Twas the Day Before Christmas...

'Twas the day before Christmas at home on the farm.

The children all rose, without an alarm.

"Let's get up!" They chorused while jumping on me.

"We're all done our sleeping. We had to go pee!"

We crept out to the kitchen; I got coffee to brew.

I found the new magazines; new stickers to do.

The kids were happy/content for 10 glorious minutes.

A few sips of coffee, then the silence was kaputz.

My wee one awoke and yelled from his bed,

"Mommy, where are you!" is what my boy said.

I lifted him up from his crib with a hug.

We got to the kitchen, where a yogurt he did chug.

"Mommy we're hungry!" my three crazies agreed.

So I jumped to the stovetop to get what they need.

Dad came in from the barn with fresh milk to consume.

The kids shuffled their seats to make him some room.

As breakfast was ready, and I filled each plate.

My youngest stood by at my feet in a state.

"Just wait, my sweetie." I patted the head I adore.

Then that little sweetie puked all over the floor.

"Help!" I called daddy, who came quick with a rag.

We worked as a team as my wee one did sag.

He upchucked again, so dad grabbed him and ran,

To the bathroom where he could stand over the can.

When the excitement wore down, we got back to eating.

The mood had been dampened, appetites depleting.

We cautiously fed our sick little boy,

Gave him some water, he played with a toy.

We brought down the calendars we use through December.

We read about Jesus and we try to remember.

There's chocolate incentive, the kids love to find.

Today was the last one! No more days left to mind.

My boy brought up his water, left us again in a quandary.

We jumped to the rescue and added more to the laundry.

Time for a craft, my boys did decide.

Beads and pipe cleaners were the tools I'd provide.

Dad and his girl went outside for a skate.

Mommy cleared away every spoon, fork and plate.

When the girly came in, the boy went outside.

It was "take turns skating with daddy"-- better than any ride.

The pukester and I, we stayed inside our walls.

Fixed his train set four times, as I answered his calls.

Remember those beads I mentioned before??

Sir Pukesalot dumped them all over the floor.

While cleaning up hundreds of beads in the room,

The job seemed too daunting, I went for the broom.

My girly looked funny, she was doing a dance.

Most of those beads had been put down her pants.

We got through the morning, played out our wiggles

Had a puke-less lunch as we all shared some giggles.

Dad and the wee one are now down for a sleep.

The house is calm, these few minutes I will keep.

I am one thankful mama for this life that I lead.

God has graciously given me more than I need.

I'm so thankful for this quiet moment to write,

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

I am Dory.

Every so often, I see those quizzes that tell you what Hollywood character you are most like go through my Facebook feed. It wasn't long ago I saw one that told you what disney character you're most like. I've never actually done any of these quizzes. Maybe I'm afraid of how I'll be categorized...

Recently though, I've had this recurring thought in my mind.

I am Dory.

I never knew that having kids would have such a significant impact on my thinking capacity. My brain is full of so much important information like:
What fundraisers are due for what activities?
Where in the world did my youngest toddle off to?
When is it my kids' turn for show'n'tell or I'm scheduled to be a parent helper?
Will my sister and I ever get called up for Amazing Race? (Like, seriously.)
What's for dinner?
And how many times have my kids pooped in a day?
There isn't room for much more!

It doesn't take much for me to lose my train of thought. It drives me CRAZY when I'm in the middle of a story or explanation or something and I forget what my point was. Often an interruption from a wee one (with a loud attention-grabbing voice) is to blame... 

We'll go with that.

The other day, I was in the shower and I forget what prompted this line of thinking (surprise, surprise) but I was trying to remember the word for the disease that some people get as they age... when they can't remember things... not dementia, the other one... it's the disease that the lady in Still Alice had (that book totally freaked me out, by the way)... I'm sure it starts with an A... Arthritis?- No... Autism?- No...

I'm sure it was a good 20 minutes that my brain circled around but refused to help me recall that word! After I was done and dressed, I asked Mitch if he knew the name for the disease I was having trouble recalling. He first said, "Dementia?" and when I shook my head, he said, "Alzheimers."
Like it was SOO easy.

There's more than a little irony in the fact that I couldn't remember the term, Alzheimers....
I'm not going to go there just yet.

I blame my crazy on sleep deprivation and the constant drone of wee ones who demand my attention All. The. Time. (I'm crazy about them, by the way)

I think that my ability to retain information was at an all time low when I was pregnant with my third child, Zavi. Jett had just started preschool and I felt ill-prepared for the barrage of responsibility and expectation that comes with having a child in organized programming. I completely missed Jett's picture day! I was supposed to bring him to the school on a morning that wasn't his usual preschool morning, and that was just too much for my prego brain to handle. We didn't have anything on that morning, I just missed it. SO, we have a class picture of Jett's 3-yr old preschool class without him in it. (Needless to say, I don't have that one on display)

We hit a milestone recently and I'm hoping it is one that will help me on my way to reclaiming my sanity... and my memory. Zavier is one month shy of 2 yrs old and he is almost the exact age that Jett was when Kalena was born.

Newsflash, people.

WE ARE NOT PREGNANT!

For the first time in 5 1/2 yrs, we do not have a BABY in our home; nor do we have intentions of bringing another baby into our home. Yes, I do feel a measure of sadness knowing that this phase of our life has come to a close. However, I also feel the thrill that comes with the anticipation of finally being able to rid our house of stinky diapers!!! (BUT... Let's be honest, my kids don't potty train until their three... so I should probably contain my excitement...)

I have discovered one benefit of having a poor memory. I am much less inclined to hold a grudge. :)(This is helpful in a marriage relationship) I don't think I generally have too many issues or conflict in the relationships in my life, but if anyone is waiting for an apology from me, I wouldn't hold your breath. It's likely not going to happen; not because I don't care, (I'm sure I would care if I remembered) but rather, I forgot. Oh, blissful ignorance.

***Disclaimer- If I actually DO owe any apologies, please let me know!!!***

Really though, I wouldn't trade my three brain-cell stealing hooligans for anything. I love being a mom; even if I frequently verge on the side of insanity. I cling to the hope that those brain cells might regenerate. But if they don't, may I forget why I ever needed them. :)

A Dog Day in Our Life... 2015

I miss writing. The summer got away on me and here it is, NOVEMBER already! Wow!

Today, I have a moment to write as I sit outside the dentist office as my son gets a cavity filled (His last one, thankfully!). I'm not allowed to sit inside with him because my big tough 5 yr old boy cries for his mama much more when she's within reach. It's better for both of us that I sit outside...

