KC SAINTS

Blake is the newest member of the KC Saints, the second rep team in KC!! Congratulations to our boy :) He skated hard during evaluations and is so excited to be a Saint!!  He's pretty proud of making a rep team but really, he's most excited to be playing with his buddies, Dante and Cameron!  It's been a crazy few weeks, since the teams were named.  Cal was asked to Head Coach and said yes.  It's been an unbelievable amount of work thus far but I'm sure every second will be worth it ;)  Rep has proven to be significantly different than house league.  We knew it would be different but it's a whole new 'game'.  Budget's, extra ice time, mandatory apparel, fundraising, team power skating, dry land training, cash calls, etc, etc.  A lot of planning is involved!!  Our good friend Adriana volunteered to be team manager and I am the team treasurer, so together with Cal we've spent a large majority of our weekends on the above!!  Adriana jokes that Cal is her hockey husband and she spends more time texting/emailing him than she does with her own husband!  Good thing we're such great friends, we all laugh about it!!  The team has been on the ice a lot and is on the ice Saturday (with a bottle drive before practice!), Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday!!  4 of those ice times are team power skating with Donna Stewart, one is a 1.5 hr, full ice practice and Sunday is an exhibition game.  These boys will be in great shape by April ;)  Our team will be in tier 2A (the second highest tier in EMHA).  We're in for a great year of hockey and to be honest, I'm most excited to be on a team where all the players and the parents are 110% hockey crazy and dedicated, just like us ... lol!!  Let the fun begin!!!

Back to School 2015

And just like, it was time for back to school!!  The kids all started slightly later this year, with Blake and Emerson on September 8th and Reese on September 9th.

 Blake was headed to grade 3, somewhat reluctantly ;)  He wasn't opposed to going back to school but he wasn't bouncing off the walls excited either!!  I can't help but think about how Blake only has 3 more years in elementary school.  Slow down time, slow down ... please ;)  Being that there is only one grade 3 FI class, Blake knew all his classmates and his teacher.  Which is kind of nice!  His teacher this year is Mlle Elisabeth, who I've only heard great things about.  A few of the students in Blake's class have older siblings who have had Elisabeth and all the mom's say she is wonderful.  So if we go by their word, we're in for a great year!  Blake is excited to learn handwriting, he wants a 'signature'!!  He also really misses Social Studies, Gym and Science class.  He told me he also really likes Math but that he doesn't think grade 3 math will be hard enough, lol!  He was looking ever so handsome on his first day and we are just so extremely proud of him!!!

 

Emerson's first day of grade 1 came quickly ... so hard to believe she's already in full day school.  Em, I can say without a doubt, was really ready for grade 1!!  Being a February baby, she is the oldest in her class and sometimes I wonder if she wouldn't have been better off starting 'early' and being the youngest in her class!  Kindergarten was a breeze and she is really needing more of a challenge, which I'm hoping (and pretty certain) grade 1 will provide.  She has the same grade 1 teacher that Blake had, Mme. Khair.  Mme. Khair is a great teacher and Em was excited to be in her class :)  There is only one grade 1 FI class and so Emerson knew all her classmates and was excited to see some of them!  Emerson is nearly desperate to read but Blake tells her she won't learn to read in grade 1 ... to which of course, I say, yes she will!  To which Blake says, well, yeah but only in French.  So apparently he regards reading in English as 'real' reading?!  lol!!!  Emerson was the most excited about back to school.  She was counting down the days, it was great to see!  I remember feeling much the same way, all through school!!  We're so proud of Em and her love of school and can't wait to witness her growth this year!

 

And now our baby is in Kindergarten ... one more year closer to full day school and the passing of time at any even quicker (and somewhat scarier) rate!!!  Reese's staggered entry day was September 9th.  She only went to school for 1 hr that day and then began the regular schedule on September 14th.  Reese did really well!  She had a few tears in her eyes on the 14th but was all smiles when I picked her up a few hours later :)  I think 1/2 day kindergarten is really great for Reese!  Not sure she'd manage as well with a full day!  Reese has the same teacher that Emerson had, Mme. Sina.  I love Sina and look forward to having another child in her class.  Reese likes me to escort her to her classroom in the mornings and so I have been doing that!  Eventually we will work up to a drop-off at the door but for now, I think it helps her to adjust :)  She is enjoying school and making lots of new friends!  She's a very social little girl!  She has been practicing simple french words and was excited to sing a new french song for us :)  It's wonderful to see her learning and growing and we are of course, extremely proud of our Reesey!!

