summer lovin'

Yes!! A great summer day! Hot weather, swimming, and popsicles!

We had a great start to today....finally took Dakota (who is doing much better) on a walk, and it just so happened to be "The Parade of Garage Sales" today for our neighborhood. How convenient! The kids scored huge as Aidan tracked down a large Tonka dump truck, and decided that Maelle should have it because she didn't have one of her very own. How sweet! Well...with the dump truck, he also found a bulldozer and a digger that couldn't be left behind. So as Aidan filled the stroller with his findings and a few others that the nice lady who was having the sale happened to "throw in" for nothing, I managed to hunt down a bunch of great art supplies and drawing books that will make their way into the trailer art box that will hopefully provide hours of enjoyment on our upcoming trips. I can't wait to play with these supplies let alone enjoy them with the kids! I think Aidan has found a liking for this garage sale thing as he had everyone in stitches as he searched through everything on this family's front lawn!

The afternoon was spent lounging by the kiddie pool, relaxing in the hammock, and enjoying some yummy frozen treats! Here are a few pics of the summertime activities!

Oh...and because I forgot to post this the other day, here is a shot of the sun catcher that Aidan made for the backyard that now hangs proudly in the tree above the sandbox.

Phew...what a day! I love a good summer day that we can just spend hanging out. The kids were so tired, and went to bed a little earlier tonight as a result of so much fresh air. Looks like it's going to be another hot one tomorrow, so hopefully we'll have another day of the same!

Inmates

The "Warden"....that's the name I go by these last few days. Why? Because I have two kids that have been house bound for the past two days (getting into all sorts of trouble) who are so wanting a road trip, but can't understand that Dakota cannot be left by herself, let alone be taken on a walk. "We have nothing to do" This is what I have been hearing these last few days. What? Nothing to do? A house full of fun stuff, art supplies, and a backyard with so many exciting things to discover and explore and play....and you have nothing??
Well....I have a solution for that!






These two little inmates have been caught and sent to their respective prison's to spend their time. Maybe...just maybe...paroll will be granted this afternoon and they can roam the prison yard after quiet time.


The solution for the "warden":


A yummy iced vanilla latte, and chocolates from my good friend (ok...I really don't know him personally...but wish I did!) Bernard Callebaut. I have a system....I make the hot vanilla latte in the morning, and then by the time mid-afternoon rolls around I am ready for the iced version! A little too much caffeine you ask? Well...yes. Nothing like a little caffeine induced creativity right? Just wait...maybe tomorrow I will unleash this caffeine haze on my sewing machine and see what I can come up with!!

summer fun

Ahhhhh.....summer is upon us. We have been enjoying some lovely days out west and it looks like things are going to heat up even more by the weekend. Looks like we will have the kidlets running through the sprinkler or maybe even swimming in the kiddie pool! We have been spending most of the days outside....puttering in our ever expanding garden, digging in the sandbox, or (as in the pics below) trying out a little "hula-hoopin"!

Well...the hula hoopin actually turned into a game of "shark in the water", and if you're wondering why my hoops aren't exactly round.....last year Dakota decided that the hoops would make a great backyard toy to run around with. What a sight that was! Speaking of Dakota...her surgery yesterday went well and she is resting comfortably in her big comfy chair. She'll have the lovely bandages on for at least a few more days but she is much calmer this time around than a year and a half ago! The kids are looking after her by giving her lots of hugs and the occaisional treat. She'll no doubt be back to herself in a few days. Thanks for all the "get wells" that have been arriving in my inbox! It's nice to know that Dakota is so loved!!

oh what a weekend of fun!

Fabulous! That is one of the many words I could use to describe the fun that was had this weekend in Banff. We camped at Two Jack Lakeside just outside of Banff and had an awesome campsite! The kids had a blast discovering all that this campground had to offer, which included many hikes, lots of rock throwing, and digging, digging and more digging in the dirt.

What all did we do?

Well....here are a few pictures of just a few of the weekend highlights:

I learned that Aidan and Maelle are quite the little explorers...

...and it can be quite difficult at times to keep them on the trail let alone to try and take a picture of the two of them!

We spent a morning wandering around Banff, we did as much hiking as time would allow, we paid a visit to Cascade Ponds where Maelle was quite taken by all of the wildflowers just starting to bloom...

...I had a chance to experiment a bit more with my camera, this was a shot that was taken at dusk of a view that we got to see every day just down the trail from our campsite.

