The Good Life

SomeThings We've Been Doing

2011-09-22T09:08:00.002-06:00

On Labor Day Karen and Martin came up and we went out for Vietnamese food, then we went to River Valley Park. It was so pretty down there. There are playgrounds, golf courses, picnic areas and tons of bike paths.

After the Park, we went to Elk Island National Park. There you can see Buffalo, Moose and Elk. But, we only saw Buffalo. At the Park is a huge Playground, a lake, picnic areas and hiking trails. We plan on going back for a hike and a picnic.

Taylor started eating Baby Cereal. She loved it!! The next time I fed it to her, she was so excited, she was kicking her feet and laughing.

Taylor started using her Jolly Jumper. She really likes it, and of course when ever she uses it she has an audience, and someone to "help" her jump.

Davis lost his top tooth!! It was wiggly for a long time, and Drew tried to pull it out for 3 days. Finally it was barely hanging in, and it was at a funny angle, and he was able to get it out. Davis was so pleased.

Meal Planning Monday

2011-09-20T22:40:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I am late on posting this, so let's call it Tardiness Tuesday...

Monday- We had boring spaghetti (sauce from a jar, hamburger, you know the kind) and peas. Davis wanted to have it for dinner on Sunday, but I made something else, so I promised him that I would make Spaghetti the next day.

Tuesday- Cheesesteak Sandwiches and a green salad.

Wednesday- Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Rice

Thursday- I'm not really sure if it has a name, but it is this egg and tuna salad stuff that you put on buns, and then toast it.

Friday- It is Drew's Birthday, so I let him pick the meal. He requested Chicken Enchiladas, and I will make a green salad. And for dessert I am going to attempt to make peach and coconut cream pie.

Saturday- I know we had something similar a few days ago, but I am making Spaghetti and Meatballs. This recipe is so good, that Monday's Spaghetti is embarrassed to be seen with today's Spaghetti. Oh, and a Caesar Salad.

Sunday- I am making Chicken Tortilla Soup. Since we have late church, I love to try and make something that I can throw in the crockpot before we leave and come home to a yummy smelling house. Especially since we are all starving by the time we get home.

The First Day of School

2011-09-20T22:31:00.004-06:00

When we told the kids that we were moving, Davis took it the hardest. One of the things he didn't want to leave was his School. He loved school. He had excellent teachers and great friends. I admire his courage to start grade 2 in a new school. It was hard, and he had a hard first couple of days, but things are getting better. He isn't getting lost everyday and he has made some new friends.

Marcus on the other hand has had no problems adjusting to a new school. He loves Kindergarten. He is excited to go everyday. Even if it is just to get away from Phoenix.

Change

2011-09-06T14:33:00.012-06:00

I struggle with change. I am an over-thinker and a worrier. We found out in October that because of budget issues Drew would not be offered a full time job at Lethbridge College. I cried for weeks. I assumed it was the natural progression, once he finished his Master's, then the College would offer him a job. It was my job to check the job postings for Colleges and Universities in western Canada. We were willing to go anywhere for a full-time job, but hoping that things at the College would change. I dreaded looking at the job boards, it was depressing. It was getting into summer, and nothing that great was coming up, and we were going to plug away with a contract position at the college. Then in the last week of July, Drew got a phone call. One of the jobs that he applied for (NAIT) wanted to interview him, and a week later he was offered the job and was off to Edmonton to check things out.

It was a hard decision to leave Lethbridge. We had so much to lose - we were close to family, the kids were in a good school, Drew liked the College, we were in a good ward...But, we had so much to gain by leaving. A permanent full-time position. This is what we prayed for. So in a whirl-wind month we managed to squeeze in camping at Writing on Stone, swimming in the pool, going to Edmonton, going to Ashley Lake, and packing up our house.

There are things I am not going to miss about the house: The mouse situation, water in the basement, the septic tank, having no water because of a broken pump, or frozen pipes, getting stuck in our driveway, and in the winter hearing the wind and worrying that we wouldn't be able to get out of the yard, and having the power go out for long periods of time. And, I don't think Drew will miss all the many, many, many hours of cutting grass.

But there are things that I will miss. This is the house where I fell in love, with both Drew and the Clark Family. This is the house where we brought Taylor home after she was born. This is the house where I brought Drew home from the hospital. This is the house where there were so many delicious meals. This is the house of making chocolates. This is the house where so many games and hands of Rook were played. This is the house where we welcomed loved ones into the family. This is the house where we said Good-Bye to loved ones. This is the house of many well-wishes as we set off for other adventures such as missions, marriage and having babies. This is the house where many Birthdays were celebrated. This is the house where countless hours were spent jumping on the trampoline, playing kick-the-can and swimming in the pool. This is the house for sleep-overs. This is the house of the annual Doug and Nola Clark Memorial Swimming Party. The house has a history. We will all be forever grateful for Doug and Nola for not just building a house, but for building a family and traditions of love and kindness.

So, here we are in a new city, in a new house, in a new school, in a new ward, with a new job, trying to figure out why we are here. When we met with our Bishop for the first time, he told us that he felt inspired to tell us that we were brought to our ward for a reason. That is a scary prospect, but I know that we are here for a reason as well. It seemed like things fell into place so easy, how could it not be right?

Meal Planning Monday

2011-06-06T10:11:00.003-06:00

I had planned to work on my Blog yesterday afternoon, because I figured that would be a good Sunday activity, but it was such a nice day that I spent it napping and outside with the kiddos. So, here is the plan for the week.

Monday: Bean and Sausage soup with some cornbread muffins I pulled out of the freezer this morning because Phoenix insisted on eating a frozen one.
Tuesday: Shepard's Pie. If you want to be technical the correct term is Cottage Pie because I am not using lamb.
Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan and a Caesar salad. My kids love Caesar salad. It's kind of funny.
Thursday: I call this Mandy's Pasta, because she told me how to make it. It is a baked pasta with cheese, bacon and onion in it.
Friday: Hamburgers and Pasta salad. Even though it has been raining for what feels like a year, I am so ready for Drew to light the Barbeque and for us to eat outside. We even got the deck swept off last night so that we can.
Saturday: Breakfast-For-Dinner. Not sure what I'll make yet, but I'm thinking it will be pancakes...maybe Star Wars Pancakes if I'm feeling fancy.
Sunday: Roast Chicken with whatever vegetable that appeals to me when I go to Safeway this week.

My New Idea

2011-05-30T20:45:00.004-06:00

I am a planner, and a list maker, so making a meal plan for the week comes naturally to me. When Jo and Karen are over they like to check out what I am making for dinner that week. So, my new idea of a weekly (we'll see how long it lasts) post called Meal Planning Monday, where I'll tell you what my meal plan is for the week, and maybe spark some ideas to your meal planning, which can be a dreaded chore (especially when you ask your husband what to make and he either says I don't care, or something totally ridiculous like Liver and Onions). Feel free to comment, ask for recipes, or give me ideas!!

Monday: Tacos. (I can just hear my sisters say Taaacos). Drew just got back from Kalispell, and he brought back some of those really yummy uncooked tortillas from Costco. Then for dessert, we made them with butter and cinnamon and sugar (SO GOOD!!)
Tuesday: Perogies. Not that interesting, but Tuesdays are a really busy night.
Wednesday: Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Thursday: Spaghetti and Meatballs. I got the recipe from Lynn, and they are SO good. The trick is to make them the night before, because they are better the next day. They are also really good if you freeze them, and then re-heat later. And a Caesar Salad. If I'm in the mood, I might make some breadsticks. We'll see.
Friday: Crispy Oven Baked Chicken and Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I think that my veggie will just be cooked carrots, because my Dad gave me a gigantic bag of them from "the pit".
Saturday: On Saturday is our Breakfast-For-Dinner-Night. But, I think I might rebel and have my dear husband take me out on a date, or I just might take myself out on a date.
Sunday: Ham (one of those ones from Costco in the red package), funeral potatoes and broccoli.

April

2011-05-25T07:44:00.005-06:00

Life with a newborn is busy. Life with 4 kids is crazy busy. I love having Taylor as a part of my family. I am so lucky to have her, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Here are some of the things we did this April

Davis lost his first tooth. He was a bit slow in losing teeth. He was worried that he hadn't lost any yet, and felt sad that all the other kids were losing theirs and he hadn't. He asked me one day "Mom, will I still have all my baby teeth when I'm an adult?"

I don't know how we worked this, but our last two kids, and Mat & Robyn's first two kids have been born 2 weeks apart. Here is Taylor with her cousin Daxon. He is 2 weeks older, but when she was born, she was 2 pounds bigger.

Auntie Lynn came and stayed with us for a few days. It was so nice to have her here!! It was just what I needed. She played with the boys, gave Taylor lots of cuddles, baked and cooked very yummy things, we talked, we laughed, we shopped a bit. I was so sad to see her go. I knew that she needed to get home to her own family, but I wished that she could have stayed longer. I know this sounds weird, but I don't think you really realize how much you miss someone, until you can spend some time with them.

We set up a tent in the basement, and the boys got to sleep in it. Phoenix only got to sleep in it for one night. He was a bit small, and kept his brothers awake too much. I think there also was a bit of a conflict over someone wanting a cuddle, and no one would cuddle with him.

Taylor and Marcus playing on my IPhone.

