Picture of Grace

Just another quick update...LIFE Is busy with 3 kids but so WONDERFUL. Here is a picture of Grace just so you aren't in suspense any longer. I promise to write a longer post with all the details REALLY soon.

Baby GRACE is here!

Just a quick update...baby Julia Grace has arrived. She was born on July 1st at 12:29 p.m. She weights 7lbs. 3 oz. and is 19 inches long. She is PERFECT! I promise to post some pictures soon.

6 Quirky Things About Me...

I've been tagged by my sister. I'm sure she would know 6 quirky things about me better than I know them about myself. But I will give it a try anyway.

SIX UNSPECTACULAR QUIRKS ABOUT ME:

1. I really am annoyed by bad service at a restaurant. It isn't unusual for me to complain about the service we are getting. On the other hand if the waiter or waitress is really good then I will rave on and on about them. And I show how good the service was or wasn't by the tip that I leave. Maybe this is a pet peeve instead of a quirk.
2. I have to have my toenails painted...at ALL times. Doesn't matter if it is winter time and my toes don't see the light of day for awhile. They are always painted. Which reminds me that I need to re-do them before I have the baby. LOL!
3. I always do my hair and makeup. No matter what I am doing that day I get "ready". Some people find this weird but I just don't feel like myself if I'm not made up. Even if I don't plan on going anywhere and just stay home and clean the house, 99.9% of the time I have my hair done and make up on.
4. I always run the yellow lights. To me that just means speed up. LOL!
5. We used to have "our bench" in church. But since our ward combined together with another ward I would have to be there 20 min early to get "our bench." I really do miss "our bench."
6. I have to be the driver of the van. Almost 100% off the time when Tyler and I go somewhere together in the van I do the driving. I like the way I drive better. Unless I am really tired and I don't care how long it takes us to get somewhere then I will let Tyler drive. But more times than not you will see ME in the drivers seat. VROOM VROOM!

Our Piano Man...

Last Friday Tyson had his end of the year piano recital. I must say that for his 1st year of piano I am impressed by all that he learned. And even more impressed that he enjoyed it. It was a bit more than I expected as far as practising and commitment were concerned, but in the end it worked out great. I love the Music for Young Children program. It is a group based piano lesson where the student and parent attend together. It is a great way for the kids to learn, and it involves much more than just learning the piano. The kids were able to sing songs, learn rhythms, and how to play different instruments. I am thankful for the 2 month break, but anticipate how much Tyson will learn next year. I hope I can manage with taking the baby to lessons with me. I guess we will just have to try it and see how it goes.

Teacher Rachel is GREAT with the kids. She has alot of patience and is a great teacher. I was happy that Tyson was able to get into her class as this was the last year she will be taking new students. I hope that Tyson will remember teacher Rachel and how she taught him how to play the piano and develop a love for music. I am sad to say that I don't remember my 1st piano teacher :(

Here is Tyson's little class. It was nice to have another boy join him. Each child contributed something different to the class, and by the end of the year we were all pretty comfortable with each other.

And to end this blog entry I will leave you with a video of our concert pianist!

Maternity Pictures...

I was able to pick up my maternity pictures on Friday and WOW! I am so happy with them, and I am so happy that I decided to get them done. So here are a few of my favorites.

Rebecca also took a few pictures of just the boys. I was happy that she did cause they were needing updated 8x10's really bad!

Now the hard part is trying to decide what copies I want and of what sizes. There are too many to choose from.

I have more to blog about...but the boys need to get to bed so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

OH I have some very EXCITING NEWS!! Baby girl Pilling will be born on July 1st, 2008. My Dr. has decided to induce me on that day. YIPEE!!!! Only 23 more sleeps. LOL!

Fairmont Vacation...