...we had a nice hike at Johnson Lake where at the end discovered a little beach that the kids could cool off and play in the sand. Just after I took this shot Maelle sat down in the lake....no, she did not have her swimming attire on!

But best of all...we got to share this fabulous weekend with friends!

There is no better way to spend an evening than having an ice cream cone (thanks Casey!) followed by what these kidlets love best....a large lake (in this case Lake Minnewanka) and rocks!

We returned home on Sunday, and after dropping off the trailer (oh...I finally got to try my hand at towing the trailer and drove it on the back roads to where our storage site is...good fun!), we decided to make a quick visit to the Saskatoon Farm. What a fun place! It's like an old Western town, with a great cafe, a cute shop selling all sorts of garden items and antiques, a greenhouse (beautiful!) and it even had a few resident pets!

Here's a shot of Daisy...

and the "Mother Hen"

...and the kids trying to get a closer look at the fun visitor.

So....after a slice of Saskatoon Berry Pie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, it was time to call it a day and head home. We had a very busy but totally fun weekend, and we are looking forward to some down time at home this week. Well....down time that includes loads upon loads of laundry, groceries, cleaning, and Dakota's ear surgery on Tuesday. It will be a week spent around the house for sure.

Have a good one!

We are off!
We are heading into Banff for a weekend of camping with friends! No doubt I will have a few fun pics to post when we return, and probably some good stories too! Now....Dakota is having a bit of a problem with her ear (will likely need surgery.....again) so as long as she is ok throughout the weekend we should be back on Sunday. Fingers crossed. Poor Dakota....she had the other ear operated on about a year and a half ago, and this time she has done the same thing (popped a blood vessel....gross) in the other ear. She seems ok thus far, so let's hope the weekend is ok.
Cheers!

all my "green thumbs"

We have all been busy little bee's in the yard and the garden over these past few days. Finally the weather has been beautiful and we can spend the entire day outside. It is so awesome when you can eat all your meals outside, play outside, putter in the garden....and believe me we have done a lot of this lately. I think I am really getting into this gardening thing! I even have a composter which has turned into quite the science project for little Aidan. He has completely taken charge of emptying our daily "scraps" and helping mix up the waste. He loves a job!

Here are a few pics of what we have been up to:

Gotta be just like dad...

Giving those veggies a good drink.

Maelle always trying to do her part and help out...

Ok....maybe just a little too much!

growing up...and boys will be boys

The first part of this post (growing up) was a moment we had this afternoon with Maelle. I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and picked up a small package of those colourful plastic hair barrettes. Maelle's hair is getting quite long so I thought maybe I would try and see if she would like me to pull it back for her. Oh my goodness.....did she ever look cute!

She was quite enthralled with these little pieces of plastic, and she actually kept them in for a good while! Why does she have to grow up so fast?

The second part of this post (boys will be boys) involves Brent actually...not Aidan. Brent decided to finally level out our backyard (for those of you who have played a game of bocce ball in our yard, you will remember the infamous gully in the centre) and rented a roto-tiller to dig it up. Well....our yard isn't really that big, but I think Brent had a wee bit too much fun seeing what this machine could do.

I think we may need to buy a farm now that Brent has a new love of roto-tillers. I could see him tending to the fields couldn't you?

When the yard is done (hopefully by the end of the weekend...fingers crossed) we will finally have a nice flat yard, a good bocce ball court, and in the winter...a skating rink for the kids! How much fun is that?

a bit of work....but a great idea!

I came across this awesome idea a few weeks back....I wish I could take credit for it but I found it on the blog of Ali Edwards (a scrapbooker / graphic designer) whose ideas I love.

Check this out...

It's a type case or printer drawer that has each block used as it's own mini frame. How cool is that? I found my printer drawer at an antique store and got a great deal on it. You should be able to get them for $30-$70 depending on the quality. I lucked out with this one as all of my squares are the same size (2") but I have seen them where the drawer is made up of both squares and rectangles. That would be fun to work with too! It's a bit of work, but totally worth it in the end. I am actually thinking about doing another one! Back to the antique store for me!

Hey....if anyone does decide to make one of these please send me the pics as I would love to see what you come up with!

Welcome Home Papa!

Hi Papa!
We are passing along our best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Here are a bunch of "hugs and kisses-xoxoxoxxoxoxoxox" from our little clan out west. We hope that you are feeling much better and here are a few flowers to brighten your day!



If only you could smell these...they smell amazing!!
Get well soon!!!
We love you!
Shari, Brent, Aidan, Maelle & Dakota

a monster bash

Well...after too many mugs (not cups...mugs) of hot chocolate, and too many straight days of rain causing my little brain to go into overdrive with indoor activities...these little creatures were created!



