Seven Quick Takes vol. 109

I'm alive for 7 quick takes! I've missed a couple Fridays so you're all completely in the dark of the minutiae of my life. Let's fix that.

Oh, and make sure you check out the great Kelly and all the cool kids.

{one}

December 19?? Are you sure?! December's flown by this year, but in a nice way. Not too busy, not too slow, growing excitement everyday from 5 little people around here. It's the time of year where I shudder at the thought of motherhood + December without Amazon, somehow our pioneering mothers bought us all gifts!?! Let's all bow our heads in admiration and gratitude.

{two}

Don't we look like tough and rugged wolf hunters?

Before I hasten on to the frivolous and token kid pictures, if you don't follow me on instagram you may have missed the excitement that was me tracking down a wolf with 5 small children in tow. I wish I could let you believe the image that I was out in the forests bravely smelling random bushes for the scent of wolf while pulling 5 kids on a sled behind me, but really it's a much less dramatic story.

My dad and brother had been seeing wolf tracks a couple miles from the yard for a couple weeks, but a neighbour came to tell us he had seen a wolf on the road directly in front of our yard two days in a row. There happened to be a dead cow in the area (from another neighbour) and we thought that may be attracting the wolf closer. 

Naturally, I thought I should go out and get some instagram evidence of this wolf by finding a track on the road. It was a beautiful day out so I bundled up the baby and put her in a sled and we walked around for a while looking for tracks pretty playfully. We had no luck so I said to the kids we could just stay out a little longer since we spent all that time getting dressed and all. I walked to the end of the driveway, looked across the road, and saw a very large dog/coyote/wolf/animal as yet undetermined run down the road a couple hundred yards away from me. Naturally I told Gemma to start pulling Nora towards Gramma's house and Max to start running. It was like I was Ma Ingalls. I was so impressed when my kids actually listened to me and starting running! I thought I should stay a little longer to see if the wolf would pop out of the trees along the ditch, then though, probably not worth it so we ran back to the house, jumped in the nearest vehicle, and started driving down the road. I took these bad pictures while driving, so at least I can prove it wasn't a figment of my imagination but the jury's still out on whether it was a really large coyote, or a small wolf. I did however, definitely find a wolf track just outside the yard a little later. So who know. Either way I probably should be a more attentive mother when the kids play outdoors.

Best photo I got.

Wolf track, a little bigger than my hand.

{three}

We also jumped out of the house last Saturday, drove two minutes down the same wolf-sighting road and sawed down a Christmas tree. I know I post pictures of this event every year, so I think it must mean it's one of our favourite Christmas traditions. It also really blows my mind how big my children look. 

{four}

Nora was thrilled to decorate the tree this year. I never get tired of that sweet baby joy at the lights and the tree and the decorations. It's honestly the best. She was in awe of how big the tree was in the house, how the lights sparkled, how she could go up and touch it. And then I let the babies hang some very unbreakable decorations and it pretty much made their year.

{five}

So I know I've said previously that I'm a music snob and like to have a clear difference in Advent and Christmas music, or, at least a bit of emphasis on Advent music during Advent. But I do cave around the Third Sunday of Advent and break out any and all Christmas music all day, every day. Have you guys heard this gem yet? It's Straight No Chaser featuring Kristen Bell, and I heard it yesterday on Spotify and chuckled. I'm a sucker for some good cheesy-ness.

{six}

Guys, I want to bake Christmas cookies but I have a terrible fear that I'll just eat them all myself -  while wrapping, and doing laundry, and cleaning, and the myriad things I need to get done in a week, like an addict to processed sugar. But honestly, sometimes the thought of Christmas cookies keeps me going. I'm still staying strong and not baking yet. 

{seven}

Thanks so much to everyone who's been sharing about the podcast, rating us on iTunes, and talking about it on their blogs. It's really amazing how warm and fuzzy it makes Haley and I. We recorded some really stellar episodes this week with blogging superstah Kelly Mantoan, and the paragon of motherly wisdom Auntie Leila which will air in the new year. If you didn't catch this week's episode with Arleen Spenceley I'd really think it's worth a listen, we had such an interesting and intelligent conversation about what chastity really is and how messed up our world thinks it is. But with more fun than how I just described it. 

Hope you all have a pre-merry weekend. Eat all the cookies!

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