So, I brought my laptop and I found this post that I started in MAY. Oops.
I thought about deleting it and starting over, but I think I'll use it and build onto it instead.

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May, 2015

SO, lately I have felt outnumbered and a little run off my feet. I suppose that's just the way it is when you have three busy preschool/toddler aged children. The month of May on a farm is all about getting the seed into the soil, which means that I'm a farm widow for a few weeks. We do get to spend a little time with Mitch here and there, on the tractor or a quick meal, but most of the parental responsibilities fall on my plate and I have a genuine appreciation for single parents who do everything all the time! I should also say that I have lots of family around that makes life much easier and more enjoyable, too. :)

Often I find myself thinking/dreaming about how much easier life will be when my children are a little more independent (and rational thinkers...). BUT there really are so many fun and memorable moments about this stage that we're IN and I feel as though, if I don't document it somehow, I'll forget it entirely.

Now without further ado...
a day in the life of the crazy Schultzies ;)

Jett- age 5 yrs
Kalena- age 3 yrs
Zavier- 1 1/2 yrs

It's difficult to say exactly when the day starts... is it when I'm up with the wee one (let's face it, he's actually a tank) at 3am? He's obviously starving and I always feel obliged to answer his hunger cries with a warm bottle of milk. He's my last baby and I am a huge sucker for letting him get away with this travesty this long... but he's my baby... I just need more coffee.

6:30am
This is when I am likely to be awakened and not permitted to re-enter dreamland. My hyper-sensitive super-human ears hear the sound of feet hitting the floor two rooms away from mine. My suspicion is confirmed as I hear the squeak of the door hinges and I brace myself for the flurry of messy hair and flannel jammies to hop into bed next to me... or on top of me ;) Since my dear hubby vacates his side of the bed at an unholy hour to coax some milk out of our cows, my squirmy little princess stakes her claim and snuggles up close enough that I find myself inhaling her baby-fine hair and trying to duck away from the nagging itch I feel under my chin from that blonde nest.

The other morning, she had climbed into bed with me and fallen back to sleep. So, when the boys got up, I quietly abandoned her to get a little more shut eye in mommy & daddy's bed. About an hour later, I heard the door open and there was a shuffling noise as Kalena made her way into the kitchen... with her pajama pants around her knees (hence: shuffle). "Good morning, Kalena," I said. "Do you need to go to the potty?" "No, mama." She said as she sheepishly looked up at me through her too-long bangs that I've been meaning to trim. "I kinda.. sorta.. peed in your bed. BUT I cleaned it up with water, to get rid of the pee!" She added the second part quickly and looked up at me, obviously proud of her supposed problem solving skills. "Oh, Lena..." I said with a sigh as I started moving towards my bedroom to assess the damage. "Mommy," Kalena went on as she followed me. "Could we not tell daddy that I peed in your bed?" I stopped and looked down at her as she took my hand, batted her baby blues and said, "It could be a mommy-Lena secret."  Oy.

Now, let me tell you, I am not a fan of the extra laundry that sometimes invades my schedule when one (or more) of my kiddos has an "accident" in the night. BUT I am even less of a fan when it is MY bed that they have an accident in!!! Even when flashed the baby blues...

...AND that's it. I never got past 7 in the morning. ;)

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November 2015

SIX months later, life is much the same, yet different.

I have many nights that are interrupted by my now nearly 23 month old boy. He no longer gets milk at night, but still calls out (too often) for some attention in the wee hours. The other night, Zavi called out "Moooooooooooooom" every five to ten minutes from 1am until just after 3am. He would allow just enough time to let you drift off before hollering again. Why? I'm really not sure. I did go to him a few times and his soothers were all in reach (yes, he still loves his soother), his feet warm, diaper not overly saturated etc. I gave him a drink of water and short snuggle, which usually does the trick, but not this night. Every. Five. To. Ten. Minutes. It would have been nice if he could have switched it up a few times and called for, "Daaaaaaaaaaaad," but no, I was the lucky one. He wouldn't call out for very long, just loud and long enough to ensure that I was awake with him. Thanks, Zav.

When he awoke for the day at just before 7, Zavi was happy as a clam, of course. He can be so silly and sweet that you almost forget the grief he gives you at night. Often I go and pick him up out of his crib and he smiles at me, flashes his baby blues and says, "Daddy!" Yep. In the hours when we're not trying to sleep, mommy is often chopped liver and daddy is the All-Star in this toddler's eyes.

Our house is full of chatter from the moment Zavi wakes up now, too. In May, Zavi didn't talk, he just grunted. ;) At right around a year and a half, I had this moment where I realized that Kalena (and I think Jett, too?) had many more words than I could've even counted when we were asked about it at their 18 month vaccination appointment. At 18 months for Zavi, though, he had less than 5, I'm sure. While pondering the difference, I realized that we weren't ever really talking to Zavi! (Poor 3rd child) We always just talked around him. In the past few months, we've tried to be much more intentional about talking to our sweet boy, and his conversational skills have grown immensely. He is also very polite and is quick to use his "Pease." and "Tane-tu"s (Please and Thank-you's). If anyone near him sneezes, he loves to shout, "Bess-you!!!" And when I sneeze, Zav grins and says "Bess you, mama." I melt. Some other favourite phrases of his right now are: "Paw-Pawo" (Paw Patrol), "Pess pay!!" (Press play), "Tot-tar, Oooowuuuu!" (He yells for Rockstar and then makes a whistle-like noise). Not long ago, Zavi said what I believe is the clearest sentence he's come up with yet, "Detty, did it." (Jetty) and he's used it many times since; sometimes when his brother is to be blamed, but also when he's been innocent. (Clever little stinker) He is becoming a very good mimic, he loves to tease, AND he loves to pretend to be a puppy ;)

My princess Kalena is now 3 1/2 years old and makes everything overly dramatic. Her drama can be draining, but her imagination is spectacular. Lena plays make believe more than Jett ever has. Recently, we discovered that "Conan" (A mysterious individual she would talk about all the time) is actually her imaginary friend who seems to be lurking around our home very often. Sometimes Conan is accompanied by more friends: "Tonan, Nonan, and Keenee." (Low points for originality) Ohh, sweet girl. ;) Yesterday, Conan and Keenee were away at a wedding, so there was a new imaginary playmate in our home.