This past weekend we took a little vacation to Fairmont, B.C. It was a fun little get away and was much needed. We went with our good friends the Wolfe's. They have 2 girls about the same age as our boys and they have grown up together, and get along GREAT! The 5 hour drive there went by quite fast and the kids travelled well thanks to a few movies and treats. We arrived in enough time to get a little swim in before bed time. The complex we stayed in was brand new and SO nice! We couldn't have ordered better weather, in fact I got a sun burn! We spent 1 day at the outdoor pool with the water slide. But unfortunately the water slide and the spray part weren't working. We were just happy to be able to go in the pool and the kids didn't mind not being able to go down the slide. This picture of Tyson totally cracks me up! He sure is a little fish. He was jumping in the pool like crazy and was trying to convince me to let him take his life jacket off. I didn't give in though. The life jacket just adds that little bit of extra security and that way I didn't have to worry about him. He still had a great time!

The next day we decided to take a little hike up to the natural hot springs. It was a really nice hike, but a little vertical for a girl who is 34 1/2 weeks pregnant. LOL! I just took it slow and put one foot in front of the other and I did just fine. I made me realize that I am totally out of shape though. Looks like I will need to start jogging again once the baby comes. The path we took was along side a stream and it was really beautiful. The kids had fun exploring and running up ahead of us. Tyson was a little apprehensive about crossing the stream, but he made it. 3/4 of the way up to the hot springs you come across a waterfall. It is the drain off of the natural springs pools and the water is warm! We weren't really pre-pared to go in the water but that didn't stop some of our gang. Carson went in the buff and Tyson went in his underwear. They had a BLAST! Tyler and I didn't get in...we aren't that adventurous I guess. And the thought of having to walk back to the van in sticky wet jeans didn't really appeal to me. If I would have had my swimming suit on I would have gone in for sure. It was fun to see all the kids having so much fun. I hope that they will remember doing this for a long time.

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  Another highlight of the trip was when Ryan decided to take a polar bear dip in the river. Of course he had to convince Tyler to do it with him, and in turn the kids wanted to go in as well. Check out this video, it is SO Funny!

As you can see it was a GREAT weekend!

I'm SO Excited!!!

Yesterday I got an exciting email from Rebecca Cooper telling me that she had a few of my photos up on her blog. I absolutely love what she did and can't wait to see the rest of the pictures. I am so happy that I got her to capture this special time in my little families life. I'm sure I will look back on these pictures and remember what it was like to be pregnant and how excited that we were having a little girl, a baby sister. They boys are getting more excited and I keep trying to explain to Carson that he is going to be a big brother soon. In his little mind he still thinks he is a baby, and tells us that often. Maybe that is the reason why he still has NO desire to use the potty. Maybe when the baby comes he will realize that he isn't the baby anymore and he needs to be a big boy. I'm crossing my fingers that is what will happen. I really don't want to be changing 2 kids diapers. And my heavens Carson is 3.5 years old, time to be a BIG BOY!

This past week we have been a host family to 2 Japanese students. This is something that we have done for the past 3 years. Tyson really enjoys having them come. This was the 1st time we have had 2 girls, and it was GREAT! The girl on the left is Toko, and the one on the right is Manami. Toko is the 4th tallest girl in her class, and she was TALL! She was the more quiet, reserved one, but was still more outgoing than most Japanese girls we have had. Manami was obsessed with American Celebrities. She was up on all the latest Hollywood gossip. She also was up to date on all the top music artists. It was fun to see her get so excited to buy a Seventeen magazine, and hear her favorite songs on the radio. It was a joy to have them in our home and to share their culture with us. These girls were 17 and what a difference a few years makes. In times past we have had very young girls, 12 & 13. The barley knew any English and were homesick. But these 2 girls knew a lot of English and communicating with them was so much easier. They were also very outgoing, which isn't common in the Japanese culture, especially coming to a foreign place and not knowing anyone. These girls fit in so well with our family. They didn't mind being pestered by the boys and loved playing with them. We did some fun things together while they were here. We took them to see the new Indiana Jones movie, and they loved it. We also went bowling, and they were surprised to see that the balls were so small and there were only 5 pins. We took them to Holiday Bowl so that Tyson & Carson could play too. We also went shopping and they were so excited to buy perfume. That was on their list of things to get along with Maple Syrup. I introduced them to salt water taffy, and they went home with a HUGE bag from Costco for their family. On Sunday when it was time to take them to the bus to go to Banff both girls cried and cried. This is the 1st time that the girls have become emotional. I guess they really loved our family and were sad to leave us. Tyson shed a few tears as well. He really connected with these 2 and he is going to miss them. Thanks to the wonderful world of email we will be able to keep in touch with them more easily, so that will be fun.