We were worried that Phoenix would be really jealous of Taylor, because he doesn't even like it when Marcus sits on my knee. He has been fairly good about having a new sister. He loves her, and won't keep his hands off of her. He always has to touch her, and lay beside her, try to wake her up, bath her and feed her. One day she was getting her clothes changed, and was laying in just a diaper on the floor. I went to get her some clean sleepers, and as I came into the kitchen from the laundry room, Phoenix was throwing a diaper into the garbage. He told me that she was poopy and that he changed her. I went back into the Family room, and Taylor was laying naked on the floor.

Introducing...

2011-05-06T13:53:00.005-06:00

The wait for baby was of course totally worth it...

Before I was due I set up an induction date with my obgyn because I was terrified of having a gigantic baby. All of my kids have been around the 9 lb mark, and I was worried that if I went over, then the kid would weigh at least 20 lbs. I was so nervous the night before. I was worried that it wouldn't work, or that it would take all day. I was also worried about actually being in the hospital, since the last time I was there I didn't have the greatest experience. On Friday March 25, Drew and I got to the hospital at 630 am. After getting checked in, at 800am the doctor came at broke my water, then Drew and I wandered the halls for an hour to see if we could get things into motion. While we were walking around we were reminiscing about going for walks at the Foothills in Calgary. This time Drew pushed my IV pole around. Sadly, the walking didn't do much, so at 900am I was put on the drip. Because I was on the drip I couldn't go into the shower, and I was really disappointed because that is one of the things I do to help with the pain. At around 1100am, things really started picking up. I am not comfortable with an Epidural, or with Morphine, and my pain reliever of choice, the gas, wasn't available anymore, so I was hurting, and unsure of what I was going to do. They gave me heat packs, and those were great until they took them away because I was getting too hot. Then I decided that maybe I should have some Morphine, but when they went to put it into my IV, the baby dropped too much, and it was too late. At about 1130am I started to push, and then at 1137am, I had a baby. When it came out Drew said "It's a girl!!", and I said "A girl!?! Really!?!". We both were surprised. She weighed in at 8 lbs and 13 oz (the same weight as Phoenix), and was 54 cm long (the longest of my kids (hopefully that doesn't always stay that way)).

Because we didn't know we were having a girl, we didn't really have a name picked out, we did have a list of names, but we didn't have one picked. We actually didn't decide on her name until we were just about to leave the hospital. I had all the paperwork filled out, and her loaded into the carseat ready to go. Then to complicate things, Drew asked the boys what they thought we should name their little sister. So, we decided to call her Taylor Rosetta.

We all love her a lot.

Overdue

2011-03-23T08:23:00.002-06:00

I have never been pregnant on my due date...until now. And it is complete torture. I was teary and a bit cross all day on March 18. I tried to keep myself busy and distracted, I did laundry and some sewing with crazy hair, and in my non-fitting pj's. Then my sweet husband took me out on a date, and I felt much better. At first I didn't want to go, because I feel very anti-social, and very un-attractive. We went to Streetside, and then wandered around the Home and Garden Show. I kept making comments like, "I packed my bag today maybe that will get me into labor". As I was getting into bed that night, I sighed and said "I am officially overdue.". March 19 came and I had high expectations. I even got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the kitchen floor. I thought this baby just wants to share a birthday with his/her Aunt Mandy. No luck. Then March 20. March 21. March 22 (maybe it wants to share a birthday with Aunt Jen). Now we are sitting at March 23. One person told me that I am having a girl because girls like to take their time. They need time to do their hair. Meanwhile, I keep getting advice from people on how to bring on labor. Eat Chinese food, jump on the trampoline, drink raspberry tea, drink caster oil (gag), eat Curry, go for a jog, go for a walk, get a massage, get "romantic", go on a bumpy car ride...I admit I am trying some of these, like the tea and the massage, but I am doing those because I like to drink herbal tea, and I like to get massages. But, for the most part I think the rest will just make me more uncomfortable, and make me waddle just a little bit more. So, I guess I just need to be patient, and try to enjoy being pregnant for the last time. Because this won't last forever...even though today it feels like it will.

Mmm...bacon

2011-03-17T10:14:00.003-06:00

I know I've mentioned before that Phoenix is a busy boy. He is down-right exhausting at times. The other night, we were doing a family activity before bedtime. Marcus picked that he wanted to color. So, we were all busy in the living room coloring; meanwhile, Phoenix got bored and wandered off, then my sister Lynn called, and I was talking to her. We heard some rustling going on in the kitchen, and Drew sent Davis in to see what Phoenix was doing. He came back in with the open package of raw bacon, and said "Phoenix was eating meat!!" Phoenix opened the fridge, opened the ziplock bag of bacon, and was eating it. The funniest part was that he was upset that we took away the bacon, and made him wash his hands.

A Very Special Person

2011-03-05T16:39:00.003-07:00

I need to apologize about these pictures...they are terrible. The joys of taking pictures in a school gym. I should have tested it out first or something, but I took some cute ones, and then realized that I needed to turn off my flash.

At Davis' school they have "Special People" Assemblies. Kids get honored for all the hard work that they do in school. At the end of January Davis got picked by his teacher, Mrs. Fleming. It was also a special assembly because Mrs. Fleming and her baby got Special People Awards because this was just before she went on her Maternity leave. Davis is a very special person. I always get told by his teachers how well liked he is by all the other students. He is funny. He is a hard worker. He is smart. I love my little first-grader.

January

2011-02-24T17:12:00.005-07:00

January is always a bit sad. Even though my tree is so crusty and such a fire-hazard, it is still sad to see all the Christmas decorations come down. It is nice to have things return to normal, but I love Christmas. Not only was the tree hard and crusty, but the gingerbread house and train were getting crusty, and honestly I was tired of having them sitting on my counter (I hate having too much stuff on my counter...it drives me crazy). So, I told the boys that they had one more day to snack on them, and then they were going in the garbage. I came into the kitchen and I saw them gnawing on them like little beavers.

We had people over one night, and so we brought the office chair upstairs. I told the boys to get ready for bed, and when I came to check on how the teeth brushing was going, this is what I found...

This winter has been horrible. Cold. Snow. The works. It has even been too cold for the boys to go play outside. On one of the actual nice days that we had, I sent them all outside to play.

We have a gigantic drift on our deck, and Drew and Davis dug a cave into it.

Winter feels like it will never end, but I really hope that we at least get some more good play outside days.

Mummies

2011-02-24T16:52:00.004-07:00

It really is amazing how much fun you can have with a roll of toilet paper.

Christmas

2011-02-24T16:24:00.004-07:00

CHRISTMAS EVE

It is always a bit tricky to balance out Christmas, and where we are going to be. We figured that since we are still living in the Party House, that we would host Christmas Eve again. It was filled with the usual craziness: pizza, eating lots and lots of treats, white-elephant gift exchange, eating lots of treats, opening pajamas, and eating lots of treats. Somehow this year we missed doing the Nativity. I think it is because Aunt Karen ditched out on us.

CHRISTMAS DAY

We were lucky to have Karen and Martin stay with us during Christmas again this year. It is so nice that they can drive to see us this year instead of fly to see us. Drew and I are kind of mean parents, we make our kids have breakfast before all the present opening, so we started out the morning with over-night French Toast. It was sure good. Then after we got started on the gifts, both sets of Grandparents came over to add more.

This year, Davis' favorite gift was a DS. Marcus' favorite was his Pillow Pet. Drew's favorite was his car starter, and I got too many good things to pick a favorite. Phoenix liked his Dyson the best. He spent the whole morning vacuuming the floor. He still runs and gets it whenever I vacuum the house. And, even though it was a present for all the boys, he gets upset when someone tries to use it. If he keeps this up, he is going to have one lucky wife.

I made Karen a cute apron this year. It had to be purple to match her purple LeCreuset. I guess I need to make myself a red apron...

December (excluding Christmas)

2011-02-12T12:08:00.009-07:00

December was filled with the usual Pre-Christmas craziness. Going to Christmas party's (ask Drew about his in-appropriate, but very funny, office party white-elephant gift sometime), decorating the tree, making chocolates, baking, shopping, wrapping presents...
Also, Drew wrote his second-to-last test...Ya-Freaking-Hoo!!

Marcus had a very cute Christmas concert and party with his pre-school class.

We decorated our usual gingerbread kits. This year Marcus decorated the train, and Davis decorated the house.

And, I made my family wear matching ties for Christmas Sunday. I thought it was pretty cute.

November

2011-02-08T20:59:00.003-07:00

In our house it is actually "Movember" not "November"

This is Drew's magnificent 'stache at the beginning of the month. Drew is always doing crazy things with his facial hair, and I think it is mostly to bug me. This year, he did it in a way that I couldn't get too annoyed. He grew his mustache to raise money for prostate cancer. His Grandpa Doug had prostate cancer, so he felt it was his duty to help raise money for the cause. He even got his brothers-in-law, and the college involved, and encouraged his students to grow them.

This is how the mustaches looked at the end of the month. Drew was able to raise $690 dollars. And, he has even bigger plans for next year. I can't wait...

Marcus got some money for his Birthday and this is what he picked out. A Darth Vader helmet that quotes Darth Vader and has a setting to change your voice into a Darth Vader voice. In the past when he wanted to be Darth Vader, he would wear Drew's motorcycle helmet.

The boys like to help do the dishes.

I found Phoenix one day hiding in the bench in our entryway where we keep all the mittens and toques. It looks like it would be pretty cozy. I might try hiding in there one day.

