This One's for You Dad!

I haven't updated my blog for over a week and this morning when I checked my email I see a facebook comment from my dad, "Update your blog...!"  So here it is dad, I am updating my blog!  I am not quite sure what to write, I can't find my camera so it will just have to be written because I have no new pictures to post!

This past week has been a little busy, and finding the time and ambition to accomplish everything can be a little overwhelming at times.  I have been trying to load things up to take over to our new house, I think I am half done.  I cannot believe how much "stuff" we have accumulated over the last five years.  The kids toys alone is really quite excessive!  I only have my craft stuff left and all mine and Jared's clothes, so I think I will get it all over there today!  Well maybe not, since I had to update my blog!! :)

Emry gets to go to her first Activity Days after school today and on Saturday she gets to attend her first Stake Primary Activity.  I also get to go on Saturday as one of the leaders from our Ward.  I am looking forward to it, so I really hope I get everything moved over today and mostly organized tomorrow so I don't have to be thinking about all that needs to be done while I am in charge of a group of kids ages 8-11!!

Well, I hope this satisfies your blog withdrawal Dad!  I hope you know I am only kidding, it actually made me laugh this morning when I read your comment!  And I really appreciate your faithful following of my ramblings!  I love you Dad, and I hope you have a good week, I can't wait to hear more about the major league ball game you saw when I can actually hear you without the boys antics overpowering our phone conversation!!

My Grandma Bev!

This past week my Grandma Bev passed away.  It was sort of unexpected but also the thought of her end coming was always in the back of our minds.  My Grandma suffered from Parkinson's disease and eventually the disease took her.  I will truly miss my Grandma and I am so thankful for the wonderful woman she was, I will always admire her hard work and her get things done attitude.  She is a woman I look up to and I am so thankful for her influence and example in my life.

Laurence and Beverly Livingston

My Grandma was born in July of 1936.  She was the oldest of four children, herself, a brother four years younger, a sister about six years younger and another sister about ten years younger.  My Grandma pretty much grew up across the road from her future husband, my Grandpa Laurence.  My Grandpa was apart of the airforce and when my Grandparents got married they lived their first years in California.  From there they moved to Vancouver Island where my Grandma had her first three children, all boys one right after the other!  My dad being the youngest of those three boys!  My Grandma was busy, but a great mom who cooked, cleaned and even found time to make the boys clothes!  Four years after my dad was born Grandma had another boy!  And then only a year later, a much anticipated baby girl!  By this time the family moved back to Alberta, eventually settling in Coaldale where my Grandpa opened an auto body Shop, "Double L Auto Body"!

Glen (my Dad), Kirk, Mark
Brett, Grandma Bev and Pamela

Glen, Kirk, Mark, Pamela and Brett

This is where I remember spending a lot of my early childhood!  I remember Grandma and Grandpa living on a little acreage on the very edge of town.  My Grandma had two horses, Casey and Finnighan.  This is where my love of horses blossomed, I remember Grandma saddling up the horses and leading us around the little corral.  My Grandma also had pheasants, although they were totally wild it was neat to peek at them through the wire!  On the acreage there were also cats and dogs!  My favourite cat of all time was a stray that showed up one day, he was a beautiful smokey grey colour.  I'm not sure how his name came to be but it was very fitting, his name was Grey-Grey!  My favourite dog was their collie dog, Butchie!  I'm not sure where his name came from either but I remember him being the most gentle and cuddly dog, I even remember when he died and how we helped Grandma and Grandpa bury him in the backyard, we also hung his collar and dog tags from a steak marking his grave.  In the shop my Grandpa had his own dog, one who was not as friendly but made a lasting impression!  I remember Grandpa picking Arren and I up from school in his old pick up with Buster sitting right next to him on the seat!  On our way back to the acreage we would always stop at Mac's and get a slurpee, the best thing was getting one for Buster too!  It was his favourite snack!  If we ever went out to Grandma and Grandpa's with dad and stopped at the store first we always had to get Buster a slurpee.  

