buddies...pals...friends

As I downloaded pictures from my phone I was struck by what good people we have in our lives.  We have been away a lot this summer but definitely had some pretty fun times the days we've been home. We have good friends.  School really cramps the social calendar, once you become big kids and are at school all day learning and such.  Some of our friends go to other schools or live farther away.  With my momma friends we are busy in our homes, with our littles, running to the lessons, teams or callings, some are working but summer is a great time to catch up!! Woohoo to no rushing, no schedules.

 Nathaniel had a backyard party to celebrate the end of the school year.  His backyard was like a gym, so many fun things!!!!! His Grandma is a teacher so seriously had the BEST backyard activities set up, she had connections :)  She keeps telling me that when I am ready to go back to work we should team teach, Tricia is so awesome I would love that when the time comes.

Grandpa Ed needed to park his '64 GMC Suburban in our driveway for a few days so we went joyriding with our friends the Nelson boys, hit up a nearby park and just enjoyed the sunshine.  Classic summer! Cruisin and park playing.

Our sweet friend Isla has the FUN-EST toys to make a rock band with. The ladies got into costume and everything!! I had to take a video and send it to Mr. P because it was so darn cute.   Seriously, the cutest.  Isla's momma Tina is a lady who always has good mom advice and values the same things I do so it is nice to be in her company and get to visit, watch our ladies play together.   It is crazy to think that our friendship started almost 5 years ago at a Rhymes & Story time program in the community. Such a great family!

We wrote up a Summer Bucket List when school first got out and visiting the Humane Society was on our list.  Giving animals some love, absolutely!  When I lived in Fort McMurray, before kids I would often go walk dogs at the SPCA and loved being able to cuddle and pet little critters.  Our girls are also animal lovers so we invited our friend Hazel, picked up my friend Julie and went to cuddle some kittens.  It turns out they didn't have very many dogs but there were oodles of kitties. It was pretty hard to come home without one.....sigh.

 I am a social gal, absolutely an extrovert and I am buoyed up by my friends.  A few of us planned a late dinner date (post bedtime so we could help our husbands with the total of 12 kids we 4 have ;)  It was such a blast and nice to laugh, perhaps cry and have a yummy meal someone else made!  I have friends who I learn different things from and these gals in particular remind me that the role I have chosen is of value, I never feel less then. They listen when Graham is on shutdown for months out of the year, they feed my soul and they literally feed me having my girls and I over for dinner.  They are gems. 

 Because our friends are so good to me when Graham works shutdown I have a summer goal to host some BBQ's this summer, to have my girl friends and their families over.   Many a night my sister or my girlfriends have just added three plates to their dinner table and told us to stay, good people to have in your life.

I like to give my Young Women from church a little back-to-school gift and I always include a little laminated card with a quote about education and a quote about friendship and it says;

FRIENDS

"Choose your friends carefully.  

They will greatly influence how you think and act, 

and even help you determine the person you will become. 

 Choose friends who share your values...

a true friend will encourage you to be your best self. 

Go out of your way to be a friend 

to those who are shy or do not feel included." 

~ For the Strength of Youth 

Such good advice for everyone not just the youth.  Grateful for good friends!

~ Mrs. P

CAMPING with a mouse in Kananaskis

 

