Cross Country Skiing

Cross country skiing in Waterton is my new favorite thing to do. It is so beautiful, fun, and a great workout. I went with my quality friends. I want to take my family up there to ski with them.

Before

Getting in the rhythm

Reached our destination - Cameron Lake



Eating jerky - thanks to Dixie bringing water and treats

Marilee - Who was talking about me?

Kaylynn - looking good, I know

Almost back to the car

Lucy's 6th Birthday

Lucy talks about her birthday all year long. She gets very excited when her birthday comes.

Lucy's Birthday Breakfast:
sticky buns, bacon & orange juice

Lucy's Friend Birthday Party:
Lucy wanted a pajama party. We read 2 stories, wrapped each other up like sleeping mummies, played balloon volleyball, opened presents, ate cake, blew bubbles, and they played Barbies, puppies, ponies and house. Six-year old girls are easy to please.

Camee Card, Taylor Heninger, Rylee Gerard, Lucy


Lucy's Birthday Dinner:
Steak, french fries & fruit salad
We decided if we were going to have steak, we wanted to cook it right. So I went to the local hardware store on Lucy's birthday and bought a little gas grill. The nice man at the hardware store thought we were slightly crazy since it was -20 C. When I left he said in his English accent, "Have a nice barbecue."
Austin and Hanna braved the cold to cook us steak.

Lucy's Cake Party
Lucy wanted to invite Lindy Bevans (her 14-year-old bus buddy) to come to her birthday party, but instead we just invited the whole Bevans family to come over for cake and ice cream.
Lucy with Grandma & Grandpa Nunn


Bevans Family (part 1) with Carly & Lucy

Bevans Family (part 2) with Hanna, Lucy & Jill

We had a super fun day. We love having Lucy in our family. Thanks to Grandma Carol and Grandma Karma who sent gifts in the mail.

The Mat

The Mat

By Hanna Nunn

Put the mat by your bed and the mat will lead you if at night you kneel on it with faith and something to say you get to be with god. Listen to the small voice no bigger than a squeak and you will receive an answer when you talk with them. Don’t be greedy just ask of what you need on the mat and you will feel something warm and fuzzy on the mat, like when you cuddle with your mom or dad and a warm blanket because of the feeling on your mat. Just by saying things, good things, or for faith, hope, forgiveness or to not be afraid on your mat. The praying mat, it doesn’t matter what it looks like. It matters what’s in your heart and after that you go to bed feeling nice and safe because of the mat.

Hanna got this mat for Christmas from Grandma Carol.

Rodeo Mom

I am an official rodeo mom. I drove Jill and Hanna to a Small Spurs Rodeo in Claresholm (about an hour north of us). I helped them saddle and unsaddle their horses. I tried to encourage them and help them the best I could. Although they missed their true coach, Austin, we had a good day. Austin was at an all-day scout training (one of his most favorite things in the world). Thanks to Grandma Nunn for keeping Lucy and Carly for the day.

Highlights of the day:

We had great weather and good roads. It was a beautiful day.

Jill placed 4th in goat tying and won her first rodeo paycheck. She also was in barrel racing and pole bending.

Hanna did barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying. She did great but missed having Dad there. When Austin was watching the videos of their runs, he said, "Hanna, your saddle isn't tight enough." That would be my fault.

KAYLYNN

JILL

JILL & CARLY DURFEY

HANNA

JILL'S WINNING GOAT RUN

Happy New Year

For our New Year's Eve celebration, Les & Hollis surprised everyone to come and visit from Wyoming and to bring Grandpa Buck a new puppy.

Pepper

The Nunn party started on New Year's Eve at the Agridome. We had a barrel racing and played musical chairs on horses. It really added to the excitement when Julia got dumped off our horse. A few days later they took her to the doctor, and her arm was broken. Darn. Sorry Julia.

Then we enjoyed a fabulous meal of Mexican food at Grandma Nunn's house.

