, which I LOVE and put tanning oil on my legs and read a book while I listened to Carson and Hunter playing and while Grace was napping peacefully. It was heaven. I even have a sunburn to show for my relaxation...a burn I don't mind at all. It is proof that we actually had a sun shiny day. YIPEE!


I love Summer...it is my favorite season. I love the smell of lilac bushes in bloom, fresh cut grass and the air right after it has rained. I love hearing my kids play outside in the sprinkler. Their voices full of laughter and glee as they run through the cool water. I love seeing their messy, sticky faces as they attempt to eat a Popsicle. I love having backyard BBQ's with friends and family. I love packing out trailer and heading out to go camping. My kids LOVE camping too and ask EVERYDAY if we are going. I keep telling them not yet...but SOON! YAH!


I am excited for our family trip to "the Lake." Thanks mom and dad for giving us this gift for Christmas. I can't think of a better gift...one where we can all be together enjoying the lake and all the fun times. I am looking forward to going to Silverwood again. The kids LOVED it the 1st time, and that was 2 years ago. Now they are older and will LOVE it even more now. I am looking forward to out week at Surveyor's my favorite place to camp. There are so MANY fun things we have planned...now we only have to get through a few more weeks of school and then we can HIT THE ROAD!


A few days ago Tiffany & I took the kids to Indian Battle Park so the kids could play at the playground and ride their bikes on the path. It was another GREAT, BEAUTIFUL day. Here are a few pictures.

Today we are tackling the job of re-painting our deck floor. It has been chipping and peeling for 2 years now and looks TERRIBLE (IMO) so Tyler has a few days off and we are going to get the job done. I can't wait. We spend so much time out there it will be nice not to have to look at the nasty floor. LOL! So here is hoping for more sunshine and happy days to come this week!

A Few of My Crafty Projects...

I have been in crafty mode lately. Must be this crummy weather that has made me think of a few fun things to do inside. I got this idea from my sister. I love how it turned out! You put a vinyl tablecloth on the back that way sand, dirt ect. won't stick to your blanket. I can't wait to use this new blankie at the lake & camping.

I have also attempted to make a few dresses for Grace (not that she needed any. LOL!) But it was fun to put my sewing skills to the test. There is a GREAT website where I got the patterns from. They were very easy to follow and had great step by step instructions with photos.

Sorry the dresses looked wrinkled...they are. I should have taken the picture before she wore them. Oh well...you get the idea. This is called a Pillow Case dress...VERY easy to make!

This is the 2nd dress I made. It is a criss cross dress and it is SO darn cute...only I made it a little bit to small so it won't fit her very long. At first the middle was too big...so I attempted to cut it down a few inches...and that was too much. AGHHH...oh well this was a practice and I will know better for next time. This dress was very fun to make and didn't take long at all!

I didn't make this dress...but I LOVE it just the same. Got it in Provo for a great deal at Walmart! I love the spring colors. Can you believe that my baby is 10.5 months already? Where has the time gone?

Life has been hectic but good as usual. We are all happy to have Tyler home from his week in Edmonton. Carson missed him terribly and wasn't acting himself at home OR at school. He had a few chats with Miss Rita when he was misbehaving. KIDS! He continues to enjoy gymnastics though...but also got into trouble there last week. So yes we are all glad daddy is home. We are all anxiously awaiting Summer to come and visit southern Alberta! Do you think we will ever get some sunny days with NO rain? I sure hope so. The kids are so looking forward to camping and we have the campgrounds booked. YEAH!

My latest endeavour has been training for the Ladies Fest 8km race on June 13th. I know 8km really isn't any big feat but it is for someone who is NOT a runner. I have really started to enjoy it...well I think I like the feeling AFTER I have run...so that is motivation for me to keep going. I have lost 6lbs in the past 2.5 weeks so I can't complain about that either. There really is something to eating healthy and exercising...it just makes you FEEL BETTER!

Here is a fun website that I found. She has some great things on there...and right now she is doing a give away. Who doesn't like FREE stuff right?

Well I think that is all for now...I hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

A friend sent me this video...I had a good chuckle.

I have to admit that my mother's day was just like any other day...sadly. Tyler had to go to Edmonton for work and he left shortly after church. So I got to make the Sunday meal & clean it all up and watch him pack and leave me for a week (insert cry here.) He did however take Grace during Priesthood so I could enjoy Relief Society by myself so that was nice. He also gave me his annual HUGE Mother's Day card and had the kids sign it. That was cute. In the card he told me that I deserved a new dishwasher and to go put it on my credit card....YIPEE! Although I haven't really minded washing the dishes...so I might hold off until the $$ is saved before buying a new washer. Even though my day wasn't too special I still took some time to reflect on being a mom and how much I love it. I wouldn't trade being a stay at home mom for anything! Even though there are some hard...ROUGH days...there are SO many more good ones. I am happy that I am here when my kids get home from school, and that they know they can call me at anytime if there is a problem. I love being able to take my kids to all their activities like soccer, piano & gymnastics. I love seeing my little girl learn how to crawl and to say DA DA & MA MA. I wouldn't trade in those moments for any high paying job! While at Women's Conference I heard a quote that has stuck with me, "All of Eve's children were NOT perfect, but she found joy in MOTHERHOOD." Even though our kids make mistakes & frustrate us we still need to find the positive and enjoy being a MOTHER. I hope all of you will have a wonderful day not only on Mother's day...but everyday!

