DaddyJ's Birthday

For DaddyJ’s birthday this year, the kids and I headed out to Kelowna to surprise him! He was very surprised to have us arrive more than 12 hours early as the kids got to miss school. The drive started out with quite a bit of snow and ice and then became picture perfect. Remarkably, the 600km went seemingly quickly.

We all enjoyed a relaxing weekend of water sliding, stewing in the hot tub and visiting a few wineries. CubJ particularly enjoys trying to create tidal waves as big as DaddyJ when he exits the water slide. He is a keen waterslider!

As we continue to return to the same area, we are finding that the little J’s are developing their own favourite wineries to visit. The creation of tiny coinsures! Some of their favourites include Mission Hill and Quail’s Gate for their fantastic views, interesting architecture and most likely the sparkling juice they have as samples!

SparkJ was working on a project at school looking at how plants get ready for the winter and CubJ on recycling/composting. While we were visiting our favourite winery Summer Hill, we noticed that there were two workers busy with a screen over some large grape bins. We asked if we could come closer to see what they were doing, assuming that this must be an important part of the wine making process which was in full tilt. It turns out that both kids were about to see their science units in action. The two workers were separating the grape seeds from the skins after pressing. The seeds are saved for a variety of purposes including new growth, to be ground into an extremely healthy flour and for composting. The same holds true for the grape skins which help to create extraordinarily nutritious compost. SparkJ being the cutie she is managed to get bagful of organic grape seeds to show her class how grape vines prepare for the winter! It turns out that she received them from one of the owners sons, for whom our favourite sparkling wine is named! That girl, she is a lucky one .....

DaddyJ enjoyed his birthday. We all enjoyed being together and laughing a great deal all weekend. What a wonderful way to start another year with DaddyJ. Happy "saving one more second not pressing the down arrow so many times on the elliptical machine age button" 2010!

CubJ's 9th Birthday

CubJ’s 9th Birthday in California

Can you believe it, my CubJ is nine years old! I can not believe how quickly the years are going by, imagine half way to when he could be leaving the nest to go to University! ACKkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

To celebrate the halfway mark of his childhood, we headed down to Southern California! Two days were spent in Anaheim at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. It is always to nice to get to see Mickey and his gang, ride Space Mountain and all of our other favourites.

SparkJ enjoyed riding many more rides this visit now that she is both older and much taller. CubJ especially enjoyed watching Daddy and me turn green on a few of the rides. When we did Matterhorn back to back, due to a slight mechanical issue upon disembarking, we were all clear on why the back four bobsledders tuck their heads inside of the sled! Who knows, maybe we will all try the Olympic bobsled track next.

After enjoying our time in the California Adventure being soaked, spun, flung and wowed we made the short drive to San Diego to visit Legoland. We have always adored going to San Diego.  We have so many fun memories starting from the time that CubJ was a little baby in that part of the world. It is hard to believe how quickly the time is going. Sniff Sniff

We spent our first day in Legoland taking in their new water park. While it is not a giant water park to the likes of Disneyworld, it is a great way to spend the day basking in the sun of southern California. It is a small addition to the park which is extremely enjoyable! We loved floating in the lazy river complete with add your own foam Lego blocks. The kids loved riding the slides as fast as they could get back up the stairs to do it all again!

Our second day, CubJ’s actual birthday we enjoyed riding all of the rides in the park, munching ice cream and shopping for as much Lego as we could fit in his suitcase. It was a special day for our special guy. CubJ had mentioned that he would like to have dinner at Chuck-e-Cheese so he could game and eat pizza to cap off his ideal birthday. Accordingly, we located a nearby C-e-C and spent the last of his day watching his happiness.

We all returned home the next day pleasantly tired from all of the fun, weighted down with Lego, thankful for how lucky we are to have these opportunities and for our CubJ!

Week Ten of Summer Vacation

Well, it is official..... Week ten is only half a week of summer vacation with school retuning on Thursday!

