back in the game

Not only does spring mean the arrival of warmer temperatures, greener grass, and colourful tulips....it also means something else.  The start of another season of Geocaching!  And that is just what Aidan and Maelle, and I did this morning.  We ventured out for our first geocaching event of the year.  And we did well...3 for 3!

Maelle and her keen eyes for all things treasure related, tracked down the first one with the help of Aidan's expertise on the GPS.  This marked find number one for Maelle, without any help.

Now as much fun as the whole search can be, I am amazed at  how long it takes these two to figure out what treasure they are going to pick.  Sometimes I think it takes them longer to decide, than it does to find the cache! 
Oh well....all good fun I guess.  I mean can you really go wrong treasure hunting in a forest on a beautiful day like today?  I think not. 
Here's to the start of an exciting season of geocaching!

the house that Brent built

This my friends...is our new addition.  A cottage.  A pool house.  A club house.  A fun little place for the kids to gather and play, and relax.  Nestled into the back corner of our yard, the new "house" has already become the favourite hang-out for our little clan.  Checkers have been played, Easter treats have been eaten, and mama already has a few more ideas up her sleeves to "cute-ify" this little abode even more.  But for now....it will stay as is until the weather becomes a bit more reliable.  Not a bad place to soak up a few rays huh?  It was Brent's idea to build a patio too.  I mean what house isn't complete without an outdoor living space?  The ladies seem to like it! 

Thanks Brent for spending much (ok, all) of the Easter weekend creating yet another fun space for our kidlets.  Once again, a fabulous job!  Love ya!

get hoppin'!

I am pretty sure, and I may have even said this last year, that Easter in these parts rivals Christmas.  Everything from the energy levels, the excitement, the anticipation, and the number of pictures I take must be equal to that of Christmas.  I think it may have something to do with the finding, searching, and wondering what could be inside each and every colourful plastic egg the "Easter Bunny" hides in all of our nooks and crannies.  One thing was different this year though.  We needed a system.  Four kids equals lots of eggs.  Four kids equals lots of arguments.  So...I got smart.  Each kid looked for a certain color, or a rabbit, or a carrot.  Brilliant!  And it made the hunt just that much more exciting. Phew.

When the baskets were just too much for little hands to carry, the girls' resorted to Plan B.



 

There was one thing I overlooked however...

...Bree and Jenna are much smarter this year.  They disappeared for a bit while we were making breakfast.  Oh I found them alright.  Devouring the contents of Bree's carrots.  Quiet is not always a good thing.

With two rounds of hunting, the sorting, the running, and the kids spending most of the morning eating, needless to say long naps were in order for this afternoon.  Thankfully we are enjoying amazing weather this weekend, and I can't help but having a little extra "spring" in my step.  We lived outside all weekend. 

Stay tuned for what we have been working on in the backyard.  So much fun!

weekending

Once again, good ole' Mother Nature has left us seriously doubting her abilities to bring us a good spring.  It has finally....just in the last few hours...stopped snowing.  It has snowed since Friday night.  It's wet.  It's damp.  It's slippery.  There are very deep puddles everywhere and if you aren't careful one could loose a small child in some of them.  When all was said and done, we ended up with oh, about 6", but at this point who cares.  So....as a result, we were forced to spend much of the weekend indoors.  Thankfully, there were a handful of places to go this weekend, and things to do.
We kicked things off Friday morning with Maelle's Spring Concert.  Some of my fave songs that these kids belted out were "Zip-pa-dee-doo-dah" and "Let's Go Fly A Kite".  I love watching how excited these kids get when they get a chance to perform.  Maelle has been rehearsing for weeks and filling up the house with a song and dance everyday.

Next up, Brent braved Toys R Us with Aidan and Maelle for a Lego make and take themed of course around the upcoming Easter holiday.  How cute are these bunnies?  And the best part....it was free!

We kicked it up old school with a sale item Brent picked up from the toy store.  "Operation" anyone?  The kids had such a fab time with this game....although I think they liked all of the sound effects much better, and would purposely hit the sides when removing the objects.

Sunday it was off to the once a year Super Trains Show.  This is like eye candy for kids and as I witnessed today, a whole lot of adults too!  This display was one of the favourites as the kids could all sit ground level and watch numerous trains or "choo-choos" snake, and zip there way around the maze of tracks.

Jenna could have watched these trains all day, but being two meant never standing still for more than 10 seconds!

The highlight (by far) was the huge, and I mean HUGE, Lego display with moving parts, trains and so much going on, that I think you would need an entire day to take it all in.  Aidan's eyes were glued to this display and I would imagine he felt the way I do when I walk into a scrapbooking store.  He was awestruck!  Speechless in fact!

This pic was a teeny tiny part of the display.  It was so big that I couldn't even capture it on camera, and even if I could it would look like a sea of colour.  I cannot even begin to imagine the total worth of this display, let alone how long it would have taken to assemble it.  Mind boggling!

In the end, the weekend wasn't a total write off.  Good thing.  We all had fun.  We still got out.  And we spent it together as a family. 

I can feel it!

