NEW TOY!!!

Yesterday I picked up Mark from his kayaking trip around Two Hills, then we headed into Edmonton to drop the Kayak's off at Totem Outfitters. After that we thought it would be a good idea to start stocking up on baby supplies. We were planning on getting the stroller, car seat, dresser, play pen and high chair. Of course though Mark saw an Atmosphere store and just had to go in and look at camping gear. When he was in there he found a stroller for the back of our bike to hold Macie when riding in Kitscoty and Lloydminster, supplies when going on long bike trips and the puppies for the fun of it yesterday. We love it and can't wait to use it, and the extra added bonus I can use it as a running stroller when Mark isn't around and I want to go for a run outside with Macie.

3RD ANNUAL H&H MINI GOLF CHALLENGE!!

Well today was our 3rd annual Hunsperger and Harker Mini Golf Challenge. We started it about 3 years ago when we went mini golfing for F.H.E. I think it was half way through the game when we were both playing decent and we decided to put ice cream from the scoop on the line. Which ever couple had the best score at the end of the match the other couple had to buy them ice cream. The first year we were defeated by the Harkers. Last year we decided to put Dairy Queen on the line and we came out victorious. This year we decided to up the stakes and put desert from Boston Pizza on the line. I was feeling a lose as we went mini golfing about a month earlier with some other friends and both Mark and I stunk it up. However Mark played the game of his life, getting a hole in one about 6 birdies, 5 pars, then the 3 holes he stunk on I pulled it through and putted really well. So for a 2nd year in a row we were the Victors. Weather we win or lose though I am loving this cute tradition with our friends.

p.s. Thanks Harkers for the delicious chocolate explosion

HARRY POTTER PARTY!!!

So this post should have been done over a month ago, but have kept forgetting so seeing as I have some time I wanted to make sure I got this on my blog. Our wonderful friends the Harkers put together this amazing Harry Potter Party. And when I say amazing I mean amazing. They had delicious food, amazingly fun games that were all centered around Harry Potter, prizes for the winners and delicious cupcakes for desert. Mark and I were huge novices at all of the games seeing as we have never seen or read anything Harry Potter and skipped out on the movie as we were both exhausted from a long day of work and still had 10 million things on our plate to get done. It was a blast though and need to give a shout out to Matt and Royall for doing an amazing job. It is making me have a desire to host a huge theme party cause it was so much fun.

NURSERY

I had the whole day off yesterday and to myself as Mark was at work and I spent pretty much all day on line looking at ideas for the nursery. I have fallen in love with these items on etsy and think I have almost pretty much figured out what I want the nursery to look like. Just need to start buying stuff now. Everything is pretty good price wise except the toy chest but I am not buying that one, just love the idea. I want to buy one myself and paint and decorate it myself in the colors of the nursery. Also the chair may or may not be painted I kind of like the authentic look of just the wood showing, especially with the theme of the room but painting it to match the toy chest would look adorable too.

A BABY GIRL????

What, can you believe it, I know I sure can't. Mark did win the coin toss but when we were there at the ultrasound I wanted to know so bad that he was kind, and generous enough to let us find out. I am so glad we found out because I thought for sure like 99.9% we were having a boy. Not even because of the test we took, I was just feeling very strongly that it was a boy and had lots of signs saying it was a boy, but I guess we are not beating the Dudley odd's and adding to the 11 to 3 ratio of girls to boys making it 12 to 3. I am so happy I can start preparing now and start getting the nursery ready. I can't wait to see her beautiful face and see what a combination of a hunsperger and a dudley make.

A Day At The Lake

Today was the most perfect weather to go to the lake. Sunny, no wind, and lots of family. Sadly Mark had to work but me and the puppies had a blast. Although it did wear me out for the night being in the sun all day. Must give a shout out to the Hollands for making this a yearly tradition with our family. We always have so much fun. I was also a little disappointed I could not go on the ski's. I got up last year and was hoping to try it again this year, but baby is way more important then water skiing. Hopefully next year I can give it another try.

MOM'S 60TH BIRTHDAY!!!!

This weekend we had my mom's 60th birthday bash. We had it at my Aunt Tina's house and it was amazing. I can't even begin to describe how much I love this women and I am so blessed to have her as my mother. My mom grew up in Vermilion and this weekend was the vermilion fair so with lots of old friends being around town and a ton of my extended family being up we thought it would be a good time to celebrate her 60th birthday. It is technically not until August 22nd, but a little early doesn't hurt. Mark and I brought our bounce house out which kept the kids entertained all day. We had so many salads I don't think we knew what to do with them all. Lot's and lots of leftovers. We had a framed photo of my mother for people to sign there name and some great decorations. I was so impressed with the turn out and so grateful so many people came to celebrate her birthday. It was a blast and I think my mother was thrilled and overjoyed.

COIN TOSS!!!

We'll it looks like we are not finding out. We have been contemplating, fighting, disagreeing and could not come up with a decision where we were both happy so it came down to the toss of a coin best two out of three. Heads we don't find out the sex of the baby on Wednesday and tails we do. I guess fate was in Mark's favor last night because we turned up heads two times in a row, I never even got to see tails once on the coin. I am a little disappointed but I guess waiting another 4 1/2 months isn't the end of the world.

HEARTBEAT!!!

Yesterday I had one of my monthly checkup's with my doctor and it was so comforting hearing my baby's heartbeat. About two weeks ago I had a really bad fall and I twisted my ankle and bruised my knee pretty badly, I have been a little nervous ever since and worried about our baby, but the Doctor said everything looks great, and the heartbeat was fast and strong. 150 BPM's. I also got my results back from all of my blood work and everything looks really good when it comes to things like down syndrom, spina bifida, tri 13 and other birth defects. Again that was so comforting to hear the doctor say, it does not mean we are totally free from being worried about our baby, but definitely brings comfort.

