The Smartest Guy I Know

Matt can solve a Rubiks cube faster than anyone I know so this costume was a no-brainer.

Matt wondering how he managed to a make a costume in an hour.

Love my husband and love his super nerdy infatuation with logic puzzles and mathematical problems.

Mary had a little lamb...

little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb
its fleece was white as snow.

Everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
everywhere that Mary went
the lamb was sure to go.

Lamby went to Trunk-or-treat,

Trunk-or treat, Trunk or-treat,

Lamby went to Trunk-or-treat 

which made him late for bed!

I was originally planning to be Little Bo-peep but I wasn't able to find a shepherds crook so Mary it was. I made my costume within 24 hours using all things I already owned excluding my three clothing purchases. I saved the stockings and "shoes" (which are really those strange ballet flat socks) from my pile of dust rags, sewed the sun hat into a bonnet, turned in the collar and cuffs of my striped shirt to make a jacket, made tissue flowers and felt leaves for my belt, layered a couple of my summer skirts and completed the costume with ribbons and bows. I had to be resourceful and I had to go on my own inspiration (try, actually on second thought don't try, typing "mary had a little lamb" or "little bo-peep" in google and one look at all the skimpy "adult" costumes will show you why) but I liked the end result. This is my second year making handmade costumes and I'm hooked. It is so much more fun to make and wear costumes than to buy packaged ones (though I would make a concession for a deluxe Darth Vader costume in a second)!

TRUNK OR TREAT!

Matt's Rubik's cube costume was a hit!

Our only picture of Jonas grinning in his costume!

We got to the Trunk-or-treat after most of the kids had already made their candy rounds so we left with most of the candy we brought- which is unfortunate because neither Matt and or Jonas will be any help finishing it off. Maybe the kids in the neighborhood will be brave and visit the isolated house (there are no occupied homes next to us) at the end of the block tomorrow?

Gift Giving the Royall & Matt Way

It is Tuesday morning. Matt is gathering his things to leave for work.

Matt: I'm going to buy those bindings online today (Harker Gift-Giving Rule #1 We always pick out own gift- that way we get exactly what we want).

Me: Okay. But you can't wear them until Christmas this year (Harker G-G Rule #2 Matt always buys something new for snowboarding and always ends up using it before Christmas).

Matt: You can wrap it in silver wrapping paper.

Me: Can I at least choose what color the ribbon is?

Matt: Yes, you can choose the ribbon... white would look nice (Harker G-G Rule #3 There are never any gift-giving surprises).

Thanksgiving 2006

A lot changes in just four years!

Us

I swear my hair looked better 2 hours earlier when we left Calgary- that darn cowlick had it's way in the end! Matt's Mom called a week before the family photo-shoot to say that the colors were red, dark pink, orange and brown- I think I paused for a moment to wrack my brain for any clothes we owned in that color scheme (I think we each own one red shirt but none of them are very picture presentable). So she added charcoal and dark denim to the list. We didn't want to be the "charcoal/dark denim family" so Matt bought a new red shirt and I wore red lipstick OUT of the house for the second time in my life.

Give Thanks 2010

The founding members- Mom and Dad!

All Dad Harker's daughters- the girl side of the family is complete!

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The original seven.

The grandkids. Check out Brody and Jonas- so cute!

The boys (or da bruddas as they call themselves).

All Dad Harker's daughters- the girl side of the family is complete!

MONSTERS

Dad told me that he and Jordan were going up north to go Sturgeon fishing, he didn't say anything about going to catch the Lochness Monster! That fish is 5 ft 9 in- as tall as Matt. Dad wrote:


I let Jordan share in my "biggest fish" glory - mainly because it was 125 lbs of wiggling fish with sharp points! Bringing them in is a challenge.

7 MONTHS

Jonas at 7 months:
- has 2 bottom teeth which he used to chew turkey baby food on Thanksgiving (it looked so funny to see just his bottom jaw moving as he tried to chew the tiny lumps)
- he whimpers like a puppy whenever he needs something and he does fake coughs and shrieks just for the sheer delight of hearing his voice
- sits up by himself for long periods of time while he plays

- is soooo close to crawling, he has been taking a few steps at a time he just hasn't put the whole pattern of arm-leg-arm-leg together yet, but he practices a LOT
- tries walking on his hands and feet with his bum in the air when he is tired of practicing on his hands and knees (actually his arms don't move, only his legs do so he eventually face plants)

- loves to play "soccer" in his jolly jump (where I kick a beach ball to him), balls are still his favorite toys

- is still a tense, body builder baby always working on his isometric exercises, oh and he loves to hold himself in (man) push-up position like this:

- has graduated to his new carseat
- goes grrrrr in his cute little baby voice whenever he is angry or frustrated- I know, it won't be cute anymore before too long
- still hates getting dressed and still always has to be moving

- likes to feed himself his own bottle sometimes and to play with his food (painting it across his tray)

- has a very developed little sense of humor and loves to laugh along with Matt and I, one day he was playing in crib when he was supposed to be sleeping and I tried to move him down so his head wouldn't be against the bars but he grabbed the bars above his head and started laughing hysterically while I tried to move him down- little monkey

- our morning rituals begins with Matt or I singing "In the Leafy Tree Tops" as one of us goes to get Jonas out of his crib, bringing him into our bed for a family snuggle (my favorite part of the day), family breakfast, and then Jonas and I stand at the window and wave goodbye (Jonas bangs the window instead) to Matt as he leaves for work

