Thanks to Mama Schmoo for some content. I really should give this thing up but I keep clinging to the hope that one day I will be inspired even though I know the reality is that it actually takes effort not inspiration to keep up a blog. Imagine if that was three sentences? I'm sure it would be much clearer but now I'm rambling (I know, you're shocked).
ONE WORD
1. Where is your cell phone? nowhere
2. Your significant other? comfort
3. Your hair? neglected
4. Your Mother? Mum
5. Your Father? Dad
6. Your favorite thing? warmth
7. Your dream last night? ellusive
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? direction
10. The room you're in? dining
11. Your hobby? ephemeral
12. Your fear? surrender
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? unsure
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? thin
16. Muffins? bran
17. One of your wish list items? foresight
18. Where you grew up? Alberta
19. The last thing you did? class
20. What are you wearing? jeans
21. Your TV? On
22. Your pets? fish :(
23. Your computer? laptop
24. Your life? full
25. Your mood? alert
26. Missing someone? yes
27. Your car? impala
28. Something you're not wearing? socks
29. Favorite store? Book
30. Your summer? short
31. Like someone? Yes
32. Your favorite colour? Black
33. When is the last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Friday
35. Who will resend this? ?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Growing Up
Not only is Hunter starting kindergarten in less than two weeks, now this...
In case you can't tell, he's holding up a tooth in that picture. That's right, my little guy lost his first tooth.
As I was calculating in my mind approximately how much a tooth would be worth nowadays (you know with inflation and whatnot), he advised me that he was going to hide it from the tooth fairy so that he could keep it forever.
Kindergarten, losing a baby tooth, and now a pack-rat. Clearly my little guy is growing up.
In case you can't tell, he's holding up a tooth in that picture. That's right, my little guy lost his first tooth.
As I was calculating in my mind approximately how much a tooth would be worth nowadays (you know with inflation and whatnot), he advised me that he was going to hide it from the tooth fairy so that he could keep it forever.
Kindergarten, losing a baby tooth, and now a pack-rat. Clearly my little guy is growing up.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Holidays
Whenever we visit the mountains it becomes so clear to me why we do this vacation again and again and again. One of the things I love most about this holiday is that it is never the same - you could take it a thousand times and still manage to do something different each year.
In the town of Banff
This year we started in Banff, spent a day in Golden and travelled up to Jasper. We also spent a day in Calgary at the zoo (pictures will be posted on the Family Album blog shortly).
We stayed at our favourite campground near Banff - Castle Mountain. Castle Mountain is perfect because you're almost exactly half way between Banff and Lake Louise and only a few kilometres from one of our favourite hikes - Johnston Canyon.
Julia and I near the falls at Johnston Canyon - Just over a 6K hike to take in this beautiful scenary
Johnston Canyon
It's also nice and close if you choose to do the drive to the Radium hotsprings which we opted not to do this year (first time in a long time we haven't done this one but we really needed another week of holidays even to just fit some of our favourites in). The campground costs $21.50 per night plus $8 for firewood. The campground is quiet, has a nice creek flowing through it, and a great hike attached to it. On the drive into town the first day we spotted mountain sheep, deer, two bears, and some elk.
The drive from Banff to Jasper is about 230km but it's worth taking about six hours to drive it with all the wonderful stops. Usually we stop at the Columbia icefields but this year we decided to try a couple of different stops - we'll do Columbia icefields again another year when Julia is a bit older.
Between Banff and Jasper
Hunter and Jason at one of the stops we made on the drive between Banff and Jasper
A stop on the way to Jasper
Hunter climbing at another stop between Banff and Jasper
We didn't get away from Banff nearly as early as we had planned so by the time we had taken several stops on the way to Jasper it was quite late. We had planned to stay at a campgound called Wabaso but on the way there we almost drove into a very larger bear so we decided we'd stay somewhere a little closer to town. We ended up staying at Wapiti campggound. It was $28.50 a night but worth the bit extra because it had showers which we would desperately need since we'd no longer be going swimming and showering at the swimming places in Banff.
Campground
We didn't have a lot of time at Jasper but we managed to pack a few hikes in: we hiked to the glaciers at Mount Edith Cavell, we went for a very short hike at a Caribou crossing, and checked out Athabasca Falls.
This is at Mount Edith Cavell near the first campground we planned to stay at. It's about a one hour hike to the Glacier and back up.
This was near Mount Edith Cavell but a hike we decided not to complete as there had been a grizzly sighting on the trail four out of the past seven days (we wondered when we saw a couple ahead of us packing bearspray).
