Times past.

Guess what.  I finally got the whole charge the battery and get the stupid pictures of my camera thing going.  Now I just need to get them off my phone. 

NYC

I went to NYC to visit Kambria last October.  It was a blast. Her roomates were so nice to let me stay with them.

Times Square my first night.  It was so cool (for little Canadian me where the malls close at 9)

We went shopping and for dinner at like 10.  I am such a nerd that I think that is cool. 

This is at the shake shack

 


On the Friday Kambria had to work.  So with some awesome directions and bus information I headed out on my own.  I went and did a temple session, then went home and changed, the headed out to the
MET.  I drooled over all of the Monet paintings.  Ever since that very first Humanities class he was my favorite.

We went across the Brooklyn Bridge to go get the BEST PIZZA EVER at Grimaldis

I thought it was cool to see mounted police on Kambrias street.  (such a nerd I know)

The whole time Kambria lived in NYC she wanted to go to a Hockey Game.  I was more than happy to go. 

I was so glad to have someone who knew the subway system.  My total lack of direction could have been a big problem. 

Another highlight was going for Peruvian food at Pio Pio.  It was so good.  And I am a picky eater.

We went for brunch a couple of times.  MMMMMMM brunch.  This was at Elmo.  I think it was my favorite. 

This was at isabellas

Bono was there having Brunch too. 

Anyways.  I am going to Utah next week for Kambrias wedding.  I am so excited.  and she is sooooo pretty. 

Maybe she will let me put and engagement picture up.  She has the prettiest engagements I have ever seen.  Hah maybe I will just send you to the Photographers blog. shannon elizabeth photography

Spring

I vote spring in.

can I get a Hallelujah 

The BBQ is going.  My house is spring cleaned.  It is time. 

We went to the zoo yesterday and had a blast. 

Hah I really don't have much to say.  I am starting to come out of my "winter do nothing, go nowhere hibernation though."  So that is always a good sign. 

I have so many things I am excited for.
~  I am excited for 2 weddings this summer ( Kambria and Steven).
~ Maybe a trip to Washington to visit Trevor's Aunt.
~ central alberta childrens festival
~ Drumheller
~ Canada Day and July 4th
~ Is it really sad that I am excited for Thanksgiving.  Hah I can wait though.
~ I want to go to the lake
~ camp
~ hike the  triple crown
~ each so much ice cream I will explode 
~ lazy warm nights on my swing reading
~ BBQ BBQ BBQ
~

~ ooo  I am looking for people who want to get Calaway Park passes.  I need more Adults to go with because I can't wrangle all of my kids at once.  I need someone to take my kids on rides, or sit with Abbi.

Full on Recap

This will all be short clippets from our life, some really short, some more like novels.  and I can't find my camera battery charger now so the lack of pictures continues.


The other day the kids were playing in the living room.  I wasn't paying attention until I noticed that the word "Jesus" was being thrown around a lot.  So I thought I would listen.  They were pretending that they were dying.  Then one of them would "call Jesus" on the phone and tell him that the other one was dying and he should come quick and make them better.  Then Jesus would come and heal them and they would thank him and then it would start all over with the other child falling ill.  All I can say is something in Primary must be sinking in. 

Yesterday Lizzy announced to Trevor that she would like him to bring her home a car.  Ummm  I thought begging for cars started at 16 maybe even 15, but 4 1/2????

Abigail sings head shoulders knees and toes ALL THE TIME.  In the house, in the car, at grandmas, while she is eating, while she is in her crib ~everywhere all the time.  It goes something like this
"Heaaaaa nee na no, nee na no, nee na no."  Actions are involved too. It is awesome.  Actually she just heard me humming it and now it begins. 

We registered Sam for preschool the other day, at Renfrew.  Hopefully it will help his speech.  They just have to review his scores, but the lady was so confident that he would qualify, so I am going to go with that. 

I looked out the window and what did I see?  (at the the ski hill in Golden) a one legged man skiing down the hill, it was so cool.  The funny part, later that day we were in Banff grabbing a bite and I saw a different one legged man shoveling snow.  Seriously these guys had skills, I have a hard enough time doing those things with 2 legs. 