See what too much chocolate does! I come up with the strangest ideas! I think I came up with this one in the middle of the night!
So, after raiding my fabric bins, a couple of purchased IKEA towels, and some fun digging around in my button collection, the kids each drew their own shapes and we created monsters! A great indoor craft for the rain that has been bombarding us lately. The kids love these new little additions to our clan, and I think with a few more prototypes and more testing of different fabrics, I may have a little business venture in the works.
Oh...their names you ask....Max (the blue one) and Rita (the orange one). So silly.

Spruce Meadows

After a busy morning of errands and running around, we made our way over to the "Nationals" at Spruce Meadows for a picnic lunch and to watch some of the tournament. I absolutely love this place, and we always seem to find out more about it every time we go. We had a nice lunch watching one of the competitions....

and then...if you notice in the picture below that really large, dark, ominous cloud above,

....we had to take cover in the Equiplex to escape the storm that battered the grounds for about a half hour.

But...we lucked out during this brief storm. We were able to wander through the stables where all of the visiting horses were boarded and got to chat with a few of the trainers and get up close and personal with some of the horses.

Aidan was a bit nervous being so close to the horse...but Maelle just walked right up to him, held out her hand, and rubbed his nose. No fear...once again! The horse (I cannot remember what his name was) was so friendly and seemed to really like Maelle. I think we both got our first "horse nuzzle" on each of our cheeks! This horse was so beautiful, and it gave me even more of an appreciation for these animals. What a great experience! We can't wait for the next tournament!

kids & trains

What do you get when you combine a train store, train museum and 2 kids who love trains? A very fun afternoon, missed naps, and 2 very happy (and tired) kids!

Because we were back from camping a day early, we took advantage of this "free day" and made the trip out to Nanton (about 45 minutes south from us) and paid a visit to the "Big Sky Garden Railway". What a place! They have a huge outdoor model train exhibit, that is worth over $500,000 complete with a real waterfall, numerous tunnels, lots of very detailed buildings and lots of working trains that meander through the whole setting. Aidan and Maelle were fascinated by the trains moving on the tracks, and not to mention the 2 huge Thomas play areas!

The pictures say it all!

Aidan trying to take it all in.

In awe!

Need I say more?

Oh...I should also mention that this place has a huge store full of top of the line model railway stuff, as well as the largest selection of Thomas the Train merchandise that I have ever seen. Because the kids were so tired we managed to escape the store with a full wallet! Next time however, I am not sure we'll be so lucky!

oh what fun!

Success!! Our first weekend camping was a great success...except for the fact that we had to return a day early because they were paving our campsite...but hey, 2 days in the beautiful mountains is better than nothing!
We actually ended up at Interlakes Campground (Kananaskis) and it was BEAUTIFUL!! The campground sits right on a peninsula between the Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes. We had a lake front campsite and this is a shot of what we got to look at right outside our door!


Talk about stunning! I still get speechless at the beauty of these mountains.
Here are a few more pictures from our trip...

Aidan was a huge help as usual...he worked so hard to get that water out.


The days were spent exploring the shoreline of the lake...(can you believe that the lake actually rises by another 40 feet by July and will be right up to the treeline?) We found this out from the campground host, and she also informed us that a few weekends ago their was a grizzly bear and her cubs digging on the lake bed just off our site! Exciting!


Our evenings consisted of watching the sunset change the colours of the surrounding
mountains...


Aidan summited his first mountain on the appropriately named "Canadian Mount Everest Expedition Trail" that led to this breathtaking viewpoint of Upper Kananaskis Lake. I guess it was Maelle's first too, but she was in her backpack carrier so technically she didn't walk it herself.


Mesmerized by the view and the majestic mountains.


As you can see....everyone loved this place immensely. The park itself was as basic as it gets...pit toilets, water pumps, and no playground...but do you really need a playground when you have so much accessible nature outside your door? No.

I did learn a few things on this trip, so here are my top 5:
1. Maelle has "no fear"-she spent a lot of her time at the bottom of shallow ditches covered in dirt as a result of not comprehending the steepness of a slope while running at full speed.
2. I am amazed as to how much fun a hand water pump can be.
3. Maelle loves to collect "things"....next time bring more pails.
4. Pine cones are truly fascinating at the young age of 18 months.
5. The only way to get the kids to sit still for any length of time....the lake and a huge pile of rocks for throwing.

