Halloween 2016

Children love this holiday, not my fav but there has been costume discussion and excitement since the start of October.   I sure love these ladies and really love that they enjoy getting into every holiday (even my least favourite one)!!!  Auntie Jenn spotted these 'super' costumes at costco so we swung by and picked them up, I knew that I could find a Wonder Woman outfit to go with our theme.  These ladies an their smiles, LOVE them!!!

These shirts and leggings are so fun and add to the excitement! I am a nerd but I just can't help it. We score awesome hand-me-down holiday clothes from the Jacober girls and I always hit up stores after holidays to pick things up on clearance, it is such fun. I literally have a bin in Amelia's closet for 'holiday outfits'!

 Very special to be able to volunteer in Stella's classroom Halloween morning and celebrate with her.  Considering the holiday the class was quite calm.  It is such fun getting a peak into the 'school world' of our little women. Also nice to get to know other parents, the momma's of her little friends.  I also love school, so yeah I like to volunteer.   It was a busy day with work in the afternoon, a holiday dinner with the Bird family and Halloween in the evening, such a blast though!!!!  The little babies at my Newbee Parents program were just the cutest.  I had set up a little photo station for them, seriously adorable. Totally love doing the program, worth the crazy day and the effort.

I really enjoy redoing the mantle to suit the holiday.   It is pleasure for me, an absolute pleasure.  I love when the girls help or when they wake up and a change has happened, like with this year. October 31st they woke to this!!!

 We have had a tradition, each Halloween Nathanial joins Amelia and we all go Trick or Treating together.  We say they are 'womb buddies' as it is pretty special that these two did prenatal class together and still get to gather together for things, church each Sunday but other things too like Halloween.

This fantastic crew comprised of Batgirl, Dori the fish, an Owl, an Astronaut and Super girl.

Of course we made up some fun food. It was a fantastic day and a joy to be with the littles.  Adding to the wonderful was that Graham was able to go into work late so he could join us.  It is crazy that having him around seems like such a treat, we CAN NOT WAIT for shutdown to be done and have him join us again.
 
~ Mrs. P

love note

We have a few chalkboards around our house but this was a little note written on the chalkboard in the Primary room at church, warmed my heart!!!

~ Momma P

Celebrating Jacey Bird

The biggest Bird Girl celebrated her birthday and it was a blast!

To know Jacey is to love her. It was interesting to watch her friends from church and school gather around her, they REALLY SEE HER!  They don't see anything but her and the fabulous young lady she is. It was beautiful and so fun.

 

Bowling is an awesome activity and is really set up well for Miss Bird.  There is a cool bowling ball drop and the gutter guards were up (I could honestly benefit from those), she was all smiles.

After bowling, pizza and cake it was some 'Jacey Tag' until party's end.  Love our Bird Girl and quite grateful she chose to be a part of our family. 

~ Mrs. P

pumpkin carving as a family

We are sooooo close to seeing the end of shutdown and we all CAN NOT WAIT!!!!  

Uncle Mark and Auntie June let each of the girls pick out pumpkins form their garden harvest and we waited until Mr.P's night off to carve them.   Each of the ladies drew what they wanted carved out and a cute kitty and puppy were the end results!  It was hilarious that Amelia didn't want to touch the 'guts' this year so I had to attack the little lady with them hahahha.   While I toasted the seeds and Graham tidied the kitchen, the girls bathed by pumpkin light.  Each week when Mr. P gets to spend the evening with us it is a glimpse of normal and I (we) are so eager for him to be finished so we can get back to normal.   A tired dad and burned out mom and emotional kiddos can make for tenuous times.   I really try to center our family, doing the things we ought to, the things that I know are good for us all, shutdowns are hard though.  A few hours together a week just does not suffice when you love someone so much and like spending time with them. Graham works and sleeps, pretty much exclusively and we carry on at home without him.  We have many many blessings but it doesn't mean shutdowns aren't hard.  Thank goodness it is almost over!