Yep....I can.  I think that spring may in fact be here.  Glorious weather we have had over the past few days.  The sun has been shining.  The birds have been fluttering about in our trees and making the kids giggle.  We saw a couple of butterflies on Sunday (more like moths - don't tell Maelle) flitting about the yard.  And we even ate lunch outside.  Ahhhh.  I honestly felt as though spring was on our doorstep.  But.....oh there is always a "but".

If anyone has checked our weather forecast for tomorrow night you'd be laughing at my over eagerness to welcome a muchly anticipated season.  Every year it happens.  Every year I never learn.  So....right now I choose to ignore Mother Nature again.  And let me tell ya if she does what she says she is going to do, there will be some harsh words uttered and exchanged.  Plug your ears.

who knew?

So....I was reading a few weeks back about how to make your own microwave popcorn.  Oh, yes...it's true!  You can do it.  I didn't realize how bad microwave popcorn could be...mostly in the packaging and the use of flavouring agents.  I did not know that.  Anyways....given that Canada was playing Norway tonight in curling - Aidan is addicted to the sport - I thought a little popcorn would make a lovely munchie/treat, and why not try out my new recipe?

And there you have it!  My own, homemade, microwave popcorn. 
The recipe is super easy too:
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1 small brown paper bag (lunch bag)
*optional seasonings - the sky is the limit here!

Basically put the kernels in the bag, fold it over 2 or 3 times, cook on high for about 1 1/2 minutes or until there are about 2 seconds between pops.  Season with your fave and enjoy!
See!  Super easy! 
I must admit I had visions of the bag exploding in the microwave or the popcorn burning, or a combination of the two, but as you can see it all went according to plan.  Phew!  And it was good!  Now, I didn't add any seasonings mainly because it was for the kids and I have grown accustomed to plain popcorn, but you could have a field day with toppings!  I am anxious to try the cinnamon sugar popcorn for our next movie night.  How good does that sound?

blasted

Oh Mother Nature....you are so not in my good books at the moment. I am sure that these feelings will pass, but for now I am really not liking you very much. We endured a crazy snow storm yesterday, that left us with almost a foot (yes a foot) of heavy wet snow. Driving was almost to the point of ridiculous, and shovelling was a full time job. We watched from the warm indoors yesterday as inch after inch of snow piled up everywhere and showed no signs of stopping. Awful. But....today the sun came out. It warmed up. The snow that you so graciously gave us, started to melt. Fast. I must say though, your lovely gift did provide some evening entertainment tonight. Aidan and Maelle got outside to build our second snowman of the year. And when the shovelling became unbearable, and we ran out of places to put the snow....well, we resorted to other means of fun. Snowball fight!

Brent started it.

The kids enjoyed it - well all except Aidan who got walloped in the cheek. Ouch.

And then they retaliated.

Big time.

And I...took pictures. Of course!

So, while the kids are cozied up in their beds after some warm bubble baths, the graters continue to move snowy slush piles outside our windows. I did manage a bit of a smile today at the site of kids playing basketball in t-shirts, and less than 24 hours ago we were wondering just how much more snow could fall. We could barely see across the street. Only in Calgary my friends!

ribbon creek

It's Spring Break! And spring break wouldn't be complete without an adventure into the mountains. And that is just what we did on Tuesday. We loaded up the truck with sleds and snowshoes, snacks and games, movies and music, and headed into my favourite area...Kananaskis. It's so rustic and so laid back. It's never busy, and when you can wonder around smelling the wood burning fires, mixed with yummy food and fresh pine needles...needless to say I am a happy mama! After a quick lunch, we headed to our destination....Ribbon Creek.

This is a perfect trail for the kids, not steep, a gradual uphill alongside a creek that was just starting to peek through the frozen ice. It allowed the little ladies to spend most of the time walking, and when their little legs got tired, they could ride in the sleds. Funny enough, I think we spent most of the hike towing empty sleds as Bree and Jenna were fascinated with everything trailside. Rocks. Sticks. Water. All of it....very interesting.

There was also ample opportunities for Aidan to do a little deep snow bushwhacking.

Which usually ended up like this:

Bree and Jenna took turns attempting to give each other a lift,

all the while enjoying views like this:

I tell ya, that mountain air does it to me every time. I come home feeling rejuvenated and wishing that I lived in a treehouse! Crazy, I know. We are all eagerly anticipating the start of our hiking and camping season, and this area is usually our first trip out. We have a lot of winter / spring left, but the buzz in the truck on the way home has me looking forward to the upcoming season of new adventures.

grateful

If anyone has ever spent some time hanging around our house, you would know that there is always a camera clicking somewhere, of someone, whether they know it or not. There is always a camera at the ready or you can find me being stealthy trying my best to sneak up on a "moment" without being found out. I'm so thankful for these following pics courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Werkman. For once I was empty handed - with regards to the camera that is - and was very fortunate that my parents weren't.

Oh and this next one...well...I think it sums up rather well as to what goes on on a daily basis around these parts. Craziness. Silliness. Rockin' out to some fave tunes. Let's just say that dress up is big in this house and with dressing up comes performing.

Many, many thank you's Grandma and Grandpa Werkman. Both for an awesome visit and for capturing some treasured moments. Love you!

hello spring??

