Super Snow

This morning we woke to a HUGE dump of snow that apparently happened after 8 am (yes, we slept in) but made it look like it had been working at it all night. We all quickly ate some breakfast and then before even getting dressed, we put our snowpants on and headed outside to play before Tyler had to leave for some meetings. We had a blast. We were exhausted from the few days leading up to this point, my being sick and having a primary party on the Friday night, so some time just doing whatever was definitely welcomed. We started out just trying to make our way through the snow, which was almost knee high in some spots on Tyler and I, so it was proving challenging for our children. We slid down the slide a couple of times and then realized that this snow was almost perfect for snowmen, with a little extra effort in packing. So Tyler got on the move rolling out his first segment, while I got busy wiping runny noses...often. Because there was so much snow and it packed so well, it didn't take long for the first segment of our snowman to get...well, a little too large, as you can see. It was past Tyler's waist, and probably 300 lbs or more. So we decided on a spot for it to be, and just left it, because every time we tried to adjust it, it would gain mass and be even harder to push. At this point, Max was getting a bit tired so we sat him up on top of the big ball and let him slide down a few times, which he thought was amazing. We had started on our second segment and soon realized that we wouldn't be able to lift it to get it on top of the first. Tyler and I tried, but the thing didn't even budge, so we tried whistling and yelling to Papa, who was in the comfort of his warm home, to come and help us out. None of us wanted to make the trek in the snow up to his house to actually knock on the door. Max attempted and walked about 10 feet before he said he was exhausted. He pressed forward and did eventually get to the front door and asked Papa to help. Tyler went to rescue him and brought him home on the shovel, along with the beach toys so the kids had something to play with. Papa and Dad made several attempts of getting the one on top of the other. We had a snow ball break, and had to recreate it. This was because we only used one plank and quickly realized the volume of our snowball required more. So several planks were brought out and Papa and Dad pushed that huge segment up onto the first...now for the head! Making it was much easier, as was lifting it because it wasn't as heavy (still about 100lbs, but nothing like the other two), but now we had height to deal with. Once our 3-segmented snowman was complete, it was time to trim him. We got some old antlers that we had found in the yard and decided this would be a jack-a-lope snowman. This also began the rummaging for other accessories, which finally lead to using an old piece of tarp that had blown into our yard from the neighbours about a year ago as a cape. Now he was a superhero jack-a-lope, so spray paint was brought out to finish off his chest symbol. What a happy, heroic looking snowman. About 10 feet tall and 800lbs. The fog was rolling in again and it was cooling off, so we took a couple of quick pictures and then headed inside for apple cider and hot dogs. Tyler had to leave quickly for his conference and the kids and I stayed tucked indoors most of the rest of the day. Grandma and Janeen were sure surprised to see our giant when they came home. It was a great snowman in theory, that we thought would last forever, but unfortunately it warmed up that day enough to melt him to the point of being unable to hold up his own weight and he toppled over by about 9pm that night. He just wasn't built for durability. I guess that's a lesson to be learned...in snowmen, as well as people, aren't always better when they're bigger...sometimes they're just bigger.

Happy Birthday Papa

Today was Papa's 51st birthday. We ended up spending most of the day up at Grandma's house as I had been sick for the past two and didn't have much energy to even take care of my kids. Fortunately, Grandma was at home because her dad had just had hernia surgery, so she was able to help me out a lot, including driving Lucy to and from school. I sat around most of the day and helped Max make Jenga towers (over and over!) and destroying them. I showed him the actual concept of Jenga and how to pull blocks out strategically, but he would pull a few and then get really excited to pull one he knew would make the tower fall down. Grandma made a tractor cake for Papa with the kids out of rice krispie squares and wagon wheels and licorice. We had a lovely ham and potatoes dinner and enjoyed surprising Papa when he came home. The kids also went in the hot tub with Jason, Jacob and Papa. Happy Birthday Papa! Wish I had more energy to celebrate...or even write about other people's celebrating!

Drumroll....