Wow....


The beginning of the week saw us visiting our eye doctor for the all important check up. Interestingly this has led to the most handsome development of the summer! It turns out that CubJ is in need of some glasses for seeing distances. Not at all surprising considering that everyone in my family has some sort of corrective lenses. Also not surprising is that CubJ looks quite nice in glasses (much like his cousins!) and is enjoying how bright/clear the world is looking to him. It is funny how you have no idea how your vision has changed until they show you option 1 & 2, A & B and you realize how much you have been missing. Here is our handsome and much older looking CubJ with his new specks:

The all seeing CubJ

Tuesday saw us enjoying a picnic and park time with one of CubJ’s friends. Conveniently, the boys will be in the same class this year so it was a great way to get them ready for the school year. The weather was outstanding. Sunny, a light breeze and just right hot. All three kids ran, jumped, climbed, swung and walkie-talkied to their hearts content. What a great way to spend a day.

Playing at the park

Wednesday we were doing a bit of last minute running around before school started. The kids got in a little bit of time enjoying the sunshine and +30 weather. While no one enjoyed the prosect of it being the last day of summer vacation or the reality of another school year, the best was made of the day.

It has been an excellent summer. I can not believe how quickly 9 ½ weeks has gone. We have enjoyed so many adventures, such wonderful time with our friends and family and made memories I hope will last a lifetime. We are inspired to keep traveling around North America, enjoying all of the sights and lovely weather we can in our summers. Who knows, maybe this year’s campfire talk will come to fruition just like last years? Thank you SparkJ, CubJ and DaddyJ for all of the fun we have had together. I love you all and look forward to many school year adventures along the path to next summer.
So it begins! May I present to you our First Grader SparkJ and Fourth Grader CubJ. They look forward to a year of learning to read in French and starting Spanish respectively. Here hoping for a wonderful year for both.

Thank you, to all of you who have been keeping up with our summer with these weekly instalments. We hope your summer has/continues to be a wonderful time filled with laughter, adventure and wonderful memories for all of you.

Best Wishes for a fantastic fall,

MommyJ

Week Nine of Summer Vacation

Week Nine of summer vacation was spent with both CubJ and SparkJ in swimming lessons.

CubJ did not initially take to swimming lessons when he was a small boy. He did not enjoy learning to swim. It was incredibly hard for me to relate to his trepidation at being in the water without me. I grew up with a pool in the back yard, doing synchronized swimming and loving my lessons. For me, I could not relate to not loving the water, not wanting to be in it swimming and fooling around. The only time I do not enjoy being in the water is when it is murky, there are leaches or anything creepy like that. Since I feel that swimming is a life skill, we have kept on with the lessons. Each year things have improved, he has learned to enjoy the water, and bit by bit is starting to see the joy in being in the water. Thank goodness! Well, this year, he was a fish! He loved the lessons, can tread water for what seems like hours and enjoys the act of swimming, which made for a very pleasant week for him. His hard work and perseverance was rewarded with his silver "Swim to Survive" pin. Congratulations CubJ!

SparkJ is still working to find her inner swimmer. While she loves being in the ocean, was able to snorkel with us in Cayman, the pool still seems to put her off a bit. In the end, she did well, worked hard and seemed to enjoy her week of lessons. Most surprisingly she was able to overcome he fear and jump into the dive tank! Yeah SparkJ! I now hold out hope that she will learn to love the pool as he big brother has.

Ahh, the cool weather and the smoke!

With some odd weather including cold rain, heavy smoke and then few nice hot days, it was a low key week. We enjoying playing at a two different parks, a trip to Bragg Creek for ice cream and some delightful lunches. It was a nice relaxing way to spend our last full week before summer vacation is over.

Completing the ice cream trinity of Lic's, MacKay's and Bragg Creek!

Finally, a nice HOT day!

