The List

Ten Reasons 

We Love to Go to the Lake

time with the girls

getting to see my grandma

(who started all this fun)

and cousins I rarely see!

the resort is beautiful

people help me with my children 

(thanks grandpa!)

hiking on the trails

trampolining on the water

swimming in the pool

relay races with the cousins

laughing until it hurts

A Little Lesson:

     Packing, cleaning, organizing a house sitter, buying food, taking the car in, clearing the schedule, getting knew stuff, and all of the other hundred and seven things you do before vacation...is completely worth it!

Wishes Come True

Two years ago Jordan came to me and said "Next year mom I only want one thing for Christmas...a baby brother."  I smiled and thought what a nice thing to say and went on with my day.  He didn't give up.  He brought it up every couple of weeks and I would always smile and tell him what a nice boy he was.  Late in the year, at the end of November  I was having an unusual amount of heartburn and decided I had better look into it a little deeper and lo and behold we were going to have our fourth baby.  Surely one of the best surprises we'd ever had.  It was hard to believe.  I found out on December 4th we were having a little boy and that meant we were actually able to give Jordan his wish. We announced it to Jordan and the rest of the family Christmas morning 2007.  There was something quite magical about the whole thing.  Kind of the way you feel after watching a Christmas special as a kid...I'm too old to believe in Santa but...maybe he is real.  Now when I look at the two of them, it's like little Benjamin knows that his big brother wished him to this earth.  I love seeing them together.

A Little Lesson:

I try to never look at life and it's experiences as coincidences.  I believe when this journey we take here is all over we will sit down to review our lives on the really big screen tv in heaven we will be amazed at how much our lives were touched by carefully orchestrated blessings.

Grandma Love

I arrived at the beach this morning with my niece Jessica yelling "I've got two fish in my bucket. See, see see!"  Emily and Jessica were hard at work laying on the edge of the dock trying to use their new fishing nets to scoop up the awaiting minnows below.  After many futile attempts, it seemed like the minnows had caught on to the girl's scheme and headed for calmer waters.  Emily was trying hard not to be too disappointed as her bucket sat empty and her cousin's bucket was abounding in spoils.  My mom, Emily's beloved Grandma set off to do what she could for her granddaughter.  The fact that she had had two knee surgeries in the past ten months was irrelevant.  She got herself down on that dock and didn't get up until she caught a fish for  Emily.  


After more than half an hour, and hardly any circulation left in mom's arm, Emily's bucket was no longer empty.  A silver shaded minnow was the newest addition to our family and a smile returned to our little Emily's face.

We joke about how mom hasn't quite figured out all the functions of her email, or the camera on her cell phone, or what an ipod is.  But I have watched and admired the love she has for my children.  She would swim across shark infested waters for them.  She has a fierce sense of protection and pride in who they are.  I have a deep and profound appreciation for that mom of mine!

A Little Lesson:

Some would say that grandmothers spoil their grandchildren.  I believe that grandmothers know that their grandchildren are busy being raised by their parents, and so it is their obligation and sacred duty to raise them up high above that busyness and help them feel in every way that they are the most important people in the world.  

Just A Little Spread

I feel one of the greatest blessings I have on this earth is an extraordinary group of people I get the privilege of calling my close friends. Not a day goes by that I don't say to myself how lucky I am to enjoy the company of so many really quite exceptional people. And then there is Colleen. She moved to Kelowna a number of years ago but we connect pretty much every day on the phone to exchange "the latest" even if only for a few quick seconds. As luck would have it, our family reunion was moved from Fairmont to Kelowna, also known as Colleen's home. I phoned her a few minutes before church on Sunday morning and said hey I'm coming over after church - I insisted she didn't clean a thing or prepare any food we were just coming to see her and Emma. Peanut butter sandwiches would be perfectly fine. At the end of our church meetings she slipped away back home while I gathered my troops and finally got them all in the car and headed to her home. With no notice and little time, what was waiting for us hungry post-church gang of six? Just a little spread...

A Little Lesson:

A great friend is worth all the diamonds, all the rubies, and all the silver and the gold. Hold on tight and don't let them slip away!

Just Something About Cousins

We arrived at the resort late Saturday afternoon with lots of hugs and kisses all around.  The kids were so excited to see their cousins.  They immediately divided into the boys and the girls.  What fun they were going to have!  It's not so exciting however, when you're a kid to find out the next day of the vacation is a Sunday which means heading off to church.  But when you have your cousins by your side it didn't seem so hard today to wake up at 6:45am and start getting ready for the trek to church.  

A Little Lesson:

     There is just something about cousins.  Siblings come with that intricate and sometimes complicated dynamic of a close family relationship.  Friends, although beloved,  don't share that intimate family-tie.  Cousins, they enjoy the best of both worlds: family, a friend and a life long buddy to travel life's journey with. 