Mother's Day Tea

Last Friday Tyson invited me to a Mother's Day Tea at school. He was SO excited. He couldn't stop talking about it all week. He said that his class had been making gifts and learning new songs and that it was all a big surprise. I was excited to go, and seeing him so excited made me even more excited! We all met in the gym where the kids had made placements with their pictures on them. They were really cute. All the kids came in and stood at the front of the gym and sang us a few songs. Then they sang a cute song about not eating the green jelly beans because it will give us a tummy ache. It had really cute actions where they jumped up and down, patted their head, rubbed their tummy, and hopped on one leg. Before the song began the mom's were instructed to pay close attention to the actions. Little did we know that we (mom's) we be up there soon doing the actions with your kids. It was a lot of fun! Here I am 8 1/2 months pregnant jumping up and down while kicking one leg out. It requires a lot of concentration for people NOT pregnant. I'm sure I was a sight to see. But Tyson and I had fun and that is all that mattered. After the songs Tyson came and sat down with me and his teacher served all the mom's their treats that the kids had made. It was a yummy cupcake with jelly beans on the top in the shape of a flower. Tyson was so proud of how well he applied the icing and arranged the candy. It sure was a yummy treat. Then it was present time. A few weeks back the kids were asked to bring a 2 handed rock in for a project. Tyson took so much time picking out his special rock and making sure that it fit in both his hands. I was excited to see what was to become of the rock...and I finally did. They had painted to rock to look like a lady bug and called it a LOVE BUG. It was so cute. Tyson and I chatted about where the best place in the yard would be to put it. He was so proud of it! It was a great Mother's Day event that I won't forget. I can't believe how Tyson is growing. He has such a tender heart and is always telling me that he loves me. Those are just the best words to hear. I am so grateful to be a Mother, and on occasions like this it just reminds me how worth it it all is. Even though there are tough days and I wish I could just hid in my room, there are way more happy fun filled days watching my kids learn and grow that you just can't help but think that those days out weigh the bad ones.

On Sunday I was suprised by my husband with a gift that I thought he had paid no attention to. I told him a few days ago, after our trip to Great Falls, that there were only a few more things I needed before the baby came, and one of them was a Moby Wrap. I then explained to him what it was and thought nothing more about it. Well when I opened the gift I was shocked that he remembered and that he took the time to track it down. They only sell them at one store in the city and I knew it must not have been an easy task to find it. But thanks to my sister she was able to help him get one. I was so happy, now I just can't wait to use it! To top it off he got me a HUGE card, which has become a tradition. I love getting the cards from my boys. In it both Tyson and Carson drew me a little picture and Tyson wrote I Love Mom. SO CUTE! Tyler also wrote some nice things and told me that if I really wanted to name the baby Grace he was fine with that. So I am excited to have my little Gracie!

Update...

I did it! I went and had maternity pictures taken by the fabulous Rebecca Cooper. She did such a wonderful job and took so much time, I was really impressed. She had a ton of patience with my little Carson. He was being his typical 3 1/2 year old self. For about 10 min. he was pretty co-operative, but after that he took a lot of bribing to get him to do anything, and it was still a real challenge. Tyson on the other hand did great. But I think that had something to do with the fact that he knew that if he was good he got to choose a toy at Walmart. Who ever said bribery doesn't work doesn't' know my kids. LOL! It worked like a charm for him. Now I have to be patient and wait Rebecca to photoshop the pic's and burn them to a cd. I can't wait! I hope there is at least 1 good one, but with all that she took I'm sure there will be more. I'm so glad that I got them done. I want to remember being pregnant, the good and the bad. And with these pictures I will be able to do that. Now my only regret is that I didn't do it with each of the boys. Oh well, can't go back in time.