Here are a few more of my favorite photo's from Blake, Emerson and Reese's 1st days:

Our pride and joy :) (on Reese's 1st full day of kindergarten)

Our beautiful grade 1'er!  Ready for her 1st day!

1st day for Em and Blake, love them sooooo much!!!

Blake was so cute on his first day, he asked for many different photo combo's - including one with Heidi ;)

The annual front step photo :)

Em, waiting for the bell to ring on the first day!

Blake is in his classroom, ready to rock grade 3!!

Em's in her classroom, ready for whatever grade 1 throws her way!!!

Miss Reese and one of her 'poses' on her first full day of kinder!

Thanks to Blake for capturing this moment :)

And off they go, all in the same school!

I was pushing my luck with all the photo's but got one last smile before they headed to their doors!!

Big girl in the big kid school ;)

Found her name, figuring out the kindergarten routine!

 

    

Summer 2015 - That's a Wrap!

That's a wrap on another FABULOUS summer!!!

Besides our summer vacation and great camping trips, we've had a lot of other fun days/experiences!  Including:

Hanging out @ Berlyn's pool!

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A great day of Baseball and Ice cream with the Anderson's and Weaver's :)

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Reese's 1st long bike ride - the slurpee at the end of the ride was great motivation!

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The green shack program!  The kids love the green shack program at our local park.  The leaders are often University students and the kids have a great time playing games,  and meeting new friends at the green shack program :)

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A day at Cross Lake with my parents, sister and my nephews. It was an awesome day, full of tubing, playing at the park and hot dogs :)

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A fun-filled day at the Valley Zoo with the Anderson's!  We spent the entire day at the zoo, it was a blast :)  We love our little zoo!!

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A great day at Fort Edmonton Park with my friend Melissa and her boys!  We had only been to Fort Edmonton on field trips, so hadn't explored the entire park until now.  I found admission a bit expensive but it was worth it.  We had so much fun, the weather was great and we spent most of the day there! 

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A visit with my Grandma Marg.  We're so lucky that my Grandma was able to visit us for a week!!  We had family dinners and lots of time to visit and spend together :)  Thank you so much to my Grandma for visiting and to my parents for making it happen.  I am so glad the kids got to spend so much time with their Great Grandma.  They keep asking when they're going to see Great Grandma again and Reese is still making artwork for her ;)  We joked that Grandma Marg would need to by a new carry on suitcase to bring home all of Reese's 'presents' :)

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Reese and I attended 'First Riders' at Northlands.  Reese is going to be riding the noon hour kindergarten bus from school to the day home, three days a week.  She's excited and I think the First Riders event helped to ease her nerves!

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An afternoon at the Edmonton Corn Maze with the Parenteau's.  This has become a yearly tradition and a great one it is!  The corn maze is so much fun with so many different activities to do.  We always enjoy our time there and this year the weather was great, which made it even better!!  It was a great way to spend this last afternoon of summer break :)

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And before heading to the corn maze, Reese had her first music class!  I found this teacher via social media - I can't remember if it was Twitter or Instagram but I clicked on a picture of a preschool music class and automatically thought, "Reese would love this!!"  Reese is always singing and asking me to help her 'write songs' :)  So I registered her and she began her semester on Monday!  She had a great time and even brought home some homework!!

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Our summer was full but we also enjoyed many quiet days at home, where we didn't get dressed until the afternoon and we watched far too much tv.  I am never really ready for the summer to end but I am thankful for all the wonderful memories made this summer and I look forward to the next chapter - back to school and fall :)

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I will be updating the blog with the last days our summer vacation, soon!  I hope you also had a great summer :)

xo

~Tracy   

Summer Vacation: Day 8 to Day 12

Jasper, my Jasper :)  I love Jasper. We allll love Jasper. Days 8 to 12 were spent in and around Jasper!

Jasper the Bear photo, through the years!

We visited some of our favorite spots in Jasper National Park!  Here are the highlights:

Jasper Tramway: I've rode the tram as a child and Cal and I have rode the tram once for sure, maybe twice, we can't quite remember!  

Made to the top of Whistler's mountain!

 This year we finally decided to take the kids up!!  Blake's always had a fear of heights but this was the summer to conquer those fears ;)  Emerson was most nervous on the tram, Reese spent the ride up in the arms of a sweet lady who asked her if she wanted a better view and Blake gazed out the window, taking it all in!!  Em was fine, she just had to look down at the floor a few times!  They all thought it was pretty neat and were excited to hike when we reached the end of the tram-line.  The hike to the summit of Whistlers mountain was steeper then Cal or I remembered it ... must be our old age ;)  The kids did fabulous though and we were so proud of them!  The views from the summit are amazing and well-worth the short hike!

