LEGO

Today was a LEGO day. The Lego deadline for the library summer reading program is coming up. I been feeling antsy to work on my project. The theme is Feed Your Passions. I cleared my whole schedule today to work on the ideas that I had. And it was hot enough outside that I was grateful to be in the basement.

While I was still occupied with my building, I let Evan, Savanna, Tysyn and Rebekka walk to Town Pump to get a treat. When they came home, they all gathered to Evan’s room to eat their treats. It was very obvious they bought more than I suggested because I could hear them whispering together for quite awhile in the bedroom while I worked on my LEGO.

For most of the afternoon, all the kids built LEGO projects with me. And as of this this evening, most have completed their entries for the LEGO contest. 

Searching for the perfect piece!

Have I ever said how much I love LEGO. I do. I wish I could buy it all the time. And.... I wish that the kids would stop destroying the pieces we have. I found so many chewed on, broken, destroyed parts. And I’m sad we are missing so many we used to have. When the big boys were little, we had so many little people and other awesome parts. Now we don’t have many people at all. Or awesome parts. (Maybe the big boys have the good pieces stashed in their room??)

I will post a picture of my finished entry when I take it in to the library.

Magrath parade and baptism

The kids and I left just after 9:30am for the Magrath parade. After choosing a spot and sitting for a short amount of time, it became very apparent that the parade wouldn’t be starting as soon as I thought. I checked on my phone online and found out that the parade started 1 hour later than I assumed. Oops.

We decided to go to the Alston Scout Park nearby to wait, get out of the sun and play. The kids played hide and seek and tag in the trees. (Confession: just last week I learned that TAG means “touch and go”.)

They played home free by the picnic table I was sitting at. It was Evan’s turn to tag and suddenly he called out “3 2 1, the floor is lava” as he jumped back on the park bench. Screams came from the surrounding area as his siblings realized they had nothing to jump onto. It was pretty funny!

I love watching the kids during parades. They have so much fun.

And there is such delight when they snag a favourite candy!

Check out these massive candy necklaces the younger kids got. The big girls were mildly disappointed they didn’t get one too. But Maren was pacified by not 1 but 2 mini salted nut rolls!

Evan eagerly tried to catch a waterballoon. It was hot outside! He caught the ballon in the air but as soon as it hit his hands, it exploded all over him. It cooled him down right nice. He went on to chase a candy and then when I looked at him, he had balloon stuck on his forehead.

Can you tell which candy came from the USA and which is from Canada? Hint- one also has French in the wrapper. 

At 3:30pm this afternoon, we joined many of the Hardy family, to be present for Dalen’s baptism. Congratulations Dalen on your baptism today. We are so glad we could be there to witness this special time in your life.

We enjoyed our time at Jared and Sheralee’s for supper.

After the fun with cousins, Jeff and Aaren went off to mow at Mom’s. I took the others home to get Saturday baths. The little ones went to bed knowing we would wake them to go to the Magrath fireworks.

At 10:15pm, the girls and I got the little ones ready and out to the van. Then we picked up Aaren and Jeff, and we all headed to Magrath.

The fireworks were great. Magrath has a new green space just as you enter town and the fireworks went off right there. We had a good viewing location.

Lost is found.

7 minutes left until the dance starts and she finally finds her homemade wallet with her cards in it. She has been looking for this throughout our house, for days!!!! We even got her a new bank card just in case she lost it somewhere away from our house.

And now that she has found it, she will want to be driving again. 

Swim lessons and Jeff’s birthday

4 of the children have been in swim lessons this session. Today was their final day. 

Maren completed levels 7 and 8

Evan completed level 5

Savanna completed level 3

Tysyn had his very first swimming lessons and passed level 1.

Devin taught another session of swim lessons. He is well liked/loved among the children and parents. I got this awesome message from a friend.

I often hear comments how great he is with little kids. And it’s all due to having younger siblings. (And his attitude about it.)

So Devin, all those years ago, when you didn’t like us adding another sibling to the family every couple of years; it has been a blessing for you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!!

Today we celebrate Jeff’s 46th Birthday. I asked him early this morning what he wanted for supper. After thinking about it, he said Chicken Stuff. I wish dad Hardy was here to make it for Jeff or at least consult him on how he used to make it. I still go by memory in making it. I really need to write it down. It never tastes as good as dad’s. 

For cake I made carrot cake. It’s gotta be carrot cake. And then Aaren shared with us some of his homemade Butter Pecan ice cream. So good! Thanks Aaren.

The little children were so excited to give daddy gifts. T and S gave him one candy treat from their swim lessons and R gave him a Rice Krispie treat from the fridge. Evan went uptown and bought some mild duds and put the container of pins he found which dad lost, in the box. Not exactly safe, but Evan thought it was a great surprise. Maren bought him a bag of hickory sticks and I gave him a bunch of snacks I know he likes.

About Jeff:

He spends considerable time helping and taking care of his mom. He is so good to go over and help when she calls.