Frequent discussions pertaining to attitude choices are held with Miss Kalena Jane and let me tell you, she knows how to pull off a pathetically effective pout. Those big blue eyes glaze over with tears and her bottom lip sticks out so far she could trip over it, but I assure you, she knows how to turn it on (and off). A while ago, my sister and nieces were over to play but my three yr old niece. Lucy, was playing more with Jett than Lena. Kalena went up to my sister with those big blue tear-filled eyes and a quiver in her voice and gushed, "Nobody wants to play with me." Auntie was almost choked up too as she completely bought ALL of what my little Lena-bean was selling. ;) When she was exuberantly singing and dancing mere moments later, it was rather comical.

The other day, Kalena was helping me do some baking and she LOST IT because when I was done with the blender, I placed a beater in front of her on the counter rather than placing it in her hand. Completely lost it.. I'm talking a nearly half hour time out in her room where I go in to talk to her three times before she decides to finally "throw her bad attitude in the garbage." I believe she even pulled her gut punch, "I don't want to be your girl anymore." Drama drama drama

Not long ago, my dramatic little princess showed some real growth that made me incredibly proud. We couldn't find one of our three kittens that we were caring for in our garage. After we had looked and looked, I expected her to get upset but instead, Kalena says, "Mommy, we could pray about it" and without missing a beat, she began, "Dear God, please help us find the kitty..." I was floored that she instinctively went to prayer when we couldn't solve a problem on our own. I love that.

And my Jett. The last blog post I wrote (about a half a year ago) focussed on some of my frustrations and concerns about raising an active, large-for-his-age boy. Here we are a half-year later and he is doing fantastic. He began Kindergarten in September and is thriving at school. He loves learning, and I love watching him learn. Yes, he is the largest kid in his class; likely in all of kindergarten (there are two classes, so I don't know all of the kids), but he's decided to be a leader and loves helping his teacher, which makes me beyond proud.

On his first day of school, I walked him out to the bus (which comes right onto our yard to pick J up) and he jumped on without hesitation, found a seat and was waving to me as the bus pulled away. I LOST it. I wasn't expecting to get emotional, but watching him wave through the window as the bus drove my baby AWAY from me was more than my mama heart could handle. Tears flowed freely and were beyond my control. I promptly got in my vehicle and drove to the school to be there when the bus arrived and help J find his way to his class, etc. He handled the whole day like a pro, and I couldn't help but marvel at how grown up my baby is becoming.

When he got home after school, he announced that he'd had "the best day ever," (Just wait a few years, my boy. I hope you're singing the same tune). When I asked him what the best part of his day was, he excitedly informed me that he had THREE recesses. ;) He also told me how much fun he'd had playing with some friends from grade 1 as they played a game of boys chase girls... (some things never change).

By the third day of school, Jett told me that I didn't need to walk him out to the bus. He could handle it on his own. Already I'm being sidelined!! I'm getting over my hurt feelings ;) but I am thrilled at the growth, maturity and independence that I can see taking root in my son. 

I feel like there is so much more I could say about my three precious kiddos, but I think I had better wrap this up, or I might never publish this blog post. Where does all the time go????? AHhhhhhh...

My Big Blue-eyed Bulldozer

This has been brewing in me for a long time and I feel like I need to lay this out there as a way of therapy for myself and hopefully to build some understanding in the parenting community. Being a parent is hard... for ALL of us. There really is no other role one could take on that brings out the best and the worst in each one of us so clearly. Parenting brings unmeasurable joy, intolerable frustration and unimaginable sorrow; sometimes simultaneously.

My boy just graduated... from preschool ;)
Kindergarten, here he comes!!

Each child is made completely unique from the next, which makes our job all that much more challenging as we try to guide and instruct our children. I am fairly certain that most, if not all, parents would agree that we want our offspring to be kind, caring and compassionate individuals who are confident and content with who they are and willing to work hard for the betterment of those close to them and society in general. The way in which we strive to help our children "get there" looks very different as we're impacted by a large variety of factors.

I feel like this post could go on several tangents, so I'll try to narrow in on my reason for writing this. Parenting my large, physically strong/athletic, clever, outgoing, fearless, strong-willed child is hard, and I often feel as though I'm not doing it right. There are many great things about who he is and how he's made, and I'll talk about some of those things here, but mainly I'm going to write about the challenges we face in the hope that some of you may understand us and how we operate a little better.

In writing this, I am not saying that my parenting challenges are more difficult than anyone else's. This is simply my reality and what I experience with my own children. I'm sure someone else could write about the challenges of raising a small child, a highly sensitive/emotional child (I have one of those, too..) or of raising an exceptionally shy or timid child. I know there are families with children who face serious health challenges and others who would write about the heartbreak of infertility or of losing a child. I recognize all that I have to be thankful for. I am madly in love with my kids and I love being a mom.

My Jett has always been a large (97th percentile or higher for height and weight), boisterous and a very active boy. Even as a baby, we could tell that we had a little spark plug on our hands and as first time parents, we thought that was great and totally fun. (Now that we have a third little spark plug running around, we have a better idea of what we're in for.) He started walking at 9 months and running a day later. We've been trying to keep up with him ever since.

Jett's about 16 months here. Don't get suckered into those big blue eyes like I did/do.
This is when parenting (ie discipline etc.) started getting real...
Yes, I also had a stint where I cut/dyed my hair... Now, I'm lucky if I get to the salon once a year.

Many of my friendship circles and people in my community have had kids at the same time that Mitch and I have been building/growing our family, so there have always been lots of kids to play with. Right from the get-go, though, I began to see that play dates, although fun in theory, are NOT relaxing or easy when you have the big child.

Sorry for the expletive, I just found this very funny. Funny because it's true, and funny because of how I often have to change my wording (or wish that I'd changed my wording-- I'm not talking four letter words here, though) because the kids are repeating everything... even when I didn't think they were paying attention.

All 1-2 yr olds take toys and struggle with sharing as they enter the toddler years and are trying to figure things out. What I quickly learned, though, is that without adult intervention, the big kid most often gets the toy; simply because he can pull harder. It makes toddler play dates less relaxing when you feel as though you need to be policing their play constantly so that your big kid doesn't steal everyone's toys. Here's where I think I made a mistake in my parenting techniques. I succumbed to my inner people-pleaser and tried to compensate for my dominant child by unfairly forcing him to share. I wanted him to share and play nicely so badly, that I would make him "share" or give up the toy he was playing with, even when he had legitimately had it first and wasn't done playing with it. Then, I promoted a double standard in that if Jett wanted a toy that another child had, I would make him wait until they were done. This (the waiting) is likely the best way to train cooperative play, but confusing to my boy as I didn't allow him the right to play with a toy until he was done. I didn't advocate for my son.