Pyramid Lake: We took a nice walk around Pyramid Lake, complete with a few (100) photo's ... lol!  Such a beautiful location :)  The kids enjoyed spotting the minnows in the crystal clear water!

Watching the minnows, at Pyramid Lake

My favorite photo :)

Gorgeous Pyramid Lake

Lake Annette: We passed on swimming in the lake this time but had a picnic lunch/hot dog roast near the lake!  And met some new friends at the park! 

Athabasca Falls: Another fave :)

Friends of Jasper Survival Kit: On Wednesday evening the Friends of Jasper hosted a survival kit workshop for kids and our kids really enjoyed it!  They learned about compasses and how to use and create a survival kit.  It was a great program and Cal and I even learned a thing or two ;) 

Parks Interpretive Program in town: We had fun one afternoon when we decided to stop to see a play at the old fire hall in town.  We all ended up part of the play and had some great laughs :)

Those were a few of the highlights!  Whistlers campground is one of my most favorite places to camp.  There is so much to see and do around and always great learning opportunities for the kids!  Although we noticed this year that the kids seemed to have all the answers at all the interpretive programs ... it was actually quite comical!  One of the interpreters even recognized us from last year ;)  

We had a few close encounters with the wildlife ... Blake was extremely close to an elk one morning!!  Cal snapped a pic and Blake ran off, lol!  I'm glad Cal didn't have any close encounters while training for his marathon!!  I was a bit worried about that.

So there is the final re-cap of our 2015 summer vacation.  We had a great time and are very grateful for this time together :)  Can't wait for next years summer vacay!!

Edmonton Marathon 2015

This was it - Cal's big day!!  Cal has dreamed of running a marathon for years now and this was his year!  He's been training and dedicated to completing the 42.2 km.  I am so extremely proud of him:)  Through out summer vacation, rainy days, cold days, days he didn't want to get out of bed, he's pushed through and trained.  I know if you ask him, he will say he under trained but accomplishing what he did, all the while juggling work and being a wonderful Dad and Husband, is something to be extremely proud of!  He would do his long runs on the weekends, leaving the house very early in the morning so that he could be back home shortly after the kids and I awoke, not cutting into too much of our family time.  Thank you Cal for being a wonderful example of dedication and healthy living to both me and our children.  You know how excited I was for you and how proud I am, but seeing the kids faces as we made a race-day sign for you and watching their excitement as they caught you rounding the corner at the 1/2 way mark and then heading for the finish line, is something I will never forget.  And of course Emerson and Blake holding your hands as you crossed the finish line, was the best moment of the entire process!!  We love you and can't wait to cheer you on in your 2nd marathon, next year :)

Best cheer team :)

High fives at the 1/2 way point!!!

Waiting at the finish line with our good friends, the Meyer's!

Blake and Emerson, crossing the finish line with Cal :)

Cal showing us the Marathon route.

Summer Vacation 2015: Day 6 to Day 8

Fun at the Icefields Interpretive Centre!

Checking out the inside of the Interpretive Centre while Mom and Dad cash in on the free WiFi ;)

The start of a 2 day Monopoly game!

 On Day 6 we left Mt. Kidd RV Park and headed for the Columbia Icefields.  First up in our day, was a stop at Deadman Flats.  We enjoyed teasing the kids about Deadman Flats ... all in good fun but I think Blake was a bit worried for a few minutes, lol!!  The kids were over the moon excited when we let them pick out pretty much anything they wanted at the gas station ... it's the small things in life, hahaha!  They also got a kick out of the lady who walked into the gas station, with a large parrot on her shoulder.  It was one of those, "Did that really just happen??" moments!!  The second stop of the day was at Saskatchewan Crossing, to stretch our legs and fill up with the most expensive gasoline we've ever paid for.  Our third stop was the Columbia Icefields Interpretive Centre, where we (again) parking lot boondocked.  We went from +30 weather in Mt. Kidd to approx. +11, so felt a tad cold!!  

The next day, we booked ourselves in for the Athabasca Glacier tour and the Glacier Skywalk tour.  As you can see from some of our photo's, it was quite foggy.  But we still enjoyed the tours, Cal and I had been on the Athabasca Glacier in the past but the kids had not.  They thought the big bus was quite cool and enjoyed a sip of the glacier water (even though due to forest fires, the cold, clear water had a smoky flavour!!)!  Following the icefields tour, we hopped on the bus to the Glacier Skywalk.  I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.  The audio tour was very informative and interesting and both Cal and I and all three kids loved following along with the tour!  The Skywalk itself was very cool, I'm glad we went! I really love how our kids soak up every last piece of information.  They love to learn and all of these interpretive programs, tours, etc, are right up their alley!  They have questions and are totally engaged, it's wonderful :)  After our last tour, we decided to drive to Jasper for groceries and dinner!

