Things that make me smile.

After a few crazy weeks in my home - and a few pounds gone due to stress (which I actually don't mind one bit...the weight that is) - I decided to take a step back and reassess the situation. I needed to decide what was important, and what maybe wasn't so much. After letting go of a few things, I quickly realized what was important in my life... important in the way that I never want to forget. Things like:

This 3 year old playing games on the iPhone by the light of the Christmas tree

The 4 of us on our first ever tobogganing trip as a family

This awesome husband of mine, who decided that taking matters into his own hands when the -30c weather hit, meant growing an extra layer of hair on his face.

Seeing this one lounge in the snow for the first time - in a hat she hasn't figured out how to take off yet

Hailey's face on her first ride down the hill...excitement? Daredevil?

This one falling asleep whenever she needs it, wherever we are

And finally waking up to this sweet face after she snuck into my bed (and fell back asleep) after her dad went to work

When life gets crazy - like it does - I just need to remember these small things that make me smile. Because they are important.

A Little Bit Stressed Out...

I don't know if my mom can even count the number of times I've called her in full tears/hysterics this week. And it's only Monday!

I think it was about three weeks ago that I was sitting here thinking I was just barely getting to the point that I could catch a breath. We had a pretty stressful summer and I think the end of October was when I think things started to almost return to normal.

BUT...

There's always a but.

Things changed on November 1st when we tried to collect rent from our tenants. Turns out we no longer have tenants...which means we are madly trying to rent our other house out again, while paying two mortgages. That's enough stress for me.

But...

Add to it the new calling I got that same week. Relief Society 2nd Counselor in my ward. Despite the fact that I feel 20 years too young and inadequate in so many ways, I'm really excited about all the things I get to do with this calling. Like Super Saturday this weekend.

Did I mention I was stressed? Try taking over Super Saturday last minute. I've been on the phone or emailing people pretty much non stop for the last week. I've also spent COUNTLESS hours organizing the costs on my computer...and the sign up sheets. And all that wonderful stuff.

But really, joking aside, I am excited about this calling - it's going to be FUN! (p.s. a "calling" is a volunteer position that I'm asked to fulfill in my church. Being the 2nd Counselor in Relief Society means that I'm one of three people that run the women's program for our church. Thank goodness I'm not the President - she's the one with all the work!! "Super Saturday", however is a huge craft day where the "Relief Society" provides a TON of crafts for all the women in our ward to work on. BUSY basically sums it up)

Anyway...that's not it. With this new calling, I now have to find time to meet with the presidency regularly. But I'm having a hard time finding time, because I'm either in swimming lessons with my girls, teaching preschool, teaching piano to my 8 students, playing piano for the Young Women at Church, Hosting Book Club, babysitting my nephew, spending hours shoveling my driveway so I can actually leave the house, tending to my motherly duties (i.e. feeding my children, teaching them words and colours and so on), caring for my teething toddler and helping my three year old remember to use the potty. Honestly, I'm having a hard time finding a moment where I'm not frantically running around!!

I'm stressed.

Did I mention that Ben's stressed too? Yeah...winter means we don't see him. He's so busy with work...which is so good. I do like getting paid. But I don't so much like always putting my girls to bed on my own. Or them not even noticing when he's gone ALL weekend. I want to see him more, I want my girls to see him more, I want more time.

But this is my life. I love it. I especially Love my Husband and my two Girls. They keep me together when it gets crazy like this. And mostly, today I loved seeing these two anxiously awaiting their first venture into snow this year:


It's moments like that when I know the rest of it doesn't matter. I'm blessed. I'm loved. I love.

Halloween Adventures

This years Halloween was a LOT of fun in this household. We did LOTS of crafts, shopped ALL month for the candy, and we spent a TON of time planning out our costumes - trying to find a theme that we were all ok with. One that was cute, and one that the dad and the three year old could agree on. The Three Year old wanted us to be princesses...the dad wasn't so sure. The dad wanted to do nothing...The Three Year old wasn't so sure. So the Mom came to the rescue and the baby didn't object. And since we were the only two in agreement, our costumes were the only ones considered. I like having a baby on my team.