Road Signs

As we headed out on to the highway to start our vacation I was taken aback by that magnificent stretch of road in the mountains next to the Fraser river.  I know people come from all over the world to see the beauty that British Columbia seems to be overflowing with, but sometimes as a local I just forget how grand it really is.   I was paying particular attention to the road signs.  There are so many of them, speed signs, curve up ahead signs, only 80 km until the next A&W signs, slippery when wet signs, chain up here signs and one of my favourites...if it's wet turn off your cruise control signs. I thought wow, thanks for really thinking of every mistake I could possibly make while I'm out here on the open road.  As we traveled along I couldn't help reminiscing about the last time I was on this beautiful highway when I was rushing up to see my dear Colleen before her important court date.  I left at 4am to try to be there before 8am.  Did I mention I was rushing?  As it turns out I was also rushing home the next morning to be there for my oldest to help him with a big science project before he had to go to school.  I ended up getting two speeding tickets, one on the way up and one on the way home.  In my defense, I wasn't really speeding but rather the officer was waiting at the bottom of an enormous hill, both times.  Where was the sign that should of said 'this is a big hill, there's probably a cop waiting at the bottom', it was no where to be found.  

It turned out to be an expensive mistake.  Speeding tickets these days go for around $300 each and here in BC we also have to pay a couple of hundred dollars of point deduction off our license.   My dear husband's take on the whole story:  "You should of flown first-class there and back as it would of cost us a lot less money!"  Looking back, he really was a good sport about the whole thing.   As we drove along, I pointed out the two hills I got caught on.  They were in fact big hills.  Clearly marked with signs posting the speed.  But big hills nonetheless.  

A Little Lesson:

     If I look carefully, most of the mistakes I manage to make there was always a little sign warning me earlier on in the journey.  

An Extra Day

If someone where to announce "Today the Savior will come to the earth!", I would be the one putting my hand up and asking if I could just have one more day. When we have guests over for dinner and they are about to arrive I am thinking to myself, I just need one more hour, and then the meal, the house, the kids, my shower etc. would be ready. Before every test in high school I would be walking in the room thinking if I just had ten more minutes to study then I would really be ready! Yesterday was a day filled with packing, cleaning, packing and more cleaning. We were leaving early the next morning. I did however have many what I like to call Mary and Martha moments. There is a story in the bible about two sisters who learn about putting what's really important first. When the Lord comes to visit, Martha is busy zipping around the house cleaning and preparing food while Mary stops everything and sits at the feet of Jesus. Mary is praised by the Savior for choosing the good choice. I feel like I spend most of my time as Martha, zipping around. Yesterday, however I felt like I was faced with many "Mary" choices that I decided to choose: helping a distraught friend move, make popsicles with my little Clara and fixing her bike, helping a friend with a project, going to see a house my mom wants to buy. But as I was doing these helpful things for others my head was spinning with I am running out of time! I still have to pack! I still have to clean!

Worried that I had not spent enough time actually getting ready, the phone rang at 9:30pm last night from my mom announcing, we've made a mistake, the family reunion doesn't start tomorrow it starts on Saturday! (for the record, years past it always started on the Friday) You mean I have an extra day? Could this really be true? I have twenty-four extra hours that I wasn't planning on? Are those angels I am hearing singing from heaven? What a glorious moment it was to still have just a little more time...I am so glad I didn't say no to the opportunities to help when others asked.

A Little Lesson:

Time is the great equalizer. It doesn't matter if we are black or white, tall or short, play the piano or can do long division in our head. Everyone on this earth gets exactly the same 24 hours in a day. No one gets an extra few minutes here or an extra few hours there. What we do with that time will be what ultimately defines who we are today and who we will become tomorrow.

An Easy Decision

Most woman love to shop. It's about number 87 on my favourite things to do. We needed to get Clara a new life jacket, Jordan a new bike, Benjamin some new sandals, Emily a new swimsuit, we needed a car rack, I had to get special bandages for Clara's arm to get her bad burn through the summer, we needed to get camping chairs for the girls, a new set of badminton rackets (Lucy took up badminton last summer and chewed all the equipment to pieces), we needed more sunscreen, some extra long freezes the kind you buy when you're on vacation, Jordan earned a new hockey stick, Emily earned a new game, Jordan needed some new t-shirts, Benjamin needed a hat he couldn't take off. I needed new sunglasses, board shorts and some T-shirts, and I figured it was time to get a new volleyball. My shopping list was chaotically swimming around in my head as I drove out of my driveway onto the open road with four children in the back seat. Where would we start? It was the easiest decision in the world, I didn't have to think, or wonder or decide...my car knew exactly where to go...Wal Mart.

A Little Lesson:

I believe in artisan shops, family-run businesses, boutiques, crafter's markets, and I believe in every little store where the owner is sitting behind the till waiting to serve you. Two days before departing on the family vacation with four kids in tote, I believe in Wal Mart!

Animal House

We are heading out of town in a few days and leaving our troop of animals behind. I have hired a house sitter/friend who will become the animal keeper while we're gone. Our animals don't just live life as family pets. No Way! Each of them has a part time job on the side that helps them earn their keep.



