Catching Up...

July has been incredibly busy for me! Travelling, company, Stampede, new foster child... not necessarily in that order... It's been nuts! 


Just wanted to pop in quickly though, to say that I'm working on some of the photos from July to share with you. I hope to have them all up in a couple days.  But don't peek yet... 

 

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Sometimes in the day to day, I forget that there is a bigger purpose to the job I do. I'd like to add to this video that this purpose extends not just to those that we give birth to - but also to those children who come into our lives as foster children, step-children, nieces, nephews, and those just adopted into the family in whatever capacity.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did...



Three Things I Am Grateful For

1. My family! Especially my own mother. Need I say more?
2. My country! As we celebrated Canada Day yesterday, I reflected on what a great nation this is. 
3. My sense of humour... Believe me! I need it to get through most days. 

RS Progressive Dinner June 2010

A couple weeks ago we went on a trip down to Cardston, and I was on a picture taking kick most of the way down. There was some beautiful scenery to be enjoyed!

This is the Belly River.


Our excursion took us into Glenwood as well. I have an uncle and aunt there, who we really enjoy visiting with. 

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But to get there, you have to drive through the Blood Reservation. Here is the abandoned little church. 

My uncle has this amazing garden and it's already in full swing. The boys had never been before, and they were really enjoying the visit too. 

I guess there was a little nest up in this tree and he was letting the boys have a look at it. 

My mom was with us too for this trip. My aunt showed us her beautiful quilts and a few quilting tips. I don't know how long we spent there, but it never feels like enough time. We love them! 

It was a beautiful day in Cardston too! Not everything is blooming yet - but there is a lot of green showing up. I love this building and being here!













Found this one a little bit ago - same building - decades ago...This is a picture of my great-grandparents and some of their children back in the 1940's. I love history! 





Three things I'm grateful for:

1. Temples... They are so beautiful and peaceful. Each one different from the others. I love being in their presence and within their walls. 
2. Family... Sometimes we don't get along very well - but we always love each other. I especially love that my kids are still getting to meet some of the older generations in our family. They (we) can all learn so much from these wonderful elders!
3. My chiropractor! I know this one is way off from the others, but I've been in serious pain this last week and he will save me from it! He's the best!

Foster Parent Story for Enviros

Here is the video that I worked on a couple months ago in the digital storytelling workshop. I was very proud of the way it turned out. :)

Hope you enjoy it!

We got to participate in a once in a lifetime opportunity last weekend! We were witness to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Calgary Alberta Temple last Saturday! 

This is a picture of what it will look like when completed. I am just so excited to actually see this happening! 


I love the Cardston Temple, and the Edmonton Temple is ok (though not nearly as grand as Cardston). The Calgary Temple will be somewhere in between these two - in size and literal location. There will not be excuses about time and travel once this one is done and the best part is - we can watch it from start to finish! 


The kids were not thrilled about having to do the "church thing" on a Saturday. I couldn't even convince them it would be cool to be able to say to their grandkids, "I was there when they broke ground for that temple!" However, they were quiet enough as we sat through the ceremony. I loved every minute of it. 

Amongst all this excitement, we also had DH's sister and her brood staying with us for the weekend. That made 15 of us in the house! Try scheduling shower and bathroom time around that. 


This wasn't even all of us for breakfast!

One of almost everyone...

And the kids... : )


It was fun and we enjoyed having them here and the kids really enjoy playing with all their cousins. 

Wrinkled Ladies

Go ahead and get a giggle out of this one!

Great Message for Everyone

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

April Already?

I did it again... neglected my blog! It's not like I haven't been doing anything - I have been really busy! And sick... 


My little sister has been very sick. She has been in the hospital for over a month now - and I have not been able to visit her much. She doesn't want to have me infect her with my germs while she heals from her surgery. I don't blame her, actually. It wouldn't be nice to make her even more sick than she is. She has been in our prayers - so if any of you wish to add her to your prayer list - her name is Noelle. 


We had a very nice Easter weekend too. We really wanted to emphasize to the kids what Easter was about - and what it was NOT about. It helped that our church was holding it's Annual General Conference over the weekend, so we stayed home to "watch" church on TV. I always love conference weekend. I wish that we were able to go down and be in Salt Lake City for it again. That is definitely one of my favorite memories! However, when we have all the kids, they are more than a little disruptive to those around them, so it was best that we were able to watch this from home. I love to hear from Jeffery Holland, David Bednar, and most especially President Thomas S. Monson. I love to hear from all of them - but those three tell especially good stories! 


I notice too that there is a different spirit in our home during Conference weekend. Both DH and I recommit to doing better and applying the lessons we've been taught by our leaders. Just like spring - it's a whole new beginning!


The weekend and week following we were blessed to have a little girl staying with us while her foster parents were out of town. This little doll is about the best baby I've ever seen! Rarely a cry... eats everything you give her... no noise when it's time for bed... We just loved her to pieces! We took lots of pictures and a couple of videos. Wish I could share with you - but you know the rules! DH and I agree that we NEED another girl in the house! Little girls just play different games and make different noises than boys do. We need some balance here! 


Three Things I'm Grateful For - 

1. That I get to have a job that allows me to be home with my family and available to help others. Best job in the world - MOM!
2. The snow is finally gone from the yard!! I'm even seeing some green haze on the trees in the neighbourhood.
3. I'm on the mend after a week of feeling like crap. I hate being sick!