Welcome to Summer!!!

Yesterday was the last day of school for Blake and Leah.  I made these cupcakes for Leah's class.  There wasn't a graduation but I really like them anyways.  There is no nut or nut products allowed at the school so I was really glad when I found these in peppermint.  They both decided they wanted to stay until the end of the day.  Their report cards where excellent.  We have an extremely stupid grading system.  It is 1-4.  1=not quite get it, 2=understand the concept, 3=yes good job, and 4= wow.  Both came home with 3's and quite a few 4's.

The night before we had our quarterly Smith FHE.  It was the Bevans' turn to be in charge and they decided on bowling.  We all had lots of fun.

After the first game everyone else went home and we stayed to play a second game.  Natalie had left lemon squares in our car complete with napkins for the journey home.

Cannon did very well and beat the pants off everyone on his team.

Cora made a sign for the kids when they got home yesterday.  We wanted to hang it on the fence but is was to windy.  We ended up hanging it in the front window.  She hung flowers all around it also.  There is a lot of detail on the sign that you can't see in the picture but she did a great job.

Now to start our summer I let the kids sleep in today and have given them a free day.  No chores, well hardly any:) and fun, fun, fun.

Minute to Win it

I had heard about this TV show from people and was curious what it was.  The other day when Leah had her late night I looked up some games to play.  At the last minute Cora got asked to babysit and wasn't able to play with us.  We decided to play as a family after church.  We even convinced Dave to play because the games are only one minute long.  He could handle that.

I think it was really fun.  The kids had a blast.  We do have two bags of unused Kleenex in the basement now if any one need some:)

Over a year ago I took Blake to the Children's Festival in Lethbridge.  There they had a bike rodeo that he participated in.  A few month later we got a call saying he had won a bike from Canadian Tire.  He had just got a bike from Kita and had two from the girls he could grow into.  We decided to get me a new bike and I would use it until he was big enough.

It has taken us forever to go get it.  After I signed up for the triathlon I knew I needed a better bike.  We finally went and got it.  Blake helped pick it out since he did win it and it will be his.  It was awesome to get a free bike.

Beauty all Around

I am not sure what it is about this old abandoned building and lonely tree that I love, but I do.  I have been trying to remember to take my camera to the farm for a couple of years now.  Last night Dave was making a quick trip out to drop off some gates.  Cora got asked to babysit and so with one less kid we had room in the truck to all go.  At the last minute I finally remembered my camera.  Of course is was dying so I only got a few pictures.

Dave jokingly asked me if I would like to build here.  It is about 3 miles from the farm, has a lovely slew right behind it, is invested with more mosquitoes than any place I have been and really sandy so I could have more ants then I do right now.:) But this part right here is beautiful.  Maybe it is the loneliness, maybe an era gone by?????

The kids always love to play on the old equipment when we are at the farm.

Cora was done school last Friday. This week she has just had and hour exam each morning, except Tuesday.  They already did a locker clean out last week and are only allowed in the gym area of the school.  Her exams start 15 minutes later than school did and she can't be late. Each morning we have been walking Blake and Leah up then very slowly walking the last 2 blocks to her school so she wasn't to early.  Cora just had to take pencils and her text book to turn in. Today is Math.  After we dropped off the other kids I asked Cora why she didn't have a calculator. She had forgotten it and her protractor kit. We had 10 minutes to dash home, grab her stuff, and get her back to the exam.  We ran the entire 6 blocks home and then drove her back.  She made it and I already got part of my run in for the day.  Although she made me run faster than usual, Cora is pretty quick and I was tired after.

The rains we have had lately are crazy!!  Blake has still insisted on riding his bike everyday.  Monday was absolutely pouring when school let out.  He was soaked when he got home.  When he took his pants off, which are actually a lighter gray than then they appear because they are so wet, water was dripping of the hems.  He didn't seem to bothered.  I made hot chocolate and he changed clothes.  The next morning he got back on his bike and headed to school.

Our Soccer Season is Done

Blake's soccer tournament was this last weekend.  I don't think they won any games the whole season, but he had a great time.  He really enjoyed the people he played with and it was nice for him to have something of his own after all the girl's stuff.

Sometimes it took him a while to get into it.  I think sometimes he forgot he was playing.  Blake was goalie on time and it was very stressful for me:)  He didn't stop anything and I kept hoping they wouldn't give him another turn.  Ever.  Miraculously he did not get rained out of any games.  It would rain just before or just after.  He had a great coach.  Him and his wife were really good with the kids and Blake had a lot of fun.  I guess I will just wait and see if he wants to play next year.