Yesterday Tyler and I made a quick trip to Great Falls. I was wanting a new stroller for that baby. I had decided on a sit & stand model so that Carson could take a rest when he needed to. This picture is similar to the one we got. Now we just have to put it together. I found some great stuff for the baby. 2 adorable dresses for only $3! WOW you sure don't find deals like that in Canada. We also found the great patio chairs that I have been wanting since last summer. They are a zero gravity chair and are so darn comfortable! Here they are about $100 - $120 EACH and we got them on sale at Target for $59! So we bought 2 for the price of 1. Now I cant' wait for the weather to get nice so we can actually use them. Of course we went to Bath & Body Works. LOVE that place. I thought I was getting a good deal until I got an email that said the anti-bacterial soap is 5 for $10! and yesterday the deal I got was 3 for $10! Still I bought a few just to have on had...or add to my collection. You can never have enough soap. LOL! The day was fun and Carson was pretty well behaved. The only downer to the day was the 1 1/2 hour wait at the boarder! I was not impressed! I don't understand why there are 6 wickets to go through and there is only ever 1 open. The line up of cars was unbelievable! I'm not the most patient person in the world and stuff like this just really irritates me. Then to top it off some guy in a big new truck budged in front of me. I didn't think he realized he was dealing with a very tired pregnant lady! So the next opportunity I had I got in front of him! SERVES HIM RIGHT! LOL! We did end up getting through the line up and finally through the boarder. And the best part of that nightmare was that we didn't have to pay and DUTY or GST! YIPEE!! We saved ourselves about $100. I was very thankful for that.

Well I do have more to blog about...but that will have to wait until tomorrow. My little kids are hungry so I better get supper ready.

Maternity Pics...

So I have been debating back and forth on whether or not I should have maternity photos taken. I didn't do it with either of the boys, it never really crossed my mind. I guess I just thought that maybe next time I would. Well next time has come and this will be the last time...so I have really been thinking about it and wanting some opinions. So far most of the photography websites that I have looked at the maternity pictures are really classy and I like them. But I have run across a few that look a little too sexy for me.

I am 29 weeks along and I'm not quite "stretched" out yet. LOL! So I thought now would be a good time before any "new" little lines become visible. If I am going to have pictures of my belly taken then I want it to look its best, if that is possible. Ha ha. I have contacted an amazing photographer and I am hoping that she will be able to take the pictures. I would really love to remember this pregnancy...the good and the not so good. And I think that if I have some pictures to remind me of it that might help. I am sad though because I don't have many pictures of me pregnant with the boys. What was I thinking! I guess I wasn't.

So now my question is...What is your opinion about maternity pics? Are you for or against them? Any suggestions would be a BIG help!

Quick Trip...

On Friday and Saturday we headed up to Calgary to spend a little time together as a family. I had a Distributor meeting for Salt City Candles on Saturday so we decided to make it a family affair. I had heard from some friends how great the Telus Science Center is and thought that might be something fun for us to do. It was a BIG HIT! Tyson especially loved it. Unfortunately Carson was feeling under the weather and didn't get out of it as much as I'm sure he would have it he was feeling better. But once he saw Bob the Builder exhibit he was excited and had fun playing for a bit. Here are a few pics I managed to take:

Here is Tyson sitting on a chair and pulling himself up using some sort of pulley system. There were different types of systems that were either hard or easy to pull. He enjoyed this exhibit.

Carson laying on a bed of nails. He wasn't scared at first but once he felt the nails poke him a bit then he didn't like it anymore. Tyson loved it though and thought it was SO cool!

Tyson on the revolving rock climbing wall. This was awesome! the higher you climbed up the wall your weight would make the wall rotate around. Tyson though doesn't weigh very much so it was hard for him to to get the wall to move. So we helped him out a bit.

Even Carson gave it a try.

Tyson's face pushed through a bunch of blunt ended nails.

I LOVE this picture of Tyson sitting on an GIANT ant. He loves insects and was thrilled when he saw this.

So it was a great trip and I would definitely go there again! If you ever plan on going there though make sure you print off a coupon here. It saved us $20!

