Buster Bars Gone Bad

At the "last minute" we had some of our closest friends over for an afternoon of snow play. We roasted marshmallows around a bonfire, went trekking through the woods, and took lots of rides behind the snowmobile! ("We" being "they"... as you can probably guess!) We ended the day with a big pot of chili and a hot pan of cornbread to warm us all up. I hadn't thought too much about dessert, but knew we had a couple boxes of DQ buster bars in the freezer that would suffice just fine!

Who doesn't like a buster bar right?!

Well, I should have consulted with my husband on the idea... because he knew that they had melted a bit, and then refroze to the current state they were in.

At first glance they looked fine...

... but look at them from a different angle and you get a clear picture of the melting/refreezing thing!

 It's a really good thing our friends love us... because they certainly aren't coming due to our stellar dessert menu! ;)

"Fossil" (aka Rock) Discovery

Winter has been messing with us this year. Over the last month our temperatures have been all over the map!  -45 degrees F to 35 degrees F and back again!

On this particular day the weather was reasonable and I decided to suck it up, don my long johns, and get the kiddos bundled up to spend the afternoon outside. Besides being reminded that I have a VERY strong dislike for winter... I have to admit, it was okay! I'm glad to stay in my role as the "hot chocolate provider" but it was good to get outside a bit... and appreciate the indoors that much more!

We did the best we could sledding down the small snow drift in the back yard, we played on the play structure, we went for sleigh rides around the yard, and then the girls decided it was time for a "fossil hunt."

Their goal was to uncover the rock in our front yard... 

... and to my surprise it kept them entertained for quite some time!

I tried bribing them with hot chocolate and visions of a warm house to go in to... but there was just no stopping them, they had to get to their goal!

So Caidrie and I made several more loops around the house while the girls dug...

... and soon they struck the mother load!

Little did these explorers know..

... that the weather would do a good job of uncovering their rock for them, only to have it covered, and uncovered several more times since then!

Winter in the Canadian Prairies... ya never know what you're gonna get!

Just 'a Swinging

The hour before supper is the CAH-RAZIEST hour at our place. Never fails that the most fights will be fought, the most tears will be shed, the most toys will be tripped over, the most requests will be made, and the most "deep breaths" will be taken over that 60 minute period!

Well this day was no exception. The littlest lady wanted to snack on anything in sight, the middle was whiny, and the oldest was bossy... and I was not only trying to get supper ready, but also get myself AND a host of snacks ready to head out with some ladies for the evening.

I had seen the idea (on Pinterest, of course!) of hanging a Sleepy Wrap from the table as a kids hammock... and it seemed like as good a time as any to give the idea a try!

I simply got out my wrap, tied it tightly around the kitchen table, and let the girls have at it!

** Just a heads up, my middle maiden is a "free spirit" when it comes to clothing, she thinks that wearing just panties is completely acceptable attire! We're working on it... but it's clear that her and her sister are warm blooded Canadians! Their internal temp. gauge is ALWAYS "too hot!" **

We had to tighten it some more (which I did AFTER these pics were taken!) since they weren't getting much clearance...

... but even then they were still having a great time!

And when they were finished, out came the babies to get a ride too!

It was a good reminder to me that when the day gets to be a bit much, sometimes all it takes is a little creativity and a little distraction to boost the attitude levels a bit!

And considering I love my Sleepy Wrap way to much to pass it on... I think I'll be keeping it around for quite awhile... who knew it had so many uses?! :)

Spring Fever

Spring fever... my oh my, we've got it going on around these here parts!!

I've never experienced it quite like I have over the last month or so!

The girls are literally bouncing off the walls (or their sisters, or the couch, or their little mini trampoline) with energy!

If only I could bottle up that energy and take it at oh say.... 4:30 every evening... I'd be a new woman!

When they came up from the basement the other day decked out in their rain boots and umbrellas, it confirmed the suspected...

... Spring CAN'T come SOON enough!!

Pudding Painting

Every day is craft day at our house. Our girls think every hour is the "perfect hour" for a new project. And every minute I feel like I'm tidying up from one craft to the next!

On this particular afternoon, pudding painting was the activity of choice! (And yes, painting in a swim suit in the winter is totally the way to do it!)

We simply made some vanilla pudding and then added food coloring to make the girls preferred colors.

I gave them a plate to create their masterpieces on, and away they went!

It was a hit! 

And if the spoon isn't cutting it... or your fingers are too slow...

... just shovel the pudding in with your whole hand!

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

Either way, this is one project that I have two very eager helpers on when it comes time for clean up!

You Know her Magazine MUST be Good...

... when there's an untouched plate of fresh off the griddle pancakes sitting beside her!

There are certain squeals of excitement when Clubhouse Jr. arrives in the mail each month...

... and some cold pancakes, by the looks of things!

Finally...

... the temperatures are becoming more bearable (that -40 F stuff was REALLY getting old... fast!), the snowsuits have been donned daily, the snow mobile is revving again, the hot chocolate is flowing...