On Day 8 we woke, packed up, hooked up and hit the road to Whistler's campground!!

Proud Canadians, on the Athabasca Glacier

Blake, Cal and Emerson taking their third stroll on the Skywalk ;)

Summer Vacation 2015: Day 1 to Day 5

But I can't keep calm!!!  I was so excited to embark on our summer road trip!  We had such a fantastic time last year, that we decided to do a similar trip this year!  

Blake had a 3on3 hockey game on Sunday, August 9th and we had originally planned to get the trailer packed on Sunday and leave Monday morning.  But we were ready to go and decided instead to leave after 3on3 on Sunday evening!  We didn't really have a plan ... we thought we'd parking lot boondock in either Red Deer or Calgary.  We had a lot of construction hold ups on the Henday and it took fooorrrever (or so it felt!) to get out of the city.  So when we reached Red Deer, we were all starving and ready to stop for the night!  We found a gorgeous spot in the Costco parking lot to stop for the night ;)  We leveled the trailer out and walked to Peter's Drive In for dinner and THE BEST milkshakes!  After dinner we walked back to the trailer and played board games for the night!  It was fun and I'm really glad Cal and the kids bought some new games for our trip - Clue, Monopoly and Racko!

Monday morning we woke up and headed for Calaway Park in Calgary.  We had fun at Calaway Park but I think after visting the park for the 2nd time in 2 years, we are okay to wait a few years before going back!  We scared the girls by taking them on the log ride, as soon as we got into the park.  That probably wasn't the best decision ... neither enjoyed the ride but they really were troopers and got over it quickly!!  Blake thought it was awesome, so that was good! We rode the tamer rides for the remainder of the day, ate lunch and played a few carnival games!  Around 4 pm we left Calaway Park and drove to Mt Kidd RV Resort, to spend the next four nights.  We pulled into our site, set up and took a deep, deep breath of mountain fresh air.  I absolutely love being in the mountains and love Mt Kidd RV park!  After a quick dinner, Cal, Blake and Em went for a bike ride and met Reese and I at the Mt Kidd Interpretive program.  The programs at Mt Kidd are great.  They pack so much fun and entertainment into a 1 hr show!  They are in the form of a play but the kids always come away with so much knowledge!!  These plays often have quite a few innuendos that only the older crowd catch, which makes it hilarious and entertaining for the adults as well!

Day 3 we spent the day around Mt Kidd - Blake and Em went on a 5 km bike ride with Cal to Wedge Pond.  They loved it and Cal said there were some challenging hills but they rocked it!  We also hit up the pool at the campground and enjoyed the warm, roomy showers (oh, and cheap - 10 min for $2!!).  Of course, the evening program was also a must ;)

On Day 4 we packed up a lunch and prepared for a hike!  After reading a few trail guides, we chose Grotto Canyon.  It promised a waterfall at the end of the trail, which we thought would be great motivation :)  We've done a few short hikes in the past few years, Mt. Edith Cavel to name one.  This hike was longer and the climb steeper, but we hoped the kids, most especially 4 yo Reese, would be up for it!  We heard very few complaints and were really impressed with how well they did!! 

The waterfall wasn't really what we were expecting - it was small but pretty, none the less!  We stooped on the edge of the mountain to eat our lunch and then headed back!  Later that day I spoke to a lady at our campground who remembers hiking this same trail and at one point, walking in water up to her knees!!  There are some parts where you walk through a dried up creek bed and I guess at certain times during the
year, the creek fills up.  How exciting would that be to turn around and realize the creek was filling up!!  The scenery on our hike was beautiful and the kids were quite amazed at the rock climbers, during one portion of the hike!  After our hike, we drove to Canmore for a few groceries and to cool off in the a/c ;)  We got back to Mt Kidd in time for an afternoon bird watching session.  Everyone really enjoyed learning about the various birds who inhabit Kananaskis Country and the kids enjoyed sporting their own pair of binoculars during the guided bird watching hike.  Blake also had fun finding the various names and characteristic of the birds we spotted, in his bird watchers field guide :)  A quick supper and off to another evening program!!

Day 5 was again spent at the campground!  Cooling off in the pool, visting the park, ice cream treats, swinging in the hammock, board games, bike riding, walking the gorgeous trails and taking in the evening programming.

 

~ stay tuned for days 6 & 7 ~