Brynn's treasure

Sundays are always good. We got to attend the primary presentation in our friends' ward. So cute. 

While Brynn went to the beach with all the kids and the dad, the mom and I enjoyed some quiet time at the house with only a sleeping baby. Good quality bonding is great for the soul. 

Day 3

Friends😀

A 2.5 hour trip by car from Victoria to Courtenay took us 7 hours. We did stop once for 15 minutes and then again in Coombs at the goats on the roof. We ate delicious lunch there and bought some little trinkets. We saw some seals and heard them barking. 

 

And... Roasting marshmallows in the wood stove. 

Hug monster

 

I love you!!!!!!!

Elmo!!! : )

Rarrrrggghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Brynn 😀

Day 2

We walked Brynn's legs off today. A walk down to the ocean. The most delicious breakfast at the bed and breakfast we stayed at, a hike up Mount Douglas, breakwater, fisherman's wharf, making bead necklaces, and we made it to our friend's house for the night. 

This is down by the ocean.  We can see the mountains in Washington from here!

This is our hike on Mt. Doug.  Brynn found a huge leaf that looks like a maple leaf.

This is Brynn at the top Mt. Doug

Mom at the top of Mt. Doug

Little Lighthouse on the Breakwater.

We walked on the side of the Breakwater.    It was fun.

This is at fisherman's wharf and we have a story. I decided we should walk the 10-15 minutes to fisherman's wharf from the breakwater. Brynn was very tired by this point and hungry. We got almost there and I realized I didn't have my money. We were going there for famous fish and chips. We had to walk all the way back, get the car and drive there. After arriving, we realized that the place where we wanted to eat was closed for the season! We were so disappointed. 

Victoria!

We surprised Brynn with a mother/daughter trip to Vancouver Island. Today is day one. 

First airplane ride that she remembers. She loved the take-off and was giddy. 

After living on the prairies for the past 10 years, we were stunned with the scenery!

Butchart Gardens!

We caught the very tail end of fall colours. This place is serene, peaceful, beautiful, and heavenly. We loved it here. 

These were all from the sunken garden. That was our favourite. But, there was this really cool path and amazing trees in the Japanese garden. 

Then we wandered around Victoria by car. It's hard to be navigator and driver. We eventually found the spaghetti factory, Brynn's dinner request, and all the activities for tomorrow. 😀

Now we are safe in our cozy bed and breakfast, excited to chill for the evening and enjoy great fresh food in the morning. 

Children

I love this video on lds.org.  The Savior always had time for the children.  This really struck me today.

http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/suffer-the-little-children-to-come-unto-me?cid=HPFR110113137&lang=eng

Family fun

Making memories can be simple and cheap. Waterton is nearly closed at this time of year. No shops or bathrooms are open. Hotels are closed. But we were headed to the temple in Cardston and the weather was lovely. We took the kids along so we could do some hiking. I have to admit that in the past I've shrugged off little trips for fun because it takes so much work from me and the kids often complain until the end when they finally realized they had fun. I'm just now seeing that it's worth it. Plan ahead, do the work, ignore kids' complaints and have fun!  I finally did. (Not sure I'll change my mind about camping in a tent though... )

Beautiful red rock canyon. Next year when it's warm we'd like to hike up the stream. 

Bear's Hump for the first time ever!  Steep but quick and a rewarding view at the top. 

A prayer answered

It snowed for the first time this season. Over the summer I bought me some new boots to wear to church. Yesterday, I was desperately searching for them. I had prayed to know where they were. In church, someone mentioned that they love it when Heavenly Father answers the little prayers and I immediately thought of my boots. The kids didn't have school today. Previous days off have been anything but fun. I told Stan that this time I would tell the kids that I would be available to them all afternoon, to play games or do what they want to do. We were searching for our packed up games and in the game box were my new boots!! I was so excited. It never ceases to amaze me how The Lord helps and guides us, each step of the way. 

A near perfect evening

Last night we played, we read and discussed a children's short story, we ate dinner, we practiced piano, we practiced singing. All very ordinary events around here. But Happiness was everywhere, children were cooperating and enjoying each other. The difference... I did all these things with them. That's all it ever takes. One day they might not want me around but they do now and it was worth my whole evening. The only thing missing was Dad. However, I find it hard to loosen up and let myself go when he is here. Not sure why but I'll have to work on it. 

