Halloween Haul

I really dislike Halloween, but since the Superman had to work I decided to make the best of it.....

I even made a last minute banner for the house.

Our teenagers and some of their friends, I know they're a tad old but there are worse things that they could be doing than trick-or-treating....

The haul....okay kids it's time to pay the Candy Tax. Pay up now or we will steal it while you are sleeping :)

Can Anybody Give Me An "A" ??

Breaking News!!!

The Superman was right!!

 (But, shhh don't tell him it might go to his head.)

I even got a letter from the government to prove it.....

Back story....

Alex , our fourth girl in a row,was named the by Superman. I looked at Grant right after Alex was born and said "I don't know...you name her." Which he promptly did. Grant even filled out her birth registration and paper work....

Fast foreword five years...

Alex starts kindergarten in Port Alberni, about a month after school starts I get a call from the school secretary telling me that Alex's name is misspelled on her birth certificate. What? Really??..Sure enough the "A" at the end of Alexandra was actually an "E" and I had never noticed. So at that time I did make a phone call but never followed through (I know bad mom)...It came up again when we moved, still didn't follow through, ya I know really bad mom....

So about a month ago I decided to send an email to see what I could do (the school called again). So I had to write a letter, to the Alberta government explaining the problem and send a copy of the misspelled certificate and they would investigate and let me know where the mistake had been made....

So after wondering for nearly a decade if Grant had misspelled his own daughter's name on her birth records, we now know.....He did not! The government had made the error. We got a letter today saying Alex's correct birth certificate is on its way....after 13 years! :) Once I have it, Alex can actually spell her name correctly at school (it's still Alexandre there.)

Sweet heart you were right...well isn't that special.

West Coast Weekend

The Superman and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend here....

I know, it sucked ;)...Our dear friends said their back yard was the Pacific Ocean and they weren't kidding. 

Considering this is the home of the same Seminary teacher that Grant tied up in a volley ball net as a teenager, we are just thankful they forgave him :)

We experienced a little bit of heaven on earth. Falling asleep to the sound of waves and waking up to the barking of seals, is the best therapy anyone could ask for and exactly what we needed.

A sunrise like this makes it sure hard to leave.

1906 Lighthouse

Our gracious hosts.

We made a quick stop at Wickaninnish Beach as we left.

Storm season is the best !

We had the beach entirely to ourselves.

Waves were amazing.

Sea foam is not just a paint colour :)

Beautiful friends in the most beautiful part of the world. Yes...

It. Was. AWESOME.

Thanks A, L, and K for sharing your little bit of heaven with us. We heart you!

Where's the Bacon?!?

My Superman has the day off today, as he walks in the door from taking the kids to seminary he says....

What's for breakfast???

Me: What ever you make honey.

Him: What is there ?

Me: Eggs, bacon, pancakes.....

3 minutes later, from the kitchen....

Him: We don't have  bacon!

Me: Its in the freezer?!

Him: Nope!

Okay so my Superman is one of the smartest men I know {except when he's looking for something in our house}

So just for fun, how long does it take you to find the {non-existent} BACON ????

In his defense, It was upside -down and in the plastic mesh from Costco....

I wub my Superman :)

My Foundation

Growing up I was always that irreverent teenager in back of the Sunday school class, laughing at all the inappropriate times, okay I'm still kinda that way. But I've matured ever so slightly....

Tonight was the adult session of our Nanaimo Stake Conference, which is always my favourite. The night largely focused on the importance of the family.

There were many beautiful things shared but it was the words of the intermediate hymn that really touched my heart. We sang: How Firm a Foundation. A hymn that I've sung hundreds of times before. The hymn we used to call the "bra hymn" , I told you I was irreverent...Tonight the words meant so much more.

In ev’ry condition—in sickness, in health,



In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,


At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—


As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,


As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.






 Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,


For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.


I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,


Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,


Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.







The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose



I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;


That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,


I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,


I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!


Our family has found great strength in our knowledge that we all have a loving Savior who is there to help us. I am so grateful for such a sweet reminder tonight. We do not walk alone, we weren't supposed to...

Trivia alert....do you know what the word/phrase "to succour" means? We see it often in the scriptures. Its literal translation means "to run to". What a beautiful way to describe the help our Savior offers us. Its now one of my favorite words.

You Don't Want a Dog

If you have a weak gag reflex you might want to skip reading this....

So you think you want to get a dog, trust me YOU DON"T!

Tater the wonder dog was sleeping at the foot of our bed early this morning. The next thing I hear is said dog trying to heave. So I lay there hoping the Superman will deal with it. Superman doesn't move. {We used to play this same game when the rug rats were babies} With the culprit now whining at the door I figure I better deal with it.

It is then in my pre- dawn stuper, I now realize that the wonder dog has actually puked, Right, in front of the closed door. I now have a dilemma. Nothing in my room to deal with the puke, if I open the door the saucer size deposit will turn in to a rather large smear.....After a second I realized the opening the door was my only option...

So do you still want a dog ....you can have mine.

Look For It.

I usually blog about all the funny, crazy, hilarious things that happen around here, trust me the material is never in short supply. Dallyn even made some funny comment last night about how "Halloween is a free first class ticket to Candy land" and  then turned to me and said "Now that's funny right there you should put that on the blog"

Our family has had alot on its shoulders recently and over the last several weeks I have found it increasingly harder to stay positive and not become angry and bitter for circumstances we didn't chose. Its been easy to find all the depressing negative things that happen in a day or over the week and some how feel short changed, or forgotten about. Who am I kidding, I have felt down right sorry for myself....Then Monday after a great visit with a dear friend. A talk I had heard a few years ago at General Conference came to mind....
President Eyring shared with us that he had been keeping a daily journal for his children for many years......


" Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.







More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.....

....My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies......

President Henry B Eyring. O Remember, Remember. October 2007
 
 
Have I seen the hand of God in our lives over the weeks? Yes. Absolutely.
 
 
*A friend who came completely out of her way to share a birthday dinner with us.
 
*A seminary teacher who called and said we'll pick your kids up.
 
*The friend, who drove up just to have lunch and listened without judgement.
 
*A beautiful sunset after a rather rough day.
 
*A calm heart amongst all the commotion, and the constant thought "hang on, keep moving, it will all work out."

If I really look our blessings have been endless. I am not alone. My attitude is what I choose to focus on....so when I share the blessings I have seen on a day. You'll know its where I really need to keep my focus.