I made a growth chart last fall to measure my kids.  I was just going to measure them yearly on their birthdays but they are growing so much!!  Since the end of October Elizabeth has grown 1.5 inches, Sam has grown 2 inches and Abbi is leading the pack at a whopping 3 inches.  No wonder they all seem to have grown out of their clothes. 

Yesterday was pretty good, until that one time right before dinner, you know that awful hour while you are still alone and things always get crazy.  Well I discovered Sam in the bathroom dumping buckets of water on the floor, big trouble, then When I pulled him down off the counter I notice he had peanut butter all over his hands...and my bathroom mirror, Ummm does anyone remember this PANIC!!!  Then as I started to reprimand him I noticed he had peed his pants (I HATE POTTY TRAINING!).  I continued to find peanut butter all up my stairs in the carpet on the railing and all over my kitchen table.  In my own defense.  I keep the peanut butter on the top shelf in my skinny cupboard beside the stove.  He got it himself.  p.s.  he can also get him self treats off of the top shelf in my pantry.  G.L.O.R.I.O.U.S ...  I was texting Kellie as I went with each awful step that I found out.  Then I started crying because I was so mad.  She came and rescued me, So did my brother Matt.  Matt went and bought pizza for dinner.  Kellie kept Sam and Abbi at the house, and I have to point out she cleaned my WHOLE house.  I dropped Lizzy at dance raced to Cranston where Trevors cousin Jane lives borrowed her carpet cleaner, raced back and picked Elizabeth up. 

Jane called later to see if the kids had survived until bedtime, she had this to say "You don't always have to like them, you just have to love them...and let them live" 

St Patricks Day

Last night we set our trap to catch a Leprechaun.  We baited it with Rainbow cookies.

We told the kids that if we didn't catch him he would turn all our food green with his magic.

Needless to say he escaped...drat that Leprechaun.

So we had green pancakes and green apple juice and green water (because green apple juice is gross Mom).

Little did I know how upsetting this would be though. 

We experienced anger with Elizabeth yelling out at the Leprechaun to come turn everything back.  We had tears when she became afraid that the whole house would turn green including her "pink blankie".

Lets just say it got bad enough that Dad called the "Shamrock Police."  They promised him that they caught the naughty Leprechaun and that only our breakfast would be green.

That made everything better until the kids realized that not only did that naughty Leprechaun take our cookies "HE STOLE THE PLATE TOO!!"  Oh no.  Maybe he is just a nice Leprechaun and he put it in the dishwasher before she went to bed. 

Happy St Patricks Day everyone! 

grasping?

Okay I am taking a poll on a new theory of mine.

Here is the back story

Last year Sam had a "head cold" for 6 months.  We took him into the Doctors they couldn't do anything.  Until We found out he had a double ear infection and his eardrums actually weren't even moving.  I attribute all of his speech problems to this period of deaf-ness. 

This year Sam has had a "head cold" since October.  I have taken him into the Doctors at least once a month since then, including this last Monday.  Nothing.  The Doctor gave me the you are an crazy woman spiel and look.  Telling me that there is nothing they can do and that I should calm down.

I don't think it is normal for a child to be sick for half the year at a time.

So here is my theory.  I think Sam has allergies.  I had always decided it couldn't be because he is sick in the winter.  However, we live in Calgary where the snow melts every other week exposing us to all the mold in the grass. 

Sam got really sick last weekend at my in laws house.  My brother in law and his wife brought their cat with them.  I am so allergic to cats and had to take drugs (I am still extremely plugged up).  I put Sam on benadryl and it seemed to help a bit.

Am I grasping for an explanation or is it believable?  I am scared to take him into the Doctor yet again and get "the look".  I am just not content with the idea that my little boy would catch cold after cold All.Winter.Long. 

Anyways what do you think?

A series of unfortunate events.

Do you ever have those days, where it just isn't very good.  Nothing really bad happened.  You just had a series of unfortunate events that all built up to a sour taste in your mouth.  That was yesterday. 

-I had a big lunch plan to take Trevor lunch at work, but he was to busy ( it was his first day back from our trip so he was a little behind)

-an evil hag stole my parking spot at costco.  You know the one I waited 5 minutes for because Jos and I had 4 little kids in the car and didn't want to walk for forever.  I yelled at them.  It was 4 adults, all who were older than me. 

