GnR with Mr. P

I still can't believe we got to do this but we saw Guns n Roses at Commonwealth!!! It was rather crazy that it was also the first day of school but we had a blast afterschool, had dinner and then Alex our incredible babysitter came over to put the women to bed. 
Other then a bit of mom guilt the evening ROCKED!!!

~ Mrs. P with Mr. P

Back-to-School Dinner & First Day Back

We always like to do a back to school dinner to get pumped up for the new school year.  This year they decided on pizza and rhubarb slush for dinner - yum!  I had found emoji plates with heart eyes earlier in the summer and saved them for our special dinner and per our tradition the book 'The Kissing Hand' was read, such a good story. We pulled out the schoolish decor and did up our chalkboards.  These little women of ours are so precious and I want them to always remember they are precious to us and the Lord.  The idea for our Family Home Evening lesson/theme was based on the scripture story of Lehi's Dream - holding to the Iron Rod! Immediately I knew that I wanted to do some kind of rod like reminders for the girls for school and a blindfolded adventure in our basement.  I am grateful how things often fall together just as they should and this FHE was one such time.

Graham was at the end of the yarn I had weaved through the basement.  He called out encouragement to our blindfolded girls and I tried to distract them.  At one point Stella asked me to just help her and hold her hand, it was a very tender moment because I told our ladies that I would ALWAYS, ALWAYS help them to cling to the rod. I hope they remember the feelings we felt as we adventured through our basement maze holding to the yarn rod.

Lots of nerves and lots of excitement as the girls woke up read for the first day of school.  Amelia whispered to me that she was mostly excited, that was at 6:05am!!!!!!  We had laid out clothes and packed up lunches the night before, the ladies got right into their morning to-do list and I was so darn proud of them.  Stella decided to play the violin this year. They don't have their lesson until next week but gosh it was darling to see Amelia teaching Stella some fingering, it made my heart beam. Love these ladies!

 Oh my goodness, a new school and a new grade!  Smiles for photos and then when the reality set in a few tears from our big girl. The teachers seem great and each of the ladies have kids they know in their classes so that is so fantastic.  There is so much awesomeness about public education and I will always be an advocate for the good and do my part to work on the not so good parts. What a privilege it is to have the freedom to go and learn....the sky is the limit for the ladies.

Also, I simply must mention how lucky they are to have one another!

Amelia's teacher had this darling little note of the desks, I dig her already!

 

So because I don't officially start work until next week I went home after I dropped the women off for their first day of school.  I walked in and saw the chalkboard sign from the girls in our den......I may have shed a few tears!  That saying of the "days being long but the years short" is sooooooooo true!!!!  The years at home with my little women have flown by and here I find myself in the next phase of parenting, I have school kids.  While my heart breaks a little that they are growing up, it is also pretty awesome!  They are growing and I am too, my volunteer gig from last year turned into a job and this year they want me back.  It makes me feel darn good to be wanted, to contribute and I am very grateful for the opportunity to work for Families of First, such a tremendous organization.

Cheers to another year!

~ Momma P

15 YEARS as Mr & Mrs

Time marches on.

Grateful to be joined together for eternity with this guy.

Good things, hard things, super fun things done together. 

 We have hammered out 15 years together and I am pretty proud of us for that accomplishment!

~ Mrs. P

Camping in Kananaskis

We had our week in Kananaskis this year WITH OUT ANY MICE visitors!!! Woohoo!!!!!

We had been up in Fort McMurray on Sunday morning and decided to drive to Fort Saskatchewan, switch vehicles so we could take the trailer and be in Kananaskis that night. It was a long day and our sweet Mr. P set up things in the dark with his head lamp but we were able to wake up in the mountains and start our week there together.  Mt. Kidd in Kananaskis was one of the first places we went the summer we got our trailer and we have returned every year since!  We have a blast there!

We set up a little pin hole paper view so the girls could see the eclipse, the best contrast was to be just before noon and it totally worked....honestly Graham and I were probably more excited about it then the ladies. Neat to do it together as a family though.  We have been listening to these pod casts called 'Wow in the World' and listened to one on the eclipse, super interesting. 

We drove down the road a bit to where we had family pictures last summer and it was stunning there again this year!!! We let the women go in the ice cold mountain water and the pup had fun exploring.  It was one of those blissful afternoons, chill and in a beautiful spot.

Great paved roads for biking. 

Great parks for playing. 

The girls and the pup, oh my heart!

Great interpretive program.

 

~ Mrs. P

Legislature Pools

One of our very favourite places to go in the summer are the Legislative Pools.  With holiday's, family reunions and art camps over we were finally able to hook up with the Moch ladies and it was lovely! The weather was absolutely beautiful!!! Also super cool is that Graham came to join us later in the afternoon.  He has never been able to come with us so it was so nice!

Bathing Beauties

Sometimes you meet people and you dig the family, Moch's are totally one of those families. Adore them! The smilies on the girls and watching them play is awesome.

~  Mrs. P

Hudkins Family Reunion

The 2017 Hudkins Family Reunion will go down as the frog reunion.

We left a wonderful week in Jasper as a bunch of Hinkos and travelled east to join a bunch of Hudkins at our family reunion.  Lots of extended family togetherness!!!

Frogs and football, the girls were happy and Mr. P was happy.

Watching the littles play together was certainly a highlight. I have fond memories playing with my cousins, those big football players.  Way back when, I would take them over to the park by Gramma and Grampa's house, now the next generation of cousins are playing at the park.  Time flies.  Family is a constant, a constant support...lots of love for everyone we were able to spend time with.  Love for those who couldn't make it.

These big cousins of mine, I am the near the top of the oldest in this crew. When I look at these pictures my heart beams for these people. I have watched them all grow. Those boys in the back are all great men, my lady cousins and sisters beside GnG are women I admire.  I truly love these two photos Graham snapped as we tried to get a decent cousin photo, five cousins are missing and that is sad but such is life.

Uncle Garth arranged for some of the littles to do a skit that shared family history.  The history of Gramma and Grampa's courtship and who were Christina & Orland Hudkins, lots of good stuff.  Leaving imprints on the next generation of WHO WE ARE!! At the reunion we clebrated GnGs 60th Wedding Anniversary, such a milestone.

Something pretty special we also celebrated was that Gramma Hudkins turns 80 this year!!!! Wow, what a woman.  These two violin playing beauties practiced together so they could play Gramma 'Happy Birthday', it was pretty rad!

 

Lots of togetherness, lots of celebrating and lots of love a the Hudkins Reunion.  I think the saying goes, "all because two people fell in love".

~ Jenny