After writing the above paragraph, I was having a little deja vu. I looked back and I realize I have previously written about how I feel I've erred in being unfair to Jett in the whole sharing arena. Sorry for the repeat. Mama guilt-- it's a real thing, folks. ;) It wasn't even a year ago that I wrote, Sometimes I Yell... Mama brain is also a real thing.

Not that I think this is the be all and end all, but it's a good general guide. ;)
I've always had a good relationship with my son, but I think our rules haven't always been well defined, which has contributed to some chaos in our home.

Jett, like many boys, LOVES to play very physically. Bumping, wrestling and chasing are what his favourite games are made of. BUT when the big kid pushes (even if they were pushed first), it looks bad; like they're picking on others. I have been waiting and waiting for that discerning part of Jett's brain to kick in. The part that would help him realize his own strength compared to kids smaller than he is and adapt his play (tone down) so that no one gets hurt. In spite of countless discussions we've had, he's still not there. If a buddy bumps or gives him a playful shove, all Jett sees is a green light to release his inner Hulk Hogan. I have witnessed several instances where a boy shows interest in playing physically and then is completely overwhelmed because they had no idea what type of can they were opening with Jett!

Quite a while ago (like when Jett was 2) I wrote a post about Jett and how he was pegged as "that guy" in a play centre we were at. I am aware of how spirited my boy is and has been from a young age. I really don't see it as something he's going to grow out of, so our challenge is learning how to channel his energy and spunk into productive and cooperative play.

A tantrum or defiant behaviour from a big kid is judged more harshly in public because they look older and should know better.  I know that I should not let this bother me, but...  it does.

Jett's energy levels are on the high end, to say the least. As he's growing, we're discovering that certain artificial dyes significantly impact Jett's ability to reason and affect his decision-making. Unfortunately, when kids get together for birthdays or special playtimes there is often treats and most treats contain artificial colors... this doesn't help Jett's calm mental state. It almost inevitably leads to a conversation where it feels like I'm trying to reason with a wall. It's time to kick those artificial colors (specifically red) to the curb!

Jett is peddle to the metal all the time and his spacial awareness is not all there. Jett hurts kids inadvertently. The back swing of his hockey slap shot, running and turning without notice, going after the ball at the same time as other kids. His tagging can be overly aggressive, often because he can't put the brakes on while he's running. His competitive nature also leads him to try and win at all costs. I've actually come to believe that he is legitimately unaware of his lethally flying limbs as he strives to reach a destination first. It has happened on several occasions where a child will come to me and say, "Jett hit me" and when I go to talk to Jett, he honestly is oblivious to having done so. Even Jett's version of gentle is physical. He and his sister like to whisper jokes and funny things into each other's ear lately. If someone who didn't know Jett came upon him whispering to his sister, they may think that instead he was trying to choke his sister because even a gentle whisper involves him holding/pulling his sister's ear close to him.

Jett was 4 yrs at his most recent Dr. checkup. The comment that stuck out to me from that appointment is how my four year old (now 5) is the size of a 7 yr old. Yep. I already knew that because the clothes I'm buying him are size 7/8 and his shoes are a youth 2.

Soccer. Jett is very athletic and fast for his age. He is innately competitive. I know that not all children are, because my daughter is not. He enjoys soccer, but I find it very difficult to relax while he's practicing or playing because he is substantially bigger and stronger than nearly all the other kids in his age category. I described his lack of spatial awareness in an above paragraph, and that is an issue as he goes for the ball (which is what you're supposed to do in soccer). People don't want to see one child dominate the play at his age, and I get it, I'm just not sure how to encourage my son to try his best and yet dial it down at the same time.

Often Jett is completely unaware of how rough his play can be. He's naturally very physical. Occasionally though, he has moments of clarity where it seems he recognizes that his size and strength are a factor to consider. In talking with Jett, he has made comments to me like, "I'm scared I'm going to hurt the other kids" (this was in reference to a soccer practice) or "I'm always the one getting in trouble or being rough." We have MANY talks about choices and how he is responsible for his own choices because Jett is a do-er; other kids may come up with a plan (be it good or bad) but Jett's the one who's not afraid to execute it. I have been trying to help him understand that HE has to answer for the choices he makes, even if it was someone else's idea.

Some days, if Jett and I have had to have several discussions about his choices and behaviour, he will get sad and tearfully announce, "I'm having a bad day!" There have been times where Jett will sorrowfully say that he's just bad. My response to this is to hold my boy, look into his eyes and inform him that he is NOT bad. I make a point of never calling children bad. Every child is capable and sometimes guilty of bad choices, but that doesn't make them bad. I want my son to know and believe that he is good and capable of making good choices.

One of my greatest fears for my Jett, is that in this day and age where "bully" is such a buzz word, (I am in no way condoning actual bullying) my large and feisty boy will be unfairly labeled. I know my boy is big, strong, physical, often rough & tumble, but he is not a bully. He does not desire to hurt anyone. He does desire to try every new thing, to run the fastest and win whatever whenever, but he doesn't wish to cause trouble/harm.

Jett LOVES his friends. One of his best buddies barely comes up to his shoulder, and Jett is fiercely protective of him. Jett will loudly cheer a friend on as they run/play/compete. A very proud moment for me was hearing about how Jett stuck up for a friend in the hockey dressing room. A boy was saying some nasty things about another boy in the room and Jett simply piped up, "That's not a nice thing to say." He didn't make a big deal or fight about it, he just spoke up and the boy stopped! So proud of my boy.

I have purposely avoided the spiritual component in what I have written here thus far because my desire is to build bridges with all parents; Bible believing or not. The truth is, though, that I fail often and rely on God's grace to help me be the mom I need to be. My heart's desire is that Jett would be filled with God's Spirit as he grows and understands more about his Maker, so that the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control) would abound and radiate from him.

I know that my days of discussing choices with Jett as he plays more roughly than he should are far from over, and I apologize if you're child is ever a casualty of my blue-eyed bulldozer, but I pray that Jett would grow, mature and understand how to be self-controlled. I welcome helpful suggestions of how to guide this big, strong-willed boy :) I do believe in the village concept when it comes to raising children. My one request is that if/when you confront Jett for behaving roughly, please look at him with eyes that see the good in his heart. God has big plans for my boy ;)

The Birth of Us

I've told a few birth stories on this little 'ol blog over the last few years, but this is one of a different sort. April 24th, 2015 marks ten years that I have been Mrs. Schultz and as I've reflected over this decade of marriage, the desire to write OUR birth story took root in my mind.

