Yes really these are some highlights of summer 2010!

By the end of the summer ALL seven of my kids were at home! It was great to all be together again. Maryn went back to Texas at the end of August, but we loved having her home for a whole month. This first pictures is out of order, but it definitely was the real "Highlight" of the summer!

Russell got home from his mission in Utah!!

(I don't have very many pictures and none from the actual day that he arrived, it's a long story, and didn't happen at all as we had planned... it was really late at night... cut me some slack!!)

What's summer without a trip to the Zoo?

Their was a " new to us" dinosaur park... Dallin LOVED it!

Logans' Pass in all it's beauty!

Sam had fun swimming in the lake this year.

Young Mens camp... yup that's snow in July

Max and Jordan trying to stay warm and dry.

We grew some veggies.

Max had jaw surgery

It was a really big deal but with it all behind him he is happy with the results!

Some classic slip and sliding in the back yard!

Harley!

We did a mini tri at the Fairbanks cabin. Sooo much fun!

Julie made a quilt for a Young Womans project.

Sam and Dallin - I love this picture!

Mark took the kids camping in Jasper for a few days... first time for Shaina, Dallin and Sam. They can't wait to do it again next year!

Their you have it, my summer 2010 update in October!!

The making of a Canada flag

I thought I would try a little trip down memory lane and show you what Canada Day 1998 looked like...

We decided to have the kids help us make a big Canada flag on our drive way. It was fun but I remember that once we got the red painted on everyone was moving on to other things and Mark and I were left to finish the job. The picture isn't great and I couldn't get it to scan to just the picture size (technologically challenged!) so you might not even be able to tell, but in our rush to get the project finished we quickly chalked in the white and called it good! It lasted a long time on the driveway, well at least the red part did, and it was a fun family memory that the older kids talk about and have said on more than one Canada Day afternoon that we should repeat...

Fast forward to Canada Day 2010... 12 years later. We got around to doing it again!

Julie and I went on a bike ride/ yoga adventure with Georganne and Jessilyn that morning and before leaving I mentioned to Mark that I would be happy to pick up the supplies if he wanted to get the kids involved in painting a flag. Mark is by far the more artistically inclined parent in our family and I knew that leaving him with the job of getting it all laid out and ready to go would be the right decision. I was really proud of him for taking these pictures of the process even if secretly I would have liked to have had more of him taping it all out and being the total type A kinda guy that he is when it comes to these sorts of things...!

Shaina, Dallin, Sam and the neighbor kids painting the red part.

Julie and I got home just as they were starting the white and once again we helped Mark finish it up as the little kids had moved on to "other things"!

Julie taking advantage of the photo opportunity!

After everything is all cleaned up and put away.

A good job done and Mark takes a nap.

It's now July the 20 and the flag is still there, a bit faded but with all the rain we've had I'm a bit surprised that it's held out as well as it has.

Just incase you wanted to make your own flag someday here's what you'll need:

A nice sunny Canada day (or any day that you're feeling a little patriotic!)

Red and white tempra paint with a little dish soap mixed in for easier clean up.

The biggest foam craft brushes I could find.

Ice cream buckets

painters tape

5 to 7 willing children

One very creative/type A husband

Have a great day!

Father's Day and Maryn, just in case you weren't home sick enough, here are the flowers!!!

Fathers Day is just about the only day that I begrudge Mark being the Bishop...

We don't get to do the proverbial make breakfast in bed for Dad because he is gone to meetings long before any normal human being is awake on a Sunday morning! While everyone else goes home with their Dads' after church on Sunday to relax and enjoy time together we go home alone. This Father's Day was no exception. After meetings I started to prepare a meal that took a little extra effort and I knew Mark would be thrilled to eat! I got most of it ready thinking that he would be home at a decent time given that it was Father's Day and really who could need/want his attention more than his family? I couldn't do much more without just going ahead and eating without him, and the kids were all starting to get hungry so I decided to put the shish kebabs on the grill and if he wasn't home we would just go ahead and eat...

These were really good!

The table was set I called the kids to come eat and just as I asked Dallin to say the blessing guess who walked in the door?

...THE DAD!

Just a bit later than usual but just to make me feel like a real complainer, he apologized and said that he had taken some extra time to go visit with an elderly widowed sister in the ward!

The moral of the story is, yes, their usually is someone who needs the bishop more than we do and until you learn not to be bitter about that it makes being the Bishops family challenging... we are learning!!

The kids gave Mark some hugs and other great things and I gave him a few fun things too.
One of which was the traditional Father's Day tie! (which he loves by the way!)

I insisted on a Father's Day photo and got almost everyone looking happily at the camera!

It was a good day and next year, after having done this for three times now, I will lower my expectations considerably and have a long long Sunday afternoon NAP!