So Hailey got to be a Pirate


Paige got to be her trusty Parrot


I was lucky enough to be Peter Pan


And the Dad - because he was so enthusiastic, got to be a Lost Boy - which means he wore his normal clothes. (I personally think Captain Hook would have been way cooler, but I can't really force him into his costume like I can the other two kids).

Anyway, before we actually did ANY of that, we carved a pumpkin (with our friends, the Allred's). I'll admit, I may have been the artist behind this amazing cat...who's left eye is just decomposing away, it really was there to start with.

Then Hailey got all dolled out in her gear for her Preschool Class:

Then next, I had a little Halloween party at my house for a few of Hailey's friends and siblings in town (with the help of some of my closest friends here)

They may have danced a little


And Decorated Cookies...which was apparently waaaay too much fun

I may have stolen the only picture of me in character from my friend Julie's Facebook album...of her daughter. Sorry.

The kidlets even went through a little Haunted House in the basement (which was too scary for pictures...but still very very cool)

Then the next day we went to the "Trunk or Treat" hosted by our ward...and the girls got WAY too much CANDY (which I may or may not have eaten too much of)!

And that pretty much sums up our Halloween this year. I can't wait for next year...I've already got a few ideas for costumes all planned out. The goal is creative, cute, themed and original. It will be fun.

Hello Blog...

Hello Blog...Nice to see you. It's been too long. I wish I had some fabulous excuse for being so obviously absent. Something amazing like - I was traveling the world, or I was discovered and I am now a HUGE Hollywood star, or...or something like that. But nope. I've just been lazy, and living my pretty normal - slightly less fabulous life. We've been filling our days with playing, napping, going to the park (enjoying a bit of the summer we never had), babysitting my nephew, teaching piano, swimming, more playing, eating and so on. Life never seems to slow down, and yet it seems like nothing all that exciting is going on. I guess we did have a busy summer, so I can accept a boring fall.



The most exciting news of the month is that I'm a little bit blonder!
Make all the jokes you want...

I also had a birthday - I might be a couple years over 25...and a few under 30. Somewhere in the middle there. I KNOW I'm not old. But I really thought I'd feel a little more grown up when I hit this section of my 20's. Maybe that's what my 30's are for? Or will it be my 40's...50's? Will I ever feel like I'm not a little 19 year old girl?


Anyway, for my Birthday I got a little thing called the 'iPhone'. Have you heard of it? Hailey obviously had. She already knew all the fun games I needed to download...like Dora for example:


So my girls are cute as always...they really do love each other. And I love this picture (snow boot and all)

Paige is such a character...I wish I could properly describe her. She is all silliness, all attitude, all smiles, all tears, all tantrums, all 'every single extreme of mood you could imagine'. She is so entertaining and I just love this little girl.

I love her: even when she grows up right before my eyes...and proves to me that she's not just a little baby anymore.


I love her: even when she makes messes...and pretends it wasn't her:

I love her: especially when she still acts like my little baby...and cuddles with me and falls asleep in all the same places as she did when she was just a little newborn:

Oct 2010

July 2009

And then there's Hailey...this girl is also all smiles, and tears, and moods, and fun, and imagination and everything you could imagine a 3 year (who is going on 16) would be.

I love her: when she plays with her sister and makes her happy

I love her: When I see how her face lights up when she tells me princess stories that all end "Happily ever after" - and that might include a certain prince that she will marry in "three more months"
I love her: Especially when she reminds me of just how sweet and little she still is even though she's growing up ( i.e. heading off to her first day of 'joy school' and bringing along her dinosaur for protection)

Anyway...I hope I can keep up with the blog. But honestly, I imagine you won't see me back here until after Halloween when I share the pics of my girls in their cute costumes.

Sometimes it's nice to be beautiful

So as you may know, my little sister Sarah is a talented massage therapist as well as an Esthetician (I hope I'm spelling that right). I know she's just my little sister, so I really have no right to be proud when she accomplishes things. But she is still my little sister and I watched her grow, so I still feel that pride. Anyway, yesterday I got a day off from my mommy duties. My parents watched the girls and I got to spend the afternoon with Sarah...in a make up course put on by the salon she works for. They had a talented - big shot - makeup artist there (http://www.bebebooth.com/). She was an awesome person and a great instructor. So I sat there and watched Sarah create different looks on my face.