The gestation period (bad birth joke?) of this particular post has been a few months and many hours of searching pictures. I have truly enjoyed remembering and pondering. This is a post that I will personally revisit and read through many times and it's my pleasure to share it with you. ;)

 This is the birth story of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Schultz.

Before we were Mr and Mrs, I was Wendy Sawatzky- student, basketball player, Starbucks barista, waitress, summer camp program director, pastor's daughter. He was Mitchell Schultz- 4th Gen. dairy farmer, basketball coach, youth leader (my baby brother Greg and sister Carrie were both in the youth group-- they try to take a little credit for Mitch and I getting together by putting a bug in his ear), hockey player, water sports enthusiast. We are both the oldest child and, if you've read any birth order books, you know that it's not the easiest combo to make a match of...

Believe it or not, I didn't always dream of being a farmer's wife ;) In fact, when I was in high school I remember saying, "I will NEVER date/marry a farmer." The funny thing is, I made one exception. Friends can vouch that I added to the above declaration, "EXCEPT Mitchell Schultz because I think he's hot." Oh, be careful what you say... ;)

To clarify, in those days I would have freely admitted that I found Mitch attractive, but I had no real crush. He was (is) four years older than me (which seemed like a lot at the time) and I never actually considered that I could/would possibly ever date Mitch.

We both dated a few other people, went to Bible college (He to Briercrest, me to NABC) and did a little travelling/mission type work before we found each other.

This pic was from a short missions trip to Mexico I made with a group from my College.
My debut as an actress... ;)

Obviously Mitch is on the far right ;) but, for those who don't know, my baby brother Greg is #9 in the back row.

To set the stage for this story, it begins in late Fall of 2003. Mitch was working on the farm, assisting in coaching basketball, and a youth leader at church. I lived with some girls in Saskatoon, was a Starbucks Barista during the day and a server at The Cave restaurant most evenings. For the life of me, I can't remember if I was also taking classes at the U of S that Fall. I had finished a 2-yr Associate of Arts and Religion from Taylor University College (formerly North American Baptist College) and I transferred most of my credits to U of S to enter their Bachelor of Education program, but had to pick up some classes to meet their requirements that differed from Alberta. So, maybe I was in school then, too???

ANYWAY, our paths didn't have many opportunities to cross at the time, but we both casually attended the College and Career night at Forest Grove Church on Mondays which gave destiny the jumpstart it needed. (too cheesy? ;)

I can remember the evening quite well. I hadn't planned on going to College and Career that Monday because I had to work, but business was slow at the old Cave and I must have left around 8. I walked into the church a little late to meet up with some friends. As I went to sit down, I noticed Mitch sitting with a friend just behind us and my heart did a little flip for some reason. After the worship and devotional challenge, everyone was mingling around the room. I didn't talk to Mitch at all in the sanctuary, but he sure was on my radar! All of a sudden though, I lost him. I couldn't see him in the room anymore and I remember feeling disappointed because I had been planning on somehow finding a way to casually strike up a conversation.

Unbeknownst to me, Mitch had a similar plan but had been getting worried that I would get away on him that evening. So, he went and planted himself by the exit doors in the foyer so that he wouldn't miss me. I was excited/surprised/relieved when I left the sanctuary and found that I hadn't completely botched an opportunity to talk to Mitchell Schultz.

I believe it was Mitch who initiated conversation with me, and we hit it off right from the start. Conversation flowed easily; likely because we were both eager and that evening it overflowed into the parking lot and on to Tim Horton's where my friends met up afterwards.

Our fate was sealed ;)

BUT he didn't ask for my phone number or a date,
so the continuation was a little tricky.

Knowing that I worked at Starbucks, Mitch stopped in for a hot beverage on 3 or 4 occasions hoping to see me there and pour some fuel on the fire of our initial connection. The funny thing is, my dear Mitch has never been a coffee drinker (which is odd considering the unholy hours he gets up to milk the cows), so he was in line with our regular coffee addicts, but ordering a hot chocolate or carmel steamer. Unfortunately, those efforts weren't very fruitful because I was never there when he came in!

So, Mitch changed his tactics. Like I stated earlier, Mitch was coaching the high school basketball team that my baby brother was playing on. One day after practice, he casually approached my brother Greg and asked him if he could have my phone number. Mitch thought that this would be a simple request but my little brother was not in the habit of calling me on a regular basis, so his response was, "Sure! I'll ask my mom and get back to you." There are no secrets in my family ;) By that evening, I was tipped off that a certain handsome dairy farmer had sought out my phone number. We could only assume that he meant to call ;)

Again though, I proved difficult to get a hold of. I suppose I must have been working too much because I was never home during the FIVE times he called to talk to me. (This was still in the day when we used landlines) When I missed his call for the 5th time, my dear roommate and BFF Sarah Jane called me at Starbucks to let me know. By that time, I thought that I had made Mitch work hard enough, so during one of my breaks, I called him back.

As a little side note, we had a funny moment a few months into our dating relationship when Mitch was hanging out with me at my Saskatoon townhouse. I answered the phone when a guy called to talk to Sarah Jane, but instead of handing her the phone (because she was sitting next to me) I said, "Let me just see if she's here..." She quietly shook her head and mouthed, "NO!" So, I politely informed this guy that, "I'm sorry, she's not here right now." Mitch watched this charade and was instantly suspicious that we had pulled a similar stunt when he had unsuccessfully tried five times to call and talk to me. ;)

Now that we were finally on the phone together, he promptly asked me out on a date and I happily agreed. We went out on our first date on Dec. 2nd, 2003 which was my dear Sarah Jane's birthday (the day she lost me ;)-- not really)

This was Dec. 2nd in Saskatchewan, so of course it wasn't warm. I think that Mitch was determined to see exactly what type of girl I was, so he planned an outdoor date and we went to a park to play a game of frisbee golf. I never once complained about the cold, (I was just thrilled to be there with him) so I think I passed his test. Afterwards, we went the Saskatoon Inn for dessert and we both ordered a Saskatoon Berry Cheesecake-- a match made in heaven. Again, conversation flowed freely and it was obvious that we both very much enjoyed each other's company. When he walked me up to my door at the end of the night, I remember wishing that he would kiss me (yes, I know- shame on me, this was our first date). Being the classic gentleman, he didn't kiss me, but I think I got a nice hug. 