Phoenix turned 2!! We celebrated by having family over for Skor cake.

I often refer to Phoenix as my monster. He has such a funny little personality, and lots of it. He can be incredibly sweet, but then he seems like he is always into some sort of mischief. He is funny. He is independent. He is stubborn. He loves his brothers, especially Davis. He loves to mimic what his brothers do. He gets really excited whenever anyone comes home, and he runs to the door to greet them. He is a junk food addict. He is not allowed to use markers. When he was first born I was amazed how he seemed to fit so seamlessly into our family. He made the transition to 3 so easy. I love my little blond boy so much, and I am so grateful that he is a part of my family.

October

2011-02-06T21:35:00.006-07:00

This month Drew and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. We celebrated by going to the temple. Drew's cousin Cassie got married, and she took out her endowments that day. So, I skipped Young Womens and we went. We even decided to get a baby sitter that night, so that we didn't have to rush home. It was so nice to spend some time with my sweetheart in the very place where our lives together started. We have been through some ups and downs since our last anniversary. And, there was a time when I wasn't sure if we would see our next anniversary together. I can say with certainty that I love him more than I did 10 years ago. I love how great of a Dad he his. I love how hard he works to provide for us and to better himself. I love his crazy sense of humor. I love how he leaves me notes, and e-mails. I love what a great teacher he is. I love that he loves the gospel. I love that he loves me complete with my many flaws.

PS. Drew, sorry for posting this sappy kissy picture. When we took it, he said, "this isn't going to go up in our house is it?"

For Family Home Evening before Halloween we always carve pumpkins. The kids are starting to get more into it, and where it doesn't gross them out too much.

We told the boys to make a scary pumpkin face.

My kids love Halloween. They love dressing up, they love Trick or Treating, and they love decorating for it. I have a few Halloween decorations, but Davis insisted that we get some more to make our house "Spookier." After everything we put up he'd say "Oh, Mom that looks good. It looks so Spooky."

The boys are obsessed with Star Wars. So of course that is what they picked to be for Halloween. Davis was a Jedi, Marcus was Darth Vader and Phoenix was Yoda. Marcus loves Darth Vader. He goes around and says "I'm choking you!!", in a deep, raspy voice, and imitates the hand gesture that Darth Vader does. A commercial just came out, and when my sister sent me the link, she asked "How did Marcus get on TV!?!"

For Marcus' 4th Birthday this year, we had a Halloween Costume Party. He still talks about it. I tried to think of food that was creepy looking, so we had spaghetti and I made breadsticks in the shape of bones. I also put dry ice in the punch to make it look like some sort of potion.

We told people to dress up, and most people were such good sports about it. We all agree that my Dad's costume was the best. I love my Dad!!

Because Halloween was on a Sunday, the wards in our building had a Trunk or Treat. It was such a great idea. We only spent 30 minutes collecting candy, and they got a ton. Plus, it was really fun to see all the kids and all their cute costumes.

My Star Wars Crew

The kids got so much candy!! As soon as we got home, they sorted it into categories, and then Drew and I let them pick out a few to eat. Our living room was covered with their piles of candy. We still have Halloween Candy left. I haven't gotten around to throwing the rest of it out.

Family Pictures

2011-02-04T21:46:00.003-07:00

In the summer my friend Erin entered a contest where you had to nominate a family that deserved to win a photo shoot with a very talented photographer, Tammy Thomsen, and she won!! I was excited because we had never had professional pictures done. They turned out so great. Tammy was fantastic. She had such a great way with kids.

September

2011-02-04T16:41:00.007-07:00

Davis started Grade 1 this year. He was so excited to go. Not only did he get to go to school all day, but he was excited that he got to ride the bus to school and home from school. I admit, that I love that he is able to ride the bus. It is very nice. It helps that his bus drivers have always been fantastic. He also has great teachers. From September to the end of January he had Mrs. Fleming, but she went on maternity leave, so he now has Mrs. Finnie.

Marcus got to start Preschool. I was a little worried about him because he is so shy and so cautious, but he is doing great. He also has really great teachers. He has Mrs. Wik (Wickenheiser), Miss Deb, Miss Tanya and Miss Lila. He is also taking speech therapy, which we already have noticed that has helped a lot. He has turned from a very quiet boy, to a little chatter-box. In mid-January, I bumped him into 4 days of Preschool because he loved it so much, and was ready for more.

For Labor Day Long weekend, we went camping in Kalispell with some of Drew's family. We stayed in a little cabin at the Rocky Mountain Hi Campground. We didn't have the nicest weather, but he had a great time.

While we were there, we went out to the Wallace's cabin at Ashley Lake. They were nice enough to take us out to play in the water, and feed us a really great dinner.

What is going to Kalispell without feeding the ducks and playing at the park?

After school started I took Davis to the eye doctor, for a routine eye appointment. I figured that since he was in school now it was a good idea for him to get his eyes tested. I had no idea that he really did need glasses. It turned out that he was significantly far-sighted in his left eye and that his right eye was being strained to over-compensate for it. I noticed that when we did give him work to do, towards the end he had a hard time concentrating. I thought that is was just because he was a typical 6 year old, and not because he was having trouble seeing. It took a little while for him to adjust to his glasses, and to want to wear them. But, once we got over a few speed bumps, he doesn't have any trouble wearing them. And, his work habits have greatly improved. As a side note, Davis is doing really well in school. He needs to work on being a bit neater, but his reading and math skills are above grade level. I am so proud of him.

Drew celebrated his 33rd Birthday this year. To celebrate we went out on a date on the weekend, and I made him Lemon Meringue Birthday Tarts. Drew's brother-in-law Geoff made him a Birthday Pinata, full of all sorts of essentials for an "Old Fart."

August

2011-02-03T13:12:00.006-07:00

I have to admit that parts of August were a bit crappy. I was so nauseous for a lot of the time, and it was a cold month. Honestly, all that I wanted to do was lay on the couch and not move. When we did have nice weather we spent our time swimming, and we made a few trips out to Park Lake.

I turned the big 3-0 this year. To celebrate my friend Erin and I decided that we should go to Vegas. Jo came with us, and Lynn and her family drove up and spent a couple of days with us. We had a lot of fun eating, shopping, and seeing the sights.

After Lynn went home, people kept asking us if we were all sisters. In fact, Dave told us that Erin looked more like one of our sisters than Lynn does.

We stayed at the Imperial Palace.

On our last night we decided that we needed to do something really "Vegas-y", so we went and saw the Drag Queens. This is us with Frank, the star of the show. We made one of Jo's life-long dreams come true.

This is one of the ways Drew spent his summer. If he wasn't studying, he was either doing class prep for next semester, or spending the 6 hours a week it took to mow the lawn (and he even mowed way less than what Doug did).

Davis, being...well...Davis.

After Drew finished his test, we decided to go camping at Writing-On-Stone. I went there for YW Camp in July, and the whole time I thought that the kids would love it there. And they did. They had so much fun climbing the hoodoo's, playing at the park, playing at the beach, and building fires. My parents were nice enough to bring their trailer down so we could stay it in. I can't wait to go back next year. In fact, Marcus keeps telling us that it was the funnest place he has ever been to, and he thinks it is more fun than Disneyland would be.

The boys always look forward to Whoop-Up Days, and their Dad taking them to the fair. It is always lots more fun when their cousins can come too.

It is time I updated this puppy- July

2010-11-25T22:41:00.018-07:00

Okay, I know I have been horrible about updating my blog lately. My last post was in July, and it is now February. Terrible. I have a good excuse or two. Mainly it is because we keep our pictures on our computer in the basement, and I'm not down there much. Mostly because it is smelly. We live in an old house, with mice and septic tank problems. You do the math. So let's begin, where I ended.

July

We built crazy forts in our living room

We went for adventures in our backyard.

We had picnics at Henderson Park

We played with our new kitties, Milo and Freddy.We spent every sunny day out in the pool. Davis is such a good swimmer. He can touch the bottom of the pool (it is 8 or 9 feet deep) and touch the bottom, and he can swim almost the whole length of the pool underwater. He is better at swimming under water than above the water. Marcus was starting to get really brave as well. He actually went in the pool this year.
We hosted the 2nd Annual "Doug and Nola Clark Memorial Swimming Party." It was really rainy that day, but once it cleared off, everyone was jumping in, and off the roof.

And, I finally figured out why I had been feeling so nauseous.

Trouble is His Middle Name

2010-07-14T22:21:00.005-06:00

Living in a house with so many boys, you'd think that I'd be used to the chaos that comes with it. Out of all of my boys Phoenix is the most mischievous and destructive. He is always getting into something. Usually I will get out of the shower and find 10 boxes of cereal (yes, we have a lot. We all really like cereal) scattered throughout the house with little piles of the cereal on the floor. One morning I came upstairs after exercising and this is what I found on my bedroom floor...

Yes, those are my necklaces on plates. They are some of his favorite things to get into.

He also likes to throw his unwanted food off his highchair onto the floor, play in my make-up (one of my eye shadows is sporting a nice big hole), and bully his brothers. He may be a menace, but he is a very cute menace.

I Am Canadian

2010-07-04T21:19:00.002-06:00

Every Canada Day, the Wolsey Family get together to visit and eat. This year Grandma Wolsey decided that we should have a program, because she loves to see her family perform. At the Boxing Day Wolsey Celebration Davis sang "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch," and he wanted to do something this time as well. He really wanted to do a dance, but we didn't have time to prepare it, so he did The "I am Canadian Rant." He worked really hard, and he did so good. We were so proud of him.