(Andy Fuller- family friend who never celebrated New Year's Eve quite like this before,
Grandpa Buck, Julia)

After that we partied in Grandpa & Grandma's basement with a dance and games and treats. We all stayed up until midnight. Happy 2011.

Grandpa Buck & Annie Jo, Kaylynn & Carly, Grandma Nunn


Kaela and her lovely dog, Chester


Austin & Carly


Grandma Nunn & Grandpa Buck

On January 1, we went to a party at Dixie Bevan's house. She invited lots of families to come on a sleigh ride, go sledding, have lunch and play games. It was super windy so we enjoyed a tractor-pulled sleigh ride instead of horses, but it was still fun. Most of us were plenty cold by then so we went inside to party. Austin led a group of crazy men (and some crazy kids joined them) to the top of the nearby hill to enjoy some extreme sledding. After being nearly blown off the top of the hill and causing a small avalanche, they found a spot to sled down the hill off a big jump. Fun. Crazy but fun.

LesAustin

Later that afternoon, we played our new Wii at our house.

Hanna & Kaela

Taylor & Julia



Kaela & Declan

Good News

We had good news this week. Lucy's juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is in remission, and statistics say it won't come back. I took her to Calgary to the children's hospital and met with a pediatric rheumatologist. We really liked him (he used to practice in Ohio but he said the American health care system was immoral and he couldn't be a part of it, but he thinks Canada is headed the same way and that South America is looking good ~ just a little side story).

Anyway, her swelling in her leg has been gone for 6 months and all looks good.

She does have a patch of ringworm on her leg, and she had hives that day, but no arthritis.

The Alberta Children's Hosptial gives Canadian healthcare a good name. It is a really nice place with really nice people and up-to-date technology. It has a playground outside and a play place inside.

We will keep those positive images in our mind~ not quite like my experience of going to the local hospital on Saturday (no InstaCare around here) because we think Carly has strep throat. We sat there for 1 hr and 10 minutes before a doctor even arrived. Who heard of an Emergency Room with no doctor? And then he came in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers to do his rounds, and then it takes 2 days to get strep results back. 2 days.

We hope to not have to use health care very often and just have everyone stay healthy instead!

A Great December Birthday

I celebrated a fabulous 35^th birthday so I decided to follow the example of some of my cool friends and write 35 things about me. I was going to post it on my birthday, but that didn’t happen since we were traveling that day.

1. I shower everyday, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I bet there hasn’t been 10 days I haven’t showered since I was 12 years old, and that includes girls camp. (If you shower everyday, you wouldn’t think that was abnormal, but I know lots of people who don’t shower everyday.)

2. I do my hair and my 4 daughters’ hair every morning. I follow in my Mom’s footsteps on this one. She had 6 daughters and she did our hair everyday.

3. Austin says there are 3 signs that I have been in the kitchen: The cupboard doors are all open. The kitchen is a mess. Sugar was a main ingredient.

4. My cleaning philosophy: clean when the mood hits

5. My cleaning weakness: clutter

6. One of the things that goes on inside my mind: copy editor. Whenever I read anything (emails, signs, ads, etc) my mind take notes of spelling or grammar errors

7. The things I think about most often: my list of things to do and money (how much we have, when more is coming, our upcoming expenses, needs and wants)

8. My travel bucket list: New York and Disneyland (I have already been to both places but want to take my family again)

9. My non-travel bucket list: sing in a choir for General Conference

10. I am a people watcher. It is my personality to learn people’s names, learn where they live, etc.

11. Favorite new singers: Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Celine Dion

12. Favorite old singers: Carpenters, Air Supply, Chicago

13. Dream calling: Relief Society Teacher

14. Callings I have Had: Activity Days leader, Enrichment Leader, Primary Counselor, Activities Committee Chairman, Relief Society teacher, Primary President, Young Women’s Counselor, Primary teacher

