Pre-Stampede Party

There was a huge pre-stampede party that we went to this morning, it was a tonne of fun for the kids. There were like 10 different bouncy houses, petting zoo, airbrushing, pancake breakfast, a tot play area, games, and lots of different vendors where we got a bunch of free stuff for the kids.

Brook and Dayna came, and my mom and I with the 4 kids. We got there right when it opened at 9am so we didn't have to wait very long for the pancake breakfast.


They had a little play area for younger kids. Dreyton rode this car many times down the ramp.


Kids had lots of fun petting the animals



Zoë asked to be a rainbow butterfly



Dreyton loves these mascots, always giving them high fives and hugs.

No More Soothers

Dreyton has been attached to soothers since he was a newborn, when we got Zoë off of the soother we put him to just having it at nights.
Well the time has come and gone to get rid of them for good.
We made a big deal and put his soother in an envelope to send it off to another baby and put it in the mailbox (no address and no stamp, the mailman got a weird surprise the next day). Then we went straight to toys-r-us and he got to pick out a puppy (Zoë picked out a puppy when she did so we kept with the tradition).

Lee was in Red Deer during this time so I had the LUCKY night of taking care of him waking up every hour wanting his soother. Well... the next day we decided at last minute to meet Lee in Red Deer so I relinquished and gave him back another of his soothers so we could get him to sleep in a hotel....

Well, after camping this weekend his soother was packed away in the van and we weren't going to unpack till the next day so we told him baby Logan (sorry Wendy, Dreyton might be a little bitter at him for awhile) needed it and he is a big boy and no longer needs it. He went straight to sleep with that answer and has been great ever since. Lee has a little bit of a issue learning to comfort him in the night instead of give him a soother but he's getting better as each day goes on.

Camping

Lee and I were excited to take the kids on their first camping trip, so we decided to go Fathers Day weekend. We invited our friends Cam and Wendy and their two boys to come along with us. Lee got bombarded with work and was working till 10pm each night so I organized and got everything together for the trip. On Friday I packed and loaded up the van (harder than it sounds, there's ALOT of stuff you need for camping) and as soon as Lee got home from work we left to our campsite which was 20 minutes away from our house. The campground is called Nature's Hideaway Campground which was just off the bow river. When we got there and found our site this is what it looked like..

This picture was taken with Lee's phone so not the greatest quality, but it was RAGING. If the kids went anywhere near the water they would have gotten swept away from the current, since it had risen alot with the recent rain. Also, the only patch of grass was right next to the river (I just found out that a 29 year old male went missing in that river as there was a group of them that we saw about to jump in just in front of the campground). Also, the only patch of grass was right next to the river. Needless to say, we switched campsites to a WAY better one. The one we got was meant for a group so it was huge.

Kids roasting marshmallows, they loved being able to make their own food over the fire.
It rained a bit while we were there so I was happy that I had bought the screenhouse to keep everything dry.
Lee with our friends Cam and Wendy.

Kids playing in one of the gopher holes that were around the campsite. Friday night I twisted my ankle in one which made it very difficult to get around.

Carter and Dreyton playing bubbles

The first night of camping I thought was great, had awesome company and the kids went to sleep really good. When we went to bed it had started to rain and got quite cold in the night. I think I had about 2 hours of sleep altogether that night as well as had pain from my foot.

Saturday it was very warm outside and there was a decent park they played at, I only wish they had either a pool or a lake they could have played in. We made tin foil dinners that afternoon which were delicious. We decided to pack up and head home that evening instead of staying overnight as I wanted to get a decent sleep before Lee headed back to work.

I think this time was a good learning experience. We know what we want in a campground and next time we will go when its warmer out at night and try find a different campsite with a lake or a pool.

Red Deer

Lee went to work in Red Deer for the week, so the kids and I met him there and stayed for 2 days. There was a little pool in the hotel so we spent most of the time in it. Dreyton showed a huge improvement in the pool while we were there. At the beginning he wouldn't let go of me, and would only jump off the edge if he was holding my hands. Then at the end he was swimming around with his wings on and even jumped in the pool without me to catch him. The second time we went swimming I didn't even put my bathing suit on and was able to read a magazine while they swam and played.