Ruby Lou

2010-05-21T14:14:00.005-06:00

I have an addiction to craft blogs. One of the blogs that I frequent is Sew Much Ado that is done by a very talented girl Abby, who as a side note is my friend Maren's SIL, and who is a sister to some girls that I know through church. Abby was looking for pattern testers for her very cute Ruby Lou Doll, and I jumped at the chance to try it. I have been wanting this pattern for a while, but I always thought to myself that it would be silly because of the plethora of boys in my house. Although, Drew made fun of me, I did it anyways.

This was the most complex pattern I've ever done. I am still very much a novice sewer. I thought she turned out cute though. Now she is waiting for someone to love her.

Soccer All-Stars

2010-05-14T19:50:00.006-06:00

I am so glad that my kids have their Dad's athletic ability and not mine, or else they would be in big trouble. Seriously, I throw a ball like an old lady...on her death bed. We've been putting Davis in soccer for the past while and he seems to enjoy it, and this year is Marcus' turn. He is playing on a Parent and Tot league with Drew. He loves it. He gets so excited when he puts his soccer gear on, and then he runs around the house to show us how fast he can run. I guess he needs to be fast to make up for what he lacks in size. Drew also plays soccer in the fall, and of course it is the highlight of his week to play.

Phoenix cheering for DrewDrew in red playing for the Doug's Sports team.

Look at that high kick.

Davis Turns 6

2010-05-14T19:31:00.012-06:00

My boy turned 6. It is sad to see him get so big, but it is also really exciting to see all the new things he can do, and way he is growing. His birthday ended up being a week-long celebration. On Tuesday he went out for dinner to Old McDonalds and shopping for Lego with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Tom. Thursday he had his special day at school, and since it was his birthday he got to bring cupcakes for snack. Friday we had his favorite dinner, spaghetti, and opened presents. Saturday he had his party and a potluck with family.

For his birthday we gave him Star-Wars guns and Batman Lego for X-box. Marcus was just as excited as he was to open the presents.

Davis had a pirate party this year. We had an Astro-jump, had cupcakes and snacks, opened presents, and went on a treasure hunt to find the treat bags. We also had a ton of kids.

I need to toot my own horn here...I made Davis some really yummy cupcakes. I made chocolate ones with chocolate cream cheese icing. So good.

We gave the pirates swords, masks and telescopes to help them find their treasure...Argh Matey.

My Mother's Day Tribute

2010-05-07T16:40:00.004-06:00

First, I stole this link for this video from my friend Skye. After I watched it I ran and hugged as many of my kids who would let me, and I cried. I am so grateful to be a Mom. I know I am flawed and that I am not the best Mom, but I am trying. I pray every day that I can be better. That I will be more loving and patient, and that I can be a better person for them. I also love my own Mom so very much. She really is an incredible lady. I will be eternally grateful to the example she is to me. She is always there when I need her the most. I am grateful how she willingly took my boys home, when I had to be in Calgary with Drew. It was nice to know that they were safe. When she first came to help, when we were still in Lethbridge, I said something to her about how glad I was that she was there, and her response was "Of course, I couldn't just leave you here by yourself." I am also grateful for the examples of wonderful Grandmothers. To my Grammy, who I miss everyday. This weekend, I hope that we all can make an effort to be a little bit better, and to treat our own mothers just a little bit nicer.

I made this apron for my Mom. I think it turned out really cute. She told me at Christmas that she wanted one, so I figured I better do it.

My kids gave me this book. I just started it last night. I love Elder Uchtdorf. I especially loved his talk entitled "Your Happily Ever After" at the General Young Women Broadcast in March.

Easter

2010-04-23T10:06:00.005-06:00

I know that I am quite late in posting this, but better late than never, eh? We started off our Easter celebration by dying Easter Eggs for Family Home Evening. Of course the kids had fun doing it, but it went by too fast. I only boiled a dozen eggs thinking that that would be lots, but it only took them about 2 minutes to go through them. Next year, I will try to remember to make more. I think the kids did a great job on them.

The next part of our Easter festivities was an Egg hunt and lunch at our house. The Easter bunny left so many eggs!! I think that there was enough for the kids to find 20 eggs each. We just threw the rest of the left-overs about a week ago.

It is amazing what uses you can find for your leftover Easter basket fluff!!

My Date with Davis

2010-03-27T14:55:00.003-06:00

Drew and I have started a tradition, I guess you'd call it, where we take our kids on dates. One month he'll take Davis, and I'll take Marcus and then we'll switch. This month was my date with Davis and we went to "Old McDonalds" for lunch. On the way home I was asking Davis questions:

Marty: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Davis: A Magician
Marty: What do you want to drive?
Davis: A Motorbike.
Marty: What will you drive in the Winter?
Davis: A Black Truck, and a van for my kids.
Marty: You're going to have kids?
Davis: Yes, I am going to be married and have kids.
Marty: How many are you going to have?
Davis: 3 Boys
Marty: What color of hair is your wife going to have?
Davis: Yellow
Marty: What are you going to name your kids?
Davis: Jackson, Dragon...no...Drew, and Bob. Mom do you think Dad will be mad if my kid has the same name as him?
Marty: No, son. I think he'd like that.

The whole time he kept prompting me to ask him more questions. It was very cute.

My Ring

2010-03-09T12:11:00.004-07:00

When I was in Vegas a couple months ago, one of the highlights of the trip was sneaking into Tiffany and buying myself a little something. I know that some people don't understand why I love Tiffany so much, but I think it is special, and my sister Karen reminds me that I deserve Tiffany. To me, this ring is more symbolic, than just being from a certain store. Just before Drew had his surgery, the nurses were trying to get his wedding ring off, but they were having trouble because his fingers were swollen. It was so funny to watch because they were trying all these different methods to get it off, tying string around his finger, using lotion...Meanwhile Drew is telling them "Are you even trying? Put some muscle into it." When they finally got it off they gave it to me for safe-keeping. I ended up just wearing it. I told myself that if anything happened to him that I would always wear it. That I would never take it off. Rings to me are symbolic, and it is his, and it is a symbol of the love that we will share for eternity. I got so I liked to see it on my finger, and when I took it off when we got home, I was very happy to give it back, but I decided that I needed a replacement. So, I saved my money and got something nice for myself. To me, this ring symbolizes that I was able to give Drew his ring back, that he is okay, and that I was able to survive this trial in my life. There are still days that I struggle, that I wonder if I ever will be okay. I wonder if I ever will recover from this traumatic experience. And, looking at my ring, I tell myself that I did it, and that through time, I will be okay.

A Cow Says Moo...

2010-02-26T13:24:00.003-07:00

We live in a very interesting place. We live on an acreage, surrounded by farms, but because Lethbridge has grown so much since our house was built, we are part of the city too. The other morning, I was laying in bed, dreading that the alarm was going off in just a few minutes, when Davis and Marcus raced into my room, and jumped into bed with me and hid under the covers.

Davis: Mom we're scared
Marty: (still sleepy) Why?
Davis: Because there are cows in our yard, and we're scared. And they are making bumping noises.
Marcus: Yeah, it was black with white feet.
Marty: They are just cows, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Davis: What if they try to come into our house.
Marty: They can't open the door.
Davis: What if they try to knock it down.
Marty: I don't think they would do that.

Meanwhile, Marcus kept looking out of the window and saying yep, they are still there, and jumping back into bed. After a bit of coaxing, I got them out of bed and into the kitchen for breakfast. The cows eventually wandered off, but they were kind enough to leave us a few presents.

My BIG Catch-up Post

2010-02-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

I'm just warning you now that this post is going to be big. I mean it is going to be big and very boring to everyone but me. With everything that went on this November and December, I didn't have a lot of time to blog. My days were spent just trying to stay in one piece, and keeping everyone healthy and happy. So, lets start with some of the things we missed.

1) Halloween

This year for Halloween my boys decided that they wanted to be bats. I found a bat costume for Phoenix, but I had to be a little more creative with the other two. I did find black capes, toques and mitts, so they were bats. Davis even had Vampire teeth to complete the look. My sister Karen thought it would be funny if Drew dressed up like a vampire. The Halloween festivities started off with Katie coming over to help us carve pumpkins. I think they turned out fantastic!!

Davis made a cat, and Marcus and Katie did a Skeleton.

Davis dressed up for school on his party day. This is him with Mrs. Purple...I mean Mrs. Morton.

On Halloween, we went over to Grandma Jane and Grandpa Tom's house for a very spooky dinner with their cousins. Davis helped Grandma make some very scary looking spiders.

The Boo Crew

Isn't that the cutest bat you've ever seen?

I took the boys trick or treating with their cousins Kaiya and Jager around Tom and Jane's neighborhood. After we were done, we then went to visit Jo and Erv, the Malec's and the MacLennans.

Look at that haul!! We seriously had Halloween candy until Christmas.