Discovery

My kids progress much faster in piano when I help them. They were hesitant at first to let me help. Their teacher said I was smart and pretty cool. That did it. I'm finding satisfaction in helping them and love to see their progress. 

I also have thoughts of completing the royal conservatory music program in Canada to buff up theory and playing skills and help me feel confidant to teach. Piano teachers are in demand, most places. It would be nice to have, for self reliance purposes. A job, without leaving my home. We will ponder it and pray about it...

A first favourite

Spencer loves music!  His first song that he could sing was kumbaya. No joke. Joel learned it on the piano last spring and played it a thousand times. Spencer quickly learned the tune, then the words. His other first favourite is from a church cd I got for a dollar at the LDS bookstore. It's called "hold your light up" by Conlon Bonner. It's a good one. Up beat, great message, makes you want to dance. Look it up. 

A trip to America for Canadian thanksgiving

I've lived in Canada over ten years and have spent most thanksgivings in the U.S. Now that we are three hours closer to my parents, weekend trips are feasible and Stan had a day off. The drive home was beautiful! I love the fall colors and the mountains, something I see less of in southern Alberta. I have no pictures. I would love to have a nice camera and skills to capture what I see. It's not a hobby for me though. iPhones just don't do well with scenery pictures or far away objects. It was a great time and we celebrated thanksgiving there and got to eat thanksgiving dinner here when we got home. What luck!

Green grass

Contentment in life is important and something I'm striving to have. Living is expensive. Often we think the grass is greener elsewhere. We sat down to do our budget while living mortgage free for over a year. We were hoping to save a pile of money. But we spend more than twice as much on gas here because we have to drive so far to get places. The cost of moving and finishing house projects in beaumont was more than expected, as usual. I'm trying to be better at meal planning so the shopping can be done in lethbridge by Stan where the groceries are cheaper. 

We pay an honest tithe and The Lord promises that we will be blessed and we always are. It works out. Elder Bednar's talk from the recent general conference about tithing was awesome. 

Potty training

I had high hopes that I could potty train spencer this fall. I even bought him a potty chair and underwear for his 2nd birthday. He used to tell me when to change his diaper. I think I missed my window of opportunity. I'm not forcing him now but with the oldest two I did force them to learn so they didn't go to sunbeams in diapers. I think when you wait longer, they get more stubborn and they are lazy. I can't get him to even sit on his potty with his clothes on. Too scary, he says. This is one parenting job I want to pass off to dad or aunt Tonya!  I was hoping to save money on diapers but alas, we shall wait... Until who knows when. I'm not sure what to wait for. A first step would be not screaming if I try to get him to sit on the potty. 

School

I think this is such a funny picture of the donkeys. They must be best friends. Brynn and Joel were so excited. This was their first sighting of the donkeys since we've been here. 

Here's to a great new school year in grades 1, 4, and 6!

All three had a great day, new friends and nice teachers. I love that they all go to the same school. What a treat. 

Interesting

My little spencer is so fun. He has transformed into such a good boy!  He plays and plays and plays while the kids are at school. I'm able to keep the house cleaner than usual, which I love. I'm not sure if he's reached a new stage or if I'm more relaxed and so he is too!  Maybe both but I like it. I think he likes all the attention he gets from me too. I play with him way more than I did my other ones. This was an obvious toddler behaviour. He was colouring on paper and got a little carried away. I'm glad it was on him and not my bed. 

The best family home evening

We just started piano lessons and they run right through the time we usually have family home evening. Stan is not with us yet so we were extra creative. On the 10 minutes of gravel road driving, we sang primary songs. The washboards on the road made us sound like sheep. We all laughed every song we sang. It was the best because everyone was happy, there wasn't any fighting and I didn't have to force anyone to sit still and pay attention. Lesson: it is often good to have variety. The prophet doesn't tell us exactly how to have family home evening but that we should do it. I need to remember that. 

Funny farm

After visiting the kids' new school today, we found a bird flying around the master bedroom. I was really glad Stan was here. 

Moving, motherhood, and more

I've learned something very important this week. Never sit down!  When you have to do more than you have energy for, when you're tired but still have laundry to do and dinner to make, don't sit down. I never realize how tired I am until I sit, then I start to lose motivation. But tonight I finally get to sit down. Our uhaul is loaded and we had room to spare. Our house is clean enough for the next two weeks and I'm ready for some good sleep and a BIG drive tomorrow. I can't wait to get my kids back and spend time just sitting down or hopefully we will walk around our new "home" and see animals and the river, maybe jump on the trampoline. I will spend Tuesday before they start school doing what they enjoy as we say goodbye to summer and hello to a new phase in our lives. 