At the end of the day the kids were so exhausted they were both asleep within 2 minutes of laying down.

June?

This weather needs to start getting good, it's June! Needless to say i've been trying to do lots of indoor crafts that the kids could do while the weather is not so nice.

These are finger paints I had them use with a paint brush, halfway through Zoë figured out she could use her hands and was shocked when I didn't say anything. Surprisingly, Dreyton would not do it with his hands and when I tried to get him to do what Zoë was doing he freaked out saying he was messy.

I got this idea from a friend on facebook, it's just salt and Zoë had SO much fun playing with it. I had Dreyton do it but he didn't got the concept of leaving the salt in the bowl.

Happy cousins

Kidless in Arizona

Lee and I flew to Arizona for 5 days and left the kids with their Aunty Jenn and Uncle Jesse and then my friend Andrea for a couple of days. It was the first time I have left them for more than an overnight trip to Banff. We were able to skype with them which is a video call from the computer, really neat.
Ryan and Katya and Toozik stayed with us for the first few days and my parents had been there already for a week before we showed up. We had my cousin Missy and husband Brett out for dinner the night we got in.



My parents/uncle's place is in an adult only community on a huge golf course. It's a really nice ranch style house.

Lee and I driving the golf cart around, we had fun driving it in the evening trying to dodge sprinklers. In the community alot of people drive golf carts around, I drove it to get groceries and pedicure etc.

It was enjoyable going to a huge pool with nobody in it the majority of the time. We mostly swam in the covered part of the pool so we didn't get too burned.

The full view of the outdoor pool, my mom was the only one swimming in it.

All Dad and Lee need is a cribbage board and they're entertained for hours.

Throw in a golf course and an xbox and you rarely see the two of them

Very different to see cactus trees in the mountains, I didn't know they bloom flowers at the tops of them.

Not the greatest place to go hiking, ouch.

Lee and I are excited to book our next flights there, next time with the kids. There is a family community across the street which has lots of fun stuff for kids to do.

Evening Bike Ride

Zoë is such a mini mommy. This morning Dreyton hurt his knee getting out of bed so he runs to Zoë and tells her he has an owie. She quickly consols him and says awww and gives him a kiss on the knee. She then sits on the couch and wants her brother to sit on top of her as she is saying my poor baby brother and starts rubbing his back. Little does she know but Dreyton is not much of a baby these days.

I found this bike at a garage sale for $7 and Dreyton has learned very quickly how to use it. It's great having a pathway across the street away from cars so they can practice and I don't have to worry about them too much.

I am almost going to need to get my bike out to catch up to this girl, she is quick.
As we were going on the path her pedal was loose and fell off, luckily Zoë was prepared and had taken some of daddy's tools and put them in her bike sack so he could fix it quickly.


Having a fun break at the park before heading home

Calgary Temple Grounds

On Sunday we took a Stanford family trip to the site where the Calgary temple is being built.

Zoë with cousins Tighe and Dom (Dreyton was having a nap in the van)


Zoë would stay in dresses all day everyday if I let her.

Potty Trained

Dreyton is now completely potty trained during the day, it feels good to know I don't have to buy anymore diapers for awhile. He would not let me take one ounce of credit for potty training him, he did it all on his own. He would make me leave the bathroom as he struggled to get on the seat himself or pull up or down his underwear. Dreyton is alot like me that way, I taught myself how to ride a bicycle and most of the things I know how to do today I have learned on my own.

Random Ones

Zoë was playing in the backyard for awhile today and came and showed me her gardening skills.


Zoë and Jayden having a break playing in the backyard to have some blizzard ice cream.


We went to the zoo today with Andrea and her nephew Addan. Such a cute boy, kept making random faces when i would take his picture.



My kids have no fear, Dreyton was having a meltdown that I wouldn't let him get too close to the peacock.

Long fun day