2) Drew comes home

I take my husband for granted. I know I don't make a big enough effort to love and treat him like he deserves. I am thankful everyday that he is home. That he is getting stronger and that he is just about back to his usual self. I think the one of greatest days was when Drew was doing the dishes and he turned on his IPod and was singing along to it, and the boys were singing and dancing, just like it used to be. I cried after I saw that. This whole experience with Drew getting sick was the hardest thing I have ever been through. I have never felt more helpless, more lonely, more emotional or stretched to the limit like I did while he was sick. On the other hand I have never felt the Spirit so strong in my entire life. I know that my Heavenly Father was taking a very special interest in me and my family during this time. I am so thankful for our ward and our friends. I am so grateful for everyone who brought us meals and who fasted and prayed for us. I am especially grateful for my sisters who were there to support me. For Jo, for driving me to the hospital, for packing my bag (even though she forgot my toothbrush), and for that horrible night in the Lethbridge ICU when I couldn't stand on my own. For Lynn for all the texts. And for Karen who somehow knew when I needed someone to talk and cry to. I am grateful for my parents who took my kids home. It was such a great relief to not have to worry about them. To know that they were with people who loved them almost as much as I do and that they were safe. I am also grateful for Drew's parents for coming to Calgary with us, and for helping watch my boys on the nights when I had to be away. I am so very blessed.

3) The Dog Birthday

Marcus loves dogs. Whenever he is lucky enough to pick a Webkinz, he always picks a dog. His favorite one is a Jack Russell Terrior that he calls his "Daddy dog". Davis kept telling Drew and I that he was going to give Marcus two things for his Birthday, a Webkinz dog and a real dog. Of course, our response to that was "I don't think so." Marcus turned 3 on November 3, and because Drew and I were in Calgary his birthday celebration had to be postponed until November 22. Because Phoenix's birthday is November 27, we decided to do a combo birthday. We had a houseful of people, we invited Grandma and Grandpa Jensen, Jo, Erv and their kids, Grandma Wolsey, Grandma Jane, Grandpa Tom, Keith and Mandy and their kids, Geoff and Nicki and their kids, Chris and Jen and their kids, Mat, Robyn, Cohen, Jim and Nives and girls (because Marcus and Katie love each other), and the MacLennans. It is nice to have so much family around to support us.

I made very delicious cupcakes with dog bones in them, and I attempted to make a few puppy pops. Unfortunately, I only had the patience to make about 6 of them.

My birthday boys.

I love the messy cake face.

We also had rootbeer floats. I think Marcus enjoyed his.

4) Swimming Lessons

We always try to get the boys into swimming lessons. Davis this summer became a little fish and he still is. Marcus on the other hand was a bit more timid. He didn't really like swimming lessons. He hated the big pool because it was too cold.

"The Face"

5) Our first really good snow day

I am now wondering if winter will ever end, but the first day that we really get a good dump of snow is always the best.

Guess who got into trouble for throwing snowballs? Nope...it wasn't Davis!!

6) Decorating the Christmas Tree

I love Christmas. If we didn't get a real Christmas tree I swear I would put it up in November and not take it down until at least February. Drew says that he likes real trees because of the smell, but I know better. Davis really got excited about decorating this year. I was forbidden to decorate while he was at school because he wanted to help so badly.

7) Davis' Christmas Concert

I know that I am slightly biased, but I think that Kindergarten kids are so stinkin' cute. This year's songs included "10 Little Angels", "Reindeer Like to Boogie" and "The Friendly Beasts"

He's the cute one in the middle with the tie on.

8) Decorating Gingerbread Houses

Davis and I have started the tradition of decorating Gingerbread houses before Christmas. I buy a kit from somewhere, and we have fun working on it together. The only thing is that I cheat. Instead of waiting for the icing to dry, and slowly building the house, I glue it together with my glue gun, and then we cover it with icing and candy. This year we included Marcus in our tradition. Marcus and I made a house, and Davis made a train. I think this was our best year yet.

9) Christmas Sunday

I take full responsibility that I am one of those dorky mothers that make my kids wear matching outfits. I just try to justify it by saying that they are just co-ordinated and plus they look so handsome.

10) Christmas Eve

I love Christmas Eve. I think I love it more than Christmas Day. I love the excitement and I love getting together with family. This year we hosted the big Clark Christmas Extravaganza complete with the usual favorites Pizza, Rook, the Nativity, a Chinese Gift exchange, and opening Christmas jammies. It really was a fun night.

Hmm....

Phoenix definitely fits into our family.

Drew just can't wait for Santa to come. I hope he's not disappointed.

The crazy rook game. Maybe just the players were crazy.

The Nativity. Starring Lucy as Mary, Davis as Joseph and Matt as the Donkey...

Ryen as the Angel...

Marcus as the Shepard...

Macy as an angel, Jamie as a shepard, Karen and Jack as the Wiseman.

This is one of the reasons why Christmas was so fantastic this year. Karen and Martin finally came home for Christmas.

Davis and Jack looking really tough in their new jammies with their gifts from the gift exchange.

11) Christmas Day

As I mentioned before, Christmas this year was so fantastic. Not only did Santa spoil the Wolsey household rotten, but Karen and Martin were able to stay with us during Christmas. It was so nice to have them here. Christmas day was nice, our kids got up not too early, then we had pancakes and opened presents. Later in the day, we celebrated with the Jensens.

One of the boys favorite gifts after the Wii are these Crossbows that shoot mini-marshmellows.

12) Boxing Day

On Boxing Day it is the Wolsey's turn to celebrate. This year we went to the Senior's Centre in Magrath for our usual celebration.

There is always a program, and this year Davis decided that he wanted to sing "Your a Mean One Mr. Grinch." He did such a good job, I was so proud of him.

After we got home from Magrath and put the kids to bed, Karen called me from my parents house. She said that there was someone there who wanted to talk to me. So, I got on the phone and the voice on the other end said "Hey Marty. It's Lynn." I started to scream, and the poor girl is probably deaf from all my yelling. When Karen said she was coming home for Christmas we all hoped that Lynn would come too, but she decided not too. But, with Drew and my Mom being sick this fall, she decided to surprise us all and come. It was a surprise!! This is why this was the best Christmas ever. It was because my family was together.

13) Fun with the Family (well...I had fun)

We were already planning on going to Cardston to spend time with Karen, but I was so anxious to go because Lynn was there too. So after church was over, we went to Cardston. We had a great time eating, playing games, laughing, visiting, and going bowling. I love my sisters. I wish we all lived closer together (soon, right Karen?).

This is my entire family.

Mom always said that she wanted at least 12 grandkids. Is 8 good enough?

Phew!! I am caught up until the end of 2009!!

Future Farmers

2009-11-25T20:33:00.003-07:00

These pictures are from September, but I am really behind in my normal blog posts. Every fall when my Dad starts combining the boys like to go out and ride in the combines and in the big grain cart. Davis could ride for hours, Marcus not so much. Davis says that he likes to ride in the Grain Cart better because the guy who drives it goes faster, and he lets him drive the tractor. This year when we went out they were combining south of Kimball by the river. We went out on a very beautiful day. It was so cool to see the combines right in front of the mountains.

While the boys were having their rides, my Dad took me down by the river to look for bears. Luckily we didn't see any because it was too hot that day. Dad was disappointed, but I was only slightly disappointed. He kept telling me that where we were that day is his favorite spots to combine. He also told me that he loves how pretty the land is around the river. I had to agree. I really did grow up in a beautiful part of the country.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

2009-11-15T19:59:00.001-07:00

This is Drew.

This is the first time I have had a chance to look at this blog and I am blown away by your support.

As Marty mentioned we are now home and I am slowly on the mend. Unfortunately it will be weeks before I get back to "normal", but I am so happy to be back with my family. I had not seen my boys for about 3 weeks so yesterday was a very emotional one. I am still in a fair bit of pain and hence must keep myself drugged up. I get tired just walking around the house and am already feeling guilty for my inability to help out (I cannot pick up my kids, drive, or do much of anything). But I am working at it and hope to improve quickly.

I am feeling a little self conscious right now as I have lost over 15 pounds over the past 3 weeks, and as you know I really did not have 15 pounds to lose. When I look at myself in the mirror I hardly recognize myself.

I would just like to take a minute to express my infinite gratitude for all those who have helped me over the past 3 weeks:

(1) My dear wife. Marty was by my side nearly every second, and I know I would not have made it without her. She continues to be a great help to her "invalid" husband. I am blown away by her strength.

(2) My parents. They basically put their lives on hold to be by my side in the hospital. And I am confident they often felt the same pain and anguish I did.

(3) Marty's parents. Delton & Brenda watched our boys while we were in Calgary. I cannot express how grateful I am for their help and support.

(4) All of the rest of my family for their support and help. They have done so much to help Marty and I keep our home and life on track. There are truly too many of you to list.

(5) All those who included me in their prayer and fasting. In the hospital I often felt guilty as I was feeling sorry for myself when there are so many others who have been (and are enduring) so much worse then me. But as never having dealt with something like this it felt pretty hard at the time, and I am confident that it was your faith, prayers & fasting that got me through.

(6) My fellow teachers at Lethbridge College. This came up so suddenly I was forced to desert my classes basically overnight. I am incredibly grateful for those teachers who covered (and continue to cover) my classes. This was such a huge weight off of me.

(7) All those who have brought my family meals. It may seem like a small thing but it just one less thing to worry about.

There are so many others I could thank but I think you know who you are and I will leave it there, and just say again thank you and I love you! I pray that I will have the opportunity to pay all of you back in some small way someday.

Friday November 13

2009-11-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

The best sentence ever...We're home.