Macy loves to shop

Macy is so easy to shop for. She is so obsessed with new school clothes and that is pretty much all she talks about each night I put her to bed. Gotta love this girl. 

What a fun day!

We rode our bikes in the river valley this morning. It's a favorite activity of ours. The weather was perfect, the kids were troopers. After the ride we ate at my new favorite sandwich place called Press'd. So delicious. We finished the outing with a couple of milkshakes from Fatburger to share. We all have been working so hard this week packing, cleaning, and renovating. This was a much needed and very rewarding break!

Too many journals

I currently record events of all kinds in 2 journals, and 2 blogs. We have this blog and Stan and I have a private blog that is our family history/life history stuff. I have a spiritual journal where I record impressions I get from the spirit as I read scriptures, conference or special meetings, also priesthood blessings I receive. Then I have a personal journal that I use for lots of things. I'm realizing that some memories or thoughts aren't getting recorded in all the right places. I don't think I completed my thoughts about Stan's surgery. We met with the heart surgeon in June and he will not operate on Stan until his condition gets worse, ie his quality of life is altered. As for now, he feels nearly normal. The docs will monitor him more frequently and schedule the surgery when the need arises. The type of problem he has will not worsen overnight so being in southern alberta will not be a problem. They will still care for him and do surgery in edmonton. I'm really grateful to have more time before the surgery. 

We are leaving Beaumont

We met Stan for a picnic near his work. The park had this small treed area. The kids spent most of their time there playing all sorts of games. I love the outdoors and how happy everyone is when we are outside. If I were to choose my climate, I think I would like it to be moderate temperatures all year, not rainy or cloudy though. We are looking forward to living in grassy lake at the ranch where there are endless amounts of outdoor space, not a lot of trees but we will love the prairie. We are actually moving in 3 weeks!!

I like to ride my bicycle

My mom used to sing this song as she bicycles a baby's leg when she is playing with them or changing their diaper:  "I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride my bike, I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride it where I like."  The band Queen sings a song called Bicycle Race that some of my older brothers liked.  I'm trying to find an original for it.  I thought of the song today as I went for a bike ride.  A new road was recently re-done just minutes from our house and it goes out into the country.  I biked it part way a month or more ago.  Today I wanted to go to the end.  It's a little over 8 miles.  It was so much fun, so peaceful, and a good workout.  I just was reminded again how much I love to ride my bike, but I do like to ride on paved roads, and not in traffic.  Tall order, huh?  It seems to me that I enjoy small town living more than I thought. Now, if we could just transport the Beaumont/Edmonton region to just north of the Alberta border, things would be in perfect order.

Joel

Summer is a challenge. I was looking forward to it mostly but my kids are fighting and being rude to each other ALL THE TIME!  I want to pull my hair out everyday. We've had good moments every day along with all the rotten ones. This was a good moment. Joel wrote me a nice letter and it made me laugh.

"Dear mom, I love you mom!! I wish that it wasn't so hard to be a mom because you do lots of work every single day. :)

Please help dad make the choice to move because I really want to move!!

You are the best mom in the whole entire world!!

I hope we will be able to go to the west edmonton mall because it is really fun, but I am not going to go on the dolphin slide if we do go because that's how I cracked my chin. :)

I hope you have a good day!!  I love you!!

Love, Joel"

This is proof that he is sweet. 

Drops of Awesome

In relief society today we had a lesson about making a choice to see good in ourselves and to be less critical. Satan always tempts us to focus on the bad and to tear ourselves and others down to his level. During the lesson a story was shared about a mom who chose to fill an imaginary bucket with drops of awesome. As she noticed little things she did right, she discovered she really was becoming the person she wanted to become and that Heavenly Father really is happy with who she is. It made me think. When I get compliments from others, I often think about all the bad traits and weaknesses I possess instead of putting a drop of awesome in my bucket. Another point is that when we start to do this, Heavenly Father blesses us with more than our bucket can hold and we feel amazingly blessed. I can choose each day and each moment to have "drops of awesome" in my bucket instead of listening to satan's temptations of worthlessness. 

School is over for this one!

