Well .. Hell Must Have Frozen Over

Anyone who knows me well, knows I'm not the biggest animal lover.  Growing up on a farm we always had animals but I tended to keep my distance.  Jason has always wanted to get a pet, and the kids have asked to get a dog for years.

I must be getting soft in my old age because I have finally relented and we recently got a puppy.

We purchased her a few weeks ago and were waiting for her to be old enough to leave her mom.  I can't even count the number of times the kids have said to me in those weeks "I can't believe you are letting us get a dog, mom".

Cadence has been so excited.  We made a countdown chain to help her visualize how many more sleeps she had before we picked up the puppy.

Painting Cadence made of the new puppy

She did a lot of practicing with her kitty toy.

This past Saturday we headed to Edmonton.  We weren't able to do our usual favorite activities in Edmonton such as the Waterpark and Galaxyland but we still had fun doing a little shopping at the West Edmonton Mall and going for a family supper.  We stayed overnight at a nice hotel - always Cadence's favorite part, and even their pool was open so the kids enjoyed a swim.

The next morning we headed about 40 minutes out of Edmonton to pick up Daisy.  She is a Beagle and 10 weeks old.  After we first decided to get her I asked Jason to ask the breeder what her birthdate was - so we can celebrate her birthday every year of course. So when Jason asked we found out her birthday is May 2nd.  May 2nd is the birthday of our third baby Kenneth David who was stillborn 12 years ago.  That news made me smile - almost like she is meant to be our puppy.

Daisy did great on the ride home. We stopped a couple times for food, water and potty breaks.  She didn't have any accidents and seemed to like her crate and slept quite a bit.

Since having her home the past couple days she has only had a few accidents in the house and seems to be bonding with everyone, especially Ashton.  Sleeps well in her crate downstairs and seems to love her bed in the family room already.  The kids are enjoying playing and walking her and I even like her quite a bit.

Welcome to the family Daisy girl!

Edmonton Trip 2020

Every so often I check the Edmonton Science Centre to see what exhibits they currently have as they have had some really great ones we have visited in the past.  A few months ago I saw they had a Marvel Exhibit that was on until the middle of February.  Jason and I decided to plan a little family trip to Edmonton to see it.

Our plan was to leave this past Friday morning nice and early as we had tickets for the exhibit at 2 p.m.  We got out the door early as planned and gassed up and top up the air in the tires.  When Jason went to put air in the last tire he bent down and heard a hissing sounds.  We had a nail in the tire!!  It isn't an Atwood holiday without a little extra adventure.

Across the parking lot from the gas station is a tire shop so Jason ran in and luckily they were almost finished with a tire and could fit us in.  We piled into their waiting area and enjoyed hot chocolate and popcorn while we waited for the tire.  In the meantime, I called Edmonton to make sure we could arrive a bit late to the exhibit and still be able to enter.  An hour later we were back on the road and very grateful we had noticed the nail and avoided a flat tire on the side of the highway.

The Marvel Exhibit was great.  We all enjoyed it.  Cadence said she was just a little bit bored, but that it was mostly good.

After the Science Centre we headed to "Ice Castles"  it's an acre-sized frozen castle crafted by hand using only icicles and water.  We went at dusk and it was quite beautiful to see it become lit by the LED lights.  It housed a few slides, and a fireplace and throne.  Expensive but definitely a fun one time adventure.  Cadence loved the slides.  We had a really mild night so we could enjoy for as long as we wanted.

We ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory.  Jason and I ate there on our honeymoon and it has now become a family tradition.  The remainder of the weekend included the World Waterpark (for nearly 8 hours), Galaxyland, and shopping.

I think it is funny how much my kids love going to Edmonton.  It is a quick, fun getaway.  I was grateful for good weather and good roads.  Love spending time with my little family!!

First Sewing Project

A couple years ago Jason bought me a sewing machine.  I want to learn how to sew but I felt intimidated.  I wasn't sure how to thread the machine and didn't know how to get started.  A great friend of mine, Karen, is a wonderful seamstress and she offered to come over and help me get started.  She came with supplies and an idea for a cute little bag for Cadence.

We got my machine all set up and in no time at all I had made this adorable little bag for Cadence.  Cadence loves it and I'm feeling more confident in using my machine.  Thanks Karen for the sewing lessons.  Now to find some easy sewing projects!

A Tight Fit

A couple months ago my washing machine broke and so we went shopping for a new one.  I wanted to keep the washer and dryer matching so we decided to buy both.  We found a good deal and were told if we bought an additional appliance we could get 15% more off our purchases.  We had planned on replacing our fridge (which had a broken handle, 2 broken crisper drawers, and the water dispenser no longer worked) in the New Year so we thought we'd go ahead and buy it now.

The fridge arrived at the store and Jason with the help of one of our ministering brothers, who has a truck, went and got it.  Getting it into the house was a huge ordeal.  It barely fit through our front door even with most of the packaging removed.  Jason and Ashton had quite the time.

Got our old fridge moved out into the garage and went to move the new fridge into place.  It was TOO BIG!!  Jason had measured from the cupboards not noticing the countertop stuck out over the cupboards. Left the fridge in the middle of the kitchen while he was on a business trip for a week, and on his return he got the area tarped and then got to work grinding down the countertop.  It was a tedious job.

It was a very tight fit! But she's in!!

Loving our new fridge!

Year End Activities

Before school was out for the year the kids were busy with extra curricular activities.  Bowen participated in the school play again this year.  It was a busy time with auditions last November and rehearsals starting in January and continuing until the 3 final performances in April.  The play was called Peter and the Starcatcher (a Peter Pan origin story).  Bowen had quite a big role as a sea captain in the 1st half of the play and then a minor role in the second half.  His death scene was amazing.  He is becoming quite a good actor.

Cadence played timbit soccer.  She did well and had lots of fun.  I wasn't able to go to many games with my teaching schedule but she enjoyed having daddy and her brothers come watch.

The boys had their final band concerts.  I was so amazed at how well they played.  Bowen's Grade 6/7 band had competed in a competition a couple weeks earlier against 40 other bands and they won first place. It was a great concert.  Both the boys also spoke.  Bowen introduced a number that his friend Ben had composed.  I was so impressed how good the piece was.  Ashton was asked to write a speech to thank the band teacher.  He wrote the speech himself and it was funny, witty and heart-warming.  I was very proud of both of my boys.  Bowen also won the "Most Improved" award for his class.

I didn't record any of Ben's piece, but here is a clip from the concert.