Sean and Krissy - Aug 7th

Sean and Kristin came home for an extended weekend.  They had a family reunion to go to, but were sure to make time to come home and spend some time with the Littles.

As usual, Kristin brought something fun home; this time it was coloured bubbles.  Amy could not wait until day light to try them out which meant they were blowing bubbles at 10pm.  It's not every day your big brother and sister come home you know!

Poor Anna was not quite accustomed to the Canadian game of Pile on Sean (and yes, poor Sean).

 Don't worry Anna.  Your big sisters will teach you the ropes.

Kristin is proof that one can never be too old to sit on Daddy's lap.

Welcome home.  We missed you.

Sophie's Birthday Bowling Bash - August 7th

The girls were invited to Sophie's Bowling Birthday Bash and even though it appeared to be a casual affair, the girls insisted on dressing up.  I usually go along with this as they have a number of fancy outfits and if they only wore them to formal occassions, the dresses would get little to no wear.

I love how the girls get so into the game that if the ball does not go into the gutter and actually makes it to the end of the lane, it is something worth cheering about.

I also love how Amy is so caring and supportive of her little sister.  She always takes such good care of her.

 I think one of Anna's balls actually made it down to the very end!

"I love bowling.  Can we come again tomorrow?"

Hunting for Dinosaurs - The Final Post - July 21st

The last few days in Alberta were spent wondering around, checking out playgrounds, discovering splash parks, playing at the campsite and, of course, hunting for dinosaurs.
We came across a neat little canyon in the hoodoos with a suspended bridge that really swayed in the wind.  The girls were completely unfazed and skipped over it, causing the bridge to sway even more, prompting many gasps from the adults.

Once on to the other side, we began what felt like our two hundredth exploration of our trip.  A mandatory climb was in order first.

It was much more difficult coming down on our bums than it was going up!

"Mama.  Where are all the dinosaurs Amy keeps on talking about? I haven't seen one here yet."

"Just look in the sand and rocks Mei Mei.  I won't lead you astray."

After our final exploration, we hit the open highway once again, making many stops along the way.

In all, it was a great trip. I quickly learned this was a vacation that was all about the girls, doing whatever they wanted to do, which included a four hour stop at Chuck E Cheese during our two day drive back.

We arrived home to a Daddy who was excited to see his Littles again . . . and an empty lounge chair by the pool that was just calling my name.

Hunting for Dinosaurs Part 2 - July 19

I discovered a few things about life while camping with my children.  Foremost was the fact that it did not matter what I wanted to do on our trip, it was really about what they wanted.  And they were never the same things.

While I wanted to roast bannock on a stick over an open fire, all they wanted to do was eat the jam (due to some charred, not burnt, markings on the bread).

While I wanted to get up and get going, all they wanted to do was take their time . . . with everything.

I soon realized that my schedule was out the window and this was really their trip.  If they wanted to spend hours playing camping as we were camping, then so be it.

Thank goodness for Baileys and coffee.  It helped to put things into perspective for me.

We spent a large part of our time visiting the many playgrounds in the area.  All of them, oddly enough, had dinosaur themes, which the girls absolutely loved.

It was fun to find references to them in the neatest places.

Some were more realistic than others!

The one place that Amy enjoyed the most was this one.  It looks harmless enough . . .

. . . until you see the BIG picture.

Anna was not nearly as appreciative!

The best part was the view from this dinosaur's mouth.  You can see the Dino Splash Park to the right of us where we spent a huge amount of time.

After this trip, I fully expect at least one of them to be a paleontologist , if not a dinosaur lover for life.

Hunting for Dinosaurs - July 17th

The girls and I decided we would go on a camping trip to Drumheller, Alberta, the home to many dinosaurs, most of them long deceased.  We have not been camping with the girls, and so new sleeping bags were in order.  They were test driven on many occasions before we actually left. 

The drive out there took two days of travelling on the girls' schedule.  I had just purchased a new vehicle with a drop down DVD screen.  I wasn't all that keen on it at first, but it sure came in handy when I wanted to drive for at least two hours without stopping.

When we finally arrived, one of the first things we did was go to the Royal Tyrrell's Museum where a multitude of dinosaurs could be found.

The Museum itself was a little beyond Amy, let alone Anna, but they loved running from exhibit to exhibit, checking out all the different dinosaurs.

Amy was able to participate in a Junior Paleontologist Dig.  They first made fancy hats with stick on dinosaurs to protect themselves from the hot sun, then they trekked to the dig, comprised of compressed wood pellets hinding a fossil.  The children used their pail, shovel and paint brushes to uncover the hidden dinosaur.  

Amy absolutely loved it.

Unfortunately, there was an age restriction on the class and Anna was not allowed to participate.  As the group was meeting to discuss their discovery . . .

. . . Anna managed a little crafting of her own.  So there!

We ended the day creating dinosurs at our camp site.

It was a fun beginning to a great trip with my goofy girls.

Betty Comes to Visit - July 10th

Our wonderful friend Betty came to stay with us for a few days this summer.  The girls, as predicted, loved every second of her being with us.

During her stay, Carol, Arlene and I went on a quick shopping trip to the USA where I was able to pick up new nightgowns for the girls.  It's so interesting how Amy likes to dress the same as Anna, but she loved it when all three of them could dress alike.

Scotty Graduates - June 29th

My little stinky nephew graduated from high school.  I can't believe he now has a real job and is starting in his own profession.  Who am I going to get to cut my lawn now?

One very proud Grandpa.

 Well done Scotty.  Congratulations.

Children's Museum - June 28th

The renovations on the Children's Museum are finally finished.  Yeah!! I took two very excited customers to check out the new digs, and boy, did they love it.

Here is a self portrait by Amy in plastic dowels.





My two artists creating using the medium vegetables.





 Who knew the water cycle could be so fascinating?

Marathon and Fathers' Day - June 19th

Fathers' Day is always a very busy day around here. We were all up at the crack of dawn this morning to head to the Marathon. The Mini Mites run was at 6:45am and we barely made it! Both girls took part. Amy had a great start, but stumbled and fell shortly after take off. Anna was a little overwhelmed and made the run with Daddy.

Here comes my big girl making use of the lesser used side lane.She's trying to beat the little boy in front of her.Finished!

And, not to be outdone, it's Mei Mei and Daddy!Yeah! At least Daddy's happy they finished.A popsicle makes the burn disappear.

Then Robin had to get to his gig of being "the guy that announces names as people run in". He really enjoys this job, even with the glitches.

Following the Marathon, we were joined at home by the usual family and friends for a BBQ and swim. Keeping Anna out of the pool has been the most difficult thing about her surgery, so given it was such a beautiful day and she is doing so well, we decided that today was the day, even if we were a little ahead of the suggested schedule. Wouldn't you know it, another natural! Here she is first time jumping into the pool.

Happy as a clam. A salt water clam, that is.

The "Elders" enjoying the show.

Amy was quick to get in there and teach her little sister how to swim.

Happy Fathers' Day!