After Grandpa passed away Grandma took a few trips!  A couple of bus trips, one to the east coast and then another down to Arizona.  My dad also took my Grandma to the Republic of Dominica where my Uncle Mark lived for several years.  An experience of a life time, and she said it was so gratifying to actually see that he lived a civilized life and not just in the wild jungle!  I remember taking trips with Grandma to Great Falls and Kallispell as a kid and how much fun we had with her!  

I remember Grandma painting and repainting her kitchen many many times!  I also remember her building her front and back deck and painting it every year too.  She would also repaint the outside of her house every few years, always changing the colour!  When my Grandpa passed away in 1999 my Grandma decided to sell the shop and the acreage and move into Lethbridge.  She became a different lady, much more feminine!  She would still paint and repaint her house, but her bathroom was decorated with flowers and bright colours!  She still always had a kitty, ones that were not always so nice, even to her!  Once Grandma moved into the city she would often take walks down into the coulees, or over to her most loved coffee spot Tim Horton's!  Once Emry was born we would often go and visit Great Grandma Bev, and once I started working at Weight Watchers with Myrna Emry would spend the three hours with Great Grandma.  They too would often go for walks or play in her yard!  I loved those visits and I really feel like Emry got to experience a little bit of what I did as a child with my Grandma.  Eventually Calum even got in on the one on one time with Great Grandma.

Emry and Great Grandma Bev

Emry, Grandma and Gilbert

Grandma's funeral was beautiful and very suiting to the type of woman she was.  My Uncle Mark, the oldest, gave a tribute to Grandma and talked about the super mom she was!  He said that as teenagers their house was always the hot spot, everyone wanted to come for Grandma's home cooked meals or super yummy cookies!  He said she never missed a hockey game the boys played, she even worked outside of the home and still managed to make the games and get the boys to their 5am practices.  She made most of the kids clothes, and always had homemade food on the table!  She was even known to take buckets of cookies out to the kids and all their friends when they were playing street hockey just outside their front door! 

Emry and I sang the song we sang at church for Mother's Day.  And it was so fitting, we sang "Mother, Do You Love Me?"  I couldn't look around the room while we did it because I could hear all the sniffles and knew it would get me if I looked up! 

After the service everyone headed over to Moxie's for dinner, the service was private for family and close friends and being that it was small it was decided that an informal dinner after would be nice to catch up with everyone and reminisce about Grandma.  It was a beautiful end to a beautiful life!

I will miss my Grandma so much but I am so thankful for the love and support she gave me throughout my life.  I am thankful for the example she was to me, for the determination she instilled within me.  I love her so much and will forever cherish the memories I have of my beautiful Grandma!

Emry's Baptism

On Saturday Emry was Baptized!  It was such a beautiful day, the spirit there was so strong and brought such a peaceful, calm feeling.  Even Emry said she felt something a little different than usual!  I was able to give the talk on Baptism, she thought about who she wanted and she chose me!  I was honoured because I was able to share a little bit about my own Baptism which only happened 11 and a half years ago, so I was able to remember it quite well!  

Emry's Baptism Talk 2012

Emry, do you know that you are about to participate in your very first saving ordinance and make your first official promise to Heavenly Father?

When you were born you came into this earth pure and clean, much like this glass of water.  But as we grow and learn we tend to make little mistakes along the way.  Mistakes like telling lies, or taking things that don’t belong to us, or hurting someone’s feelings.  (PUT THE LITTLE ROCKS INTO THE GLASS) But when we turn eight, we have the opportunity to fix all of the wrong we have done, and all the wrong we will do as we grow even more.  It is really hard sometimes not to make mistakes; it is hard for everyone to choose the right every single minute of every single day.  Heavenly Father knows that too, and because you have chosen to be baptized today you are taking the first step, and then Heavenly Father promises you a very special gift, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, which Uncle Jason will talk to you about.  And this gift will help you always choose the right.  (POUR THE WATER WITH THE ROCKS INTO THE OTHER GLASS WITH THE CHEESE CLOTH OVER IT) 

Today when you are baptized you will promise Heavenly Father that you will remember and follow Jesus and keep all of His commandments.  That you will bear one another’s burdens by giving help to those in need, and that you will stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things, and in all places, this means to always be a good example to others.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that whenever we make a promise to Him, He makes a promise right back to us.