I felt beautiful...I felt special...I felt proud.

The instructor was quick to praise Sarah in everything, really, everything she did ... and she may have even paid me a compliment as well. Overall I had a great day. Sarah gave me some serious cool eyes (including a pair of fabulous fake eyelashes). And I got to walk out of their feeling kinda cool...aaaaand maybe a little weird (since I did have two different looks on my eyes and extremely LONG lashes).

Well, since it was a Monday - and I had no where to go but home to show off the new 'look' - I decided to take a few 'model' shots of myself ... in the mirror of my bathroom ... at midnight ... with semi pouty 'Meagan' lips. You get the picture. I can't decide whether to laugh or cry when I see these pics because the faces I made are either very hilarious or very very sad. But one thing's for sure...Sarah did an amazing job.

These pictures are important to me because I want a picture of myself done up - trying to look good - so that one day my daughters can look at me and say "wow, mom actually wore makeup once". I hope to also add to that collection, a picture where they'll say "wow, mom was skinny once" or "wow, mom wore cool clothes" or even "wow, mom was a real person and not just our slave once". You know, those kind of pictures. So here are my makeup pictures:

Thanks Sarah for inviting me, and for spending the day with me and for so calmly and yet firmly having the courage to be who you are...which includes being especially talented!

A quick Compare...

So I've been going through some old pictures of mine and putting together little groupings for frames in my home. One of my frames has 8 spots for pictures. For this frame I decided to use pictures of the girls at various stages of their first year (i.e. First day, blessing day, first time in the exersaucer and 1 year old). It's interesting to see how different they are! I normally think they look so much alike - because they really do. But in these pictures I can see so many differences. I'm curious to see how they grow...will they be little clones of each other like my sisters and I? Or will they have their own unique features, but still be obvious siblings?

We shall see.

Hailey - July 14 2007

Paige - June 26 2009

Hailey - October 2007

Paige - September 2009

Hailey - November 2007

Paige - October 2009

Hailey - September 2008

Paige - August 2010

One thing I do know...I've got some cute little girls:)

Finally all caught up...

Caught up.

That is until I start taking pictures again. But for right now, we're taking a little bit of a break from summer. I'm trying to get my house in order...it's amazing how little unpacking gets done when you're never around. I've been trying to spend as much time as possible with my two little girls and just enjoying their company. I'm mostly trying to not forget how perfect my family is right now. One day my girls will be grown up and no one will be excited about 'hubatockers' (helicopters) in the sky and I won't have the chubbiest little 14 month old to cuddle with, and I might actually see my husband once in a while...wait, that might be a good thing. Speaking of good things that will come with time...one day I hope to not be dealing with the potty so much (Hailey has her moments) and maybe I won't have a 14 month old crying at my feet all day long either (Paige has her moments too). But this is the time in my life that I get to deal with and enjoy these young kids. So I'm really trying to cherish every moment.

Anyway, we did a lot of cherishing of moments last week as we camped/hoteled with Ben's family in Waterton. Ben's sister Rebecca and her family are leaving for the Caribbean this weekend to go to Med school. We're excited for them and this big adventure they will be embarking on....but I'm sad to see them go. I don't think Hailey can even comprehend how much she'll miss her cousin Addie, it makes me almost want to cry to think about them not seeing each other as often. But hopefully they'll be back one day!

So we spent this last week with the entire family as a bit of a last family gathering before they go. It was fun. I wish the weather had cooperated a bit more. But still, we made some really great memories...including:

Hanging out at the lake (sans makeup) and enjoying life
Finally letting Paige dip her feet into the Glacier water

Getting hugs from Cousins...

And sisters like Ashley

Or tackles?

Going on a boat ride on Uncle Chris's boat (and Lauren's too) ...I maybe could have used a few more hours of sleep...

Biking with the borrowed bike trailer (we ended up buying one when we got home because we loved it so much)...

Hi mom...I know the above picture has you a bit freaked out. I know you and dad bought the girls new helmets for these exact types of trips. We had them all packed and ready to go...and they enjoyed the trip from the comfort of the front porch of our home. Oops. We made sure to ride really slowly and to strap them in really well though. And we will never forget helmets again!