First there is our crazy cats Ben and John. Who names their cats Ben and John? We got them as brothers from the SPCA and that was their names when we picked them up. We waited too long to change them and the not so creative names stuck. They also double as:

-Full-time mouse catchers, to make sure we NEVER see a mouse again.

-Basement toys, when the girls tire of activities on the main floor and outside they head downstairs and play with the cats.




Then there is Sunshine our Japanese Fighting Fish. He used to have two brothers, may they rest in peace. This little guy also works as:
-periodic Family Home Evening object lessons

-Benjamin amuser when he is stuck in his high chair

Finally there is our beloved Lucy, also known as Loosey Goosey. She also works as:

-Clara's playmate during the day when the older kids head off to school

-backyard notifier if anyone comes near our yard when the kids play outside

-our night time alarm system

It's a little hairy some of the time, literally, but each of the animals knows the family pecking order and things run pretty smoothly. At least until daddy gets home.

A little lesson:

There are two kinds of people. Those who love animals, and those who put up with the people who love animals. Can you guess who my husband is?

The Sun Was Shining

My talented sister-in-law Erin sent off Emily's baptism pictures to me today. What a treat to relive this very special day! Last month, the day after Emily's eighth birthday, she was baptized by her daddy as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a glorious day for all of us. The sun was shining and Emily couldn't stop smiling. After coming out of the water and as she was getting dressed she said "this feels way better then coming out of a bath!" It's amazing how little eight year olds in so many ways can really understand what it means to follow our Savior. When Emily was very young she really understood she had a loving Heavenly Father. When she was three years old I wrote in my journal: Today Emily said to me "Mom, does Heavenly Father put his hands on his hips when he is disappointed in us like you do?" I have spent most of Emily's eight short years marvelling at what goes on inside that amazing mind of hers and falling in love with my little sweetheart over and over again.


A few days before her baptism I wrote a special song just for her that I quickly recorded using my very unprofessional voice and sent it off as an mp3 via email to her primary buddies who sang it on her special day.

Today is the Day

Today is the day it feels like the sun is shinning

A little brighter in your heart.

Today is the day, you take our Savior's name upon you

It will be a brand new start.

We can follow our Savior's example

He will lead the way

We can live as forever families

and live with Him someday

Today is the day, you receive a gift from heaven

It will comfort you each day.

Today is the day, you can share your light with others

As you travel on your way.

A Little Lesson:

Sometimes I think we go through frustrating, crummy and all around rainy days, so that when a really great one comes along we will savor every little second.

Tomato Plants Aren't Oak Trees

I used to think I was the reluctant gardener. I would open the package, pour the seeds into my hands and start planting in my garden plot. I didn't like to read the package that goes on and on about 6 mm deep here, and 4 inches apart there, and this many hours of sunlight and mulching and so on and so on. I used to think about the First Vision video with Joseph and his brothers out there planting their crops - I don't recall any rulers in their pockets. Or the fact that oak trees drop their acorns onto the ground and presto a forest is born, of course failing to mention that that happens when God is the gardener. I have come to discover that I am not a reluctant gardener but rather a prideful one. I want things to grow beautifully lush and fruitful but not follow any of the rules. Just the big ones, water and weed. Not this year. I decided I needed to follow all the rules, little and big. Rules like tomato plants don't like water on their leaves, using the appropriate concoction of fertilizer, planting close to the surface when it says, and yes, even measuring how deep and how close together. I am happy to say, to my glorious surprise, my tomato plants for the first year ever are strong and vibrant ready to bear fruit, and the rest of my garden is exploding as well.

A little lesson:

It's sometimes the small and what may seem like insignificant rules that we follow that bring us some of the sweetest blessings.

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

The morning started with Emily bringing me a lock of hair and saying "look what I found!" I quickly responded "Is that all of it?" Emily proudly announced "not even close...it's everywhere" before she could run off and gather more evidence in walked the barber herself. She was surprised that I was so shocked and asked what the matter was. Once she found out her hair wouldn't grow back tomorrow the tears began to flow...

A little lesson:

Even mom's hug, a kiss and the promise of a treat can't make 2 inches of hair grow any faster

Blogger Rhymes with Jogger

It wasn't until just a few weeks ago that I even knew that there were hundreds of thousands of normal hard-working people who were actually 'bloggers' on the side. I got hooked pretty quick when I would anonymously and quietly stalk a few interesting blog sites and read about their daily lives when I realized I could in fact get into this. I could keep distant family and friends updated about the latest here in my neck of the woods, keep a journal, and put to use all of those thousands of digital pictures we take each year. But really now...a blogger? It makes me think of something green and slimy and blob like. What if they changed it to jogger, now that's a good visual for ya - healthy, athletic, fitness-minded, out in nature. Couldn't jogger have two meanings? Healthy exerciser OR addicted journal writing computer maneuvering late night web maker.

A little lesson:

Don't judge a worthwhile activity by it's poorly chosen name.