Athabasca Falls just outside of Jasper
Athabasca Falls again
Athabasca Falls isn't too far from the campground we had initially planned to stay at and on our way to the Falls we saw another bear. We were really glad we had decided not to stay there.
All in all it was a great holiday - we just wished we had more time. We're hoping to take a nice fall holiday to Banff this year and stay at one of the cabin-type hotels at Tunnel Mountain. Of course it will depend on our schedules and whatnot.
In the town of Banff
This year we started in Banff, spent a day in Golden and travelled up to Jasper. We also spent a day in Calgary at the zoo (pictures will be posted on the Family Album blog shortly).
We stayed at our favourite campground near Banff - Castle Mountain. Castle Mountain is perfect because you're almost exactly half way between Banff and Lake Louise and only a few kilometres from one of our favourite hikes - Johnston Canyon.
Julia and I near the falls at Johnston Canyon - Just over a 6K hike to take in this beautiful scenary
Johnston Canyon
It's also nice and close if you choose to do the drive to the Radium hotsprings which we opted not to do this year (first time in a long time we haven't done this one but we really needed another week of holidays even to just fit some of our favourites in). The campground costs $21.50 per night plus $8 for firewood. The campground is quiet, has a nice creek flowing through it, and a great hike attached to it. On the drive into town the first day we spotted mountain sheep, deer, two bears, and some elk.
The drive from Banff to Jasper is about 230km but it's worth taking about six hours to drive it with all the wonderful stops. Usually we stop at the Columbia icefields but this year we decided to try a couple of different stops - we'll do Columbia icefields again another year when Julia is a bit older.
Between Banff and Jasper
Hunter and Jason at one of the stops we made on the drive between Banff and Jasper
A stop on the way to Jasper
Hunter climbing at another stop between Banff and Jasper
We didn't get away from Banff nearly as early as we had planned so by the time we had taken several stops on the way to Jasper it was quite late. We had planned to stay at a campgound called Wabaso but on the way there we almost drove into a very larger bear so we decided we'd stay somewhere a little closer to town. We ended up staying at Wapiti campggound. It was $28.50 a night but worth the bit extra because it had showers which we would desperately need since we'd no longer be going swimming and showering at the swimming places in Banff.
Campground
We didn't have a lot of time at Jasper but we managed to pack a few hikes in: we hiked to the glaciers at Mount Edith Cavell, we went for a very short hike at a Caribou crossing, and checked out Athabasca Falls.
This is at Mount Edith Cavell near the first campground we planned to stay at. It's about a one hour hike to the Glacier and back up.
This was near Mount Edith Cavell but a hike we decided not to complete as there had been a grizzly sighting on the trail four out of the past seven days (we wondered when we saw a couple ahead of us packing bearspray).
Athabasca Falls just outside of Jasper
Athabasca Falls again
Athabasca Falls isn't too far from the campground we had initially planned to stay at and on our way to the Falls we saw another bear. We were really glad we had decided not to stay there.
All in all it was a great holiday - we just wished we had more time. We're hoping to take a nice fall holiday to Banff this year and stay at one of the cabin-type hotels at Tunnel Mountain. Of course it will depend on our schedules and whatnot.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Happy 18 Months and a Bit
Happy 18 months and one day my sweet little girl. You are growing up so wonderfully and your smiles, kisses, and devilish nature have been lifting our spirits daily these last couple months.
You are so smart and determined and you are constantly surprising us as you learn something new and unexpected. Lately you've been interested in learning to use the potty with no push from us - one day you yanked and your diaper and said "pee" so we sat you down to see what you'd do and you knew exactly what you were doing so I imagine that in a couple of months you'll have mastered it. You love figuring out how to put stuff together (and take it apart) - Legos, lids, shapes - anything that will come apart really. You are also a fearless climber - you've mastered the ladder to the top of Hunter's bunk, the chairs so you can walk around on the table, and pretty much anything that might even be remotely climbable.
You're also the cutest little mimic I've seen - you'll pant like a puppy, bark, meow, act like a monkey, copy Hunter's "awwws" and Daddy's growls. When Grandma and Grandpa Gush were visiting you picked up angry eyebrows - now angry eyebrows is one of your favourite little looks to give along with raised eyebrows.
You love to play hide and seek, peek, and where's your... (tummy, nose, bum, etc.). You really love to tickle and be tickled. You and your brother continue to have the most amazing relationship - I have no doubt that it will serve both of you well as long as you live. Hunter has you dancing with him and has been singing ABCs to you and teaching you all sorts of things we'd probably rather he didn't but it's hard not to watch the two of you and smile.
Jules, every day with you brings something wonderful and I can't imagine loving you more.
Love Mum
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