This campground has made it on our favourite list for sure, and we will be heading back to this place likely in the fall. There is so much to do in the area as far as biking and hiking trails that you could very easily spend a number of days here. We actually attempted a bike ride, but Brent's chain snapped and we had to go back. Thankfully we weren't far onto the trail and it was a short walk back for Brent, and mostly downhill! Made towing the kidlets an easy task for me! Anyways, despite having to return a day early, this camping trip was truly a great experience. Upon our return, I had 2 very tired and very dirty kids,1 filthy dog, and a hubby who couldn't stop talking about the park, so I don't need any more evidence than that to let me know that good fun was had by all!

Oh...before I forget, here's a video that Brent shot of "the summit" for Aidan. Enjoy!

hello sunshine!

Good-bye rain....and hello sunshine and sweet smelling spring blossoms!

Yes....it has finally stopped raining and we are finally getting that glorius sunshine that we've been waiting for. We are heading out this weekend for our very first camping trip of the year and the weather is supposed to be great. I am sure I will have lots of pics and stories to post once we return on Sunday. Until then...have a great weekend!

rain, rain, go away....

Will it ever stop? It has been raining, no lies, since we have been back from our holiday. We got back on Tuesday. It has rained every day, and every night since then. Oh....wait....I think we may have had about 2 hours of kinda sunny weather on Friday. Just enough for a quick walk and just enough time for Aidan and Maelle to get covered in mud in the short time we were outside. I think I can actually see my grass growing right before my eyes.

Poor Dakota....you'd think that because she is a Lab, that she would enjoy this wet weather. Not! For some unknown reason she will not go outside when it's raining, and she can usually out wait minor showers. But when it rains for 4 days straight, she really has no choice!

Don't worry Dakota....I am sure that the sun will shine soon!

our adventure & home sweet home

Here we are...home from our amazing adventure over the pond. What a great time we had! Many thanks to Kylie and Lindsay for all of their hospitality during our stay, and special thanks once again to Grandma and Grandpa Werkman for looking after the homestead while we were away. Aidan and Maelle had so much fun I don't even think they knew we were gone! However...that being said, Brent and I were greeted at the airport (after a very long day of travel) with Aidan in a full on smiling run, tulips in hand for mom, and the biggest hugs ever. He was quite excited to see us, and couldn't stop talking about what he and Maelle did while we were gone. Oh....and he also asked us what surprises we had for him in our bags!
Anyways....Brent and I had so much fun on our travels. The first half of the trip was spent in and around London seeing the sights and a theatre show (we saw "Wicked"....amazing!), and the second half was spent in Tallin with a day in Helsinki. The old town of Tallin was definitely a favourite and I took well over 150 pictures to prove it! It was the kind of place where you could just wander aimlessly and enjoy what this small town had to offer. And the best part...every morning we could open our apartment windows and hear the church bells ringing out over the town! So amazing!
Here are just a few pictures to highlight our time in Tallin and our short visit to Helsinki.


A typical cobble stone street, lined with artisan shops and cafe's.


Here we are in the "Raekoja Plats" (market square).


Enjoying the warm sun at one of the many cafe's in the old town. This place made the best and the strongest mochachino's I have ever had.


Tourists in Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki was only a 1 hour and 30 minute ferry ride from Tallin.


Our last night's dinner at "Olde Hansa" an amazing and authentic Medieval restaurant. Kylie and I enjoyed a cinnamon beer! They also sold amazing pottery at their shop...and yes, in keeping with my responsibility to always buy pottery wherever I travel too, I did make a few purchases! Ok....I went back numerous times to this store and each time came away with something. Sheesh. How could I say "no"?


A Medieval cart full of spices and candied almonds, just outside of Olde Hansa. The smell from these warm almonds was incredible! The almonds were mixed with a combination of 10 different spices in a cast iron pot over hot coals.



Down a little side alley off one of the main streets we found more art studios tucked away behind little wooden doors. Such a fun surprise and worth exploring every nook and cranny!

So, as you can see, we thoroughly enjoyed Tallin and I wish I could post every picture that I took. Everything about this place was magical, and I hope that it stays off the tourist map for a while so it can maintain it's delightful charm.
Even though Brent and I had a wonderful time away, it was nice to return home and see Aidan and Maelle and of course Dakota, and to get back into our normal day to day routine. Now, I just need to figure out what pictures to print and get enlarged....how can you pick just a few from the hundred or so pictures that I took? And that's just of Tallin.....what about the hundred pictures from London?
I might need a bigger house!