Right...maybe not. Although they say it is spring, out here it is far from it. It has been damp, cold, snowy, and foggy for the past few days, making it feel...well, as far from spring as we can get. We did however manage to gather the troops this morning and get a little sledding in. I mean if you have snow, you may as well make the most of it - enter eye roll here - and try to enjoy those winter activities.

Alright, so I admit it, I did have fun. And judging by the looks on the kids' faces, I think that they did too. So maybe winter is far from over, and spring isn't just right around the corner. I guess we will just have to make the best of it because at this rate I am sure that we will still have snow in June.

minor delay

Well, it may be a minor delay for you guys, but over here I am jumping for joy!

A very nice Purolator man paid a visit to my house today and left me with a much anticipated package that I have been waiting for for about....ummmmm.....3 1/2 weeks! My new laptop! Yay!

So....if you will excuse me for a little bit while I begin the "reorganization" process, I should be back up and hopefully somewhat together in a few days!

Oh....I am sooooo excited! Did I mention that I ordered it in peacock blue! Oooooo.....yes, I did! It`s so cute!

so nice...

to have a visit full of....

colouring, cuteness,

and cuddles,

(photo courtesy of Auntie Ky)

proud moments celebrating the end of hockey season,

(photo courtesy of Auntie Ky)

fun day trips to favourite places...

construction projects both big (for the house) and small (for the kids)...

and new projects and ideas that are being added to the list for next time! Said projects discovered while the ladies got into a little trouble whilst antiquing in Okotoks...oh what fun we had! I would describe the feeling as a slight bit giddy combined with giggles and a bit too much tea and coffee goodness! I'm still pumped about our fab finds!

Most importantly though, it was so nice to have a visit full of love, family time, and fun. It has been a busy albeit fun few days having Grandma and Grandpa Werkman hanging out with us, and as their adventure slowly comes to a close we are getting excited about Maelle's and my upcoming trip to Ontario in May that I am sure will be filled with even more adventures, fun, and good times.

kitchen adventure

I had some time this morning while Aidan and Maelle were at school. I found myself in the kitchen with Bree and Jenna at the ready....ready to make something. But what?
Last week while grocery shopping, I happened to pick up a book from the sale table. As hard as I try to avoid this section of the store, I always seem to find myself just having a little peek....you know, just in case there is something fabulous lurking in amongst the stacks. I'd hate to miss that something fabulous afterall. Anyways....the book that jumped into my cart was called "The Cleaner Plate Club". Basically a book about getting your kids to eat clean, and healthy foods. I have been on a bit of a mission for the last little while, and have taken on a bit of a whole food / clean eating lifestyle. It's going well, and I am learning a tonne. So, needless to say when I saw this book, I had to add it to my ever expanding library of healthy cookbooks. This book rocks!!

It takes you through many fantastic recipes and information and lays it all out so that it's simple to understand. Fantastic! One of the recipes we tried today was in my opinion very adventurous. Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips. Yes....we made chips out of kale. And you know what? They were awesome! In fact...they are almost gone.

Bree, Aidan, and myself were lovin' them the most. Maelle tried them a few times and isn't sure just yet. Jenna has a little fever today so was a bit out of sorts...maybe the next batch. And Brent.....well, they are green.

If you have never tried these I really suggest that you give it a go. They are so easy to make and are so amazingly good for you. In all honesty, I thought that the kids (and I) wouldn't enjoy them, but I was totally wrong! I love it when I am surprised like that! I will definitely be picking up more kale on my grocery run tomorrow!

proud

Oh such a proud moment....for us as parents, and for the little guy himself. His very first "tournament" goal! You may need to turn down the music (at the bottom of the page) to hear the announcer say his name! Aidan is #11, you can see him skating along the bottom of the screen and then in towards the net.

Way to go little buddy!

Thank you Brent for capturing Aidan's big moment on video! I am thinking you are moving up in the blogging world as my very own videographer!

At two....

We love....
-how when we give you a time out, you look at us with your cheeky grin and pinch our nose and giggle.

-how you love to help out in the kitchen with any (and I mean any) task....your favourite is taste testing.

-how you dress up in anything and everything currently in the mud room and tromp around the house all decked out.

-how you always pick out the chocolate timbits.

-how you love to cuddle up and read stories over and over and over again.

-how you play hide-and-seek with your siblings and always hide in the same place.

-how you pretend to read a book out loud and laugh at all the funny parts.

-how some of your first words were "snack" and "more".

-the fact that you are both inseparable, and that the bond between twins is truly magical.

-that you love to dance and that your fave tunes as of late are anything by Garth Brooks or Taylor Swift.

-that you love to watch what we do, and will always pull up a chair to get a better look.

-that finally you will let me "do" your hair just like your big sister.

-how you hide behind your curtains at bedtime and think we can't see you.

-that you fill up our lives with so much joy, happiness, and laughter and at the same time mischief, independence, and personality.

So on this day Bree and Jenna, we wish you a very happy second birthday. Thank you for being you and for always keeping us on our toes, and for filling up this house with so much love, loudness, and gut busting giggles.

We love you!

Happy Birthday!