Hanging out at my townhouse we had creative hang out sessions.
This is the Big Red challenge and I think the paper in front of Mitch
might be the farming quiz he made me take. (I failed)

Some of the details from here on in are a little fuzzy, but I do know that after that first date we started to see each other regularly. A game of 21 at the gym, a walk along the river (we held mitten-covered hands), go out for Sushi... Did you guess that a farm boy would like sushi? Mitch actually took me out for my first ever sushi on one of our first few dates. At Christmas, his brother and girlfriend (my future sister-in-law) were out and I was invited to take part in a Schultz/Lepp/Shantz/Zacharias gathering, which was a fun time to get better acquainted with Mitch's world.

It was a few weeks in, when I did get that kiss. ;)

We spent a lot of time together at the farm, at my town house in Stoon, and by February, I remember feeling ready to slap a label on this relationship. Does that sound needy? I didn't think so at the time. We were definitely dating and there were sparks, but I wasn't sure if I could call him my boyfriend. I hadn't heard him refer to me as his girlfriend, but I wanted him to. So, as we found ourselves in Tim Horton's one evening, I decided to broach the topic. I'm sure my words weren't elegant as I tried to push him into defining our relationship. The only thing I can clearly remember him saying was, "If you need a label, you can call me your boyfriend."

I learned two things that evening. 

1- Mitchell Schultz doesn't like to be coerced into anything. 

2- I wasn't likely to ever receive poetry.

BUT, as frustrated as I felt with his poor declaration of "like," the evening ended well. Mitch showed me how much he liked me and how hopeful he felt for where our relationship was headed by inviting me to Texas with him. He even paid my whole way (flight/hotel etc) so that I could go with him to his best friend's wedding in March.

I had a great time in Texas with Mitch's friends. While I was nervous to meet all of these people whom I'm sure Mitch was looking for affirmation from (aren't we all on trial a little bit when we meet family and close friends?) they were very kind and welcoming to me. I was happy to be there as Mitch's girlfriend. I was introduced that way several times. ;)

This is a picture from Mark & Desi's wedding in March 2004.

For those of you wondering why Texas is a part of our world, Mitch went with his friends to work at Camp Ozark (a summer sports and adventure camp in Arkansas) for a few summers in his early 20's. All of Mitch's best friends, including his brother, met and married American women from there. I'm sure thankful that Mitch didn't join their ranks, although from what I've heard there were some willing females. (back off ladies)

These Canadian boys (who had grown up spending summers on Sask lakes) made up most of the camp's lake crew. They were famous on the warm waters of Lake Ouachita for putting on a ski show each camp session. Below, is a pic of the 6-man pyramid they perfected. They also did a 9-man.

My hottie is the hulk in the bottom middle holding it all together. ;)

Anyway, I had a great time in Texas with Mitch and his friends. I think we both came away from that trip feeling even more confident in the direction our relationship was headed.

Sometime at the beginning of that 2004 year, Sarah Jane and I together took on the position of Co-Associate Directors of Redberry Bible Camp. I had previously held the positions of cabin leader and program director (8 summers in a row at Redberry) and camp held (holds) a big place in my heart. I moved out to camp at the end of April and although I was busy there, one of my favourite things was to see Mitch's red hotrod (There's a pic of Mitch and his Mustang above) pull into camp to come see me. 

We took many walks around camp and had many great conversations. It was sometime late spring or early summer that I realized I loved this man. It was a great feeling :)  I remember wanting him to know how I felt and wanting to hear that he reciprocated my amorous feelings. However, I wanted him to be the first to say the words "I love you," so I held my tongue.

I can remember going for a walk on a beautiful path at camp and feeling like he must love me. Being the patient woman that I am, (*ahem, right...) I tried to steer the conversation in a direction where he could naturally share his intimate feelings with me. Apparently I hadn't learned from our Tim Horton's conversation because I think Mitch smelled coercion all over me and I went away from that date feeling rather frustrated.

It wasn't long after that, we were hanging out at my parents' house and at the end of the evening, we shared a very nice long kiss before he left. As we pulled away at the end, he pensively uttered the words, "I love you." Of course I was thrilled to hear it, and thrilled that I could let him know that I felt the same way.

This pic is from a little surprise birthday party I threw for Mitch at camp.

We didn't get to spend as much time together in the summer as we would have liked seeing as summer camp runs at a busy pace and farming also requires some work in the summer ;) (I was incredibly naive about farm life and the work entailed while we were dating). We saw each other on the weekends and snuck in the odd evening walk at camp.

We also attended some weddings on weekends.
I think this pic is from my friends Rob & Andrianne's wedding?

When the camp summer ended, I resigned from the position of Associate Director (my dear Sarah Jane stayed on) to go to University and date Mitchell Schultz full time. I moved back in with mom & dad to save on costs as I went to school and therefore, worked less. It didn't hurt that I was also moving closer to the farm... ;)

That Fall, Mitch and I encountered our first major disagreement or misunderstanding. A couple of my cousins were getting married in Alberta and of course I wanted my handsome boyfriend to come with me. As I made plans to go to the weddings with my family, Mitch was hesitant to commit to coming because of how it could affect the harvest season. Not coming from a farming background, I really couldn't understand how missing a day or two on the field could really affect the harvest as a big picture. I knew that I loved Mitch and I wanted him to meet more of my extended family (and show him off a little, too).

As it turned out, he wasn't able to make it to either wedding and I guess I took it personally. It's funny how time can change you perspective on things, but I remember feeling incredibly frustrated and like he was choosing the farm over me. (As if anything is ever that simple) I'm sure on his end he was frustrated at my lack of understanding about the farming life. I wrote Mitch a long letter, airing my grievances/concerns, and dropped it off to him before heading off to the last wedding. 

I felt just awful the entire time I was in Alberta for the wedding, wondering what Mitch had thought of my letter and wondering if I had made a big mistake in writing it. I couldn't wait to get home and talk things over with Mitch who, I later discovered, wasn't sure if I was contemplating breaking things off or what.

When I got home, we did talk things over but the funny thing is, I really have no memory of what that conversation was! (Kiss and make up, perhaps?) The main thing was, we were okay ;) I was beginning to realize what a high learning curve I was entering in choosing to be with a farmer.

Maybe it was our skirmish that kicked Mitch into high gear ;) because it was only a few weeks later that he was in a jewellery store (without my knowledge, of course) purchasing a ring. Actually, he was in that store on a few occasions because his debit card had a low daily allowance on it ;) (I know he loves me because his time is precious!!)