As with each week, Saturday morning was spent at Cricket practice. The kids all received their 2010 shirts, my favourite part is the back with all of the action characters. Sadly, there is only one more week of cricket left for the season. It has been a great year where CubJ’s skill has improved greatly, he has enjoyed his time there and will end the season feeling positively about returning next year!

A summer relived through CubJ's T-Shirts

We hope that you to have enjoyed a lovely week and that this post finds you all well. May you enjoy the last of your summer ...

Best Wishes,

MommyJ

Week Eight of Summer Vacation

Well, week Eight’s original plan had included a trip to BC, or so we hoped. However, things happened and the plan changed. Momentarily disappointing, until the other door that always opens did. The exciting news is that through that door was a trip to Jasper.

Sunday we checked out a new park. It was perfectly fine, except for the mosquito infestation. We attribute this to the longer grass on the soccer pitch and water pooling in some tire play equipment. After about half an hour of playing, it was time to throw in the towel and try a different park. All in all a good time was had by all.

It seems that every year I say “We should really go to Jasper” and despite the best of intentions, we never make it. Well, this year no more! With our plans for BC postponed and four days free, what more was I waiting for? Armed with a forecast of intermittent rain and a KOA Kozy Kabin list, our plans were quickly made. I would have liked to have done some actual tenting with the kids this trip, as we have loved tenting in previous summers but rain and tents are not my favourite mix. Especially, when I remembered last year’s rain/thunder/lightening/gusting wind 8 hour storm in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park! Let alone how terrified the kids were in the tent! Then, I am all good with our cushy camping. With that in mind we were off to Jasper and an new KOA (for us) just outside of Hinton, 15 minutes outside of the park gates. Think of it as Canmore is to Banff.

We hit the road late in the morning on Monday and made it all the way to Canmore before I was tag teamed by the backseat occupants begging to stop for lunch at the Grizzly Paw. Who can resist the siblings who work together? So 45 minutes into the trip we made our first stop for a delightful lunch. What a great was to start our trip!

Back on the road we passed Banff, Lake Louise and took the spectacular Ice Fields Parkway. Yet another Alberta World Heritage Site! I find it shocking to see the vastness and sheer number of glaciers that we have here. It amazes me every time to know that the runoff from these glaciers will eventually reach the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans! After all, it is 2000km just to get to the geographic center of the country, Thunder Bay. It was unsettling to see how much the glaciers have shrunk in the 15 years since I was last went that way. It really helps drive home the message that global warming is not just a “theory”, it is happening right in our backyard and we all need to do our part. (We will try to offset all of those Asian, European, and North American flights we have been taking in those 15 years with some serious recycling and water conservation!)

The kids seemed to find seeing all of the glaciers interesting. It was not until we were at Athabasca Falls and they saw the awesome volume of water from one glacier and a map of where all the water goes that it sunk in for them. Despite a light rain, the falls were wonderful. It is so mesmerizing to see the sheer power that water has to shape everything around it, the way it creates the ‘pot holes’, cervices, canyons and white water rapids of these falls. The walkway system surrounding the falls allows you to see them from several different perspectives truly capturing their beauty and power. One can definitely understand why these fall falls have been favourite of travelers since the days of the fur trade.

Athabasca Falls

We enjoyed a brief stop in town for a nice walk around, a quick stop at the candy store and to grab some area information from the park office. After that we were off to our Kozy Kabin for the night. The Jasper/Hinton KOA is located in a flat valley looking out towards the mountains. One can clearly see Roche Miette with its prone profile head like shape from the campground. Luckily for us, from our Kabin we had an uninterrupted view to the mountains.

Roche Miette a stock photo, no I am not that talented!

As our third KOA, we were very happy. The Kabin was as we expected with the added bonus of a small fridge and tiny tv. There is a large cooking shelter complete with stove tops and sinks, and a large fire pit. I have forgotten how strictly fire is controlled in Jasper and the surrounding area. This means that when you are camping you require a fire permit or that there are only communal fire pits. In our case the well sheltered fire pavilion was perfect for enjoying a fire while playing cards, chatting with other people and sipping hot chocolate while it rained in the evenings. Most interestingly, at least 30% of the people in the campground were French speakers. CubJ and SparkJ even had the opportunity to use their French while playing with 3 boys from Quebec!