We had an eventful day today. I had an ultrasound scheduled for 8:30am today in beddington. Booked it that early because Tyler told me earlier was better, not realizing that when he said earlier, he meant 10 rather than 11 and came to the realization the night before that if we were to get to beddington by 8:30, in rush-hour, we'd have to leave at about 7:15am...! blah. We were bringing the kids with us as well, because they were both excited about seeing the baby and finding out 'what it was'. So we loaded into the van at about 7:30 and were off. We ended up getting there about 8:15, but I wasn't taken in until about 9am, and then the kids and Tyler had to wait in the waiting room until about 9:45, before they could come in and see. It was a painfully long morning, but the kids enjoyed seeing the baby on the TV screen and then finding out that we're having...a boy! The two kids and Tyler both thought it was a boy, and I didn't really know. We are very excited to have another boy come into our family and having been debating a lot about names. Lucy kept saying that she thought it was a boy, but she was hoping it was a girl. So I told her that her and I would just have to be the two special girls in our family. She keeps telling me that the boys are going to be off playing hockey and Max won't play with her anymore. She's so sweet. I reassure her that it'll be quite a while before the baby was old enough for them to 'go off' and do things, and if they do, her and I will have to do some girl things. We asked Max what he wanted to name the baby and he said "Max". We asked him if he thought that would be confusing to have two Max's and if we called "Max" then how would they know which one we were calling. He said he would just carry the baby and they both would come. So sweet. Since my ultrasound, Max seems to have brought out all the boyisms he can think of which makes me excited and nervous to have another boy. More climbing, jumping, angry-eyes, and growling...but also a lot of excited playing, cuddling, and energy. It's going to be great.

A day to play

We decided to take a day and spend it together as a family on Friday. Tyler had to be at a seminar from 12 till 1, but other than that, we were all free. Originally we planned to go to the zoo in the morning and then drop him off, but we ended up sleeping in so we made new plans. The kids and I went to the mall while Tyler was at seminar and then we picked him up and headed to the zoo in the afternoon. Market mall has a corn maze set up right now in one of their foyers and the kids and I had fun spending time in the food court eating some lunch (and a lot of time in the bathroom for Lucy...poor girl) and then headed to the corn maze. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was just a tiny maze perfect for a 2 and 4 year old. They were able to find their way through the maze 3 times in 10 minutes, but enjoyed every second of it. We took a few photos with all the cool autumn decorations, and then headed to get dad and go to the zoo. It was a fun trip this time as it was a bit cool outside, so it wasn't very busy. We were able to see the Tiger pacing back in forth in his cage and the snow leopard's were back in their cage, which is one of Tyler's favorites. Their tails are amazingly thick! We tried to make a trip to the dinosaur park, but it's closed right now for some renovations, so instead we headed out to Grandma Bourne's for some pancakes for the kids and then all decided to go to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant for some dinner. We love that place, and the kids love the spring rolls. It was a great family Friday. Pretty typical, but whenever we have a day like that, Tyler and I always express in our prayers those evenings how grateful we are to have the time to be able to spend with our family and enjoy them while they're young like this.

Snow Day

Each morning, for the last couple, we have woken up to more and more snow. This culprit sneaks around at night, filling up our yard and then seems to be gone as of the morning. He's making it difficult to get around, and makes me feel like Fall lasted about 2 days before winter set in. This morning, however, the cold broke but the snow remained, so we were able to head outside and play in this white fluff without freezing any extremities off. So we got bundled and headed out for some play. The kids have been talking about snow angels for months, and were excited to make their first impressions in the snow this season. We had snow angels from here to grandma's house as the kids really got the hang of it. Then Max decided that sliding down the slide that was covered in snow would be a great idea. Which it was. The first time down was pretty slow as the slide was packed and the snow really slowed his decent, however the next trip was quite a bit speedier, as the snow had left a nice slick surface. He whipped off the end of the slide and was fortunate there was a large pile of snow at the bottom to catch him. Each time after he had me slow him down along the way so that the landing was a bit more gentle. Once Lucy had seen his brilliance on slowing down on the slide, she decided she could give it a try too. Finally we headed up closer to grandma's so I could bake some halloween cookies and the kids could play in the snow outside her house (curse my oven!). We got our beach toys out which now serve snow duty in the changing season. We built snow castles and created a little village on Grandma's front porch for her to discover. We took a few pictures and then headed home for some warm lunch and apple cider. It was great to take a bit of time and enjoy the snow before it's gone, as the forecast predicts a little warmer weather next week.

