Edmonton Fun

Last week we were in Edmonton for the week. We enjoyed some visiting, though we never see as many people as we'd like to, this time around especially since we'd come straight from Jasper and the kids were a bit exhausted.

Emily liked hanging out at the playgrounds. It was so hot and sunny, but she stayed pretty shaded while in her stroller.

Matthew loves a spray park!

Andrew was having a lot of fun too.

Emily may have a future in gymnastics if she can hold on to that flexibility!

Matthew just loves minigolf, so we always try to take in a few rounds when we are in Edmonton. He got two rounds this day, and then he also got to play at the Ex.

We met friends at the Capital Ex and had a wonderful day there. Matthew is already talking about when we are at Capital Ex next year. They had some great hands on opportunites for kids to learn about farming as you can see in the next few photos. Andrew was delighted to ride the little tractors, and actually Matthew was too, even with his long legs.

As well they got to pretend to feed various animals, plant and harvest crops. At the end they turned in their harvest for a pretend dollar. They were able to use it to buy a real snack at the farm store. Matthew chowed into some fruit leather, and Andrew was very pleased with his Sun Chips.

Andrew had a great time riding the pony he called "Little Chocolate" on the Carousel. He may have been the only child to go on this ride 4 or 5 times .

The guys worked together to build a faux brick wall. Their favorite part was getting to take home the construction hats.

Jasper Adventures

Two weeks ago we were in Jasper. Here are some of the photos from our trip in no particular order. Andrew liked posing by the bear in front of the ice cream shop.

He also liked the chocolate ice cream, as you can see!

Here is Emily playing inside our place at the Patricia Lake Bungalows.

This is the 100th Anniversary of Jasper National Park so they had a few festivities on for Parks Day while we were there. We took in some of the entertainment, ate at the BBQ, and Andrew had a chance to dress up.

We did lots of mountain biking, and hiking. Here are the boys at the Angel Glacier at the base of Mount Edith Cavell.

Matthew fished out some of the ice for us to feel. It was so cold he couldn't hold it for long.

On the way back to the car it started raining. We forgot Andrew's jacket, but he liked wearing Bruce's and felt like quite the little firefighter.

Here are the boys on another hike at the Maligne Canyon.

Here is Matthew on the summit of Whistler's Mountain. We all took the tram up, and then Matthew and I hiked up to the very top. Bruce was wanting to go with him to the top too, but I won out as Bruce had a chance to summit Pyramid Mountain earlier in the week. Matthew seems to have inherited Bruce's mountain climbing genes as he can climb up so quickly with few breaks, and coming down was galloping or bounding over rocks reminding me of a gazelle.

Here is a swimsuit shot of Emily. Of course truth be told it was all for show as the mountain lakes are evidently a bit cool for her liking.

Matthew and Andrew however had tons of fun at Lake Annette. Matthew was trying to catch and trap minnows, but they proved too quick for him. Andrew liked splashing in the water and drawing with a stick in the sand.

We had lots of fun in the water at Patricia Lake. We brought our kayak so Bruce and I took turns paddling in the evenings. Matthew and I rented a pedal boat one evening.

Another night I went out with the boys in a canoe. I kept wishing I'd taken our kayak paddle, as it is hard to keep a canoe straight with one person paddling.

Stampede Caravan Breakfast

In Calgary there is a long tradition of free breakfasts around the city during Stampede. You haven't really experienced Stampede until you've eaten a pancake in a strip mall parking lot. Here are the guys eating their breakfast with the haybales and entertainment in the background.

Emily is sporting another cowgirl fashion. She is so lucky to have so many clothes given and lent to her that I do not think she has worn the same outfit twice for all her Stampede events attended. She enjoyed her pancake and loved all the hustle and activity around her stroller.

The guys were excited the Fire Department stopped by. Andrew especially is quite taken with Emergency vehicles as of late. He was delighted to have a chance to sit in the driver's seat.

Matthew tried on all the heavy Firefighter gear. He was ready to help out at the next emergency.

Andrew had a pony ride on Strawberry. He loves animals so this was another real highlight for him. Matthew had a ride on one of the ponies too, but they told our tall 6 year old this was probably the end of the road for his pony ride days.

Andrew passed on the airbrush hand painting, but Matthew was right in there for a Calgary Flames logo.

Stampeding

We were lucky to be invited to a Stampede BBQ this afternoon. We enjoyed delicious food, and music by Ian Tyson, Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, and Beverly Mahood who you can see on stage behind our own cowboys in this photo.

Emily was decked out in a jean dress and enjoyed all the BBQ activity, especially all the things to get her hands on.

There was a petting zoo and some amazing face painting for the kids. Matthew wanted to get his face done up with some fiery flames. After we got home and had supper Matthew went out to play street hockey in his Flames gear which matched his face. He declared this to be his best day ever!