... and the smiles are too!

We Knew the Day Would Come...

We've been told, from the very beginning of this parenting journey, that time goes fast. We were warned. And we've tried to savor... but here it is. 

I just registered Alia for kindergarten.

And as I sat there, listening to the superintendent, and the principal, and the transportation coordinator, and the kindergarten teachers... I had a slight "Are we making the right decision?!" moment!

But then they explained what a typical day looks like, and showed a video of the kids in the classroom... and that smiley JOY started bubbling up!

She's going to love it!! She will thrive... no doubt in my mind!!

Yes, it's going to be hard for me. And yes, some days I'll simply want to hoard her at home and never let her leave... but this slowly letting go thing... is good. It's right. It's what Father has asked us to do! 

 I can't wait to hear about her day, and all the little friends she's going to meet, and the new things she's learning about, and watch her as she picks out her outfits for school.... my oldest is growing up and it is so. fun!

The other night she helped with supper prep by peeling all the potatoes, by herself!

Her artwork is improving and her creativity just blows me away!

And last night she washed ALL the supper dishes, without even so much as a hint from me! She simply started washing (even the big soup pot!) while I cleared the table and before we knew it, we had tag teamed our way to a clean kitchen!!

Then her and I went on a late night grocery store run followed by a french fry stop at Mickey D's. It wasn't a planned "date"... but simply doing life together with my growing up by the minute girl, was a big highlight of my day!

My parents have said it for years... and it's true... each phase just keeps getting better and better!

(But please remind me of that when the tears start flowing as I drop her off at school that first day!!)

Okay... Now Where Were We?

New Year's Eve.... really?!? New Year's Eve?! Yes, I know... my recap has been a bit long and lengthy! Sorry 'bout that for those few of you that are still with me!! We'll be carrying on with our regular scheduled programming after this post, I promise!

My folks were here for New Year's Eve so we decided to head to the bowling alley earlier in the evening... and then had a last minute impromptu party at our house to ring in 2013, which of course I have no pictures of! :)

Bowling... my oh my, every time we go I wonder why we don't go more often!! I love it!! In my dreams I'm some kind of stellar bowler, but in reality my goal is to at least get a higher score than my 4 and 2 year olds! If I cared about scoring than I'd never step foot in a bowling alley again, but because it's so fun regardless... I just swallow my pride and admit, that yes... I am actually as bad as my score might suggest!

Gramma & Grampa with the littlest string bean!

This was Alia's first bowling experience where she was old enough to do it all on her own...

... which was quite sobering for this here mama!

(While she was busy picking out her ball... I was busy praying for no pinched fingers!)

She would just walk up to the lane like she owned the place...

... line up the ball rack thingy, give the ball a shove...

... and then waltz back to join the rest of us! A treat to watch indeed!

Her sister was more interested in climbing on the ball rack thing a mi jig than actually bowling... but it made for fun entertainment too!

Caidrie just took a seat with whoever she was passed off to... as long as she had cuddles she didn't mind!

The girls were "champion bowlers" until the nachos and slurpees came out...

... then their focus changed pretty quick!

My bowling career will NOT be taking off anytime soon, and I still think I should devote a day of my life to actually mastering how to throw the ball STRAIGHT down the lane... but I'll share my top "tip" from our night of bowling...

 Always, ALWAYS bowl on the same lane as the kids... because the bumpers are for "them" after all, no one will suspect a thing!

A really fun evening, for sure!

And yes... for the record my score WAS higher than the children's. Not by much, but I'll take it! (And I'll be taking lessons from my mother... now SHE'S a force to be reckoned with!)

As You May Have Gathered...

... my folks were out for a visit over Christmas break and it was so nice to simply BE together! Every one of us was either just getting over a cold, had a cold, or were helping take care of those with colds... so the schedule was kept to a minimum, and that was okay!

Poor dad isn't used to being stuck inside so much (and if Jonathan was feeling up to snuff  I have no doubts there would have been lots more "powder play" going on) so taking his little grand girls outside was just what he needed!

First was a little zip around the yard with "raspberry puff" on the snow mobile...

... and then next up was a four wheeler ride with "chocolate cherry". And no I'm not dreaming of pastries... these are Larren's names, trust me! :)

Would have been nice if every one was feeling 100% but there was still lots of fun to be had.

Kid friendly games by day... and on the edge of your seat Euchre tournaments by night! That's how we roll. 

And good luck to whoever has "this remedy has been around for hundreds of years" Jonathan on their team. His concoction of honey and water mixed with LARGE amounts of apple cider vinegar made for a card playing side of him we've never seen before! :) 

And I'll leave you with our theme song for the week, "Little Red"... Grampa made two certain young horse lovers SUPER happy by discovering this little ditty on You Tube. For such an interesting song, it sure does get stuck in your head fast! You've been warned! :)