Lunch Date with K-man

 Planned a date with cousin Kingston and Auntie Leslie at Chuck-E-Cheese.  The pizza is actually ok and at this age our peeps are pretty content with sitting on rides, get this - with out even putting a coin in!!!! Yup, cheap dates!!!!  Amelia even said to me, "I don't like when this moves.  I don't like this very much."   Haha would rather just sit on big chunks of plastic, whatever it was fun!  Kingston would hold Stella with protective big cousin arms and she would just sit, taking the sights n sounds in.  We definitely missed the Bird Girls, Alyson and Jacey!  Dang 5 weeks is a long time, but it will be amazing to see what Jacey is doing once they come back home.

They have this booth that takes a pic then sorta sketches the photo.   Awesomeness!!!!  They turned out soooooo darling.  The first one we did Stella moved her hand at the moment it flashed but I loved Amelia's expression in it so we kept both.  Probably my favourite part of the whole date!

Fun, fun!!!

~ Mrs. P



Doing her part

We went to visit my grandparents, the girls' great-grandparents last week and it was lovely!  Their home is so warm and inviting.  I am helping with a family project and my assignment is to scan all of Grandma's scrapbooks, it is a process and I barely scratched the surface but I was pleased with how much I actually got done while Stella napped and Big A helped Grandpa.  Love these pics of Amelia 'helping' pick up garbage!!!! It kept her busy, she was able to be outside and she spent time with her great-gramps....super precious!

Darn lucky to live close to family, wonderful to visit them.  Oh and Graham loves when I go visit too, Gramma always sticks a loaf of homemade bread in my bag!!!!

~ Mrs. P

Rainy Day

I am hoping that April showers bring May flowers....at least this dreary, cold wind, on/off rain will be worth it!   After enjoying time outside all week we were sort of getting use to it.  Sadly, not venturing out today.  So we made some squares, worked on some laundry, learned about blocks (not just building either but how to blow in them) and did some more painting on our toilet paper family.  Bahahaha these toilet paper rolls are almost ready to head to the recycling bin so I decided to photograph them first.   Amelia let Stella hold the roll we called 'Stella' and a bit of tasting occurred, yuck!!!  A fun activity that Mia just keeps coming back to.  We even had to make a Tula, pretty funny.

Love it when the girlies play together, they look so darn cute!! 

Perhaps stay in the house days aren't all bad.

~ Momma P



Reminders

Some day when I print out this blog I hope that my little ladies will read it and have two things happen.

 #1 have memories come flooding back to them about our family life

#2 take a few of the lessons I have learned into their hearts and perhaps not make the same mistakes

I have been listening to some great speakers lately, having a refresher on the talks shared during General Conference (which happens globally twice a year at church). 
I have to say I've been in a bit of a funk!  I see fam and friends all around me facing tough stuff but my own struggles with potty training, house selling and a shutdown working husband still seem hard.  Yes, we are still working on going in the potty and yes, the hubs is back working 6 days a week/13ish hrs a day....BOO I say!!!!  Keeping the house in tip top shape, ahhhhh craziness! 
I do have much to be thankful for but gosh I don't always live out my days as I should.
I would usually consider myself a positive person but just haven't been feeling it, so seeking out good insight from wise folks seemed like a good solution.
  So as I've been listening to good speakers I am collecting some new thoughts for our bathroom mirror and here they are;

One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children...we come to recognize the truth in Isaiah’s prophecy that “a little child shall lead them.” ~ Boyd. K Packer
(Ok Mrs.P  CHILL OUT and follow Amelia's lead more)

This divine privilege of raising our children is a much greater responsibility than we can do alone, without the Lord’s help. He knows exactly what our children need to know, what they need to do, and what they need to be to come back into His presence...As children learn and act upon what they learn, their understanding is expanded, which leads to more learning, more action, and an even greater and more enduring understanding... They become part of the solution to our family challenges and make a positive contribution to the environment of our home and the success of our family.
 ~ Cheryl A. Esplin
(What struck me from this msg was that Mr. P and I are not in this alone, which I do know but the reminder was nice.  Also that learning is a process and that each little person is a unique individual with their own path, again I know this, I'm a teacher but good to hear again. )


Everywhere people are in a hurry...at the moment she heard the doctor’s diagnosis, she knew immediately that she would spend whatever time she had remaining with her family and friends and with the gospel at the center of her life, for these represented what was most precious to her.
~ President Thomas S. Monson
(Trying to live each day focusing on what is most precious to us instead of hurrying through a to-do list.)

REMINDERS ARE GOOD!!!!

Life is good.
I have a ton of goodness in my life, a ton of blessings to be thankful for!
Three of which are named; Graham, Amelia and Stella.
~ Mrs. P

PS. We do have an offer on our house woot woot!!

church = feel good & cute photos = feel good

We had a little photo session after church on Sunday because I never did capture the ladies cute Easter outfits for our family photo memories.  After the fun it also occurred to me that this may be some of our last shots in front of this house. Although I am super pumped up for our new place it made me a bit sad.  I always say to Graham that this house just seems happy when you look at it from the street, dorky but I really do think it has a happy vibe.  Anyway, it was a great Sunday and we froze time by snapping some pics.

 

 Church was just what I needed this week. 

 I totally had a selling house/husband working lots breakdown on Saturday.  Frustration, tears the whole bit after rushing to get the house perfect, getting the dog, the ladies and myself out the door alone again. The lessons at church included spiritual & physical preparedness and repentance....all of which gave me the internal nudge to focus on and be better at.  I also came away thinking; I can not control how much notice I get for a showing, I can not really control my 2 year olds natural curiosity or interests (all of which seem to emerge in the 30 min before we need to vacate the premises)  BUT I can control my attitude, my demeanor!  Wouldn't you know it Monday night we got an offer on our house.

Ya our family is pretty darn pumped!!!! 

 ~ Mrs. P

How can we resist?

These eyes and this toothy smile, they get me every time!

I am pretty sure those pearly whites showing are the cause of our baby girls recent turmoil.   In moments of AHUUUHHHH, I try to think gosh it is her poor little mouth and it must be painful/frustrating for her.  I just need to work on remembering that at midnight.

  Oh our sweet girl!!!! We sure do love her.

~ Momma P



A Classy Gran

Each of my Grandparents ROCK! 

I feel lucky to have known all four of my grandparents and three of my great-grandmas. 

This past weekend we attended a Dinner/Silent Auction fundraiser for Conductive Education, a program Jacey is attending and for which this event would raise funds to help bring to Alberta. It was a FABULOUS success btw!  An added special touch to the evening had to do with gramma Hudkins, for starters the woman has style.  Such great style in fact, the clutches Leslie and I used that evening were hers, yup the nearly 75 year old gramma is rockin the accessories.  I also wore a ring she had given me when I completed university.  It was just super cool, so of course had to photograph it! I hope I can be as awesome as my gramma.  She has impeccable style and class, above all she handles life with grace seeking to live a life pleasing to the Lord.  The woman is to be admired. Glad she's my gramma.

~ Mrs. P