Hey Maryn!

These pictures are just for you... Here are the flowers.

They look really pretty right now, lots of purple, just the way flowers should be!!

We are counting down the days till you get home.

Have a great day!

The Month of May!

May started out with a visit from Maryn. She actually flew in on April 29th and then on the 30th we drove down to Lethbridge to visit Grandma and Grandpa Davidson. We figure that we need to sneak in as many visits with them as we possibly can because at this point you really don't know when it might be the last visit. It was a fun ride Maryn filled us in on lots of entertaining stories from her time in Harlingen and we watched a couple of movies. Traveling with our whole family is still a pretty big ordeal, but it is getting easier and just a little bit more enjoyable!

This is a great shot of Maryn out on Grandma and Grandpa's farm. Maryn was only home for a week but it was great to have her. I miss her and can't wait till August... She will be home for the whole month!

The next day was May 1st and of course that was Maxwell's 17th Birthday! Grandma made him a banana cream pie. It was delicious!

Here are the gifts that we got for Max. Some board games, a new shirt, shoes, and a ds game.

The next day was Sunday and we went to church with Grandma and Grandpa. This is such a cute picture of Dallin and Sam dressed is their Sunday best waiting to go.

Grandpa and Grandma's place is just such a fun place to be, the kids always find lots to do and their is just so much room to run and explore. We love it there and will be sad when the day comes that it won't be ours to go to anymore. We always see deer running in the fields and amongst the trees.

Dallin and Sam sneaking up on the deer!

Pretty Shaina in the old Milking house.

Max practicing his unicycling skills!

We all took turns shooting Marks old pellet gun. Here is Dallin eyeing up the target.

Sam loved this and just had to do it all by himself with no help! I don't think he hit much but he had a great time!

I even got in on the fun.

Maryn and I aren't big fans of guns but we both had to admit it's kinda fun as long as it isn't hurting anything.

Grandma really wanted Mark to help her do some purging out in one of the old sheds. Their is some really cool old stuff out there mixed in with a lot of junk. It was so hard for Grandpa to let go of some of it. It represents a life time of work and memories. We didn't get a whole lot accomplished, but I think Grandma felt like we at least got things started.

This is one of the old bikes that was out in the shed. I don't know who's it was, but it's a classic!

We weren't much help!

Grandpa and Grandma Davidson. What can I say... I really love these two, they have been so faithful and steady their whole lives. They are the best examples of the gospel in action. They live their lives always thinking of others and have shown us all how to stay close to our Heavenly Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ. We love them so much!

You never leave Grandma and Grandpa's place without them standing out on the driveway waiving goodbye as you drive away. I guess it's kind of a Davidson tradition. I love this picture of them they are such beautiful people inside and out!

So moving on this little incident happened sometime the next week. Dallin and Sam were outside playing with the wiffle ball bat and Dallin got a bit too close to Sam as he was swinging the bat...

A nice shiner! It doesn't look too bad here, but over time it turned really purple and when people would ask Dallin what happened his reply was always "Sam hit me in the eye with a bat!" Which of course made it sound as bad as it looked!

Sam learned to ride a two wheel bike this month and has made the long trek to Richard Secord and back a few times already! (that is on the few days that it has been warm enough!)

Julie and I did some flower and veggie planting.

The big container is an old wash basin from Grandpa and Grandma Davidson's. Grandma remembers having baths in it! Crazy!!!

Mother's day was fun the kids had all made me some fun gifts and Mark made us all a wonderful meal. I have great kids and feel incredibly blessed to be a Mom. It's not always easy and sometimes I don't do the whole job as well as I should, but I do know that being a Mom is the most important thing I'll ever do. I know that of all the things we as Mothers have to do, the most important one is to teach our children the gospel and show them how to live it. My own Mother is a wonderful example of this and I love her for it!

Elder Biggs(Jordan) returned home from his mission on the 22nd of May! He spoke in church the very next day. What a wonderful missionary he has been, his talk was one of the best i have ever heard. It was fun to visit with him that evening and having him home makes me realize just how soon our own missionary will be home! Russell will be home on August 19th. The time is just flying by!

No I'm not jumping the gun and celebrating Father's Day in May... I was asked to do a class for a Relief Society meeting on these adorable Cake Pops! I have made them and posted them before too but they are just so much fun and If you haven't had a chance you really should check out this site for all kinds if Cake Pop inspiration and other delectable yummy goodness!

This past weekend and a few other days in between have been fraught with miserable, all be it typical Alberta spring weather! It snowed here this past weekend!

Thankfully it didn't amount to much and is gone today, but I would really love to have some steamy hot days over the next few weeks. I haven't even been able to plant all my flowers and I have been offered a small raised bed in a friends yard to grow a small vegetable garden... so really it needs to warm up already please!!!