More Show Choir pictures.

It’s show week for Show Choir. Aaren is has been loving this school class. We attended the dress rehearsal on Saturday and it was packed. Sadly, they had to turn people away at the door. Brandon was going to come watch Aaren, as he is working away in Calgary again this week, but due to no available seats had to leave. Jeff and I wished later that we had traded seats with him and one of us stayed home instead.

I got sent these pictures from Natalie Burton.

Aaren and 

I love this completely happy face!!


One of Aaren’s dances

Aaren and Hannah Smith 

One of Aaren’s solos. 

And a compliment from one of the directors; Aaren is amazing! I love his solo!!!

This afternoon I spent too many hours working on replacing the zipper on Cassandra’s winter coat. Last week the zipper blew out and we deemed it unfixable. She has been wearing my coat until I could decide what to do with hers.

I had two options. Replace the zipper or buy a new coat.

Yesterday I bought a $5 zipper from the store uptown and today I got to work. It was a tedious job and messy too. The coat is down filled and as soon as I unpicked the seams and opened up the coat, there were tiny feathers everywhere! On me, the coat, the sewing machine and in the air. I sewed and unpicked the first side of the zipper about 4 times just so it would lay and look the way I wanted it too. The other half of the zipper went much better. It definitely isn’t a professional job but it isn’t that bad. Just don’t look too closely. I was determined to finish it but had to leave it for a bit to run after school errands and take Cassandra to babysitting. After supper I picked the seams clean of threads and feathers then gave the coat back to Cassandra. Now she can stop wearing mine!!

Evan stayed home from school today. He was sick in the night. He never threw up during the day but didn’t feel great, so we kept him home. Rebekka loved having him home all day.

Brandon is 21!

Happy Birthday to Brandon today!

We won’t be celebrating with him today because he left yesterday to go to Calgary. He is up there for another work week. Brandon has been staying with Karla and Cyril’s family while he works for Gemstone.

21 things about Brandon. 

1-He has a fun relationship with his littlest sister Rebekka. She loves him very much.

2-Brandon is a hard efficient worker. 

3-Brandon is responsible. This summer Brandon purchased his own truck and is taking care of his own payments.

4-Brandon loves guns. He recently had fun with friends blowing up a huge 500+ pound pumpkin.

5-Brandon doesn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen. He prefers to eat out. Last week he sent me a picture of a steak he cooked at Karla’s. He was pretty impressed with himself. It did look very good!

6-Brandon surprised us and himself with good grades through his final year of high school.

7-he has a huge amount of deer sheds stored in his room. One of the racks he uses over his bed as a hat holder. 

8-his hair is long and so is his facial hair.

9-he loves lettuce cheese and mayo wraps. If there is ham he will add that too.

10-while roofing this summer he saved the cedar shakes from the houses he worked on to bring them home and burn. We had a fire ban most of the summer so ended up with a rather big pile. Hopefully he can burn them all this winter before the next season comes around.

11-Brandon loves to hunt but this year only has 1 tag so has done very little. We will see if he will fill his tag this year. (Edit: he didn’t get his this year..)

12-Brandon does not like butchering meat.

13-likes being the oldest sibling

14-is so glad to be finished high school!

15-has been doing his own laundry for a lot of years now!

16-Loves to laugh! And usually is the first to laugh. He has a happy disposition. 

17-loves long showers. Ridiculously long showers!

18-loves Oreos and milk. 

19-often wears a ball cap and hoodie. 

20-still loves Black Forest Cake!

21-recently got glasses. But doesn’t wear them very often.

We love you Brandon!

Rebekka is 5!

Happy 5th birthday to this energetic, free spirited, independent 5 year old. She has brought a completion to our family. We love her.

We had apple pie with candles for her birthday. It was the best I could do. Over the weekend I was in Calgary Friday night and Saturday. We arrived back late and then this morning we attended an early sacrament meeting in 4th ward to hear Jordan Rasmussen report his mission from Jamaica. After church meetings from 1-4pm we had a quick meal of hotdogs and chips followed by the Birthday fun. 

She is 5 years old!

Gifts of bubble bath, Beauty and the Beast LEGO, fruit snacks and a gyroscope from Devin delighted this girl!

5 things about Rebekka

1- She is very affectionate. Rebekka loves to cuddle and snuggle. 

2- Rebekka is confident and headstrong. She isn’t very shy.

3- She is generous and kind. She loves to be helpful to others. 

4- Rebekka has a way with words. She has always spoken above her age. I think she is very articulate!

5- Rebekka is full of energy and zest for life. She is always busy; moving from one project to another. She has a creative artistic side and is sure to explain why she has done or chosen the activity if asked.

Her birthday starts our 6 month birthday season which is November to April.

RES assembly

Rebekka and I attended the Raymond Elementary School Remembrance Day program this morning. When we first walked in the doors, I was overwhelmed with the decorations students and staff had put up on the halls and from the ceilings to prepare the gym.