Happy Father's Day

We had a much needed low key Father's Day.  The last couple of month have seemed to be extra crazy.  The kids were so excited to give their gift to their dad.  We did that first thing in the morning.  I decided to cook a great breakfast because we had so much time, then,we went to church. After for dinner we had steak and grilled shrimp with baby potatoes, corn, and fruit.  Only Dave ate the shrimp.  When I first started my Pinterst account I had seen this 'hamburger and french fries' dessert and knew that is what I wanted to do for Father's Day.  It turned out so awesome and Dave really like it.

After dishes Dave took a quick nap and Blake and Leah played outside.  It was fun to spend time with Cora. She is growing up so fast and I really enjoy her personality and being with her.  We will have a lot of that this week as she only has 3 one hour exams all week.  But I digress:)  After Dave woke up we had a grand chat just the three of us.  Next we whipped together a few snacks and went down stairs to watch Vantage Point.  Then to bed for all.  It was a wonderful day.  I feel extremely bless to have grown up with the dad that I did.  He was a great example to me and I love him very much.  I then got to meet another great dad when I got married and treasure all the time I spent with my father-in-law.  It has been a joy for me to watch my husband and the great dad that he is.  I can tell my kids idolize him and I am thankful for that and everything that he does for me.  I have also enjoyed watching the father's that my brothers have become and my brother-in-laws.  I hope everyone had a great Father's Day.

Cora quickly picked a picture from my Hair board and we did it so fast.  I love how it turned out.  It was so cute on her.

Hanging with the Puzey's

We had a great time at the temple last night with my in-laws.  Everybody got babysitters and traveled all the way so we could do names that Cora had found.  It was fun to have everyone there but it did make me miss my father-in-law.  I asked Dave if he thought he would come back for stuff like that.  He just smiled and didn't answer me. It was neat to have my parents there working that night also.  I had a good experience with them.  One on each side taking me through the final step.  I have to do a little more research on the names we did so we can get them all sealed.  After we headed to DQ (of course:))  Dave said he thinks the DQ in Cardston is the best dressed DQ in the world. We ended up getting home just before midnight and all my sweet children were tucked in bed sleeping away.  Gotta love that.

Frisco, Texas

Grab a snack and get a comfy chair.  Here we go. Dave and I had never had a vacation without the kids since we got married.  So when I heard he was going back to Texas, I invited myself along.  We had a fabulous time and the kids had a wonderful time with their grandma.  The guys we went with where lots of fun. One of them is very into Nascar racing.  On the way from the hotel to the place they were working was a go-cart place.  It had electrical cars.  It was a ton of fun.  We even went back the next night.  When you are done your rounds they give you a little print out of your best time and how you could improve.  The second night Dave got 1st place.

I know they have roads like this a lot all over the world, but they still fascinate me every time.  There is hardly any crosswalks in the Dallas area.  You just cross wherever you want and driving straight across 3 or 4 lanes is just fine.  Dave drove the whole week.  Every one else was trying to give him their GPS systems, but Dave doesn't like those.  He would study a map for a minute then drive right there.  Then he knew where he was going the rest of the time.  After the second day every one just sat back and let him drive.

It was really hot while we were there, yet I was freezing most of the time.  Outside is blazing and they make up for it inside.  Every place you went had air conditioning.  I don't think you could live with out it down there.  But they always had it turned up so high I really was cold almost the entire trip.  Next time I go somewhere really hot I am taking a jacket. Friday morning we dropped off the rest of Dave's coworkers at the airport and then went back to the hotel.  We got ready to go in to Dallas.  We walked all over.  First was the Sixth Floor Museum where JFK was shot.  These are the crosses on the road where he was hit.

We then went to the Dallas World Aquarium.  This was really neat.  It had 7 floors.  We started at the top and you work your way down then over and all the way back up again.  They had so much in the building.  There was even little tanks on the walls sometimes.  Really maximized their space.  We didn't have to walk forever to get from one exhibit to the next.  This sloth was just hanging in a tree.  I guess it is so slow that it didn't need a cage, it wasn't going anywhere.

Up on the top floor you can see all the way to the sixth and they had huge manatees swimming around.  I couldn't believe how big there are.  We saw lots of turtles and 2 big crocodiles.

The seals loved to play with the kids coming by.  They were very friendly.

Down underneath the manatees.  We also walked through a shark tank.  It was all glass except the floor and they would swim all around you.  There were a couple of different types of sharks.

A sleepy jaguar.  We saw a dragon seahorse.  It really look just like a leafy thing floating in the water.  It was really neat.  On the bottom level they had fish "from countries around the world. Such as Japan, Australia, British Columbia, ..."  I thought that was so funny that British Columbia was a country.

The garden eels are the freakiest thing I saw.  We were looking at all the pretty fish when suddenly they start coming up out of the sand.  They are really skinny and bright colors.  It  looked like growing grass.  The eel doesn't come all the way out, just up a little then down.