Pretending I'm a moody 14 year old again...

Hi Mom again...I know the above picture also has you a bit freaked out. I bet you and Dad thought you'd never see that face again...oops. I promise to never give you scary flash backs to my terrible teens again.

More bike riding - a bit happier this time...

An attempt at a little family picture in front of Cameron Falls...this is as good as it gets.

A hike to Bears Hump. So tiring with a 23 pound baby strapped to my front...but so worth it once we got there. The view is always gorgeous.

We did so many other fun things that week...unfortunately I had a problem with remembering my camera. So this will do for now. I'm sure one day I will get an email from Rebecca with some or her pictures from the week. But I don't expect it any time soon - since she is moving really really far away. Maybe we'll just have to take a little Holiday to the Island to pick up the pictures. Who wouldn't want a little trip to the Caribbean?

Sometime after the move

So right now, my life is broken up into two periods...before the move and after the move. It's funny because it's been a crazy time and everything really has been such a blur. But I need to keep records of everything we've done, so when life calms down (it will right?), I can look back and remember that things weren't always just pure chaos. We did enjoy the summer. I do have happy beautiful children. I do have a great husband...and maybe I do need to start working out again. Ok...it's out, this picture log is to remind myself that even when the going gets tough....I still need to get my butt going. Yikes...it's amazing what two months can do to ya.

So anyway...the first thing we did after we moved (i.e. the day after we moved) we went camping with the Taylor's and my sister. We had so much fun! Hailey had so much fun...Paige had so much fun!

I'm honestly so in love with those pics of Paige (courtesy of the Taylor camera). Mostly because it captures Paige perfectly...the way I get to see her. She is the sweetest happiest baby ever. BUT - she's not a fan of strangers or big crowds or anyone that wants to take her away from me (or looks like they might). Which means, in the comfort of my own home she is all smiles and giggles; when we're out and about you don't see that so often. And that's why I love these pictures...that's the Paige I am blessed to see every day!

Hailey and Heidi hit it off...Hailey and Jadyn hit it off too (sorry no pic - by the way, these camping pics are all courtesy of the Taylor camera). I think Hailey's favourite thing about the weekend? The barbies in the sand! There's nothing better then playing with girls who understand that life really is all about Barbies and Princesses.

Paige and her Cousin Max getting dirty!

A little dinner with the crew.

So after that little trip we took a break from camping for a few weeks. We worked on getting settled into the new home, getting the old one ready for renters and so on. And mostly we just worked on getting excited for the biggest day of the year...

My brother Josh got MARRIED!!! To the sweetest girl ever (who happens to be Ben's cousin...it's an interesting story, but the result is that they really aren't related in anyway, just connected). We (as in the whole family) are so happy that they found each other! What a perfect match!

We tried to get a picture of the girls in their dresses...this is the best I got.

I love Hailey's goofy little smiles....so cute!

Paige and I were there too...although Paige was a bit blurry. I'm blond by the way...which I guess is not a surprise to many of you. But at least my hair now matches!Ben was there too...just not in the pictures.

The next day we had my family over for some dessert and to see our new home.

I think Hailey has a bit of a crush on Hondro...

Then the following week we went camping with Chris and Lauren and Jaxson. It was a cold rainy weekend. But that didn't stop Paige from hamming it up for the camera:

Or Hailey and Ben enjoying some ice cream by the campfire

Paige did get worn out though - totally out. We went for a walk and she fell asleep...about an hour before bedtime. So I got some cuddle time before I finally gave in and put her to bed.

After that camping trip we came home...cleaned the house and prepared for our next adventure to Waterton with the McCance's (pics to come soon). We had a somewhat rainy week at home The story of this summer)...and were lucky enough to spot this gem. If you look closely, you can see the faint outline of the second rainbow. This kind of beauty is what makes my little 3 year old's day...to her, the world should be full of princesses, and princes, and Rainbows and all that kind of stuff. So it's nice when it actually is!

So...that was what we have been up to the few weeks following our move. I have one more post with pics from Waterton. And then, I'm finally caught up...for now that is.