-I almost hit someone with my van because their car was hiding in my blind spot.  He yelled at me.  stupidhead

-I forgot to bake a cake for cake class
-I was late for cake class

-I burned dinner

Silver lining. 

-I got to spend the afternoon with Jos.

- It wasn't to cold outside so the walk wasn't that bad.

-I didn't hit the guy with my van

-Cake class was AWESOME.  Even though I used a box cake.  ( P.s.  I think I will always do that it was so much easier)
-My cake was still warm at class but it still worked out

-Dinner was still yummy and Trevor cleaned it all up



Steve and Jenn came over and we watch "How I Met Your Mother"
We are on Season 5.  And I still laugh at my cake when I saw it this morning.  Jenn and I were to lazy to color our icing.  So it is a white cake with a white cuppycake on top.  Really cute but a little albino.

Heart Break

Trevor's Grandfather passed away on Wed.  He was a great man.  He was loved by his family and a community.  He was a World War 2 veteran.  Trevor could tell you stories about him for hours.  He taught his children and grandchildren how to work hard. 

SJ was the first person I ever met in the Smith family.  I still remember the day.  We went for a drive up the canyon to pick up a dog.  I always felt welcomed by him. 

He will be missed.

Boo

I want an intervention.

 Did you know a flight from Calgary to Salt Lake is roughly $1000.00

Did you know a flight from Calgary to Phoenix is roughly $500.00

Did you know Phoenix is twice as far as Salt Lake. 

Did you know that ironicly enough The flight from Phoenix STOPS in Salt Lake on its way.

Did you know that the airline won't let you book the flight from Phoenix and skip the Phoenix part of the trip. 

Boo

Head...Hurts

Here is my story from yesterday.  I will try to describe it well.  My thoughts are in italics actions are in blue

The scene is set in my kitchen. 

Cooking dinner, Fajitas mmmmm
Need a bowl but the one I want is in the dishwasher, no problem I'll wash it.

Open dishwasher (located right beside the sink how handy) grab bowl, wash in sink.

Oh no now the bowl is wet and my dish towel is all the way across the room, no problem I will grab a new one real quick bet I can even do it without getting 5 drops of dish water on my newly mopped floor.

Turn quickly towards pantry (where towels are kept)

* The next things happened very quickly*

*slip on spill from Abbi's sippy cup
*while footing is lost and I stumble backwards I trip over still opened dishwasher door
*falling *crap crap crap, don't fall on the door that will break it, and hurt*
*twist mid air  * TWIST TWIST (said like someone who is curling)
manage to get a full 90 degrees to the right
*bash head on partially open pantry door
*bash head on tile floor

Now I don't know if hitting my head on the door first saved me from blacking out because it reduced how hard my head hit the floor or if it just means I got hit in the head twice.

And being the strong woman I am I jumped right up and got back to work

lol whatever I layd on the floor and bawled. 

and I bawled until my kids got worried. Then I scraped my self up off the floor.  My neck and head hurt so bad today. 

When I told Trevor about it he asked if I blacked out,
 I told him no
then he asked how did I know
I said because I didn`t miss any of the kids talking. 

I`m sure the whole thing was very graceful. 

ditz

Question.
 Does your brain ever come back after pregnancy brain?  Or is it just gone forever.

 I never thought of myself as a ditz or a space cadet.  until now.  and I am one of the worst.  I forget things week to week, day to day, hour to hour.  An honestly I am sure if you asked Trevor he would say minute to minute...  Good grief ... I should start sleeping with ear plugs so I don't lose any more. 

My kidlets have all been sick this week.  Sam was the worst.  He just wanted to sit with me  We went over to my parents house for Sunday dinner.  He sat and sat and sat.  He wouldn't go eat, wouldn't sit on the couch while I ate, wouldn't sit on grandmas lap while I ate.  He did go have a steam with Trev.  My heart ached for him.  Lets just say I am grateful for the priesthood.  Over night he was so much better, still plugged up, but not bad at all. 

My brother Ethan left for his mission a month ago.  and I still MISS HIM EVERYDAY.  Matt and I keep finding things we want to show him. You tube videos, jokes, pictures.

But he writes the best letters ever.  and I am actually trying to write him.  I think I wrote Matt twice (sorry).  So I am trying to do better. 

Now it is time for lunch. mmmmm.