Thanks be to all

We had a pretty awesome thanksgiving weekend, although the kids were sick for the majority of the week prior and during the weekend, and a little after, we still found time to give thanks and spend time with family. The events started Friday evening when Kari and Barrett showed up from Lethbridge. We had a late dinner of some pretty tasty mexican food and then it was off to bed in preparation for a fun-filled Saturday. Saturday morning arrived and we all headed up to Grandma's for some breakfast. Egg-McMuffins and parfaits. So fancy. The kids played and played with Kari and Barrett, trying to squeeze in as much time as possible before they headed back home. We had watched Iron Man the day before (Tyler has decided to introduce Max to ALL the superheros as soon as possible) and decided that Saturday was a good day to watch Monsters Vs. Aliens. One of the kids favorites. We had to pause festivities often to change Max's diaper, but the day went on, regardless. Papa surprised everyone by buying two remote control trucks for some outside time. It' was one of the coldest thanksgivings I can remember, but the boys got in their allotted outside time, racing and testing out the new toys. Lucy enjoyed driving a few times when there was no one else around to pressure her driving skills (typical girl). We had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner at Williamson on Saturday evening and finished the night off with pie pie pie! I love pumpkin pie. Max was still under the weather, so Tyler and I determined that he probably shouldn't go to church the next day and get the other kids in nursery sick. It turned out to be a good plan as Tyler caught whatever it is the kids had that night and was sick most of Sunday himself. So our Sunday was fairly quiet, eating leftovers and hanging out. We all hoped and prayed that everyone would be feeling better by Monday morning so we could still enjoy the Bourne Thanksgiving and Bumpa's birthday. Well, Monday morning came and so did a crib full of fun. By fun I mean vomit and diarrhea. Really NOT fun. By mid-day everyone seemed to be feeling fine though, so we ventured out, after a few hours of tidying the house. We enjoyed hanging out with my siblings that afternoon and playing trivial pursuit...which only went to prove that we are not so smart when it comes to world events and history. Lucy had fun playing with Emma, who she hasn't seen is weeks. They played a few games on Tyler's new i-phone and giggled and laughed most of the evening. It was fun to see all the family together, and of course Mom's turkey meal is always a good way to draw us in. We ate a little late to accommodate Becca, who had to work, and then quickly sand Happy Birthday to Bumpa and wolfed down some dessert as we had to get home to bed. Having a child in school really puts a damper on your social life! We have much to be thankful for this year. A warm home, healthy and happy family, the opportunity to anticipate another child in a few months, and of course the blessings of the gospel. We have uttered in prayer many times our thankfulness to have a knowledge of Heavenly Father and his plan for us. We are definitely grateful for this time and season in our lives and hope we enjoy it enough to look back on it with fond memories, rather than regret. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

The family that sleeps together...?

No, this is not an image of my family being huge supporters of the 'family bed' practice. Our bed is our bed and no one else's. I made a strict policy before we had kids that they would sleep in their own beds and not in ours...so the kids have never slept in our beds. But every morning, when Dad doesn't have to leave too early to get to work, we get the kids up, or they get up themselves and cuddle with Dad. They like it when he hides under the covers so they can find him, and then they cuddle with him and stick their freezing cold toes all over his warm body. We either turn on some tunes, or play eye-spy, or enjoy some tickle-torture time. It's a pretty sweet experience, and one that I hope doesn't change soon. I'm sure one day we'll just look back on it fondly from quite a distance as our kids will be too busy and too cool to climb into bed with mom and dad...but right now, it's pretty awesome.