Also in Calgary we managed to hit Ikea on the way home. I was looking forward to going there so that we could buy some toy bins. I have been feeling the need to start getting organized for when the baby comes. So little by little I have been cleaning out closets and throwing JUNK away! It feels SO good. I have the babies room completely empty now and all I have to do is buy the paint and have Tyler paint it! Yesterday I ordered the mobile that matches the bedding. Totally a splurge, but I just had to have the one that matched. LOL!

So that was my weekend in a nut shell. I have a busy week ahead of me. I have to take snack to Tyson's kindergarten tomorrow and be at parent pre-school all at the same time. I wonder how I am going to manage that?? I have an ultrasound appt. on Thursday so that should be exciting. Hopefully baby is growing and everything is okay.

Short & Sweet

Just a really quick note to say that yes I am still alive and well. My week was busy and the weekend was even busier. We went to Calgary on Friday and came home on Saturday. Took the kids to the Science center and they loved it. I will blog more tomorrow and share the pictures that I took. Short and sweet..I know, but the Flames game is about to start. LOL!

In DESPERATE need of an update...

Okay I have come to the conclusion that I am in DESPERATE need of a makeover! I am 30 years old (yes the BIG 30) and I totally feel that I look that a 20 year old. I want to look sophisticated and yet still trendy. Just because I am a mother of 2, soon to be 3 doesn't mean I need to be stuck in the pony tail & sweatpants mode. But I feel like I am there. Maybe it is because I am starting to get to that totally uncomfortable stage in my pregnancy and I just feel plain, ugly and BIG! Okay this is starting to sound depressing. Lol. So I booked myself a hair appointment for Friday and I am going to get something new. Although Tyler loves long hair it is time to say GOOD BYE...for now. I can always grow it out again if I want to. Everyone seems to be getting a version of Victoria Beckam's hair cut. I do like it, but I don't want to follow everyone and get the same thing. I was thinking about something a bit longer than that cut. So I am on a quest to find a new DO. Any suggestions?

Skating Carnival 2008...

Tyson & Carson have been involved in Can Skate since January. This is Tyson's 3rd year participating, and Carson's 1st. Needless to say it has been a challenge with Carson. Tyler has been very diligent with taking him for family skate and teaching him the basics before we even enrolled him in CanSkate. I was impressed at how quickly he caught on, and he actually enjoys it, and even asks if we are going. But when it comes to skating lessons he is not a happy camper! I remember going through this exact same thing with Tyson at this age. The only difference being was that Tyson had NO clue how to skate and he spent more time falling down, and with Carson he can actually skate and isn't falling down as much. So why doesn't he enjoy it? Rather than fight with a crying, screaming 3 year old I decided not to push the issue of him skating. If he didn't want to do it then I wasn't going to make him. But Tyler had a different idea. He thought that I shouldn't let him get away with it and to make he just go out there and cry the whole time if that is what he wanted to do. Easy for him to say when he wasn't the one sitting there watching all the other parents look at you like you are the worst parent alive. So that idea only lasted 1 week. Then it was back to mom being a softy. Tyler was able to make it to skating yesterday and Carson actually skated the whole time and he looked like he was having SO much fun. In the beginning when he wasn't co-operating I wasn't to keen on him participating in the Carnival, but after yesterday I have changed my mind. Last week was picture day and the kids both looked SO cute in their costumes!

There are 3 more practises until the big day. So we will see how well Carson does. I hope that he is happy and willing to participate because when he is he looks so cute!

The past few days I have decided that our family needs to start eating healthier! We are thing kings & queen of fast food. The more I think about the more disgusting I feel about it. Not only for my health but for the boys health. So on Saturday I made a grocery list and a list of meal ideas and decided that if I knew what there was I could make for supper than it wouldn't be so hard to do it. After I prepared that meal I would cross it off my list. So far so good! NO FAST FOOD THIS WEEK! Woo Hoo! I even turned down the opportunity to go to McDonald's (my weakness) and decided to save the money and eat at home. I had to give myself a small pat on the back. LOL! Another thing I have found to be helpful is to make my supper meal before lunch. That way all I have to do is pop it in the oven and I don't have the excuse later on in the day that I am to tired to make something. So far...so good. Yesterday I made sticky chicken and today it is meatloaf. YUMMY! I know that we aren't totally never ever going to eat fast food again, that would be very unrealistic. But if I am more conscious about when we eat out and focus more attention on eating healthy meals at home, I think that is a good start. So to end my entry for today I thought I would share my meatloaf recipe.