~ Mrs. P

working with my SEESTER in Relief Society

It has been a month now since changes happened at church and my 'church job' got switched up.  Alyson is the Enrichment Councillor and I am the Education/Music Councillor, I feel super lucky that we have this opportunity to serve together.  It is funny because I am the bossy/party sister but activities fall under her responsibility, cool how that works sometimes.  She planned with her committee a fantastic Super Saturday!!!  Everything was great; the activities, the food, the atmosphere and luckily she delegated decor to me because I love that kind of stuff.  I am enjoying getting to serve along side my sister and am in awe of her capabilities!

Love both of my little sisters!!  I learn so much from them and here we are all mothering and navigating parenthood together, sharing the good, the bad and the ugly.

Family is a big part of THE Plan of Happiness!  I know that my family have my back, would do anything for me and I would certainly do anything for them.  We are all very different but absolutely one another's best friends.  I say that to our girls all of the time, that they should be one another's BFF and biggest cheerleader because I absolutely feel like it is true!  Is it perfect, no!  There is always room for improvement but I sure love this original crew (for the record I am absolutely fond of all the add ins too)!!!

~ Mrs. P

I CAN DO ANYTHING

Each month when the book orders come home the girls sit and circle the ones they would like, then I sit and choose which we ultimately order.  They are each able earn a selection if they fill up their practice calendars for violin and piano....that is the idea anyway.  Last year we were super diligent at this but this year we are struggling a bit, ugh need to get in a groove.  I am kind of a book addict, and love having a selection of material in our home.   When I saw that Amelia had circled these books, my heart beamed with pride!!!!  You hope as a parent you are teaching good principles, I love that Amelia is interested in reading about strong women.

 ~ Momma P

first snow day

I don't even have words for how much I love our women!  Our first snowfall happened over night and we woke Sunday morning with a blanket of white covering everything.  I LOVE that our back windows face a field and we watch the sun rise in the morning. This morning we watched it pink glow rise over glistening fields of white. Our last 3 homes have had the feature of facing east....it is almost a must for me now!  Anyway, no outside play happened because of church obviously and then I was in full Thanksgiving dinner prep mode after.  The girls were a tremendous help doing the place setting craft and setting the table, they did most of it actually.  I LOVE their willingness to help, they are getting so independent and it is both wonderful and sad. The girls were kind of sidetracked with our meal but at bedtime said they definitely wanted to get out in the snow.

We brought all of our winter gear with us when we drove Great-Grandma Hinko home to the farm, we knew the snow would be untouched and beautiful out there!!! It was. It was great fun playing with them, snow angels and the first snowman of the season.

The girls each were able to pick a pumpkin form Uncle Mark and Auntie June's garden, 23 pumkins from 3 seeds.....craziness!!  The girls also LOVE playing with their kitties.  It was just a great day.


~ Mrs. P

Be Thankful

We made the best of our Thanksgiving weekend at home.  Visiting Prairie Gardens was fantastic and our meal with family was lovely, Graham was even able to join us as it was his night off.  We are now over the halfway mark into Mr. P's shutdown and we choose to look at our blessings and have gratitude when it can be easy to feel lonely or discouraged. The guy pretty much just works and sleeps, we essentially carry on without him, it isn't fun.  He has a good job, we have a home that family come to gather at at, we have these two darling little women, we have fun adventures... really so many good things in our life.

~ Mrs. P

long weekend love

We had plans to go up and visit Gramma and Grampa Hinko up in Fort McMurray for Thanksgiving but a stomach flu circulating at their house caused us to change our plans. There were tears form my two little women so Alyson and I hatched a plan to go exploring, visiting Prairie Gardens.  It has been on our fall hit list for a few years but we just didn't end up doing it.  Our suddenly open weekend allowed us to jump at the chance!!  It was our first real cold snap but we bundled up and spent almost 3 hours outside; checking out the pumpkins, doing the maze, musical instruments, tractor ride, haunted house (only Alyson, Amelia and Neely) and of course visiting the farm animals!!!!

Seeing these cousins together kinda makes me miss our other cousins.  We are incredibly blessed to live relatively close to them all and they truly have lots of love between them.  Almost more like siblings with these women!