I just finished reading THIS book...and could NOT put it down. At times it was hard to read about the unbearable hardship and gruesome tragedy that struck Rwanda in the 1990's. Most of us probably didn't even know what was happening on the other side of the world at that time. A genocide was taking place while we were all busily going to High School and stressing over what clothes were "cool," and which boy was going to ask us to the dance. Those things now seem SO very trivial to me know. After mustering past the graphic nature of this book the message of hope, FAITH, and most of all the Lord's hand in EVERYTHING really made me stop and re-evaluate my life. We have no idea how horrible life really is for some people..and through it all some of them manage to have an optimistic view of life and really lean on their FAITH to get them through. This book just reiterated to me that Heavenly Father really does know each and everyone of us and that he REALLY hears prayers. He LOVES us and has a special purpose for each and everyone of us. I am so happy that I stumbled on to this book...it really has put things into perspective for me. No matter how LARGE or SMALL a problem I may be having my Heavenly Father will hear my pleas and answer my prayers. I really do encourage ALL to read this book...you won't be sorry you did!

I'm BACK...

It seems like it has been a VERY long time since I have blogged. Don't you just find that sometimes life gets SO busy and you neglect certain things? Well one of those things for me is definitely blogging. When life gets busy it is the farthest thing from my mind. So here I am catching up on a few things that have been happening. Carson is at my sisters (thanks Tiff!) and Grace is napping so what better time to catch up.

We had a VERY eventful trip down to Provo, Utah for Women's Conference. I spent the few days prior to leaving cleaning the house, folding ALL the laundry, making meals, and writing out the 4 page agenda for Tyler. LOL! So we headed out for the 12 hour drive on Wednesday morning at 7:30. When we got to the boarder the patrol officer said we might want to stick around for a while as there was a severe storm in the area. Us being stubborn (me) decided that we would just push on through and drive slow. I wasn't about to miss my trip that I had been planning for for so long and have everything arranged just because of a little snow. Well it turned out to be A LOT of snow...and VERY bad roads. So bad in fact they closed down the interstate at Shelby and weren't letting ANY traffic through. Bound and determined as we were we decided to wait out the storm for awhile at the Town Pump gas station. We met several friendly truckers who informed us that this was the worst storm in 20 years. Yes it was VERY VERY bad. I have never driven on roads so horrible. We did manage to meet up with another lady who was travelling by herself back home to Utah and she became our travelling companion. My mom kept saying over and over that "things happen for a reason." Maybe meeting Janeene and helping her get home safely was the reason our trip was delayed? After 7 hours of waiting...they finally opened up the interstate and we made it to Great Falls...luckily.

(Waiting in the truck stop playing cards.)

The roads were still very treacherous. We were happy to be somewhere we could at least shop! After some retail therapy and a good meal we settled into a nice hotel room for a much needed rest. The next morning we headed out again...a day later than planned and made it to Utah save and sound.

(Finally on BYU campus. This was our dorm...JAIL...LOL!)

Although we missed one day of the conference we were still happy to be surrounded by so many LDS women and we could feel the spirit of the conference immediately. Even though we didn't make it to all the classes we wanted to go to I know that the classes I did make it to impacted me and taught me things I needed to know.



(Concert at the Marriot Center on Thursday night...it was AWESOME!)

Here are some things that I learned:

Julie B. Beck said, "Every mother should produce a superior daughter."

Joseph F. Smith said "NO love in ALL the world can equal that of a true mother."

All of Eve's children were NOT perfect but she was glad to be a MOTHER!

Humor is mostly needed and the most neglected in families.

We shouted for joy to come to this earth and now we are so depressed with everyday things.

Life is seldom fair...Fair is where you go to see the pigs.

Wrinkles indicate where SMILES have been.

And the all time highlight of the conference for me was seeing this video of President Hinckley.


It was a great trip despite the little obstacles. Tyler did a wonderful job at taking care of the kids. I am so thankful that he was willing to take time off work so that I could go and get my spiritual bucket filled....it was near empty! There were just a few minor things that happened while Tyler was taking care of the kids. 1st day he made the Easy Mac in Tyson's thermos in the microwave = thermos "blowing up." I had made a meal plan for what to send Tyson to school everyday for lunch. Tyler texts me and says that he should have followed the meal plan but changed it and sent PB & J sandwich to school and Tyson's school is a nut FREE school. He didn't know that but he learned his lesson and said that from now on he will follow the meal plan to the T. LOL!

It was great to bond with my mom & sisters and Lori. We all got along SO well and laughed A LOT! (sorry mom) Now I am anxious to put what I learned into action and see what kind of results I get from my family.