Thursday November 12

2009-11-12T21:20:00.003-07:00

We had lots of good things happen again today. Drew got his final chest tube out (YAY), and he got his IV pole taken away. It is a lot easier to go for walks without having to unplug a million things and not have to lug around a that ridiculous pole. They also started giving his antibiotics and pain meds orally. So that means we are a few steps closer to going home. At lunch time, Drew was so sick of being in his room and eating hospital food that he had ate take-out in the cafeteria. He also is eating my dinner left-overs. The crap part of our day was that he got moved to the over-flow room. They said he isn't sick enough to be in a real room. That last bit is good, but the over-flow room is incredibly crappy. Hopefully, it is just for a day or two.

Tuesday November 11

2009-11-11T21:37:00.004-07:00

Happy Remembrance Day. Drew's roomate LeRoy is a vetran from World War 2, and he had his picture in the Calgary Sun today from when he was in the army. So of course he had to show us and the nurses, and I told him what a handsome 16 year old he was. Drew made some more progress. He got his second chest tube out, all 33 of his staples out, and he hasn't used any oxygen since yesterday. So, I really hope that he continues on the right path. We went for a really long walk today. We went down the elevator and to the cafeteria and around his unit twice. At the time, he had tons of energy and wanted to keep going, but by the time we got back he was pretty wiped. So, tomorrow's plan is to take out the last chest tube, and after that take him off the PCA, and onto oral meds. I can't wait to go home.

Tuesday November 10

2009-11-10T21:07:00.002-07:00

We keep seeing a bit more progress every day, and it is wonderful!! Today Drew got one of his chest tubes out, was on oxygen just in the morning (I kept checking his levels and they were great, just to make sure (mine were 98, I had to check mine too)). We also went for a ton of walks today. We even ventured out with Drew in a wheelchair to another floor. It was a bit of a gong show, but he was so happy to get out of his unit. One of the great parts of my day was that my friends Erin and Shay came and took me out for a really, really yummy lunch at some swanky restaurant. Drew's surgen, Dr. McFadden said that they are going to pull a tube every day, then take him off the PCA, and give him meds orally. If all that goes well, he could be home by early next week. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed, and praying really hard.

Monday November 9

2009-11-09T22:03:00.003-07:00

I thought that I would give an update on how we are doing in the big city of Calgary. Let me just say that our GPS is my new best friend, and I will never go anywhere without it. Drew had a good day today. He had an x-ray this morning, which the doctors were happy about the way it looked. The chest tubes are in the right place and they are doing what they are supossed to be doing. The suction on them was also reduced to just when he is in bed. The next phase is to reduce them to gravity, and then to no chest tubes, which may happen as early as tomorrow. Drew and I also went for some good walks around the halls. We had a really long one in the morning, and then our afternoon one was without oxygen. It tired him out, but he worked so hard. I was so proud. Also, his oxygen is down to 1 L, only when he needs it. He has been working really hard at doing all the things the doctors ask, at his breathing and bed exercises. As for me, I am so glad that he is out of isolation. I spent the day hooking and un-hooking him up, reading, and watching "Heroes" on Drew's IPod. Drew is a little bit frustrated with how slow his recovery is, but he really is making huge progress. I want to especially thank Bart and Lindsey Jensen for so graciously opening up their home to me. Also, thank you so much Nikki for taking me out for dinner last night. It was so good to see you!!

Update Monday Nov. 9

2009-11-09T16:09:00.003-07:00

Things are continuing to move in the right direction. They took X-Rays this morning and the doctor said they looked good! He is down to 1 liter of oxygen and he only uses it when he feels it's necessary. He is now able to get up and walk a little bit They are decreasing his pain meds, which he is a little nervous about. By decreasing his pain meds this should help improve his breathing and increase his appetite and energy level. We are praying that we will continue to have good news to report! Thank you all for your prayers!

Saturday November 7

2009-11-07T23:23:00.002-07:00

Today was a fairly good day. Drew's oxygen is down to 1.5 L, and he had it off for a bit, he walked down the hall, his pain meds are reduced, and he got his pee tube taken out. Plus, he had lots of visitors to keep him company (Mandy, Robyn, Nicki, Grandma Wolsey and Brett Barfuss). His sisters were nice enough to take me to the mall for a bit of a break, and I am home for the night to get my car and to see my boys for a few hours. Drew is starting to get better, but he is frustrated that it is such a slow process, and that the nurses on his floor aren't quite as wonderful as the ICU nurses. The doctors are saying that he might be able to come home (home and not back to the Lethbridge Hospital) in a week, and off isolation on Monday. I can't wait.

Updated as of Nov 6th 12:00pm

2009-11-06T12:00:00.003-07:00

Hello, I talked to mom today and she said that Drew will be moving to a surgical floor where the surgeon who preformed his surgery will be looking after him. He is now on 3liters of oxygen which is down from the 6-7 liters he was on before. The pain pump will be moving with him. Drew is still in isolation for the time being. He still has the 3 chest tubes in that where put in during the surgery. They are still monitoring for infection. He is on some pretty heavy duty anti biotic right now, so they are hoping that will combat any possible infections.

Thursday Night

2009-11-05T21:12:00.003-07:00

Hello Everyone, this is Marty. I just want to start off by thanking everyone for everything. I really do appreciate all the comments that you have left, all the prayers, all the...there are too many things to manage. Especially, thanks to Drew's sisters for keeping you all updated. As of tonight, Drew is doing well. He was able to get the ventilator taken out this afternoon, and he is loving not having it in. He was quite frustrated not being able to communicate with us. Our incredible nurse, Sandy, said that because he doesn't smoke (yes Chris, this is a hint) and he is very active, it was able to come out so soon. They also gave him a pain pump to better manage his pain. He is no longer feeling any pain from his lungs, but just his incision, which is massive. He just needs to remember to practice deep breathing. He has even moved his oxygen level down from a 6 to a 3 (since I am not a medical person at all, not entirely sure what that means, but whatever). The doctors even think that he might be out of ICU by tomorrow, and out of isolation by the weekend, so we are hoping he keeps up the good work. Once, again. We can not thank everyone enough for all the prayers and well wishes. I know that I sometimes live in a bubble, and take for granted all the wonderful people that I have in my life. This has been a life changing experience for us.

Update as of Nov 5 th 5:00 pm

2009-11-05T17:29:00.002-07:00

We got a call from mom saying that the breathing tube is now out and they have set Drew up with a pain pump to help manage his pain. Other than that we are still going on no new is good news.

updated as of 1:00pm Nov, 5, 2009

2009-11-05T12:55:00.005-07:00

Hello everyone, I just talked to my mom a few minutes ago and she says Drew is awake and aware for the most part. They have him on some pretty heavy pain meds right now so they are trying to keep him awake as much as possible. The breathing tube is still in but they hope to be taking it out this afternoon. They only had to put it in for the surgery so they are thinking he will manage OK without it. The Doctors expect him to be in a significant amount of pain due to the long surgery and are planning to try some different pain medications after the breathing tube comes out. During the surgery they where able to clear out the left lung of any fluid and blood and where also able to inflate it, so now it will be up to Drew to start breathing with it now. The Doctor are now just monitoring him closely for infections that could come about due to the surgery. Drew has a full time nurse monitoring him at all times and seems like he is in really good hands there in Calgary. We are all trying to be optimistic at this point and the more time that goes by without incident the better. We will update again when there is more news.

update nov 5 9:00am

2009-11-05T09:00:00.003-07:00

We just talked to mum and she just called up to the hospital and they said that Drew had a good night. He is still intubated(not sure if that's how it's spelled) but they will hopefully be removing the breathing tube sometime today after doing some tests. They will continue to carefully monitor him as he still isn't out of the woods yet but we are feeling very optimistic that the surgery went so well and that he has been stable throughout the night.

update as of 11:45pm Nov. 4, 2009

2009-11-04T23:40:00.002-07:00

Well we just got news that Drew is now out of surgery and it went well. The doctor is saying he is optimistic because Drew did so well during the surgery. He will be monitored closely over the next 12 to 24 hours to make sure he is recovering from this part of his ailment properly. There will be more in depth to follow, but we figured we should let people know this for now anyways! He still has a long road ahead of him, but this is a good step, thanks for keeping him in your prayers!

2009-11-04T21:04:00.003-07:00

After reading some of the comments on facebook it seems that some people are unsure about what got Drew to this point. Just to clear it up. Drew was admitted to the hospital last Wednesday with pneumonia as a result of having H1N1. The pneumonia has continued to worsen and they have been trying for a week now to figure out how to help him. That is of course the condensed version.

updated as of 7:15pm

2009-11-04T19:14:00.002-07:00

We just got a call and Drew is now getting prepped for surgery. We will keep updating as we hear how the surgery it going.

update as of 6:40pm Nov 4, 2009

2009-11-04T18:27:00.004-07:00

Hey... Just wanted to give the latest update on Drew, He arrived safely in Calgary via STARS and is situated at the Foothills. His surgeon met with him, Marty and all and explained the procedures that would be taken in his surgery as well as the risks involved, he said normally this type of surgery is around an hour to an hour and a half, but could take as long as 4 hours depending on what they find. The main focus of the surgery will be to remove as much of the blood around the lung as possible, as well as looking for any other complications that may have arose from the previous nick etc. The Surgery is supposed to be taking place tonight by 8:00pm. We will update as soon as he goes into surgery as well as after he is out!