Yummy Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork ( if you don't like pork or don't have it use 2lb of beef)

1 can tomato soup

1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 box Stove Top Stuffing (any kind works)

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1. Combine all ingredients and place in a loaf pan. I usually spray it with Pam because the meat I use is very lean and it is sometimes hard to get the meatloaf out of the pan.

2. Top the meatloaf with ketchup, cover and back at 350 for about 1 hour.

A tip for leftover meatloaf: For lunch the next day cut it in slices and put it between 2 pieces of bread. Then cook it like it was a grilled cheese sandwich. SO YUMMY!

I hope you enjoy the recipe.

Easter Egg Hunt

What a beautiful day it is today, and the perfect day for an Easter Egg hunt! Our Moms & Tot group got together at the park today for our 1st annual (LOL) egg hunt. We left the kids in the vehicles while the mom's hid the eggs. They thought they knew where all the eggs where because they saw where we were going...but we managed to hide some eggs in some pretty sneaky spots. Then it was time to let them loose and find all the eggs. It was fun to see them running around and having so much fun! I don't think that any of the kids there needed more candy, but they loved opening their eggs to find little surprises. When the excitement of the egg hunt was over the kids enjoyed playing on the play equipment and playing in the sand. I was so shocked at how well they played together. It was so nice! Of course there was little tiffs here and there and kids throwing sand, but it was so minor. It made for a very fun afternoon. The moms were actually able to sit around and visit while the kids enjoyed the sunshine.

Okay now for some advice. NEVER, EVER by anything from Gymboree.com and have it shipped standard international! Needless to say I have been buying up a storm for our new baby girl and today I realized that the adorable Gymboree clothes that I bought on sale really weren't on sale because of the ridiculous duty and shipping charges! DHL was the shipping company they used and when it was delivered I had to spend another $32 in charges! I was TICKED! Nowhere did it say that there would be extra charges, or nothing that I saw. You know you always forget to read the fine print. Anyway I called Gymboree to see what was up and the lady told me of another way to have the items shipped that would be a bit less expensive, but there would still be an extra shipping charge once it got delivered. I have just figured that I wouldn't spend $32 in gas to drive to the border and pick up packages via UPS. So that is what I would suggest to anyone who lives within a short drive to Sweetgrass. Hey if you want I even have the mailing address (Thanks Carissa!) So that is my little tid bit of advice. Don't get me wrong I still LOVE Gymboree and can't wait to dress my little girl in the cute outfits I bought, but man I hate paying for SHIPPING! And the sad thing is...I have ANOTHER package coming in the mail! AGHHH! I wish I would have been more patient and waited for this first order to come, then I could have saved myself more money on extra shipping charges...but who was to know. Guess now I do.

Where has the time gone???

Oh my goodness...where has the time gone? It has almost been a year (in May) since I last blogged. I can't even begin to think about updating everything that has been happening the last 10 months. So I have decided to start fresh. It is a new year...well 3 months into one and time to re-commit to blogging.

I will update on one very exciting thing though...Tyler and I are expecting baby #3 at the end of June. And it is a GIRL. We are all thrilled for our new arrival. The boys, Tyson & Carson are excited to be big brothers, and I am so excited to buy PINK. I'm sure that the next 3 months are going to fly by and out new baby will be here. For now I have been busy buying clothes and new bedding for the babies room. Here is a sneak peek at the new baby bedding. I found it at Target online and I am so in love with it. It is even cuter in real life.

We CAN Make A Difference!!