Macy is a kindergarten graduate!  The schools don't  hold anyone back these days but she earned her advancement to grade 1. Thanks to those two wonderful women in the picture, Macy had a great year. She did awesome academically but most importantly she was a good role model and leader. Good work Macy!

Joel is 9

Joel turned 9 today. He picked crepes for breakfast. He loves Nutella, as you can see. But the funny thing I want to post is this: for after school snack, I offered graham crackers( which is a treat here), oranges and strawberries. I had a bowl of lettuce out that needed to be eaten. Joel said "hmm, I don't feel like graham crackers today... I want lettuce!"  Really? I wish I had that on video, just in case he denies it later. 

Spencer update

The littlest boy is now 4 months away from turning 2. Here's some of the fun and funny things he does:

-Eeeeww. He says this anytime he roots or has a poopy diaper. And he points to his bum. 

- he says no a lot but it sounds so cute and most of the time he means it. 

-he says jeol or joe for  Joel. But it's the only sibling name he's tried to say.

- he's an expert at saying 

Mama,Dada, ball, shoe, cheese, boy, girl, truck, nana, bath, hi, bye, hello, hair, eye, ear, teeth

He tries to say most things we say but lots if them come out funny. Tonight we had cereal for dinner. He said 'ereal' but his inflections are so dramatic 

-he loves to give me and dad big hugs and kisses and he is always so excited to see us. 

-he gets really excited to see Aiden Stanford and Stephanie 

-he loves to read books especially ones with animals or trucks/cars but he likes the story about the boo hoo baby. We've read it a lot since January 

-he weighs over 26 pounds and is well proportioned. He has adorable blond hair

- he has fits and tantrums like anyone his age. His lungs are in full working order. I wish he could sing as loud as he screams. 

-he loves balls, cars, and little people

-loves to go to the park, on walks, and bike rides

-he understands very well what we say and responds in some way, most of the time 

-he LOVES his soother

-he is a great sleeper, 12 hours at night, 2+hour naps

Frozen peas

My kids LOVE to eat frozen peas, but they like them frozen, not cooked.  I used to think this was weird.  But they are actually good.  What good mother would deny her children these super healthy and nutritious vegetable?  My kids love them as a snack or with our meal, as long as they are frozen.  In fact, Spencer ate them for lunch today, with nothing else.  He was full.  Check the nutrition label, they have a lot a protein too.  Who knew?

Tough

Why do I have to be tough? It must be a natural desire that I was born with. I've never liked showing emotion of any kind, but particularly sad emotions. So when I'm feeling sad, I suck it up and be tough. And after awhile, I break down. I prove to my kids that this mom can handle anything and I try to prove to Stan that hard things might not ruffle me. But the amazing thing is they can all tell in some way. Brynn asks a lot of questions, she wants to know what is going on. Joel acts out even more, trying to get any attention he can, even if its negative. Macy tries to get my attention by talking and being silly. Spencer screams and throws fits about everything. Stan asks what he can do to make my life easier. As hard as I try to hide, they can still sense something is wrong, that I'm not as tough as I want them to believe. And what is the reason? I'm not exactly sure. But the solution for me is to have a good cry, somewhere secluded, talk it over with someone who loves me who is slightly removed from the situation, and just have some me time to grieve. The solution seems so simple but I rarely have enough alone time to really get it out. 

Reasons for being tough right now...

Stan is receiving a 2nd heart valve replacement. He had it done in high school and its time again.  We planned to move at the end of June to be closer to family, this surgery is done in edmonton and then there is 2-3 months of recovery. This is definitely where we need to be. Deep down, I'm not worried about the surgery or his recovery but it will be hard, it will require a lot of sacrifice from him and from me. The news really surprised us as he has been really healthy. We also know that all things happen for a reason. 

Then, in the middle of all this, I found out I was pregnant. A couple if months ago, after I declared for the 100th time that I was done having kids,I had a strong impression that I wasn't done. The impression came in such a way that I knew I needed to keep trying and The Lord would bless me to be able to handle it. So with faith, we moved ahead. Days after I learned of this pregnancy, I lost it. All things considered, the surgery and hopefully moving later on, it's better for me to have my full emotional and physical capacities. And still I didn't know I would feel sad and need to grieve. But I do and I will in some way and all will work out for our good, I'm sure of that. 

How's that for a post??