From the first strains of the bag pipes we heard that brought the flags into the gym, I was moved and touched with overwhelming gratitude I have for those who fought so bravely and courageously. We have been blessed with freedoms in this great nation, in the peace that we enjoy here in this country.

The kids of been singing remembrance day songs for a week or so. Flanders Fields, Sink the Bismarck, Let There Be Peace On Earth.

It was fun to catch the eye of each of the kids as Rebekka and I entered the gym. I took pictures as the classes were still filing in. 

Evan

Savanna was way way way in the back. I could hardly see her and I’m not sure if she saw me until after it was over. I zoomed really far to get this picture. She is the blond head just in front of the teachers at the back. 

Tysyn ended up near the middle on the second row from the front. He was easiest to see. 

Evan leaving with his class. 

Savanna waiting with her class to leave. 

Rebekka in front of the wall of poppies on our way out the doors. 

I sent this note to the school. It summed up my feelings.

“The gym decorations and artwork on the walls at RES to commemorate Remembrance Day was OUTSTANDING!!! It’s the best I’ve ever seen! Thank you for all the hard work from students and staff.

The program was a delight. It was a beautiful recognition of those who fought and served our country so that we may peace and love in our great nation and community.

Well done RES!”

The high school and the junior high also held programs this morning. But they were all at the same time and I couldn’t be in three places at once. 
Yesterday was opening day of hunting season and two of my hunters attempted to go out. But after an early wake up and realizing how cold and snowy it was, fell asleep half dressed while hoping for the day to warm a little. They ended up missing the sunrise and by the time they woke again, they didn’t bother going out.

The hunters went out early this morning. Aaren and Jeff came back at noon so Aaren could go to school. Devin and Austin stayed out in the coulees. Jeff went back out to get them. Aaren and Jeff were hunting white tails. They didn’t see any deer but plenty of coyotes. Aaren shot at a coyote and a jack rabbit but the shots went high and he missed.

Devin has 4 tags to fill. He was able to get 2 mule deer. Each blood streak on his face was a kill. 

Brandon has worked a week up in Calgary for Gemstone Lighting. Brandon works in the shop getting the light systems ready for installation. He is working for the same company Jay and Justin work for.

Green Frog Dress

Last Tuesday, Cassandra was looking in the totes downstairs for something she could wear as a Halloween costume. She came across this dress. Back in the day, my sisters and I nicknamed it the green frog dress. I wore it as a bridesmaid to Krista and Jame’s wedding. Cassandra had fun trying it on.

I was 20 years old when I wore it. Cassandra is 14. I was pretty skinny! I wish I could go back to that size now!

I posted the picture to my Moxley family group chat. Cassandra’s aunts dared her to wear it to church this week. She took up that dare today.

Cassandra looks really lovely in the dress. Today we participated in a special broadcast with the North America central area.

We had an opening song then President Wilde spoke. He was followed by Devin, Aaren, Ammon and Nathan. They sang Brightly Beams Our Fathers Mercy as a quartet just before the broadcast started. They sounded so so good. They received many compliments afterward.

It’s been along day for me. Each and every day lately seems a little like the last. As ridiculous as it sounds, I sometimes hear myself thinking the line “when will my life begin.” It’s those times that I am being negatively influenced. I truly am grateful for all that I have. There are people in the world that would love a portion of what I have been blessed with. I am working on appreciating what I have been blessed with and not being covetous of things other people have.

This morning Devin came upstairs and saw me at the stove. He surveyed the counters first then said, “mom you used to just cook, now you are making it all fancy. I hope you are getting paid more for that!”

I was making omelets.
I’ve enjoyed this cooking job. It is something I’m good at.

AfterSchool Adventures is a fun part of my week. I love being around these kids. We do lots of fun, high energy things for and with the kids all at zero cost to the families. It’s been good for me- to release some of my creative energy each week. Evan has stopped coming but Savanna has loved participating. She also loves having mom there too.

Thank you to Jeff for being available to the kids at home so I can go.

When Aaren got home from show choir practice this afternoon, there was a small blue package waiting on the doorstep for him. Tysyn told me he heard someone knock but he didn’t see anyone when he answered the door. He didn’t look down.

When Aaren saw the box, he exclaimed, “Well I’m a little scared now.”

Inside the box was cookies each bearing a letter scribed in chocolate. The note was in French and the cookies spelled the name of the girl asking Aaren to the upcoming Sadie’s dance. I could tell he was pretty excited and a lot nervous to be asked!

His good friend Brody was with him when he opened the package. They used Google translate to find out the message. At the bottom of the box was a bunch of mini Halloween chocolate bars. We will have to think up a cute yes reply.

This evening we enjoyed two friends joining us for dinner. We welcomed Austin and Brody to our dinner table. We haven’t had guests in a long time.

Tonight it’s a hangout at our house. It’s fun to see the boys with friends. The younger children could be seen sitting along the edges of the room hoping to be invited in. Daddy called them to bed before they could join the fun.