15. Biggest complex: Having a birthday right before Christmas – although it has significantly improved in the last 4 years

16. I really like playing in water in this order 1 – rivers, 2 –swimming pools, 3 – lakes and then the ocean but it’s not really in my ranking because I am not near an ocean every year

17. My role in events or parties: planner/organizer (Family Reunions, Nibley Heritage Days chairman, head room mom, etc)

18. Jobs I have had (besides Mom, of course): runner at a lawyer’s office, intern at the INEL, Motel 6 desk clerk (definitely a highlight of my life), receptionist at USU Catering , Office Assistant at USU Board of Trustees office and the USU Research Office, kindergarten aide, Team Roping announcer and then bookkeeper

19. My favorite quote: If elephants are on sale 2 for a quarter, only buy them if you need 2 elephants and if you have a quarter

20. Schools I attended: Hillview Elementary, Ammon Elementary, South Bonneville Junior High, Bonneville High School, Hillcrest High School, Utah State University

21. I have been to 26 states, mostly with my quality parents who took our family on lots of road trips

22. You wouldn't want me on your team if you were playing "Name that movie, song, singer, actor, etc" I just don't pay attention to those kinds of things.

23. My best talent: making chocolate chip cookies. I make them at least once a week. I used to only make a half batch so we/I wouldn't eat too many and so they didn't go bad before we ate them. Now I usually make a whole batch so everyone can have a treat for their lunches. I have taken cookies to display for talent shows. My cookies were even worth $500 once when we were bargaining on a buying a new truck and the dealer guy said, do you make good chocolate chip cookies. I said oh yes. And so he finally agreed on the price which saved us $500. I took him a batch of chocolate chip cookies the next day.

24. Technology I wouldn't want to live without: high-speed internet (We have experienced living without a phone, a cell phone and tv since moving to Canada, but the internet we didn't want to live without)

25. Although I haven't read the 5 Love Languages, I think my love language is praise. I love a sincere compliment but can stew about criticism for a long time.

26. I am a 50% driver in our marriage. I drive 50% of the time on our trips. Whenever we go "somewhere" I usually drive there and Austin drives home. When we go on long trips I usually drive half the trip, with the exception of winter driving and when I had newborns.

27. Roles I have in my marriage: money manager, public relations, taking care of the vehicles

28. I am also Austin's personal secretary. I think my name should be in parentheses next to his on his Bachelor's degree and Master's degree. He would write out his assignments and I would type them editing as I went. Together we can write an awesome paper. He still has me edit things for his work or will call and ask how to spell a word.

29. I am the snack Mom. Wherever we go, I bring snacks. When we go on trips, I bring LOTS of snacks. I learned this trait from my mom. Just the other day Austin's entire family (23 people) were at the Agridome riding horses and my nephew came and found me and said, "Kaylynn, do you have any snacks? I am hungry." Of course I did. I had brought a bag of pretzels in case we needed a snack.

30. I have lived in 2 countries. Canada and United States. My favorite two things about moving to Canada are the great people and the beautiful place where we live (the mountains, the prairies, the windmills, the sunrises and sunsets). My two least favorite things are the weather and the shopping.

31. My favorite holiday is definitely Christmas. I love everything about it. I spend months thinking about gift ideas.

32. My favorite season is summer. I love being outside when it is warm. I love hanging out in nature. I love summer evenings.

33. I am 5'4" and my 12-year old daughter is the same height as me. She will definitely outgrow me.

34. I am the object of many of my family's jokes. I don't have a quick wit, but I love to laugh. One of my favorite things about Austin is his sense of humor. My best chance at humor is to pick up on inside jokes and bring them up again at funny times.

35. I really think my cup is half full, not half empty. I try to be positive, although I know I am not perfect. Sister Hinckley is my role model for many things, but this is one of them. I read her book when I feel half empty.

If you really read all 35 things about me, you are a true friend:)