While reading one of my FAVORITE blogs this morning I was directed to watch this short video. As the tears rolled down my cheeks I thought of all the many ways in which I have been served by others. Then I thought of all the way I have thought about serving but never put my thoughts into action. I feel the guilt for not doing more. Does it really take that much more effort to serve someone? I really don't think it does! When I think about service I always think about serving those who don't life with me. But why can't the service start in my home with those that I am with all the time. Would it really be that hard for me to take some extra time out of my day to play Transformers with my 4.5 year old? Would it be that hard for me to play cars or read a story to my 2.5 year old. Why does the laundry and cleaning seem to come first? Is it really that important to have a spit spot house? The more and more I think about it the more I think that it really doesn't matter. The time we have on earth is quite short when you think about eternity. Our children are only going to want us to read to them for so long. Pretty soon I won't be the apple of my son's eye, and he won't want to cuddle up with me and read a story.

I think too that it is important for us to instill a love of service in our children at a young age. Often when they get older serving others is the last thing on their list. But if we are good examples to them, and help them to serve others I think that they will develop a love for it and then they will look for ways in which they can serve. So today I am challenging myself to devote more time to serving my family. I can think of countless acts of service that Tyler shows to me, but do I reciprocate that same efforts to him. I am sad to say that I don't, but that I am going to make a very conscious effort to do so.

I challenge all who read this blog, there may not be many, but to look and watch the video on service and then put it into action. Have a VERY happy day!

The Good...then the Bad!

On Friday Tiffany and I took a spur of the moment trip to Calgary to take the kids to the zoo. We are notorious for doing things on the fly. I think those are the best trips sometimes. The day wasn't the most sunny but we decided to go anyway. Needless to say when we got there it was on 11+ degrees. A bit chilly, especially for our kiddos who were dressed so CUTE in their shorts and light jackets. Oh well they still wanted to go and so we did. It was actually a perfect day for the zoo because it wasn't too crowded. The kids enjoyed looking at all the animals. Tyson couldn't wait to see the crocodile, his favorite animal in the whole zoo. It didn't take us very long to visit each exhibit. Carson enjoyed the zoo for the first time. We have taken him before but he was too little to really "get" it. He loved the lion's and the monkeys. Here are a few pictures of the kids:

It was a great day! But I think we will visit the zoo again before the summer is over, hopefully on a sunnier day!

Now for the bad of our week. It was Saturday and we spent all morning in Lethbridge with my mom shopping. We had a really fun time. We went to the greenhouse and bought some flower and plants to put in the yard. So when we got home I started planting them and the kids were playing outside. All of a sudden Tyson comes crying and saying that he hurt himself. Sure enough he had cut open his lip on the inside, and there was a huge gash. Tiffany was over and said that he probably needed a stitch and to walk over to the hospital. So off to the hospital we went. I was surprised that it really wasn't bleeding all that badly, and he didn't act like it hurt all that bad. So when the Dr. got there he said that yes it needed a stitch. They put a bit of topical freezing on but it didn't really work all that well. Tyson has never in his life screamed like that before. We had to hold him down and it was the hardest thing ever for me to do! When the Dr. would try and open his mouth he would shout, "NEVER, " and not open up. Then we would say, "They are trying to KILL me!!" and that they were going to make it worse and not help him. It was VERY traumatic for my little 4.5 year old. I could tell he was trying to be brave but he was very scared. Then he needed ANOTHER stitch and after the 1st on Tyson knew what he was in for. So the Dr. tried to give him some local anesthetic but when Tyson saw the needle there was NO way he was going to let him put it in his mouth. So the drama started ALL over again. This time they waited a bit longer for the topical anesthetic to work, and I think it did, but Tyson still cried. Then it was over...or so we thought, and off we went home. About a few hours later though I noticed that the stitches had come out!! Yes they came untied! So of we went to the hospital again for another dose of crying. But this time he was much better. The nurse was very kind and she kept the topical anesthetic on a very long time to make sure he was good and numb. But he still remembers how it was the 1st time and it took awhile before we could convince him that he wouldn't be able to feel it. Finally the Dr. was able to stitch it again and got the gash better this time and he only needed 1 stitch. I was so proud of Tyson for how brave he was, and he was looking forward to the new Transformer he was going to get. So the ordeal was over and off we went home again. The next day at church he was so proud to show everyone his stitch and to tell them the story of how he got it. I found it so ironic though because Tyler and I were just talking with some friends about how surprised we were that Tyson had never broken anything or had to have stitches. I guess we spoke too soon!