A Real Mom

This week, I've had a bit of excess energy and have been 'sort of' putting it to good use. I've gotten quite a few things accomplished, and yet, if looked around my house, you would probably disagree. I love to cook, and I get excited to try new recipes and master them. I get pretty disappointed when my skills don't match my ambitions, but it's a work in progress, and my family is pretty easy going. All my life, I've thought that to be a 'real mom' I would need to know how to make Sunday dinners. Roast, Turkey, etc. I've never attempted them, because the task seemed to be to great, and I wasn't sure if I could handle it. Well, I'm pregnant with my third child now, so it's time to become a real mom who can cook real food for her family. I was in the grocery store on monday and saw a roast in the meat department and thought, "what the heck" so I bought it. I called my own real mom that night and asked her how to do it. Her nonchalant description of how to make a roast did not put my heart at ease as I figured, "Of course SHE thinks it's easy...she's been a real mom for years!" But I listened and took down the instructions and determined to cook pot roast the next night. Tuesday came, I woke up, got all my ingredients together and stuck the thing in the crock pot around 9:45am, as it was supposed to take about 8 hours to cook on low, and it was still partially frozen (that's a refrigerator story for another blog), and we wanted to eat around 6pm. Pot roast ready, and dinner on the move and it wasn't even 10am. Nice. All I had left to do was make some yorkshires later in the day. Of course, I kept walking over to the crock pot every once in a while to check things out, not sure what I was supposed to be seeing, and not sure what I was looking at was edible. By about 4pm the house was smelling like Sunday and I went to go check my roast again. It was done...2 hours early! eeek. I guess I didn't account for the fact that the roast I bought to feed my family of 4 is probably not the same size as the one my mom buys to feed a family 10. Something to learn. Oh well, I left it for a bit and got started on my other preparations. We ended up eating around 5:15 as I just couldn't leave that thing in there for much longer. I pulled the roast out and let it sit for a few minutes while I got table laid, etc, and then it was time to carve (more of a real dad kind of job, but Tyler wasn't home yet). I sunk my knife into it, preparing for some nice thinly sliced roast, but all I got was a big pile of shaved meat. Oh well (again), it was still presentable enough for a 2 and 4 year old. I decided I had better sample, before I served, so I grabbed a shaving and popped it in my mouth and...drrrrrrrrrrrrrr (drum roll)...it tasted great! PHEW! A little home made gravy, potatoes and carrots and some nearly too-hard-to-eat yorkshires and we were ready for dinner (again, another blog...oh that oven!) I am convinced I would be a much better cook if I could change a few of my appliances.
I was so pleased with my work, which was really a lot simpler than I thought, that I took a picture of our meal and my family enjoying it. We ended up having some food left over as the previously mentioned 2 and 4 year old don't really eat a proper share of roast, so we invited Tyler's family down to finish it off, as they had all gotten home late from work. I didn't expect much comment from Tyler (as he already thinks I'm a good cook...thanks sweetie), his sister, or his dad...but I sat waiting for my other real mom (in-law), as she is my other measuring stick. As we casually sat while they ate and watched "So you think you can dance Canada", she commented, "This is really good roast Heather". I casually said thank you...but inside I was beaming. Thanks to my real mom's, I'm on my way, and feel a little better about welcoming a 3rd child into our family. I guess my next task will be to become a better housekeeper...that doesn't thrill me at all.

Calling all Rogers

As we left a doctor's appointment last week, we passed Cochrane Home Treasures, which is a charity store that you can donate your used goods to, and others can come and buy them for a really great price. We've donated many a toy there, and also purchased a few items for ourselves. As we passed, I noticed a large power-wheels style dump truck sitting outside the store. I kept driving and then decided to pull a u-turn to check it out. It was only $25, but was without battery, but hey, $25 is a great deal. Bought it! Of course, loading it into the back of the van was harder than I realized as it was crazy heavy, but I managed. We got it home and the kids immediately enjoyed some time on it. Max kept grabbing the radio and saying things like, "Come in Roger", "Don't worry Roger, we'll come get you.", "Goodbye Roger". I busted a gut realizing that he had heard radio talk somewhere before and thought that it was someone named "Roger" on the other end that he was speaking to. So cute. Battery is still to be purchased, but climbing on the thing is nearly as fun as driving it, so it was a worthwhile purchase in my mind.