Today Heavenly Father promises you that He accepts you as a member of His church, He will forgive you if you make mistakes and do something wrong—if you are truly sorry for what you did and get on your knees and ask for His forgiveness.  He also promises that you can have the gift of the Holy Ghost with you, and He promises to bring you into the kingdom of God in heaven if you remain obedient for all of your life.

Being baptized and confirmed is your key to living with Heavenly Father in the Celestial Kingdom forever and ever.  All of Heavenly Father’s children need to be baptized, it is the only way there is for us to return and live with Him when we die.  Adam was the first man on earth, and he was baptized.  Alma in the Book of Mormon was also baptized.  Jesus too, was baptized, even though Jesus had never sinned; he still needed to do it to set the example for us.  (SHOW PICTURE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST BAPTIZING JESUS)  Emry, I was only baptized 11 and a half years ago, so I remember my baptism really well!  I want to share a little bit from my journal of how I felt that day…December 29, 2000 was the most glorious day I have yet encountered.  It was the day I was baptized.  It was such a beautiful service, with all of Jared's family taking part.  My mom and dad and sister even came to support me in the life changing decision I was making!  To start the service off Charmaine said the opening prayer, what she said set the service at peace.  We then sang "The Spirit of God".  Dave gave the talk on Baptism.  What a wonderful talk.  He first thanked my family for being there because it meant so much to me.  I was so thankful and so happy that he had said what he did.  It truly did mean a lot to me.  He then went on and talked about what baptism meant to him and how important it is.  He talked a bit about his own baptism, which was really fitting.  I'm so happy he gave that talk.  He did an excellent job and truly spoke from the wisdom and knowledge of Our Heavenly Father.  From the beginning of the service to the time I was baptized, Jared and I sat in the front row dressed all in white.  It was marvellous.  After Dave's talk, Myrna, Lalainia and Rachel sang "I Believe in Christ."  What a beautiful hymn, my favourite in fact.  They did such a wonderful job, and sounded so beautiful.  While they were singing I felt a pull on my right arm, almost as though someone was sitting beside me and hooked their arm through mine.  I told Jared about it on the way home, I don't know if he completely believed me, but I know what he told me he truly meant.  He said he believes there were many others in the chapel that night, more than those we could actually see.  The Spirit was very strong and that little pull on my arm gave me more reassurance that the choice I was making was the right one.  After the hymn was over Jared and I made our way to the baptismal font, everyone followed to witness this very important event.  As I entered the water I felt warm, and very much at peace.  My heart was beating very fast and very hard, I wasn't nervous but very overwhelmed by the spirit.  When Jared said the prayer, I don't remember exactly what he said, but what he did say made me feel calm and comfortable.  After the prayer he baptized me, when I went under the water it was like I had lost all feeling, like I wasn't even there but looking down at myself from up above.  I believe this is what we feel when all of our sins are washed clean.  It was truly wonderful.  When I was changing back into dry clothes I couldn't stop smiling.  Even now as I write this, my heart is pounding hard, it feels like there is joy all throughout my body!...

Just because you have been baptized does not mean that you won’t make mistakes, (TAKE THE ROCKS AND CHEESSE CLOTH OF THE SECOND GLASS AND THEN PUT THE ROCKS INTO THAT GLASS) but you will have the Gift of the Holy Ghost to help you know when you shouldn’t be doing something, and as well as the Holy Ghost you also have an opportunity each week to renew the promise you will make with Heavenly Father today.  Each week when you take the Sacrament, you are renewing your baptismal covenants.  When the boys bless the bread and water they are reminding us to always remember that Jesus died for us and was resurrected so that we can live with Him and Heavenly Father again.  (POUR THE WATER AND THE ROCKS FROM THE SECOND GLASS INTO THE THIRD)  And while you are waiting for the bread and water to be passed to you, you can think about what kind of person you were during the week, were you obedient, were you a good example…You can also make a decision on how to do better during the week coming up.  And remember if you make a habit to always say your prayers, to read your scriptures, and to obey the commandments it will be much easier to always choose the right.