Blast Ball...

Tonight we had Blast ball with Tyson. So far he hasn't really enjoyed it. He keeps saying that it is boring, and way to long. I kind of have to agree with him on how long it is. 90 minutes is VERY long for a 4 year old to do any structured activity and still have attention by the end. But tonight was different, he actually had a BLAST! I helped play catch with him, and the kid can throw pretty good. It is fun to see him progress and try his best. Tonight though we did have to have a little chat on how to be a good sport. He was getting frustrated cause the other kids would beat him to the ball when the other team was up to bat. So we had to chat about how we need to just have fun and not worry about always being first. Also I heard him say that one child wasn't very good, so yet again we had to have a chat about always speaking kindly about others and to be positive. I have always tried to say positive things when Tyson is involved in an extra curricular activity. I focus on what he is doing well and not on what he isn't. I think that helps boost their self esteem and makes them think positively them self. But even though he may never be a Babe Ruth, these activities help him learn how to treat others and most important how to work as a team and have good sportsmanship. Over all I think he is having a fun time. His friends from school and church are there as well and that helps.

The Faith of a Little Child...

I found this on Sophia's blog and thought I would do it just for fun. Here it goes:

Two Names I Go by: Mom & Jodes

Two Things I am Wearing Right Now: 1. new Jean Capris 2. Black stretchy shirt

Two Things I Want (or have) in a Relationship: 1. A very patient husband 2. Lots of LOVE and AFFECTION!

Two of My Favorite Things to do: 1. Go camping with my family 2. Have friends over for supper & play RISK.

Two Things I Want Very Badly At The Moment: 1. Our car to be SOLD! 2. A subway sandwich lol.

Two pets I have: We only have 1, a dog named Maggie. But I am hoping to get the boys a lop eatred bunny very soon!

Two things I did last night: 1. Watched BONES, never watched it before but it was good. 2. Got the boys ready for bed.

Two things I ate today: 1. Lay's plain chips 2. Peanut Butter & jam sandwich

Two people I just talked to last: 1. Jana 2. Sharla

Two Things I'm doing tomorrow: 1. Going to our last day of Parent Pre-School 2. Picking up my Mom's mother's day present.

Two Favorite Holidays: 1. Christmas 2. Summer vacation!

Two favorite beverages: 1. Hmmm seeing how I don't drink diet coke anymore (well only if I go to a restaurant) I really don't have a favorite drink. I guess I would have to say water.

Okay now that was fun. Now I need some advice. My 2.5 year old has learned how to climb out of his crib and open door in the last week. And now I can't get him to stay in his bed for a nap, or even at bedtime. I have put him back countless times, and still he gets back out. I think it was like 10 p.m. before he finally settled down and went to sleep. Then he was up at 6:30 a.m. and was SO cranky! So he went for a nap at 12 and luckily he didn't attempt to get out of his room. I remember with Tyson we had to tie the door shut so he would stay in there. I felt like a terrible mother doing that! But after about 4 nights he gave in a realized that we weren't giving in and that he had to stay in bed. I might just have to start doing that again with Carson. The challenges of raising kids, it can be rough sometimes. But most days I find it very rewarding. I love the fact that Tyson is a TOTAL momma's boy and that he always wants to be where I am. Every night before he goes to be he tells me that I am the BEST mom in the whole world and that he loves me. That just melts my heart. Speaking of Tyson that reminds me of something he did the other day. Not sure if I mentioned this yet or not. Lately he has been addicted to catching lady bugs. He has spent countless hours in our back year searching for them. He did manage to find 3 and put them in their "habitat." He was thrilled to be able to take them to school and show them to his classmates and teachers. So one day he accidentally tipped over the "habitat" and came running in with a dead lady bug in his had. He was very upset and said that it was ALL his fault. I told him that accidents happen and that it was okay and to go look for more lady bugs. He then said, "But mom, God can heal him and he will come alive again." He was speaking of the dead lady bug! The faith of a little child. I believe that he really thought that God would make the lady bug whole again. It was just a tender moment, and one that I never want to forget. Kids...they sure make life worth living!