When they stood behind these, they giggled and pretended to lock and unlock one another, Alyson and I looked at one another and said "new time out strategy?" hahahaha

Such a blast!  A beautiful, chilly fall day spent with some of our favourites.

 ~ Momma P

new opportunity for momma

I have a little job!!!!!!!!
With Families First Fort Saskatchewan, it is a fantastic organization.

"Fort Saskatchewan Families First Society is a charitable organization serving families through early childhood development, parenting programs and family support.  

When our community–our village–works together we will improve the lives of families. We create a safe environment to nurture future strong healthy generations.

We partner with other organizations and government initiatives to provide several of our programs and support efforts such as Parent-Child Mother Goose Program, Parent Link Centre programs, Triple P: Positive Parenting Program."

The girls and I have done numerous programs with them, I think 12 sessions of Parent Child Mother Goose actually.  I had planned to volunteer one morning a week helping with PCMG since both of my babies are in school now. It is a fantastic organization, one that I really want to help support. When I went to fill out forms, get criminal record check info for volunteering THEY OFFERED ME A 2 HOUR A WEEK POSITION!!!!!!!!!!  To say it touched my heart would be an understatement, I was thrilled that they thought of me.  After being at home for nearly 8 years, being away from a profession that I love (teaching) it was wonderful that someone wanted me.  Someone felt I had skills to offer.  Families First is piloting a 'New Parents Program' and my name came up as a possible facilitator, they asked if I would do it.  It has been a bit crazy for me, my head is spinning with excitement and ideas.  It will work out with Stella and her swimming program and then later hanging with Auntie Alyson and Neely for those 2 hours, so I don't feel like she will lose out on time with me.  It is really rather fantastic all around!!!  I also feel like I am setting the ground work for the years to come with the ladies at Families First, a place I am excited to be apart of.

I feel absolute excitement and nervousness about this!  I want to do a good job, I want to help create a program that newbie parents will enjoy.

 I have already had a few experiences with this new job where I have had to make choices.  I was invited to a Professional Development Day with Families First and it sounded amazing, the following day a letter came home for a field trip in Amelia's class. I immediately knew where I needed to be and where I wanted to be the most!!!  Alyson offered to cover for me but here is the thing, I will have years and years of opportunity for PD but I won't have years and years to go on school field trips with my daughter.  A staff meeting also came up during the afternoon when I would have little Stella with me.  It was interesting because when I responded saying I would have Stella and couldn't swing it they immediately said to bring her along!!! They even moved the meeting from the boardroom to the back area of the Families First Building - the area is called CHIPS and it the play area.  Just a little reminder that families really are first to them.

It is thrilling.

~ Mrs. P

inspired

"The way you see {a child} is the way you treat them,

 and the way you treat them is {what} they {will} become." 

~ GOETHE

These children, our

family. The greatest challenge and the greatest joy comes from this little unit. These ladies are so great, sometimes I look at them and just can't believe how wonderful they are.  How did I get so lucky to be their mother?   I love the above quote and actually the whole talk given by Elder Robbins. Makes me want to kick it up a few notches and be better. 

Love these folks!

~ Mrs. P

chicks at the Dixie Chicks

 Jodi wrote "It's been a long time gone. Best of friends all through their high school days. Here's to my friends to the bitter end." 

A few months ago I heard that the Dixie Chicks were touring again - AHHHHHHHHH!!!!  Amy, Jodi, Julie and I have been friends for a long time, since high school and we are also all Dixie Chicks fans since the release of their first album in 1998, when we were in high school. We share a history, the time of our lives when we were growing into women, high school, university and we have seen one another marry, have babies.  They are some of 'my ladies' and I am grateful for them.  

Julie lives in Calgary, Jodi drove from Vernon and Amy drove from Medicine Hat. Amy's Jeff kindly offered to keep all of our little ladies, he is a gem.  Julie took us to a hip restaurant, we let her order for us all and we shared food, shared about our children, our lives.  What a gift it is to have women, good women in ones life. Friends to the end.

Oh and the concert was dang good!!  

We sang along to every song until our voices were hoarse, arms around one another swaying. We parted ways with hugs and perhaps a few tears.

~ Mrs. P