Updates on Drew

2009-11-04T15:42:00.002-07:00

For those of you that don't know, Drew was taken by STARS to Calgary Foothills Hospital today. Marty has gone there with Drew's parents and it may be difficult to get a hold of her. So, we will be updating her blog for her with any news on Drew.

So as of today this is where he is at...

Yesterday they attempted to put in a second chest tube to drain a pocket of fluid that the first chest tube could not get. During the procedure they nicked something which caused bleeding into the lung. He was then moved into the ICU and was stabilized. They thought the nick would most likely heal itself and there main priority was to keep him stable through out the night. They took him in for another CT Scan this morning and discovered a large pool of blood around his left lung and the lung had collapsed. The doctors decided to send him to Foothills to have surgery. Dr. McFadden a Thoracic surgeon who is supposed to be the best in the province will be performing the surgery. This is supposed to be a fairly simple surgery, but given Drew's current state it is quite risky to put him under. He was airlifted around 1:00 today, and we are still waiting to here when he will go in for surgery.

We will continue to update the blog as things change in an effort to help relieve Marty from all the phone calls. She is very appreciative of all the support she has received thus far and welcomes you to leave your comments and encouraging words for Drew.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and keep them coming!

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-10-03T09:42:00.004-06:00

This year Drew and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary. We aren't able to go out on our actual anniversary, which is on Tuesday October 6, so we celebrated a little early. We had a fantastic date, we went to Streatside, which is our favorite restaurant. I had a Chicken McMerle, sweet potato fries and of course Turtle Cheesecake. Then we went to a movie. Drew told me this year not to get him a present, because he got "us" something. I was so curious to what it could be, a new stove, a new comforter for our bed. Secretly, I was hoping it was a new camera, because I've wanted one forever. So, after we got home, I opened the box that came earlier that day. When I saw what it was I started to hyperventalate becasue I was so excited!! It was not only a camera, but it was a better one than the one that I've been dreaming about. He got us the Nikon D3000. I immediatly took it out of the box and charged the battery so that I could try it out. This morning, I had to test it, and of course I had to share my excitement on my blog. I have the best husband ever!! Seriously, he is the best. I can't really even put into words how much I love him. He is such a hard worker, and is so driven. I love that he is such a great Dad to our little boys, and I love that he is so talented and has such a strong testimony. I love him so very much, and I appreciate everything that he does for me.

Davis in his "fort" with his animals.

Naked Phoenix.

I caught Marcus in his room looking for his Chocolate Monkey.

Davis is now officially a Quader

2009-09-28T21:44:00.001-06:00

My Mom and Dad have a mini-quad that they bought when my nephew Patrick was younger (I can't believe he is 15!!). Davis said that when he was 6 he was going to ride it. When we were at Mom and Dad's house on the weekend (I'll post the rest of the pictures when I find my disk), my niece Lexie, decided that it was time that Davis learned how to drive the Quad by himself. She said that she learned by sitting in front of someone, so they were practising like that. My Mom and I were doing dishes after dinner one night, and the kids and Dad were out riding the quads. We looked out the window, and we saw Dad and Lexie in the backyard, but the quad was still running. Sure enough, Lexie taught Davis how to drive the Quad. He was getting really good at it too, and they had fun riding through the field. He was even spinning out, and doing little speed-demon tricks like she does. That boy is just like his Dad.

Davis' First Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-01T21:40:00.005-06:00

It was with much excitment, on Davis' part, and with much trepidation, on my part, that Davis started his first day of Kindergarten. He is in Mrs. Morton's afternoon class at Mike Mountain Horse School, and so far, he loved it. I asked him if it was better than Pre-school, but he said it was about the same.

Yesterday, I dutifully packed his bag with crayons, markers, pencils, glue sticks, a binder, headphones, indoor shoes, and other school related stuff, into his new football backpack. Marcus was excited to get Davis' old Lightning McQueen backpack, and I even put a new box of markers in his bag.

He was so excited to go, and talked the whole way into the school and into his class. So, I got him settled, and while I was leaving I could tell he was a bit nervous, but he was okay.

One of the most exciting things, is that we live far away enough from the school that Davis can ride the bus home. He wanted to ride it home today, so we said he could, but there was a bit of a mix-up. We were told that the drop-off spot was across the street from us, but the bus people decided that it would be better off in a different spot. To make a long story short, Davis got a long bus ride. I of course was panicked, but he wasn't even fussed at all. Next week, we hopefully will both be in the right place at the right time.

The Clark Family Waterton Extravaganza

2009-08-26T21:51:00.003-06:00

Drew's Aunt and Uncle, Karen and Scott MacLennan invited the Clark Clan to the MacLennan Family Cabin, for a weekend of fun and food. Since there were going to be thousands of people there, we asked my Dad very nicely if he would bring his spiffy new-last-year fifth wheel. We got to Waterton on Thursday night, and had dinner with Mom and Dad. Friday Drew, his Dad and I rode our bikes from Cameron Lake to the townsite, then the family met up at Pass Creek for a bonfire. Saturday we hiked to Bertha Falls, and everyone but us Drew's parents left on Sunday. We were lucky to stay until Tuesday morning. The boys didn't want to come home. They loved camping (I know...I know...does it really count in a trailer?). When we got home Marcus kept saying "Not Home!!"

The boys roasting marshmallows on the "fire." Dad bought this propane fire because Mom is so Asthmatic. It takes forever to cook anything, but they taste good when they are done, and you don't have to worry about getting ash on your food.

On our last day we hiked in the creek in Red Rock Canyon. The water is really low this year, so we were able to make it quite far up the creek. This was the first time I hiked into the canyon. Whenever I've been before, I've been an ultra-cautious-prego.

We also rented a two-seater bike. The boys loved it!! Davis wanted to never give it back and to take it home. He told Drew that I could drive the truck home, and he could drive the bike. He kept saying "Wouldn't it be cool if we had a bike like this?"

Katie and I on the hike. We did it!! Just kidding. Bertha Falls is an easy hike.

Davis hiked with us. I was really proud of how well he did. He didn't complain about it at all. He did say it was hard, and he did have to take a few breaks, but he did so good. We even had a team cheer. It was "Yay, Mountain Goats!!" Because Mountain Goats walk on Mountains.

Current reading

2009-08-26T21:22:00.005-06:00

This is what I have read lately. I feel like I am forgetting one...am I?

"The Secret Life of Bees" is a re-read. I had to read it for my book club. I read it about 6 years ago, and I found that I liked it alot more this time around. Maybe I had too much going on then...I dunno.

"The Time Traveller's Wife" was...good...most of it. I really liked the beginning, the middle, and the last few pages. The rest was fairly depressing, and I just struggled through it. I am excited to go and see the movie. From the preview I've seen it does look like some changes were made. The first time I saw the preview I was about a third into it, and I almost shouted "I am reading this book!!". I wanted to go home and keep reading.

I am becoming slightly obsessed with Julia Child. I am reading "My life in France", and I really, really want "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", even though I don't want to Master the Art of French cooking. I went and saw the movie of "Julie and Julia" with my sister and really enjoyed it. The book...not so much. It is just about Julie Powell, and has some fictional things about Julia Child. I found Julie whiney, obnoxious, and not at all likeable.

This is another book club selection, that I read awhile ago. If you are looking for a quick-touchy-feely-read, then this one is just up your alley. It does have a few surprises, but it is quick and touchy-feely.

Sewing!!

2009-08-26T21:09:00.003-06:00

Lately I have found that I like to sew!! Even though Home Ec was torture in Junior high. I was using my Grammy's old and very well loved Kenmore, and I loved to use it just because it was hers and it was something that she used a lot. But, sadly it was breaking down on me, and I had my Mom take a look at it, but she broke it even more (just kidding Mom), so I decided that it was time to get a new one. So, with my Birthday money that I got (I love getting money!!), I went and bought myself a new Brother computerized sewing machine. It is fairly basic and inexpensive, but it is exactly what I need. Eventually I will buy something fancy, but this will do for now. For my very first project I whipped up a very cute hooded towel for my very cute baby. I got the pattern from a Relief Society Enrichment Fab Friday, and I have used the pattern alot.

What we did ALL summer

2009-08-26T21:08:00.002-06:00

This is what happens when Drew feeds Phoenix Cheerios. Actually, I have been known to entertain my kids during church by sticking Fruit Loops to their noses.

Drew played another exciting season of Ball Hockey.

We love being outside. Phoenix is stuck in his stroller alot.

Davis had swimming lessons everyday for two weeks, so to get Marcus to sit nicely we went to the spray park after. This was their favorite place to have a snack.

My cousin, Katie and I decided it would be fun to make fancy cupcakes, so for our first attempt we made these butterfly ones.

When Davis and I were out watering our pathetic garden, we saw that something was actually growing!! We were so excited!! Davis ate the peas as soon as I shelled them.

We have had a lot of rainy, miserable days that we had to spend inside instead of in the pool. Here is Davis cutting up paper to make a Pinata. We only got one coat on it, then luckily it turned nice out so we didn't finish it.

One year older and wiser too?