Less then a week and we have our 20 week ultrasound. I am still so up in the air on weather or not I want to find out or not. I drive Mark crazy changing my mind everyday. Ever since yesterday I have been on a wanting to find out phase so if it stays this way for the appointment I have a feeling I might give in and find out. As of right now I don't really know what is going to happen that day. The thing I am most looking forward to though is seeing that beautiful baby of mine and hearing his or her heartbeat again.

Helamans Encampment

From July 4-9 the Church held Helaman's Encampment. It was to commemorate 100 years of Scouting in the Church in Canada. There was 2000 young men and 1000 leaders and adult volunteers. This was a type and shadow of the 2000 stripling warriors lead by Helaman during the wars with the Lamanites in the book of Alma. Our troop, consisting of Ian Isackson, Richard Bennett, Vince Holland, and myself as leaders and Howard Choi, Curtis Venance, his cousin Jared Mckay, Shaun and Seth Cousins, Jamie Repp, Micah Jensen, Tyler Holland, Jayman Bendixen,and Lehi Bacanawa as the youth, that left with us, left Lloydminster sunday afternoon after church and a small pot luck lunch provided by the boys moms.
We rented a 15 passenger van which pulled Vince's candle trailer full of gear.

We drove to Calgary and stayed with parents of a member of our branch(the Swendsons) they were very kind and packed us all in their basement for the night. We got up and left there by 630 and ate breakfast at McDonald's and gassed up for the last leg of the journey.

We arrived way earlier than we should have but got in luckily and got our gear set up and camp site prepped for the long week ahead.

Alex Rugama and his brother Daniel arrived via their grandpa, and also Brad and his son TJ arrived on their own.

Each Stake was joined with another stake in sub camps like military organization, we were camp Nephi. There was camp Ammon, Alma, Teancum, Moroni, Helaman, and on and on.

At the end of each day at 8pm there was a mass fire side set up on a hill were all of the "troops" gathered and enjoyed much spiritual enlightenment and the vision of what 3000 warriors look like. It is no small crowd.
Even Helaman was there and he looked great. he challenged the boys and leaders to push ups and arm wrestles. He did very well all week however there were times he came up a loser.

Elder Melchen of the 70 was the guest speaker

A quick idea of how heck-tick our mornings were... 545am get food if it was there start cooking breakfast and making lunch for all 20 of us and be done eating and cleaning up by 745 so we all could get to our activities for the day. Clean up was a must as threr was a lot of bears in the area so all our cooking pots needed to be cleaned and all dish water taken to the gray water disposal and garbage taken out of camp. This made for a lot of yelling and motivating boys to move move move

Tuesday our group which was sub camp Nephi and the Kin of Zoram or Zoramites was scheduled to do the wilderness adventure, in which we hike for 4 km to learn how to build a tower and make arrows to cast at our enemies, and build rope bridges. Our group of venture Lloyd boys and one vermilion boy did very well in all the events except the arrow casting in which Howard Choi Cut his thumb and required a medic, Geeze Howard.
The fire side was a NFL'er offensive lineman Ed Mulitalo he played for the Baltimore Raven's and he did a wonderful job

Wednesday we were doing man tracker. We had a few GPS units and we were given a list of points that we had to find and not get caught by the men on horses, and we had a time limit and we had to make 3 points for sure. We got caught 2 times and avoided them 3 or 4 times after that.
This was kind of showing us the story of Alma in the wilderness leading the people out of bondage from the Lamanites.
No Injuries to report
The fire side was another great one, the guest speaker was Gifford Nielsen quarter back for the Houston Oilers from 78-82 and he also had a great talk.

Thursday was our hike up the Mountain. Our Venture company rode a bus to the back side of the Mt and started our hike just after 9am. The hikes elevation was very steep and fast. It took a lot of effort for us to make it up. The sights were breathtaking and the what a great accomplishment as many of these boys will never see those sights from any mountain ever again. It was no small feat as this hike lasted till 6pm. Some of the boys were very exhausted and so was I.
The weather was amazing the whole week and as we got back to camp the clouds came roaring in and it looked like we were going to be in for a good rain storm.
we ate our diner and got on all our rain gear and brought tarps up to the hill to listen to our fire side. We got there and assembled and the stake president in charge told us to go back to our sub camps and pray to have the weather break. We did so, and with in moments the clouds broke and we were all called back to the hill. The Lord did hear our cries and answered them.

That night the guest speaker was the former General Young Mens President Charles W. Dahlquist
THis night each young man received a letter from his mother, I received one from Kalinda and if the boys had a letter like the one I received they would have all been in tears.

Friday was our day on the waters. Our troop (symbolizing the family of Lehi had to find timber to build a ship and kindling to build a fire and coordinates to find the ore to put the ship together.
our troop was great. As this was the coldest day of our journey they braved the cold water and we lite our fire first. It was very windy and hard to paddle on the waves but as a team we moved the raft quite well.

the last fireside ended with the Current General Young Mens President David Beck
all the firesides were filled with inspiring messages.

Also each night our stake got together to talk and pass on house keeping items. At one meeting there was a fellow that would just not let off the complaining and murmuring about the rules and how strict they were. President Christensen asked him to wait and discuss later, but he would not. Finally Vince ask him,"how old are You?" the man threw down something on the ground and stood up and called Vince a punk, I tell you it was like the scriptures say the warm contentions that arose. The night ended and no one got injured.
Saturday we got out of dodge by 730 and landed in Calgary for peters drive in at 1130. and almost ran out of fuel by Wetaskawin but made it to a husky gas station in Leduc.

what an amazing week, I am glad I got to go and I am glad it is over.