Marathon Matthew

Matthew participated in the Timbits Marathon today in conjunction with the Calgary Marathon. He had to walk or run 41 Kms in the weeks leading up to today, and then run the last 1.2 kms with the other kids there today. Children under 7 needed to have an adult run with them, but unfortunately I was not much help as he left me, and many of the other children, in the dust with his legs of steel. He ran the 1.2 kms in 6:38 (1km pace of 5:32), which placed him fastest of all the 6 year olds there, and well into the top quartile for children of all ages participating. He was pleased with his run, and is looking forward to doing another race, but felt he might need something longer. He enjoyed receiving a medal for participating, a generous race bag with all kinds of goodies, post race snacks and of course a couple of Timbits.

Yahoo!

Yahoo, or Yeehaw if you prefer Stampede 2007 is upon us. Here is Emily getting dressed up, looking like a baby Stampede Princess. If only we had some Robeez cowboy boots!

Here is the gang taking in the Parade this morning. It was a bit of a journey downtown with the three kids and I on packed C-trains, but I guess that is part of the adventure. The boys always love a train ride. We were lucky Bruce and family were invited to a breakfast party and then we had shaded bleacher seats which were a treat. We started out by enjoying our pancakes. Then the guys were delighted with all the goodies given out including cowboy hats and water guns. There was face painting and balloon animals for all who wanted. Matthew thought it was his luckiest day ever. We had a great view of all the floats and bands. Andrew loved seeing the firetrucks and ambulances in the parade. He did enjoy himself, but as is a common theme with Andrew, he felt it was too loud. Bruce had to work in the morning, but did drop by to enjoy it with us for a bit. The kids and I will take in a few more events over the week, though probably will pass on the grounds this year. Bruce has quite a full Stampede activity calendar with a number of co-workers in from out of town, and his brother here for his annual Stampede time visit.

Matthew's Backyard Photos

This is Matthew's backyard photo essay. He is no longer content to be only on the one side of the camera, and likes to take his own photos now that he is "almost 7", no longer 6 or 6 1/2. These are some of the photos he took of things he felt were of note our backyard. I thought it was probably good to get another perspective on the blog.

Emily's Latest

Emily had her first popsicle yesterday and loved it! She managed to eat the whole thing herself, though needed a bath afterwards.

She is a focused, determined young girl and you can see her here at play.

She is up on all fours a lot now. She just learned how to get herself from this position into sitting, so you never know how you will find her if you leave the room and come back. She also got another tooth, one of the top middle ones, so that brings her to three in total.

Queen City Fun

In Regina we had a fun and busy time. Bruce and Matthew enjoyed participating in the second annual family camping/fishing trip for part of the time. They forgot the camera so they did not have any photos for the blog. We hung out and had fun around town with Grandma while they were at the lake. When they got back Bruce and friends went out one day for a 109 km bike ride to Southey and back, reminiscent of road bike trips they did way back when. We enjoyed wonderful visits with special friends and family.

Here is Emily at the playground. Her favorite thing is to be pushed in the baby swings.

We took in the brand new RCMP Heritage Centre. Andrew is comtemplating signing up for the class of 2027

This is Andrew at Wascana park where we took in Canada Day festivities. They had a little petting zoo, entertainment, food kiosks, and perhaps our favorite the little red and white cupcakes they were handing out. Wascana was a frequent stop on our trip as we came back another day to see the floral displays at the legislature, and walk on some of the new trails along the water. Of course we had to make a quick exit as they were starting a 21 Gun salute, which was not too popular with noise sensitive Andrew. Then we had one more time back to visit the Science Centre which is always a favorite for the kids.

Here is Andrew on the playground at Wascana on Canada Day.

Emily's first Canada Day wore her right out!

Airport Adventures

Here we are arriving at the airport last Friday, on the long weekend, for our trip to Regina. Bruce was meeting us in Regina via a business meeting in Montreal, so we were on our own to get to the airport, checked in and through security. Bruce's brother coming in from San Francisco connected with our flight, so he and Matthew were able to sit together on the airplane, while, Andrew, Emily and I hung out further back on the plane. Anticipating big crowds we arrived at the airport very early so had plenty of time to check in, play at the Spaceport play area, and have dinner before the flight. Emily was a bit squirmy on the plane, but did well despite flying at bedtime and seemed to enjoy it. Andrew thought the plane was too loud, but liked looking at all the things at the airport, and the clouds out our window. Matthew loves flying and had been looking forward to the trip for some time.

People were asking how I was going to manage all the luggage, and indeed it was quite the sight. This photo does not even do it all justice. Luckily Matthew could push Emily in the stroller and Andrew could walk holding my one hand while I wielded this cart with my other. The clothes and things I brought for myself in all this could fit into a Safeway shopping bag, but we had three large bags of carseats, one large bag of camping gear for Matthew and Bruce, one large bag filled with a portable crib, portable high chair, diapers etc, and finally one bag of clothing/personal effects for the kids and I. Whew!

Emily is not just sitting back anymore. She was right into playing with all the toys in the airport waiting areas with the boys.