Excuse Me....

Jared went out to check and feed cows the other day and as he was headed over to the bales he noticed two little hooves sticking out of a cow, so he kept a close eye on her as he moved wires to give the cows fresh bales.  The next time he looked over at her the calf was hanging halfway out!! Upon looking closer Jared was sure the calf might be dead, it just looked so limp and the cow had made her way over to the bales and started eating. Jared went a little closer and as he came up to her back end the calf arched his back and was squinting his little eyes looking at the other cows!! Not dead, YAY!!!!! Jared went back to moving wires and the next time he looked the calf was lying on the ground covered in goo!!!!!  

Calving is such a special experience!! Witnessing new life truly is a miracle!!!!

Mother's Day

Being a mom is one of the toughest jobs I could ever have imagined. At 5:00pm you don't get to leave the drama at work. You deal with the petty arguments from the time the sun comes up till it sets and all is finally quiet in the house! You get to kiss boo boos and wipe tears, you clean up mess after mess after mess and again 10 minutes later. You get to wipe bums and wash hair, do the dishes and the laundry.  You get asked what is for supper then an instant "gross" when you answer. It's your fault when they can't find something.

 But after all that is said nothing can melt your heart more when you hear a little squeaky voice say "I love you mom!" And as much as I hate prolonging bedtime I love the quiet time when little dirt caked fingers entwine themselves in my hair and their breathing becomes slower and deeper and I know they have finally fallen asleep!! The innocence returns to their gleaming little faces and I am reminded of what it truly means to be a mother! And I am grateful Heavenly Father entrusted me to care for and guide these sweet little spirits in this rough and tumble world. Yes on a daily basis I feel extremely inadequate but I know I have the tools I need to press forward.

I have examples in two very amazing women...my mom and my mother in law (though I don't like the in law part since I truly consider her my mother in every sense of the word!!) they have shown me unconditional love and have supported decisions I have made without judgement. My mother in law has raised a son to be the perfect companion to me. Without Jared by my side I wouldn't be the woman I am today, we are still learning and may never totally get it right but we are doing it together. 

I have examples in my grandmothers, my aunts, my sisters and sisters in law and I have learned from the ladies in our church. This is a tough job, one I've wanted to give up on many times...but because I haven't and perservered I have been made stronger! 

My Mother's Day was a beautiful day!! I got to spend it with four of my favourite people!! Jared made me a smoothie and brought it to me in bed, he let me sleep in while he got the boys ready for church! After church he and Emry made a very yummy dinner, bbq hamburgers and fruit and veggies!! They also cleaned up after while I read my book!!! I had made dessert the day before and it turned out to be super delicious...a key lime cheesecake!!!!  Later in the evening we went over to Grandma Puzey's and shared dessert with them too, super yummy chocolate dessert!!!!! We finished the day off watching our favourite family show " Heartland!"

Despite the hardships that come with being a mother I am grateful for the three children I have who call me mom!!

Stake Activity Day

At the end of April Myrna and I and the rest of the Stake Primary Presidency put on an activity for the 8-11 year old girls!  Our theme was "Happy to Be Me!"  Myrna had a great vision of how she wanted the day to play out and I think it came together absolutely perfectly!

We had three stations the girls would rotate through:

1) Happy to Give Service
The girls each made cards of encouragement to give to patients suffering in the hospital and thank you cards to give to Police and Firefighters for all they do to keep us safe!

2) Happy to Be Creative
The girls were given 6 cupcakes already baked and they were taught how to ice them!  They were also able to put sprinkles on them...I couldn't believe how many sprinkles some of the girls managed to put on top of their iced cupcake!

3) Happy to Be A Child of God
The girls were given a short spiritual message of how important it is to know they truly are a child of God.  After the message they each decorated a plaque to hang in their rooms that said "Happy to Be Me"!!

We provided lunch for each of the girls and their leaders!  We had the tables set in all pastel colours with a box filled with their lunch at each place setting!  We fed them ham croissants, a juice box, cookies, grapes and chips!!  They were also given a baggie of salt water taffy!!  All the colours made the gym really pop!! Myrna had spent countless hours making tissue paper flowers to decorate with and Cora willingly put them all up for us!

I know Emry had so much fun and she said she really did feel like a child of God!!  This was probably her last Stake Activity Day...depending on when we have it next year!  I am thankful for the opportunity I have to work so closely with Myrna in this calling!  I can truly tell how much she loves each of these precious children, this really has been a great experience for me and has helped me step out of my comfort zone!

More than 2 Hands Old!!!!