Jasper/Hinton KOA

Tuesday we were off to Maligne Lake. I was excited to take the kids to see what I feel is one of the most beautiful lakes in Canada. We enjoyed a wonderful boat tour of the lake and Spirit Island. The kids took the opportunity to dip their feet in the glacially cold water while throwing rocks. I had forgotten just how cold this lake is even on a hot summer day!

Maligne Lake Boat Tour

Wednesday, we were off to Pyramid Lake. Again we enjoyed a short walk, throwing rocks and braving the cold water. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours after a quick snack at the Jasper Brewing Company, a kindred spirit to our favourite the Grizzly Paw. Once we had had our fill of the lake we were off the Miette Hot Springs. The park’s road sign for the hot springs makes it look like a large pot of hot water with people in it. We now fondly refer to the springs the “People Stew” spot. The kids loved the hot springs! The two cold pools we an absolute riot of laughter from all three of us as we tried to brave the 17c and 22c temperatures. Who knew that one could so clearly feel the difference of 3c between water, and that 17c in water is darn cold while 17c in the air temperature is quite pleasant!

Pyramid Lake

Jasper Brewing Company, Vanilla Blueberry Ale

Thursday we headed back to home with three stops along the way. Our first stop was for lunch and some treats in Jasper. Secondly, we stopped at the midpoint of the Ice Fields Parkway at the Columbia Ice Fields interpretive centre. (ack, I am old, I stop at interpretive centres to ensure that the kids learn important things! Next I will be stopping that those historic point of interest areas just off the highway! Y I K E S) We all enjoyed the models of the glaciers they have on display, we read a few things and generally enjoyed the pit stop. Our final stop on the way home was at Laggan’s Bakery in Lake Louise for an amazing snack of sausage rolls, beef patties, cookies and heavenly macaroons. We highly recommend a pit stop at this bakery.

Our trip to Jasper was fantastic, relaxing and scenic . DaddyJ reports glowing reviews of our time, the kids look forward to taking him with us next time and there are already request for a return to Jasper soon. It is such a different experience from going to Banff; the mountains are more rugged, the town site less commercial, and the atmosphere so laid back. I have no idea why we do not get here more regularly.

The week finished off with another very pleasant cricket practice for CubJ while I got in some extra snuggles from SparkJ. While summer vacation will be over far too soon, we have certainly enjoyed so many great experiences summer. It amazes me how many wonderful things there are to see and do in our own backyard!

We hope that you have had a wonderful week and are enjoying your summer!

Best Wishes Always,

MommyJ

Week Seven of Summer Vaction ~ Yellowstone, Glacier & Waterton National Parks

Week Seven began with a yummy breakfast at a little cafe in town. After that we were off to the pool at the KOA. An hour of swimming, dunking, and some nice hot showers had us all ready to tackle the Upper Loop of Yellowstone National Park.

The Upper Loop has as equally spectacular sites to be seen. We began the loop by starting at the Canyon. They refer to it at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and let us tell you it was GRAND. The pictures taken and created of this canyon are a large part of what led to the creation of the first national park in the USA. We walked the ½ mile down to the look out point at the top of the lower falls which was well worth regaining the 600ft of elevation on way back up. SparkJ led the charge up the hill at a very brisk pace. DaddyJ and I had to work hard to keep up with our little power house. It is amazing what the known reward of ice cream can do for generating good will, a lack of whining and a brisk pace for a 5 year old!