Camping Mt. Kidd

Our family loves Kananaskis and the Mt. Kidd campground in particular is special to us as it was one of the first places we took our trailer 3 years ago and we basically fell in love returning each summer.  The mountain view is spectacular.  At night you see the stars while sitting by the fire.   The location is perfect, set between Banff and Calgary so we can do all of the things we love to do as a family!  This year we had a fantastic start, enjoyed a few days, swam in the pool, watched a few evening presentations in the amphitheater by the Parks Canada Interpreters and then things got a little crazy........mouse droppings on the kitchen counter of the trailer!!!!!!!! You bet I freaked out. I couldn't sleep that night, Graham set a trap and we were each sleeping with a kiddo with him closest to the kitchen.  In the pitch black of night I heard something by Amelia's head so I whipped over with my cell phone (because I was not able to sleep) and saw a mouse scurry back and forth not a foot from her head!  I lost it screaming and scooped her up running to hop on the kitchen table.  Poor Graham felt bad but what could he do, hello nature. He set another trap in our bedroom area and we all went to the truck.  We were all so pumped up with adrenaline, it took a long time for us all to settle down.  We did some dancing to good tunes the radio played in the middle of the night and talked about how this was going to make a good family story.  Bless Graham's heart because he caught and disposed of TWO mice from our trailer that night, TWO!!!!!!!!! As the sun came up and the girls were sleeping in the back we went for a drive enjoying the pink sky and watching the sun kiss the mountains, it was beautiful, we also booked a hotel for the rest of the week.  I told him we could keep the trailer but I wouldn't be returning until next summer after I bleached/lysoled/vacuumed that sucker clean.

 

Calgary Zoo with Hikita Crew & Jacober Ladies

I feel quite lucky to have a group of gals from high school that I still connect with.  We kept in touch through university and early professional/married years and now share the joys and challenges of motherhood. Having extra 'sisters' is so great.  There is a support there when you have a history.  It is darling to watch our children together.

 

Butterfly Conservatory is ALWAYS a top priority when visiting Calgary Zoo.

Cute moments exploring together. Amy has two ladies and Julie two fellas.

I just need to record that my children are far far braver then I am.  I love animals and admire them from a distance but our ladies are seriously so brave.

Calaway Park 

 

 

We have never done Calaway Park with our women and this year was the year!  We enjoyed the rides and games, each girl even won a stuffie with a little help from Dad.  Our girls may be brave when it comes to animals at the zoo but rides, ugh not so much.  So we sent Graham off to enjoy a few on his own while we had treats or enjoyed 'tamer' rides :)  Maybe someday one of them will enjoy the thrill of some of the bigger attractions, but for now Mr. P rides those alone.

 

 

Us ladies are more of the carousel type or 3D show kind of people.

 

I am sure I write it often on our blog but I love these folks and am grateful for the privilege it is to be Mr. P's wife and a momma to our ladies!   This fall our family goes into shutdown mode again so we are soaking up every opportunity for togetherness and adventure. I love getting to experience things with these folks.  Graham and I have so many dreams of adventures we want to have with our ladies.

 

 So a trip full of mice and majestic mountains.

~ Mrs. P

Hudkins Family BBQ

 That saying "All Because Two People Fell in Love", it basically describes our Hudkins Family.  Gramma and Grampa had 4 children, which gave them 18 grandchildren, which lead to 28 but almost 29 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild so far. Whef!!!!!  That is a lot of people.  We intersperse a big reunion with a BBQ so we can all gather and see one another every year. This was a BBQ year and my cousins picked a beautiful location.  The food was great, the company wonderful and it was just a great afternoon.  The afternoon flew by and before we knew it the next group showed up to use the site so we gathered our salad bowls or treat containers, hugged and parted ways.  Some of my cousins I see fairly often but a few it had been a few years and then lots were missing which was sad.  There is always next year!!!   Gramma and Grampa were all smiles, which made me smile.  They are fantastic examples of lives lived with a devotion to the Lord and their family, I am sure grateful for their influence in my life. I also feel quite thankful that my girls know them well and love them!!!

Some seriously fun times together!  My cousin Emma shared some of her pictures (which she is amazing BTW), mine were just from my phone ;) It always feels like a glimpse of heaven when I am together with my family, absolutely part of the joy in life.

The littles really are the highlights, watching them be together and getting to know one another better.

Amelia and Camilla always have a special connection, these two have been together since birth.  Absolutely cousin-friends ;)

 Just behind our picnic area was forest and although I was initially quite nervous because we had brought the Bird girls so had an extra two kids, the little grove of trees ended up being best part in the eyes of the littles.  It was such a wonderful afternoon! A glimpse of heaven.

~ Mrs. P