Emry turned 11 yesterday....WHAT?  I can't believe how fast the time has gone and how much things change in such a short time!  All Emry wanted for her birthday was to have all her Aunts, Uncles, cousins and Grandparents home to celebrate!  And as it turned out everyone was able to come with the exception of Grandpa!! But he had a good reason...being out of the country!  She requested Salmon for dinner but we steered her to a less expensive choice so she decided on Spaghetti!!  I have a really amazing spaghetti sauce recipe that I have a made once before and everyone who came pitched in with the side dishes!! We had jello pretzel salad, veggies and dip, a caesar salad and watermelon!  And for dessert Emry asked for her very favourite...Cheesecake!  I also tried a mint lemonade slush and it turned out to be quite a hit!!!  The blog I got the recipe from said people will be asking "What is that?"  And I got that very response from my mom!!!  She came up to me and asked "What is that?" I told her how I made it and how easy it was to get that oh so refreshing taste!!!  Because Emry loves the color lime green I tried to decorate using that colour!  I found lime green straws and bought all green coloured candies to fill my candy jar with! I tied green ribbon around some of the milk bottles I have and attached a "happy birthday" banner!!  I think she appreciated it!  She instantly knew why I had all green stuff!!

Despite our best efforts to tell everyone all Emry wanted was to have everyone together each family still brought her a gift...to say she was spoiled is an understatement!  She was thrilled with all the gifts she received!  I think her most prized possession is her new art set from Grandma Puzey, she has been drawing non stop!

I am so grateful for the amazing girl she is...she is so helpful with the boys and around the house and if we can't find her right away we know to look in the barn or the shed where the cats and kittens are hiding.  She is always right beside her Dad when he is working on the farm, I think her favourite pastime is checking the cows!  I think we have a true farm girl on our hands...she has just informed me that she really does want to do beef 4H next year and take care of her very own calf!!  She could do it too!!!  I still have a hard time believing she is 11, this is her last year in Primary...YIKES!!  She is growing up too fast but I like seeing the changes in her and watching her as she grows and matures...she is over 5 foot tall and doesn't seem to be slowing down.  I look forward to what the years ahead bring!  She truly is my favourite girl and I am grateful to have been blessed with such a strong willed and determined daughter!!  I love you Emry!!

The Grey Cup

On Monday the Grey Cup came to Vulcan!! It wasn't something that really interested me but it is an iconic symbol! Three of the Stampeders came along with the Grey Cup, they paraded down Main Street on the Starship Enterprise, which has won first place in the Calgary Stampede Parade! Not that I could tell you any of their names but I did Google them!!!

#56 Randy Chevrier has played with the Stampeders for 11 years.

#42 Deron Mayo has played with the Stampeders for 4 years.

#25 Keon Raymond has played for the Stampeders for 8 years.

 Armin wore his Stampeders Jersey and off we went!! We met up with our friends and waited in line to get a picture next to the Grey Cup, it was really quite neat to see it in person!! 

Two of the three players signed Armin's jersey while he was wearing it and he also got a players card and they signed that too!!! The guys were very nice and did not act at all like visiting Vulcan was a waste of their time!!! 

I was really glad we took the time to go and support our little community! It's not everyday something like this happens!! And hey, we got a free hotdog out of it too!!!!

Goat Farm

Last month the Kindergarten kids were able to take a trip to a local farm.  We were able to see African Pygmy goats that were only a few hours old...Oh did I want to take one home with me...The kids loved them I think as much as I did! It really was quite a learning experience for me!  Baby goats, or kids rather, will start to eat solid food literally hours after being born.  The mothers will only nurse them for about 2 months before they are shipped out to families purely as pets!  And it is very common and almost expected that a mother goat will give birth to twins or triplets!! 

It was so much fun!!  It is neat to learn about the interesting facts of other animals!  I especially loved holding the little goats and looking at all their different markings and color patterns!!

Spring has Sprung

Springtime to me is when the baby calves start to come!  I just love seeing them being born, and shortly after running and frolicking around...literally hours after being born!  There is just something about having new life on a farm...I guess much like a brand new baby...

I ljust love the marking on this little guy!! A perfect rectangle!!

This one was a one in a million shot!!!  

I love this momma's hair!!  

The kids all love going to check for new calves with Daddy, Emry lives for it!!!  I am thankful our children are able to witness these precious little miracles first hand.  I am thankful I can look out our windows and see if anything is happening or just to see the little ones bounding around!!  We have only just begun but Spring truly has Sprung!!!!