It's been a crazy few days!

(photo by Talia Audenart Photography)

It has been a crazy week...filled with all kinds of crazy!  hehe!

It actually started the middle of the week with a huge dump of snow and icy roads.  Yuck!  I seriously hate the winter driving season more than the snow and cold itself.  The roads are just horrible which makes it not fun.  Thankfully I had no where to go Wednesday so I stayed inside and cleaned the house since my hubby's family was coming for the weekend for his nephew's wedding.  Ryker didn't even have school Wednesday because of early dismissal, so I took the kids outside to play while I shovelled the sidewalks.  The snow was so wet and heavy that it took me over an hour to get it all done.  That night my sweet hubby took my car in to his friends shop to get my winter tires put on, and WOW have they ever made a difference driving on these roads.  I am loving it!

Cody's out of town family decided not to come up and travel through the snow storm...which was so smart since I would have been so worried if they were driving on the roads.  Buses were cancelled the next day, but Ryker still wanted to go to school so I braved the roads and drove him.  There were only 10 kids in his class because of the weather, but he was happy to be there.  Thursdays are also music days...one of our favourite parts of the week!  I decided not to send Maguire to school that morning which made my crazy Thursdays just a little more manageable.

Friday was wedding day!!!  Cody quickly ran into work to get the guys going and then we rushed off to the wedding...and picked up Cody's sister and kids who were catching a ride with us to the temple.  All the cousins played at the church while the parents were at the wedding.  It was short and sweet!  The Bride looked beautiful and they both looked super happy!!  Sitting in the sealing room brought back so many memories of my own wedding...and how young I was.  I'm thankful that we have wedding pictures to look back on...because I still feel THAT young...but somehow almost 13 years have passed!!!  Sitting in that room though also brought back other memories of the day we were sealed to Ryker.  What a special memory that is for me.  It was just over a year after his adoption, and it was also a cold, snowy day.  He looked so cute with his little bow tie....  Oh man...he was so adorable!!!  I am so extremely thankful for eternal families.  I'm thankful for those precious memories and for the examples of others.  When I put Ryker to bed Friday night he told me he wanted to be like his cousin James and get married in the temple!!  :)

After the wedding we rushed back to the church to get ready for lunch.  There was a bit of miscommunication between the Bride and her family about lunch...and pictures...so the happy couple showed up to eat and the Bride's family were no where to be found.  Oops!!  The afternoon was filled with lots of last minute prep for the family dinner and reception that night.  Poor Cody ended up taking care of all the kids so the women could get stuff done.  And somewhere in between we managed to rush home and pick up presents, run to the store and buy presents, and get all that fun stuff done!  The night turned out great and we are so excited to have Emily in our family!  She seems super sweet and perfect for James!!

Saturday I woke up not feeling so great and spent a good part of the day in bed....  The boys and I all seem to be getting sick!  I seriously hate colds!!  They seem to last forever.

I know it probably doesn't sound all that crazy, but it just felt like we were running around and here or there everyday.  It was nice to finally be able to just relax and take it easy Sunday.  Even the boys have been in bed early almost every night.  

And now a week off of school starts!!!

K :)

the temple

Photos taken by Talia Audenart Photography at the Edmonton, Alberta Temple | 2012

Friday night we drove to Calgary to see the new temple!  The kids were beyond excited all week to make the special trip...and I must say I was just as excited.  It was a little rushed when we arrived and the boys had been sitting a long time, so the picture moments were brief.  We arrived just in time to start our tour with my parents, niece, aunts and some friends.  It was a very busy time for tours, so we had the 'walking' tour which meant we got to walk through the temple without really stopping.  It was probably perfect for our kids since they just wanted to go go go.  

As we walked through the doors of the temple my heart fluttered when Ryker whispered to me "It's beautiful!" or when he said "It smells like liquorice...can we come back again?" or when I walked into the sealing room holding Ryker's hand and whispered our story to him of the day we were sealed in the temple and how special it was.  or when I held Ryker as we looked in the mirror and caught a glimpse of what eternity might be like or when I told the boys to quietly feel Heavenly Father's love for them and Ryker whispered back "I feel it!" or when Maguire asked if he could bring a little piece of the temple home with him.

My heart recorded those moments.  It was special.

They may be too young to remember all those sweet moments we shared, but as a mother I hope that I can teach them about the blessings that come from the temple.  I know the peace that comes from being in the house of the Lord.  It is the closest we can be to Heaven here on earth.

K 

 xo