Checking out the interpretive centre

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

After the canyon, we were off to Mammoth Hot Springs. This is a lovely stop on the loop as there is a mini-town. We enjoyed watching people get far too close to some young elk while we enjoyed the promised ice cream. The hot springs at this section of the park are quite large and different from the pools we saw in the lower loop as they are terraced. These are larger hot springs which bubble to the surface creating fantastical shapes with the elements they bring to the surface. One of the neatest is a large extinct formation called the Liberty Cap which is strangely reminiscent of an Easter Island statue, or a rock from Stonehenge. The colours and textures of the terraces are vivid.

Yes Mom, we did stop to see the Petrified Tree!

Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace

We finished the day touring the rest of the loop, enjoying the Obsidian Cliffs, varied scenery and magnificence of the park. When we asked the kids if the long drive was worth it, they both responded quickly ans resoundingly with a yes. Pleasantly, they even said that they would like to come back next year. In the end, all 4J’s say that if you have the chance, take in Yellowstone National Park, it is the definition of natures’ awesomeness.

On Monday afternoon, we hit the road for Glacier Nation Park. It is approximately 600km between the parks. Again the scenery was lovely, the roads in good condition for driving 75mph, except in a few construction zones where people we actually working and the drive uneventful. We did make a quick stop at Target in Missoula for some treats for the kids and snack. Everyone enjoyed the chance to peruse one of our favourite fun and functional stores. CubJ picked up a learn to play the harmonica kit with the money he had earned for the trip. It turns out that those music lessons at school really have sunk in, he was able to read the music and kept us entertained for the rest of the drive.

Just prior to arriving in West Glacier, we all enjoyed driving around Flathead Lake. DaddyJ, the lake lover, was particularly happy to watch the water and road while I enjoyed all of the cherry orchards. In the background, SparkJ was happily playing with her newest Littlest Pet Shop addition to the rather pleasant harmonica music. Hard to beat that for a happy drive

It was wonderful to return to the same campground as last year and to have the same cabin. The kids were quickly off to the park for some playing while we got organised for dinner and a fire. Tuesday morning, we were in to Hungry Horse, for some delicious huckleberry pancakes at the Huckleberry Patch. It is always to satisfying to eat simple food, prepared with love and quality ingredients. All four of us left with full bellies and happy hearts. (Despite some time spent looking for a red tiddlywink on a reddish brown floor, LOL)

We made our way into the park and went directly to Lake MacDonald to skip some stones. While skipping, I happened to mention to DaddyJ that I thought CubJ might enjoy going out in boat with him after his big canoe adventure at camp. Well, that led to discussing the powered boats, 9.9hp metal boats for rent. For those of you who know DaddyJ, you know that he is not a man prone to giddiness, well he was full scale GIDDY this day! Watching his joy at being out on the water was infectious. He taught CubJ how to steer the boat, the dangers of swamping it, and how to navigate to your destination. You can really tell that his whole life before coming out west was spent on the water, enjoying the water, thinking about the lakes etc. I think it could be one of the happiest times on the whole trip! Our great adventure on the water led to lunch and a visit to cool gift shop with the trees growing through it. It was a lovely visit to Apgar, the memories of the day will live with me forever.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the campground pool, playground and ice cream parlor. Our time in Glacier was so relaxing. The most difficult thing we attempted was to play go fish in the wind while our camp fire kept us toasty. It was the ideal way to unwind before our vacation came to an end.

On our way home we went through Waterton National Park as we traveled up the Cowboy Trail home. It was nice to be back home and look at all of our pictures from the trip. Everyone enjoyed the trip but each have different favourite parts. For SparkJ, it was the paint pots, for CubJ Old Faithful, for DaddyJ, the boat ride and for me, having seen our plan from last years camp fire chat come to fruition! Thanks for a great trip family and here’s looking forward to many more

The trip on the Going to the Sun Road and St Mary's Lake

The last days of the week were spent with DaddyJ and I busy with our chores as the kids enjoyed the comforts of home. We managed to play at the playground, enjoy cricket practice and enjoy being together.

We hope that this post finds you all well and enjoying your own summer!

Best Wishes Always,

MommyJ