I'm back!!

I'm so soryy for the long absence. My husband says he doesn't know what goes on in the house without reading my blog so I should update him. I did suggest we have a conversation but he felt I wrote better than I spoke! Haha. Guess I deserve that. I wondered yesterday if he always skated so slowly at hockey!! Which, as a side note, they won their 3rd?? playoff game. They have to win this next one to go any further. I'm sure they will. The reason they lost today was the game was on Sunday and half the team goes to meeting! Well....good excuse anyhow. So I have so much to tell all my loyal followers that I think I will just do this in part form. Each part will be a different color. Get it? Good. Here we go.

At the end of a busy busy week this is always a favorite thing to do. This has nothing to do with this weeks blog, I just thought these were interesting pics around our fire pit.

So for those of you who haven't been to Saskatchewan, this is pretty much your view. Prairie land as far as the eye can see. I actually don't mind it. Love the wide open spaces. Although a few trees add a bit of excitment to the monotonus drive. At the beginning of spring break, the kids and I packed up and drove out to Regina with grandma Tingley to see aunty Jan before her surgery and to pick up mom and bring her back to Edmonton for a week. (The surgery was to remove the esophagus due to cancer and it went extremely well. My aunt is a superhero healer. Extreme relief for all even though she still has a long road ahead.)Was glad to have grandma keep me company and hear some stories about her and grandpa's courting/early marriage days. Lots I didn't know so was fun to be filled in.

For the first 16 years of my life, my sister and I spent every summer with grandpa and grandma out at Buffalo pound lake. It would be my dream one day to be able to have a little lake lot/cabin for my kids and grandkids. We had so much fun and so many good memories were made there. The cabin was sold a few years back so this was the first time I had been back for probably 10 years or more.

Hey Jess! I see the lake first. Whenever we would drive out here we'd have a contest and yell out whoever saw the lake first. This is a fairly steep hill to drive down. Chelsea had a mild freak out. I think she thought we were going to drive into the lake.

Here are my girls walking down the same path we took day after day to get to the little private beach.

The beach that grandpa and grandma and some of their lake friends built. Had the sand all hauled in. Looks like the people there now have let the grass grow and overtake the beach area a bit.

The above is the cabin they built. My sister and I always slept in that room upstairs with the deck out the door. Another good time was climbing that hill out back and trying not to fall on the cactus'

On another day the kids were riled up so we took them here to wear off some steam. The favorite was that big double slide.

Part 2: Mom comes back to Alberta with us. She spent a few days with Glen and Jess and then babysat for Steve and I while we went to the Alberta Contractor of the year awards. I really enjoyed dressing up and getting served good food. I think I could get used to the high life. HA! The best part of the night? Emcee Construction and Management won 2012 Contractor of the year for revenue under 50 million. CONGRATS GUYS!! Then Steve and I took advantage of the no kids thing and the fact it was our 10 year anniversary and stayed away for 2 nights.

This is where I take a moment to tell you that the last 10 years have been just amazing. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband who is so incredible that words can't describe him. The other day I was eavesdropping on Hayley having a conversation with her friend and she says "my mom and dad never fight." Thats not because of me thats for sure. Steve just makes marriage easy. Love you to bits and pieces Steve. Your the best husband and father anyone could ever dream of.

Have you all thrown up now? :) Excuse the terrible work I did trying to black out the background on the photo below. It was a big TV screen that was bright and distracted from the handsome man in the photo.

While we were off galivanting around, mom and Jess took the kids to the zoo. Apparently Chelsea didn't quite like Lucy the elephant. Sigh...oh Chelsea. Once the baby....always a baby???

I guess by the end of the day she had made amends with the animals and was giving them kisses goodbye.

Then spring break was over and it was time to celebrate by big girls 8th birthday!!! Hayley grows up a little more every day. I'm quite enjoying this age (as I do every age though right?) She grew an inch last year according to the wall recording and her too short pants :) She's still doing great in piano, and is looking forward to soccer starting. We had a few friends over for her birthday and I am so proud of her choice in friends. They were all very sweet girls. She had 3 school friends and 3 other friends. It was cute...we played this game where you had to say your name and something you liked. Then the person beside you had to say the same, plus what the people before them had said. So by the time it got to the last person they had to rememebr everyones names and what they liked. One little girl says "I'm ____ and I like Jesus." I thought that was pretty sweet. Growing up I really appreciated my religious friend and so it makes me thankful Hayley has some church going school friends. Who knows if it'll help or not but one can always hope.

Hayley has a thing for peace signs so we did a peace theme. Tie-dyed shirts, did a treasure hunt, a piniata, had cake and presents, the kids played outside for about 30 minutes and then it was time to go! Went pretty good. Now to start planning Abby's monkey party! Ai-yi-yi. I should plan it when Steve is home. He was a HUGE help. Looking forward to the year off from parties next year. I'm only doing an every other year thing.

Sorry this was so long. Stay tuned for the next episode. BIKER CHICKS!