May 1st is an anniversary day for me

As of May 1, 2013, I've been living in Canada for 10 years!  That's pretty much most of my life as a grown-up.  I had been married almost 2 years when I moved here and Brynn was 5 months old.
I never thought this is where I'd end up, but I sure do love it.  Life is great when you are with the people you love the most! 

We rode the Gondola in Banff and then "hiked" to the tippy top.  It was breathtaking.  Expensive but so worth the experience.  So glad we could all do it together.

Grateful

It's nice that we get to be parents for several years.  Each year we learn new things.  Last year we went a little overboard and I'm not sure why, with the Christmas gifts.  The kids were a mess and Stan and I felt really bad about the whole deal.  So we planned and prepared carefully for this year, not wanting a repeat of last year ever again and after all we all got a ski pass and it was expensive and Christmas isn't all about material gifts anyway. 
We were so glad as this morning unfolded quickly, everyone was so excited.  No complaints.  We missed the best reactions with the video camera.  It was all simple and great.  Exactly what I was hoping for.  I'll admit that I've had trouble with the whole Santa thing so this year, I got something very practical and usable for the Santa gifts and the cool gifts were from us.  An excellent idea given to me by a sister in law.  For next year we want to make gifts but we want to start right away coming up with ideas so we can start and work on them all year, if we need to.  We are pretty sure it won't be cheaper but they will be long lasting and the giving of them will be more rewarding, having put so much time and energy into them. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas!

2012 was a busy and fun year for the Stan Torrie family.  We had wonderful family trips to Spokane, Washington, and Utah, with lots of weekend trips to southern Alberta full of fun family time.

Spencer (15 months)-He went from being a wee babe to a walking and running toddler this year.  He is a serious child who really thinks a lot about what is going on around him.  He has the cutest smile and a contagious giggle.  He LOVES his mom and wants to be near her all day long.  Thankfully he likes his dad now too so he’s happy to see him when he gets home from work.

Macy (5)-She finally got to start kindergarten in September and she loves school!  She is one of the oldest in her class and is doing really well.  She is adjusting socially and her teacher loves having her in class.  She likes to sing and dance and she has a very good imagination.

Joel(8)-Joel got to be baptized this year!  He is getting more and more active and loves sports.  He is doing really well in school and his favorite subjects are gym and recess.  He does well in all areas and is a good reader, even though it isn’t his favorite thing to do.  He’s also a great singer and piano player, but don’t tell anyone.

Brynn(10)-She just turned 10 and got to get her ears pierced with Macy for her birthday.  She was very surprised that mom and dad let her do it.  She is a great babysitter and helper with Spencer.  She is an excellent student at school and this year, thanks to her current teacher, is excelling in math and science!  She likes to read, sing, play the piano, and is very competitive in family sports.

Stan is still busy in his current government job.  He has spent much of the year renovating our home and spending time with us.  We have really enjoyed that.  He likes to play the piano and guitar and his favorite things to do are playing sports with the family, guitar, and singing around the piano.

I, Sh’Nell, have spent most of my year in the kitchen.  I’ve been experimenting with lots of recipes and like to try new things that are healthy.  I enjoy reading and exercising, and having real conversations with my kids.  It’s fun to have them grow up and be little people.

This year for an early Christmas we bought a family ski pass to a local small hill near us.  We’ve been several times already.  It’s so fun to have the kids enjoy the activities we enjoy!  It was Macy’s first time this year and she is a natural.

We are most grateful for our Savior and this special time of year we celebrate his birth.  We love and appreciate our family and we are grateful for our friends here who treat us like family.

Love to all

Stan, Sh’Nell, Brynn, Joel, Macy, and Spencer.

changes

I can't keep up with technology.  I haven't posted on my blog for awhile and now I can't properly make blogger function how it used to.  how do I make my family picture large like the last one.  Shouldn't it have done it automatically?

I love this talk

Stan has been listening to talks from the BYU speeches web page.  This was his latest and he passed it on to me.  It's a talk by Stephen R Covey from 1975.  It may be old but it was revelation for me.  It must have been exactly what I needed because I soaked it all up and I'm so motivated to be a better person and to be more in tune with the Spirit and have it direct my life.  I know I will see greater progress as I do this.  Here's to great reading and/or listening.
http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=948

One of these days I'll get a new family picture up that includes Spencer.  We did have one taken in August but we haven't seen any of them yet.  And I really think I need to blog more.  Sometimes there is so much to say but I don't think anyone needs to hear it.  Maybe someone does need to hear it.  We'll see...