2009-08-03T23:36:00.001-06:00

Another year has come and gone, and I am now in the last year of my twenties. I really had a great birthday this year. We started our day with a session at the temple, had lunch in the cafeteria, browsed through the books at the LDS Bookstore, and went to the wedding for Ryan and Courtney Clark (who are the cutest couple ever!!). After we pursuaded the boys to leave Grandma and Grandpa's house, we got home just in time to pick up our baby sitter. Then Drew and I went out for dinner to Ric's Grill, had dessert at our favorite restaruant, Streatside, and then we saw a movie. It was so nice to spend some time with Drew. The next day we invited my family over for dinner and a very delicious white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, with raspberries from our backyard. My Mom's birthday is the day after mine, so we had our usual joint celebration. I am so lucky to share my birthday with my Mom.

Echo Lake

2009-07-28T09:20:00.000-06:00

We had a lot of fun down at Echo Lake this year. We were there July 4-11 and stayed at Dahl and Sharon Quinton's cabin. We spent our time out on the lake whenever it was sunny, eating lots and playing games (our favorite was Sorry Sliders). What a great way to spend a week!! I absolutly love to be at Echo lake, and by Kalispell. Since we spent so much time down there when I was a kid, it feels like a second home to me. I can't wait to go again.

My Dad bought this tube for the kids to ride this year. Even Marcus was brave enough to ride it. He always sat in the middle, and kept telling us over and over about the middle. I am proud to say that I even rode it twice, considering that I am the biggest wimp ever!!

There's nothing like a relaxing bath in the sink, surrounded by dirty dishes.

Phoenix down at the beach.

Davis riding the "yellow board". He didn't stand up on it, but it was cute to watch him do "tricks" on it.

Here I am helping him get onto the board. We had some rain when we first got there, so the water was quite cold. When I first jumped in it took my breath away.

Here is Drew on the tube. My Dad and brother-in-law Dave, successfully dumped him numerous times.

Davis and his cousin Lexie hanging out on the dock.

The boys trying to get their cousin Patrick wet.

We ate a ton of Auntie Lynn's famous pancakes.

Logan Pass

2009-07-16T21:03:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go to Kalispell and to drive over Logan Pass. It is so incredibly beautiful. I love to open the window and smell the wonderful mountain air. The highlights on the drive always include, seeing the Mountain Goat at the Summit, trying not to get wet under The Weeping Wall, and honking the horn in the tunnels. I am so blessed to be surrounded by one of Heavenly Father's greatest creations, just hours from my front door.

On the way to Kalispell, Phoenix and I rode with my sister Jo, and her daughter Lexie. As you can tell it was a beautiful sunny day.

This is on the way home. We had to make a few pit stops. This picture is taken at The Loop.

Our Life...

2009-07-14T20:28:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from our daily life...

The boys raiding the pantry. Luckily they are small enough that they can fit right in it.

Marcus helping Drew move dirt around our new fence.

This year we attempted to plant a garden. There were some unloved planter boxes in back, so Davis and I added new dirt, and we planted rubarb, tomatoes (actually Nives planted them), beans, peas, pumpkins, zucchini, onions, corn and carrots. I am happy to report that most of what we planted is growing. So are the weeds.

Scotland or Bust 2011!!

Rub-a-dub-dub, 3 men in a (pink) tub.

Davis had Hawaiian day at school, so Marcus needed to dress up as well. Marcus wore his outfit all day. We even went to the doctor and the Grocery store.

Davis played outdoor soccer this year with his cousin Jack. He is getting to be a good little soccer player. We are very proud of him, and I am proud that he inherited his Dad's athletic ability and not mine.

What a handsome boy!!

Grandpa's New Toy

2009-06-27T14:59:00.002-06:00

My boys love to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Whenever Davis has a day when he doesn't have school, and we have nothing planned, he starts to pack his bag to go. I ask him how he will get there, and he tells me that he is sure that Grandma will come and get him. One of their favorite things to do is ride the quads. My Dad has a mini-quad that Davis says when he turns 6 he can drive. Recently, my parents bought a mini side-by-side quad, and the boys love it!! Davis is still a bit small to drive it by himself, so Drew and I, or a bigger cousin are the drivers. I admit that I had fun driving it.

Here is Phoenix rolling all over Grandma's house. He managed to get stuck underneath the buffet.

Young Women Handouts

2009-06-25T20:18:00.005-06:00

I made these journals for a lesson on "Personal Records", and the girls loved them!! I got the idea from my friend Maren (Thanks Maren!!). They turned out so cute!! On the front page I printed a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball. President Kimball says "I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us and as our posterity read of our life's experiences, they, too will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted." That should give us all a bit more motivation to write in our journals.

These rocks I made to go with my lesson on "Forgiveness". I am telling the story "Pockets Full of Rocks", which is a story of a man who whenever someone does something that offends him, he collects a rock. His house becomes overflowing with rocks, and some geology students come to see he vast rock collection, only to be disappointed that they are only plain, boring rocks. The professor of the class asks to see his "other" collection that reminds him of when people do nice things for him. In the end, he gets rid of his rocks, and takes up gardening instead. The rocks that I am handing out have a flower to remind the girls of the nice things, and on the back is Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10, to remind them to forgive.

Davis' Last Day of Preschool

2009-06-25T20:17:00.001-06:00

This is what we gave for teacher appreciation gifts. In the bundle, we put a bag of microwave popcorn and a Blockbuster gift card. I think they turned out cute. Drew thought that I spent too much time on them.

Today was Davis' last day of Preschool. I admit that I was more emotional about it than he was. Although hauling 3 kids back and forth to the school was a pain, I am really glad that he went to Preschool at Nicki's Place, and I know he loved it. He had absolutly fantastic teachers, which the whole family (well...maybe not Drew) grew to love. We will miss Miss Jill, Miss Roberta, Miss Shannon and Miss Floria. They kept asking me when Marcus and Phoenix are old enough to come to Preschool.

This is a chart that they had in the school to show how much the kids have grown since the beginning of preschool. I've really noticed that Davis has grown. At the beginning of the year, I would have to roll the legs of his pants up. Now, they are floods on him.

This was Davis' first day of school. I think he looks a little bit more grown up now.

We LOVE our Backyard

2009-06-24T23:13:00.006-06:00

As most of you know, we recently moved into Grandpa Doug's house. We love having our own backyard, and a safe place for the kids to play. One sunny afternoon, while I was planting flowers, the boys decided that it would be a great idea to get on their swimming suits (or a "swimming soup" according to Marcus), and play in the water. It was the perfect afternoon. I can't think of anything much better than having your kids outside playing, while relaxing on the deck with a good book. Since Davis is into his tree climbing phase, he is really enjoying all the trees to climb. Karen, do you recognize our window covering in the basement window?

Live your Life...

2009-06-11T21:41:00.003-06:00

While trying to prepare my YW Lesson on Being a Righteous Example, I found this handout, and I loved it!! It made me think about how I am living my life. Am I like this? Do people want to know Him because they know me? I do love the Church. There are so many blessings that have come into my life because of what I believe. I know that God lives, and I know that He loves me. I know that I am not perfect, and I struggle, but I want to be like Him.

"The Forgotten Garden"

2009-06-11T10:10:00.003-06:00

This, without a doubt, was one of the best books I have read for awhile. I could not put it down!! This was absolutely a book where everything else in my life got a little neglected. I'd love to curl up in the "Man Chair", with a little snack (my snack of choice are those Pringle Honey Butter Wheat Sticks-YUM) and read.

"Comfort Food"

2009-06-09T09:40:00.003-06:00

I read a lot. I admit that there are times when I get so immersed in what I am reading that I tend to neglect my duties and my children. I am posting what I read mainly for a record for myself, so I can see how much I really do read. I've always meant to write down everything, but I never have. I really loved Kate Jacob's "Friday Night Knitting Club" books, and so I was very excited that she wrote another book, based around something else I love...Food. When I was reading the "Knitting Club" books, they always made me want to be knitting. When I was reading "Comfort Food", I had a dream that someone from The Food Network approached me to host my own Cooking Show. I guess I get too involved in what I am reading. I do love to cook. And, I think I am getting fairly good at it; although one would never guess that I am a good cook if you looked at how skinny my husband is. I especially love to bake, and I will look for any excuse to bake something.

My Little Ballerina

2009-06-09T09:27:00.001-06:00

Doesn't he look Precious!?! I made this Tutu for one of my nieces for her Birthday, and I had a very willing model to try it on to see if I had the flowers in the right places. He kept telling me that boys could wear Tutu's, and maybe I should make one for him. I don't think his Dad would be very impressed if I followed through on that idea. I think he liked it better than she did.

My Eternal Family

2009-05-24T21:03:00.000-06:00

I just called back into YW in our new ward as the Miamaid Advisor. We had a lesson today on Temple Marriage, and it reminded me of just how grateful I am to be married in the temple, and all the blessings that I have that stem from that important event in my life, such as being a Mom to 3 little boys.

My Latest Read

2009-05-23T21:20:00.000-06:00

I love to read!! I love it!! I always have to be reading something, and I always have to have a stack of books that are in reserve for when I am done. I love to read just before I go to bed when the house is nice and quiet. I just finished "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale. It was a really cute book. It is based on a Fairy Tale. It was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed it. So, if you are looking for a cute little book to pass the time, check it out.

I Finally Gave Into Peer Pressure

2009-05-18T22:54:00.000-06:00

A lot of people have said that I need to start a blog. Drew has a family one that I love, and I think is hilarious, but I decided to start one that is about everything that is important to me...my family, my church, my crafts, my reading, my baking...So come along and enjoy a taste of "The Good Life."