He loves his Pheasants. They bring him great peace, happiness and joy. He still needs to build a second cage which has been on hold for a bit. I hope he can get back to it before the weather gets cold again.

Jeff loves using the heavy machinery that Dad purchased many years ago. Jeff is a hands on guy and likes to build and construct and he is very good at it.

Jeff and I teach the CTR 6 primary class. He is a good example to the 8 boys and 1 girl in our primary class. I appreciate his ability to expound on the gospel stories as we teach. I always forget important parts and he is there to fill in the details.

With the ability to do anything on your phone, I often see Jeff playing games on his device. He hasn’t outgrown his love of arcade games. He vividly remembers a time when his dad unhappily drug him away from the local arcade after finding Jeff spending his time and money there.

And Jeff’s hair continues to grow and grow. It is now past his shoulders and his beard is going more and more grey. He still hasn’t given a reason as to why he is growing it but it (beard mostly) is the envy of many men in the community. I on the other hand don’t like it but have to put up with it.

Jeff is a wonderful father. He cares for each of his children deeply. Tysyn is his little shadow whenever he can. Tysyn will do anything for his dad! Jeff is good to lay beside the littles each night to get them to bed.

I am grateful for Jeff. We had the opportunity to go to the temple last week. Jeff is a faithful, committed member of the church who honours his covenants and serves those around him. I am thankful for our lives together. He is a blessing to me and our family. Jeff does so much for me that I don’t give him credit for. I want him to know that I love him so very much. Happy Birthday sweetheart. 

Kayak fun!!

What’s the point of getting a kayak if you can’t use it?

Evan so badly want to go use his new kayak. So after the storm clouds looked like they passed, I took Maren and Evan to Corner Lake, to try out and christen Evan’s kayak. It was starting to get dark and there wasn’t much daylight left, but Evan really want to get on the water. Maren was really hoping Brandon would get home from Calgary so she could have taken hers, but he won’t be back for a few more days.

They had to share the life jacket because Maren couldn’t find another small enough to fit her. Neither wanted to fall in because they didn’t want to share a wet jacket.

He was having so much fun!

It even works as a paddle board!

Maren taking a turn. 

It’s all about the balance!


Next up, is a trip to Wally’s beach.

I think we may run out of summer!

Sadness, kayaks, and ward party in Magrath

Early this morning, Brandon travelled to High River for work. He was a witness to a head on collision resulting in two fatalities. He messaged Jeff, Devin and I just after it happened.

Jeff and I followed the news reports later this afternoon. It’s sad to hear of these kinds of situations.

Then I heard of a missionary who died in Australia. The missionary was the companion of Taia’s brother Chase Bohne.

And lastly, the bishop serving in Nevada where the shooting in Sacrament meeting happened, was Drew Dahl’s son. What a terrible thing to witness in a church meeting. 

Our prayers for safety and the protecting hand of the Lord, as we go throughout our activities each day, bring new purpose and more meaning as we hear of tragic deaths. 

This afternoon, Devin took Taia Bohne, Maren and Evan to Lethbridge. Evan was so excited to purchase a kids sized kayak! He’s been saving his money and after our Moxley family camp, he decided he wanted a kayak like Uncle Justin’s. They are on sale ($99) at Canadian Tire until Wednesday.

When Evan told me he wanted one, I looked through all the store flyers looking for sales and then looked online at the buy and sells. I found a great deal on one in Calgary. It was a different color with a few additional items. Maren wanted it so I messaged the seller last week. It was really a slow method of communication but finally I heard back. So tonight, Maren also purchased a kayak today ($100), except she had Brandon buy it in Calgary through Kijiji. He picked it up late tonight and will bring it home later this week after he is finished work up there. He said he had to really think about how to get it in his small car!

Thank you Brandon for doing that!!

Our family seriously had so much fun at the ward party tonight. I took the van with C and younger. Jeff picked up Aaren from work and came with Devin and Taia in the Buick. The water slide was busy for hours and the kids waited in line and went down so many times!!

We love this amazing facility!!




Aaren, bishop Smith and his son all went down together on the big yellow tube. So funny!

I loved watching and playing a big game of frizbee with my kids down by the outdoor volleyball net. A few other little ward kids joined in but it consisted mostly of my crew. As the kids are getting older and the boys become adults, it’s nice to see them spending time with the younger kids who crave their attention. 

They frizbee we used has the name Selman on it. It’s a treasure and we almost forgot it!!

Devin and Taia left just before 8pm for a guard (lifeguard) party back in Raymond at the pool. 

We weren’t the last family to leave, but we did stay until nearly 9 pm.

Aaren drove home from Magrath. He needs a whole lot more highway driving! Travelling at high speeds is a little scary for him.

Evan ate a lot of sweets tonight and was not ready for his bedtime. He really wanted to clean out the cutlery drawer. He’s been asking for days if he can clean it. I allowed him to stay up to do it. All on his own, he emptied out the drawer. He emptied the trays and washed them with soap and dried them. Then he put everything back and cleaned the counter. It looks great Evan. Thank you! It’s a job I’ve been wanting to do for a long time too.