After the aquarium we had lunch.  We had really great service every where we went.  Each person seemed to love their job. Even when a place was packed and we were getting six people in we never waited longer than 10 minutes.  And we got the bill right away.  We then took a ride on the trolley.  After a long day we headed back to go to sleep.

Across from our hotel is 17 soccer fields.  There was a game going every minute of the day, every day.  It is right next to FC Dallas stadium.  Dave and I walked over and watched part of a girls game one night. (That started at 9pm)  Really talented it was very interesting to watch.

Dave had told us from his first trip about the waffle maker at the hotel.  The kids really wanted to see it.

Our last day we just lazed by the pool and then watched a movie in the heat of the day.  We later went to the Dallas Temple.  As always it was beautiful.  Marble outside.  We had had a frozen yogurt at Yumilicious at lunch.  It was the best ever, I had avocado and taro, so good. It is a self serve place.  You grab a cup and fill it as much as you want.  You can have one flavor or all 12.  Then you add any topping you want.  They had tons for fruit and candy toppings.  It is all paid for by weight, not each topping.  I loved it so much that we went back again that night.  I would have waited but it was our last day and when I looked it up they are only in Texas so I knew I would probably never get it again.

Sunday we were up early and to the airport.  It was all smooth sailing until the landing in Great Falls.  Our pilot would speed up and then slow down, then speed up again.  We were in the clouds and we had turbulence.  That didn't bother me it was the speed changes and the turning left then right.  I was sure our pilot had no idea what he was doing.  Of course Dave said it wasn't near that bad.  I was still happy to get off that plane.  It was great to see the kids when we arrived.  I am so thankful to Myrna for taking the kids the whole week.  That is a long time.  And to Amber who had them over the weekend a bit.  We could not have done it with out you.  It was a great holiday and I am very glad I went.

Greetings from Dallas

So far we have had a really great time away in Dallas.  I have really missed the kids but I know they are in great hands.  I have been reading and laying out by the pool while Dave has had to go to work.  At night we all go out to dinner together.  We are with a great bunch of guys.  The first day I was a little shocked at the language and so on but have come to realize that they are good guys.  Not everyone has the same standards as me and that does not make them a bad person, which we have drilled into our kids or years, but we can still accept everyone for how they are.  It also really makes me appreciate how great my husband is and that we really are on the same page for almost everything.  We have eaten at a lot of stake houses.  Dave and I have been sharing every meal.  I eat 1/3 of the steak and most of the veggies.  He eats the rest of the stake plus some veggies and gets shrimp also.  We have still been really full.  It is a good thing we are sharing.  The weather has been good until yesterday late afternoon.  A really big rain storm came in and I could not even see across the small parking lot for a few hours.  Tomorrow the rest of the crew go home, Dave and I will fly back Sunday.  We are going to go touring tomorrow.  One of the guys told us to go to the Dallas World Aquarium.  We looked it up on line and it really looks like a must see.  Right after I post this I am going to look up what else to do.  I will update you when I return.

Grandma's Quilt

I am not sure how my mom ended up having two quilts that my Grandma Manwaring made.  And I am equally unsure about how Natalie and I ended up with them.  But this quilt has always been my favorite.  I have taken it on trips and wrapped up all winter.  It has a very soft flannel backing that was so comfortable.  As you can see it was getting a little warn.  My mom even threw it away once, but my wonderful husband realized how much I loved this and rescued it for me.  There are spots that is is warn right through.  Our feet would get caught in it but I was not willing to part with it.

Over Easter when we were at my Grandma Southam's house my mom told me there was a quilt in the basement that nobody had wanted.  And that Grandma Manwaring had made it.  I was so excited. I bee lined it down there pretty quick and nabbed this beautiful quilt.  It only had one place it was starting to tear.  I unpicked a square from the first quilt and sewed it onto the second.  It even has the same backing as the quilt that Natalie has.  I love it.  Thank you Grandma.

What would be extra cool is if I knew the story behind each square of fabric.  Was it a dress for my Grandma, a pair of pants for my great uncle, or a baby outfit???  I will never know.

Cora's teacher asked the class what iron pyrite was the other day.  She slowly raised her hand and asked if it was fool's gold.  Her teacher was so impressed.  He said that is the first Grade 7 student to ever know the answer to that.  He wanted to know how she knew.  Cora just shrugged her shoulders. When she was telling us the story at home we where trying to guess how she knew.  We guessed the National Geographic, which she pours over, or one of the books she has read lately.  Finally Cora told us.  It was from the Barbie movie 'Princess and the Pauper'.  The princess really wants to study science and she mentions that in there.  Cora was to embarrassed to tell her science teacher that is was from a Barbie movie. I thought it was funny.