Remember this is the first day of the rest of your life; you are absolutely clean in the eyes of your Heavenly Father.  I know you are a daughter of our Heavenly Father, and I know that as you strive to do what is right you will be blessed.  We are so proud of you Emry and we are so thankful for the beautiful, caring and always-helpful daughter you are to us.  It is my prayer that you will always remember the promise you made today and do all you can to keep yourself spiritually clean like you are today!  I say these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Just before Jared and Emry made their way to the baptismal font, Cora and Leah sang "As A Child of God", they sounded amazing!  And once the two of them got into the water, they both couldn't stop smiling!  While I was helping Emry change I asked her how she felt now that she was baptized, she said she felt different, cold but different!  She said she couldn't stop smiling!  While everyone was waiting for us they each wrote a little note of encouragement to Emry.  It is so nice for her to have these notes to look back on for many years.  Jason gave the talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost, and did great.  He had such a wonderful analogy of what the spirit feels like.  He wrapped Emry in a huge down comforter and told her how the spirit can feel like the same warm feeling we get when we are snuggled tight in a cozy blanket!  Bishop Ellis then closed with a few welcoming remarks toward Emry, it was nice to have so many there to support her and make her feel totally welcome!  After the service was all over we convened in the gym for refreshments!  The cupcakes were a real hit!!

I need to send out a huge thank you to Myrna, Lalainia, Char and Rachel for bringing the fruit and vegetables.  It was such a nice refreshing snack in the middle of the afternoon! 

It was a beautiful day and I am so proud of the young girl Emry is becoming.  She is so helpful and so caring and so sincere toward others.  I am so thankful for the wonderful sister she is to her two younger brothers and for the example she has set for them.  I know that she will always strive to do what is right and as she does so she will be blessed.  She has brought so much joy to our lives and has given us a great deal of hope for the future!  Our Home Teacher, Brother Durand wanted to give Emry a set of her very own scriptures, we thought that would be a great idea so we let him.  She hasn't parted with those scriptures since and together we have been reading.  I hope the scriptures always remain apart of her like they have these last few days.  I know she will need to rely a lot on them throughout her life.

It's Great to be 8!

Emry celebrated her eighth birthday last Thursday and to help her she invited a few friends from school!  They all came home on her bus that afternoon and the celebrating began!  They played musical chairs, charades and then they each made their own mini pizza!  They were all so creative, I especially liked Connor's, he put ham, pepperoni, mushrooms, pineapple, cheese and then topped it with fresh ground pepper!  They must have all liked their pizzas because it was so quiet for a good 20 minutes!  Then they had cupcakes, I found a super yummy cotton candy recipe, and they were a huge hit!  After they opened presents and then they all went outside to play tag while they waited for their parents to arrive!  It was a lot of fun and I loved seeing the permanent smile on Emry's face!

On Sunday we celebrated her birthday with family at my Mom's house!  It too was a lot of fun.  My mom put together a scavenger hunt for the kids, she took a picture of something and they had to go look for that thing she took a picture of to find another picture until they came to the final prize...a goodie bag full of candy!  We had BBQ beef on a bun, Darth Tater Potatoes, salad and fruit!  Sooooo Goood!  Then we had cupcakes, Emry had requested a few different kinds...Cotton Candy, Salty Caramel and Oreo.  They were all so yummy and again a huge hit with the kids, and the kids at heart!!  She opened presents and was spoiled!  Jared and I got her a big Lego Friends set, Grandma Debbie got her a pink ghetto blaster, Auntie Arren and Uncle Buck got her a cute summer dress and Uncle Buck even picked out a super cute sun hat to go with it, they also got her a Taylor Swift CD, and Grandma's friend Mark got Emry two Selena Gomez CD's!  She was so gracious with everyone and was so happy with all she got!

Oreo Cupcake 

Salty Caramel Cupcake 

The littlest party guest...Jonas!

Gilbert 

Daddy and his girl!

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Mark with his newest buddies!