Mitch chose an evening when he knew I was working and wouldn't be home to go and talk to my parents about asking for my hand. Normally, my parents were not early to bed but on that particular night they had turned in early. My sister Carrie opened the door (Mitch knew that his chances of flying under the radar were lessening) and she went and woke dad up to come talk to Mitch. The experience didn't quite play out as smoothly as Mitch had envisioned it (I think dad did get somewhat dressed to talk to Mitch), but all was well ;) My dad was happy to give Mitch his blessing in asking me to be his wife.

I really am surprised that no one in my family spilled the beans about Mitch's visit that evening because it was at least 2 weeks before he carried out the rest of this pre-marital endeavour. I had no idea that he had taken these steps in preparation to "pop the question." We had talked about wanting to be apart of each other's future, and we had become more generous with the "I love you's," but we never directly talked about marriage.

On November 20th, 2004, we went to a steak night fundraiser that we had bought tickets for in support of some friends. We sat at a table with a few other couples who were friends of ours and enjoyed an evening visiting with them. Throughout the evening, I felt myself becoming increasingly frustrated with Mitch because I felt like he was giving me somewhat of a cold shoulder. I now know that he had a ring burning a hole in his pocket and his nerves were driving him crazy.

After dinner, we went for a walk (just the two of us) along the Meewasin trail and ended up sitting in the little gazebo near the University bridge. I remember still wrestling with my attitude towards Mitch and contemplating bringing up my frustrations from the Steak night (yep, I'm a talker-- poor Mitch). Mitch had another plan in mind though and that's when he looked at me beside him and said those words I'll never forget...

"How would you feel about not dating anymore?"

Say what??? The evening hadn't gone that bad! For a second I was really thrown by Mitch's choice of words for this moment, but he was referring to upping the status of our relationship, not a break up. Not a poet, remember? ;) He didn't give me much time to puzzle over his wording because he was quickly down on one knee and instantly my frustration vanished. He said the words, "Will you marry me?" while he held out a beautiful diamond ring and I don't think I said yes right away. He had certainly caught me by surprise and I think I said, "Really?" a couple of times before answering with a resounding YES!

The rest of that evening is a blur in my mind as we savoured the moment and then excitedly made a million phone calls to share our news.

We went out to The Station Place with both of our parents to celebrate our engagement.

We had our wedding pictures done by Gina's Portraits and she did a fun engagement shoot for us, too.

Engaged on November 20th, we planned to get married on April 24th (a date strategically selected before farm seeding), which gave us five months to plan a wedding. We quickly found our photographer (I have several friends who are photographers now, but ten years ago a good photographer was more difficult to come by!) I found my dress and we booked the church/caterers, etc. Then, we waited. I know five months doesn't sound long, but I remember it feeling incredibly long!

Mitch and I actually made all of our own wedding invitations! For two non-crafty individuals, this was quite an endeavour and they turned out quite well, if I do say so myself. You'll have to take my word for it though, because I can't find any that I kept!!!

I have sweet memories of Mitch and I cutting, punching holes and tying ribbons in the living room of our old farm house. I'm risking embarrassment with this next little story, but I must have been really comfortable, because it was the first time I ever tooted (passed gas) in front of Mitch; accidentally, of course. I remember surprising myself and then quickly looking to see if Mitch's radar had picked it up. He had been cutting some paper when it squeaked out and he instantly froze, turned and looked at me wide-eyed. I don't remember if he actually spoke the words but his eyes said it all, "What was that???!!" Certainly his sweet soon-to-be wife was not capable of such sounds/smells! Haha... if he'd only known then what he was in for...

During the months of our engagement, I was in school and working at Starbucks while Mitch was milking cows and we were both youth sponsors at our church.

Some of you may wonder how we chose to go to Dalmeny Bible Church when my dad is the pastor at Dalmeny Community Church (at least for a few more months-- he is retiring after 19 yrs at DCC). We really like both church communities, but when Mitch and I got together he was very involved at DBC and I had been away and not involved at DCC for a few years. It was natural to join Mitch where he was already involved and serving and thankfully, we never received any flack from family or friends for our decision. For a community where there are only 2 churches and they are both evangelical, I am thankful for the amicable sentiment between the churches. We joked about being Romeo and Juliet, but our union was not nearly so tragic. We felt nothing but love and support from both church families.

We flew out to Texas at the beginning of March 2005 to attend the wedding of Mitch's brother Carson to my now sister-in-law, Hilary. It was a beautiful wedding at a ranch in Austin Texas and I remember enjoying it immensely. It only made me more excited for Mitch and my own wedding 7 weeks later.

As our wedding date drew near, we were very excited. Both Mitch and I have truly great friends and we enjoyed spending time with them in the days approaching our big day. I felt very special as there were a few wedding showers thrown in our honour, and I even had the experience of being kidnapped and thrown in the back of a vehicle, than paraded around the city in ridiculous garb. Mitch's groomsmen all travelled north from Texas to celebrate with Mitch the week leading up to our wedding.

While I was in Jenny's Bridal Boutique for my final dress fitting, I was given an interesting reminder of the world I was about to marry into. Mitch called to tell me about a massive calf that one of his cows gave birth to. It's actually a cool story and a fun memory of our wedding week. When the mama cow was calving, Mitch could tell that the calf was bigger than usual when the feet came out. He quickly hauled her in to the University large animal clinic where they performed a cesarian on the cow. They had to re-cut the incision 3 times before they could get the calf out! Poor Bessie was cut from her spine all the way under her belly! (Don't worry, she was stitched up and healed well, even milking a full lactation after this) The bull calf they delivered was twice as big as what's usually expected. The average holstein calf is around 85-90 lbs at birth but this big guy (Who we named Andre-- the giant) was a whopping 187 lbs!! The biggest calf the University has seen on record. Mitch brought cow and calf home to the farm and Andre became like a pet as he was shown off to our many visitors at the farm that week.

I had to write a University final exam the day before our wedding (I forget which class). When the exam schedule came out, I tried to see if I could write that exam early, but a wedding is not a good enough reason for changing an exam, apparently. So, I wrote a nearly 3 hour exam that Saturday morning, then went to the church to help with the decorating that was, thankfully, already started. Nothing like adding a little extra stress to the day! ;)

All the details seemed to fall into place (with the help of many friends and family). We opted for a bit of a different style of wedding. We had our wedding rehearsal during the afternoon on the Saturday, then our rehearsal dinner was actually a larger sit down, catered event where we had toasts, speeches and our slide show, etc. We knew that our actual wedding would be quite large, so for all of our guests who travelled to come, as well as close friends and family, we invited them to our rehearsal dinner (approx 150 people) catered by the delicious Oven Scents Catering. It was a very fun evening. I remember feeling overwhelmed and humbled as I looked around the room. Having all the people you care about most in one room is an amazing experience.

