Becoming Albertan

Andy, Seth and Tristan went with friends to the local Rodeo on Saturday.
It was quite an experience for them as a bull landed on the gate in front of them and pushed the gate into the crowd - hurting Andy and Evan the most.  Seth and Tristan being smaller came out no worse for the wear. 
They came home and burst into the door all chattering at once to tell me about the amazing rodeo.  
Oh the wild west, and what they do for fun.  ;)   

Baby room

Rowan is almost two (already!!) but to me he is still my cuddly baby, although deep down I know he is a mischievous, giggling, smart little bundle of toddler.  And we love him so much. Day after day Andy and I thank God for this little boy as well.  He brings so much joy and laughter.
I have this conviction that babies need their own little corner of peacefulness in the world- their bedroom, and since Rowan is my baby, his room was next on my list of rooms to make cozy.  I wanted it soft and neutral like the one in Drayton but I also wanted it fresh and fun, unlike the babyroom in Drayton;)

Slumbering cozily

My favourite part of his room: the new crib! Till now he was sleeping in his playpen.  It was a steel of a deal at Walmart - since it's last years style.  I'm pretty sure Rowan will never mind that his bed is a year "out of vogue".

The colours were hard to catch on camera, they really truly are a tone or two brighter - fresher. The stripes were a fun challenge for me. The dresser I touched up with some fresh paint and new (to me) knobs.

 

And the the famous "before" picture to end it all. I know, it was time for something new!

Snowshoeing

 A group of friends from the church here in Taber as well as ladies from Coaldale planned a day out to Waterton National Park (approx 1 1/2 hours south west from here) to snowshoe the Crandell Lake trail.  It was very nice to be asked to join them and Andy signed up willingly to take care of the littles all day so I could go.
I don't think any of us six from Taber had gone snowshoeing before and we were a bit surprised how much work it actually was.  The girls from Coaldale all had done it before and were more hardcore whereas we were not quite so competitive and were more prone to basking in the sunshine and enjoying the gorgeous views.  This was my first time in Waterton (can't wait to go again when it's summer!!) and Andy was quite green, so I made sure I took alot of pictures - for him:) 
  This was the first time I could remember ever leaving for 10+ hours in one day, and leaving the boys with Andy!  I was a bit nervous about it, but still had a marvelous time, and so did the rest of the family.  :) 

Taken with a timer - this is before we started, we are all fresh here still:)

We were nice and noisy to scare off the bears ;) It must have worked - we didn't see any.

Three big smiles...Marie-Louise, Helene and Leanne.

I was asked not to be so tall here...but sadly, it can't be helped;)

Jody, Loretta and Leanne.

At Crendall Lake!  The mountains surrounding it were so stunning!

Fun-loving Jody.  (She's moving soon - I am so sad!!)

Considering we haven't had any accumulative snow here at home for a while now...I thought this shows how much snow there is only a couple hours away.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my hubby!

I could write a big love letter to him on here but that's annoying for others....right?  Who wants to read that anyways. And I'm really not that good at writing one either.
So, I'll just say, we all are pleased as punch with the most wonderful husband and father we have been given, and we pray for many many more years together, in His service. 

(The barns got emptied again the night before his birthday so we were pretty tired and the day was pretty busy.   For celebration we decided to go test the new Boston Pizza down the road... much to the boys delight.)

Panorama

 Natasha gave me these pictures... I thought they were kind of cool. You may need to click on the picture to make it larger. 

This is the farm from the back - at the furthest corner of the crop circle.

The coulees close by our place.

I'm pointing to a herd of white tailed deer running along the ridge...hard to spot on this picture though.

Finishing the week (with Rowan and Tanner)

...continued from previous post...
Monday morning, March 24th, we left bright and early from Aunt Lydia's place after a cuppa good dutch coffee.  
We nicely cruised along till Red Deer where we stopped for coffee and donuts (mmmm). My cousin who lives a bit north of Calgary was gracious and offered to make up a pancake lunch for us to get as we drove thru - it was the perfect place to stretch our legs and take a break before making driving the final three hours home.

The kids were very cooperative which made the journey enjoyable. I think we all were tired too. By the time we got to Taber Seth was ready to jump out of the van and fly home - he could not contain his excitement to see his dad. That was nice to see:)
It was really fun to be able to show Natasha our home.  Tanner and Rowan were constant entertainment to us as they spent quite a some time testing each other to see who was ruler in the peking order. Two boys almost two years old can make simple toys seem like the most important thing around for their survival and we had to watch them figure out who was the  boss a few times.  Such cute little characters, full of life and sparkle.  Both don't speak too many legible words, but they really can show what they want and how.
 

Snack time

We spent Wednesday in Lethbridge as I had an appointment and while shopping I found a large ceramic bird that I liked for on the mantel. Of course I didn't need it so I didn't purchase it but mom came up with this idea that since it was going to be Andy's birthday next week... maybe he would like that bird... What a great idea eh?  (I knew he would be suspicious about it though and when we gave it to him at home for an early gift.... his face said it all :)) He knows how we work;D  It created a lot of laughter - and I love it.  Rowan and Tanner also loved the bird and were sweetly caressing it and carrying it around in their arms.  We will see how long it lasts;)

Welcome to our farm birdie - where birds of feather flock together.

Petting their new friend

Costco carts have room for two in the front of the cart.  What silly silly boys we had with us.

Tub time!

Oma wanted a picture of her with the kids yet, but they were not interested. 

Thursday morning before catching the plane in Calgary...

Coffee and crafts

Thanks to Ruth-Ann for getting engaged so we could have this fun time together! We are eagerly waiting for August to do it again, hopefully with even more people then...
We can't wait to host you in sunny Alberta!