Emry now has quite a few Lego Friends sets, Grandma Puzey also gave her a set on her actual birthday!  And the day before her birthday Grandpa Glen stopped by to see her and gave her a pair of Healy shoes, the ones that have the wheels in the heels!  It will take her some getting used to, they are so cute and totally suit her style!

It was a great day, I can't believe she is 8 years old!  I am so proud of the girl she has become and the sweet spirit she possesses!  I am thankful for all the help she gives me and for the love she shows to her brothers daily!  On Saturday she will be baptized, which is super hard to believe!  Time goes so fast, it too will be a great day!

As Promised...Carpet Pictures!

Well, here are the much anticipated pictures of our carpet!  And thankfully Char, they are NOT pink!!  And no, there is nothing wrong with the colour pink, it happens to be my favourite colour, just not for a carpet!

The amount of space we have in our bedroom is truly amazing!

Can't you just see a 70" LED LCD T.V on that dark wall!!  There is actually one at Costco that we have been dreaming about!

The perfect vacuum lines are for you Char, and I finally know what you mean, it really is gratifying to see those lines in a freshly vacuumed carpet!!

I am so thankful for the furniture we have gotten from my Grandma Bev!  She wasn't needing it anymore and offered it to us.  The sofa and arm chair in the basement came from her house and Jared has claimed the couch as his Sunday afternoon nap spot!  We did buy the leather sofa and arm chair that we put in the living room upstairs a few years ago from Sears, they were the floor models and an unbelievable price!  The other arm chair upstairs also came from my Grandma Bev, it is red and is a really nice accent colour to the dark brown leather!

It is slowly coming together and soon enough we will be living in our own home!  It truly is exciting the coming weeks will feel like an eternity but at the same time will also fly by with all we have to do!  Packing and cleaning, cleaning and unpacking are the details of my life for the next few weeks!  A trite sacrifice when put into perspective!

Milk Anyone?

While I was on my way to Lethbridge yesterday morning I drove past the cows to see how they were doing and if any might be calving!  Well, there was one cow, a heifer actually, who was laying down in a somewhat awkward position so I sat and watched her for awhile.  She would lay stretched out on her side for a second and then jerk her head back up...only a woman could say that she was definitely having contractions!!  Sure enough she was, I sat long enough to see her stand up and noticed her back end was definitely preparing for a calf to come out!

I knew Jared was on a service call at the Clearlake Colony not too far from home so I called him and told him he should stop by on his way back to the shop to see how she was doing.  I had to get to the city for a doctor's appointment.  I knew he would either see the calf up and drinking or still not much happening, I was hoping he would see it up and drinking.  Well, what he saw wasn't at all what we hoped for...the calf was dead and still hanging mostly out of his mom :( Jared walked her up to the barn hoping along the way the calf would slip out but once they reached the maternity pen he knew he would have to help her get it the rest of the way out.  When a calf is born, the perfect way for it to come out is with both front feet coming together and the front part of the hoof facing up.  This calf only had one foot coming out, the right way though, but the other leg was still inside pointing the exact opposite direction so it was a lot of stress on the little guy and he wasn't able to get the air he needed as he passed through the birth canal.

Jared left the momma in the maternity pen and headed back to work.  Thankfully he was so close to home that he could stop by or we would probably have a dead cow too.  Once we got the boys to bed that evening Jared and I took Emry out with us to milk the momma.  We wanted to get her colostrum in case another calf ever needs it.  The colostrum is the most important part of the milk for the calf to get, it is full of nutrients and gives them the start they need to survive.  So to have some frozen on hand is truly priceless!

It was a lot of fun to do it too.  I had done it before but not for such a long time I really was nervous so Jared offered to try it first!  He got milk on the second squeeze!  I finally tried and got some on my first squeeze!  I forgot how soothing it is to milk a cow!  Do I see a milk cow in the future...only if I can get myself and our house organized, and start waking up before the kids drag me out of bed!!

The excitement never ends at the Puzey farm, and I am so thankful for the opportunity we are giving our children and for the excitement we see in their little faces with each new experience!