- walks in a prancing sort of way, he exaggeratedly lifts his feet as he takes steps as Matt or I hold his hands, he also loves twirling in his jolly jump- a future in ballet? I would love that- I'm not so sure about Matt- but ballet is seriously manly, there was a study done rating the physical demands of all sorts of sports and ballet was rated second just a little behind football
- has only done the pincher movement once when picking up a cornflake- I try to practice fine motor skills with him every morning by placing 5 "magic" beans on his tray but he still picks them up with his whole hand (he has a soother in and I watch him like a hawk to make sure that monkey doesn't try to eat one)

Weight 17 lbs, 25 oz; Height 69 cm; Head Circumference 45 cm 

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving was busy this year, it started with making curry with Jord in his new apartment, then finding a new car seat for Jonas, throwing a surprise birthday party for Nana, eating Nana's yummy Thanksgiving dinner, getting photos taken with all of Matt's family (21 people!), napping (Jonas had his first 4 hour nap ever!!) and eating Mom Harker's delicious turkey soup. There was a lot to be grateful for- especially being able to spend four whole days with family!

Four Generations

Grandpa Harland

My Dad recently emailed me this picture of Grandpa Harland's grave marker along with the story behind it:

This is John Harland's grave marker.  The stone is one of a dozen or so dragged up from the valley of the Drywood/Yarrow river in the early days by Grandpa Stanley Harland with horses and stoneboat.  

When he went to the river for water, he would unhitch the horses from the stone boat, hook them onto a sandstone block, and drag it a little at a time up the river bank.  When he got the block to the top, he would get it onto the stoneboat, and then take it to the farm, a distance of about 3/4 of a mile(?) This is one of the smaller rocks; several are much larger.  Maybe the larger ones he had to drag all the way, a little distance a day. I am not sure about that.  Uncle John had told about this, so I hope I got the details more or less accurate.

Grandpa Harland passed away in April this year. I always looked forward to visiting him and his farm was full of adventures to my young imaginative mind. I can't remember a specific instance when he told me he loved me, but I felt it often in his quiet gentle manner. When I was in Grade 1, I was sent home as a suspected lice case. I remember feeling humiliated and even contaminated. At lunch I was quarantined to the front step outside my house where I ate my chicken noodle soup in isolation. Grandpa Harland came to join me so I wouldn't feel lonely. We didn't talk very much as we ate our lunch but he was one of those people, like my Grandpa Stoddard, whose company you wholeheartedly enjoy in silence. Sometimes what I like best is just being with someone you love, thinking about your feelings, rather than saying them aloud. In our culture, silence is often construed as something awkward or a lack- a lack of thoughts and feelings. To me silence is a comfortable space to stretch out with my thoughts and feelings, to reflect on and make sense of them without the constraint of trying to express those things in words, which often feel too inadequate to express the whole meaning. 

Our whole family was able to be at Grandpa Harland's funeral where my Dad talked about Grandpa Harland. He said something that Elder Mervyn B. Arnold's talk at conference yesterday seemed to echo. Dad talked about how the greatest tribute we can pay to our loved ones that have passed away is to strive to develop those characteristics we admired in them. Elder Arnold talked about a good name being the most valuable thing we can leave our children. They are really the same thing seen from two perspectives. This conference made me ponder on the character I want to have and what a blessing righteous character is to ourselves and to the generations of posterity that follow us. 

As a child and teenager I have often had a selfish tendency to see just me- my decisions, my actions- to evenly naively think that the consequences would only affect me. I still have selfish tendencies but I am also growing to realize how interconnected I am with the family who have lived before me and those who will come after me. My decisions, my actions, my character will affect my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren just as surely as the decisions, actions and character of my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have influenced me. The eternal roles of child-parent, parent-child that form chains across the generations are especially beautiful when each link is strong, each gaining and giving strength to the links around it.

His Name is Jonas

I came across this picture on my computer today. It was taken quite a while ago when Matt and I retired Mr. & Mrs. Pleather to the basement for movie nights and moved Mr. & Mrs. Leather into the upstairs living room. It makes me laugh and then want to pick up that snuggly little body... before he falls on that cute little face!

The Hugest Lecture

The other day my husband gave me the hugest lecture. Matt isn't often inclined to give lectures so one Matt lecture is the equivalent of twenty lectures from nearly any other person. He has that rare gift of being able to select only those things that truly cause him the utmost discomfort to lecture on. As a result I usually give his lectures the strictest heed. What offense was causing him so much discomfort he felt compelled to speak out against it? Margarine, low fat margarine to be exact.

Matt: You know I hate this stuff. (True, he vigilantly points out that whenever my family use low-fat margarine it makes their popcorn soggy and therefore inedible).

Me: But we are eater healthier and I thought you'd rather have low-fat margarine so you can eat more of it for the same amount of calories and fat in the regular kind (I admit in retrospect this was faulty reasoning and even hypocritical as I loathe skim milk. It's watery and even tastes unwholesome).

Matt: It's not actually margarine, it's mostly water.

Next time I go to the grocery store I select what I am sure is the margarine he usually uses.

Matt: You bought it again! Now we have two containers of it!

Royall: I did? But the other kind had a heart on it to show it was healthy, I was sure this must be the one I usually buy (I have painfully discovered that loss of sleep severely affects memory).

Matt goes to the grocery store to return the offending margarine but finding it was on sale returns with it along with a new container of the margarine he likes made by a different brand than we usually buy.

The next morning, I spread the offending margarine on my piping hot muffins where it floats on top. Matt lectures on the science of melting points and slyly points out the superior quality of oil to melt quickly into freshly baked muffins.

Now when I go to buy margarine I can never remember which of the two made by PC brand he prefers. I default to the more expensive brand. Harmony restored.