Sunday April 24th, 2005 was our wedding day and I woke up early that day (hardly slept, if I can recall). The sun was shining, the sky was blue and I felt great. I didn't go to church that morning, but I do remember reading a little from my bible which seemed to set a beautifully reverent tone for the day. My bridesmaids had all slept over with me and I don't think they woke up with the sun as I did ;) One of my dear friends, Andrianne came over early to my parent's house to transform my hair. She is a superb hairdresser and I think we even did highlights and a cut before she styled my hair for the wedding. All of my primping for the wedding happened there at the house, and it was so fun and relaxing with my favourite girls all around to share that time with me. I don't recall there being any stress to that morning; just lots of laughs and love.

I know that there are many people who are firm believers that the groom should not see his bride until she's walking down the aisle, but we broke that rule. (We also like to know the gender of our babies before they're born-- Rebels, I know) Our wedding day events went like this: Prep, Pictures, Wedding Ceremony then stand-up reception immediately following. (The program had been the night before at the rehearsal dinner, remember?)

Mitch came to pick me up to go for pictures at 1pm. He waited in the backyard of my parent's house and we had our own special moment where we could look at each other, embrace and take in the greatness of this commitment we were about to make to each other. It was really special.

We went on our own to meet our photographer and take pictures of just the two of us in a few different locations. Our wedding party and then our families met up with us later on. The following are a few of my favourites.

We had a very fun wedding party which added to a great day.
All of these wonderful people are still treasured in our lives today!

We are so thankful to have family that is loving and supportive! Both the Schultz's and the Sawatzky's are solid families that are generous and kind. Our wedding day could not have been as wonderful as it was without all of these people!

I may have lost our wedding invitations, but I did find a program from our wedding. We had a beautiful wedding with lots of music and worship.

When I think about our wedding, there's almost nothing I would change. The day was nearly perfect, but there are two things that I might do differently. In the above pic, you can see me holding a mic at the back of the sanctuary before walking in. I love to sing and I came up with this totally romantic idea that I should surprise Mitch and start singing the song I would walk in to from the back of the church. I was in love with an album by Sarah Kelly at the time and I chose the song, More than Anyone. What I failed to take into consideration was how overcome by emotion I would be. My emotions are my achilles heel when it comes to singing or speaking in public. I lose control of my voice and often come away feeling embarrassed. When I started singing, I took one look at Mitch (who is great at remaining composed, but his tell-tale sign of emotion is his jaw sticking out a little further--- which it was) and I was a goner. I fumbled through the first few lines, but was relieved when I could let my little brother and sister finish the song and I could ditch the mic.

The second thing I would change is minor, but I'm reminded of it every time I look at pictures of our ceremony. The church had recently celebrated it's 100th anniversary and made a banner to commemorate it that hung on the wall at the front of the sanctuary. Why did I not think to cover it up?? Our pictures would have been nicer with a more neutral background. (see below)

After the ceremony, we had a stand-up reception with desserts and a mashed potato bar in the gymnasium of the church. We had a receiving line in the hallway in between the sanctuary and gym. It took us nearly two hours to greet/hug our 350-ish guests, and I'm glad we let our wedding party off the hook for that. It was just Mitch and I with our parents in the receiving line and we enjoyed getting a small window to connect with all of the people who came to support us at our wedding.

Once we made it into the gym with everyone, we had a short time to mingle, do the bouquet and garter toss, made a few public thank-you's and then it was time to take off! I fully loved our wedding day, but the feeling of driving away from such a momentous event in our lives with my new husband was amazing. We stopped to get changed and then we hit a drive through as we went to a hotel for the night. There had been a tonne of food at our reception, but there's no time to stop and eat when you have so many great people to visit with!! We were famished!

Checking in to a hotel as Mr and Mrs felt super weird but fun, and I'll suspend the telling of the rest of this day. It's classified.

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and swung by the Govt. of Canada building to pick up my renewed passport. (Nothing like cutting it close, eh?) Then, we drove to Calgary. We had booked flights out of Calgary to go to a resort in Cancun. I can't remember what our rational was for flying out of Calgary instead of Saskatoon but it was likely cheaper? These days, we're willing to fork over a little extra cash for convenience, but I remember loving the drive to Calgary. It gave Mitch and I time to debrief and share stories of people we'd talked to at our wedding. I remember the drive not feeling long at all!

In Calgary, we stayed at a hotel near the airport so we could leave our vehicle there for a week and be shuttled to and from the airport. Going to Cancun was an excellent decision for us as it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. If you've read earlier posts I've written, you know that we love Cancun. Returning there in January in honour of our 10th Anniversary confirmed and rekindled our love for that place.

Our honeymoon in Cancun was perfect. (I'll just leave it at that)

On our way home, we stayed in the same hotel in Calgary and Mitch left a large tip for the cleaning lady... by way of his wedding band on the bedside table. He almost kept his ring for our whole honeymoon. We did find him a replacement band, and Mitch would want you to know that he has kept it in his possession all these years ;)

We returned home in time for putting the crop in and I hit the ground running in my role as a new farm wife. Those were some crazy weeks of adjustment.

This post is entitled the BIRTH of us, which would imply that it's about beginnings, so I suppose that now is when I should wrap this chapter of our story up. It's been a crazy, wonderful, challenging and incredibly rewarding 10 years that we have spent together. Maybe I will have to write a continuation to this tale, because it is really only the preface to our forever.

I love being a Mrs to my Mister and the mother of our beautiful babies. I have been on a high learning curve when it comes to taking on the role of farm wife. (I could write a book about my mishaps, mistakes etc. --hitting the ditch 5 times in one year, nearly causing a grain truck to catch fire, and much much more!) I know that I am far from perfecting it, but I can't imagine our lives anywhere else.

Consider the following pics to be like a teaser of an upcoming sequel... (it may take awhile to write...)

Farming celebrities ;)

First Christmas?

Acapulco Mexico- Feb. 2009

I was at least 5 months pregnant with Jett when Mitch and I attended the World Juniors in Saskatoon.

Jett Jaxon 

Galveston Texas- Fall 2011

Kalena Jane

Zavier Shane

Oahu- March 2014

Cancun- January 2015