Canada Part 3

Our 5th day of the trip was a big day for the buggies! We woke up at 6:30, got all geared up and headed to the mountain so the kids could get to their Tiny Tigers ski and play day. I was a bit anxious and experiencing some hesitation about leaving them. It just felt weird to leave them with strangers while on vacation. But once we got inside and saw just how awesome it was and how incredibly sweet the girls that work there are, I felt super excited for the kids. Their day consisted of playing with lots of fun toys, coloring, an hour ski lesson in the morning and another in the afternoon, as well as a nutritious lunch. Of course I did have to pick them up a couple hours early because I was missing them. But they had a wonderful day!

The ski pics are from inside the lodge upstairs so they are not the best. Wouldn't you know Mason, with his insanely good vision and attention to detail, spotted Dusty out on the deck first thing at his morning lesson. He was down there screaming Daddy and I walked up and said "Dusty, he sees you! We have to go inside!" Haha. We snuck in and once he couldn't find us he went on about his business! Crazy boy!

Mallory skiing with the penguin and instructor!

And Maser skiing away!

Their little cubbies

Enjoying a snack on the gondola after a long day on the mountain!

He said "I have fun skiing Daddy!"

And yes, that's me skiing on the practice run. I enjoyed that! I also did two green runs where I fell, a lot. Still not much of a fan of skiing but it was still a fun day!

Day 6 was a relaxing day! We went to the Banff Upper Hot Springs, ate lunch in Banff and I got to do a little shopping in Canmore. That evening I packed up while the kids played.

Our final day we had to head back into Calgary to stay at the airport hotel for the night since our flight was so early on Saturday. So we spent that Friday in Calgary at the zoo! It was so neat. We saw penguins, mule deer, buffalo, caribou, elk, and many other regional animals.

That evening we met up with some friends that live in Calgary and they treated our family to dinner. It was great talking with native Canadians about the cultural differences. Here are some fun things we observed while in Canada...

1. They call silverware cutlery. So when needing another set of utensils at a restaurant they say "can we get another set of cutlery?"

2. Their ketchup is unusually sweet.

3. They don't serve Dr. Pepper but you can buy it at the store.

4. Everyone is very very friendly, helpful, and accommodating.

5. They don't say y'all. That was pointed out to me almost every time I said it, ha

6. They do say "eh". "So you enjoyed your visit here, eh?"

Our trip home started with arriving at the airport at 4:15 that morning. You actually clear US customs in Calagary, a little different from our other international trips. So getting our bags checked and through customs and security made us feel like we had been up 6 hours already! But the trip home was actually quick and we made it home just in time for a good afternoon nap!

It was a fun, successful, adventerous vacation wth my family and I love the memories we made together! Looking forward to another one! But maybe in warmer climates next round! 

Canada Part 2

So day 3 we had planned a dog sledding adventure, but the snow storm that came just before our arrival closed the road leading to the sled trail. We were super bummed about that but made the best of it. We decided to go up to the ski mountain and ride the gondola, as well as register the kids for their ski school later in the week. The mountain was beautiful but again, temps were still quite frigid!

The kids enjoyed naming all the colors of the other gondola cars we were passing. Of course we rode purple for sister (they didn't have pink) and blue back down for bubba! Ha.

After we left the mountain, we headed back to Canmore for our helicopter tour. Yep, D insisted on it and I was scared out of my mind. Turns out my fears were real and I had a slight panic attack crying midway through the short 30 minute ride. But, I can say now that it's over, I am glad I did it. I just won't ever get on one again! The kids did good and Gamaw loved it. Dusty wasn't as much of a fan as he thought he would be. I think he was just worried about me! Great views of the mountains and frozen lakes though!

 

Before the serious fear set in!

And of course this happened the last few minutes of the trip...

 

Crashed out sitting up!

 

Back on the ground!

That evening we did some shopping in Banff and enjoyed a lovely steak dinner!

Day 4 Gamaw had to fly back home to get back to work. After we got her to her shuttle we rented sleds to take to the park but we got there and it was much too windy and way too much soft snow to enjoy it! Then we tried to make our way to the hot springs and they had closed the park because their was a vehicle on fire in the parking lot! We chalked that up as a sign to go back to the resort and swim and hang out!

Next up, our last three days!

Canada 2014

Back in February D decided he wanted to plan a big winter trip to visit Calgary and Banff National Park. He had met some people from there and it just sounded awesome. At the time I just could not imagine traveling with our two littles. They couldn't even keep from running off in public. But I hesitantly agreed, hoping that by December and 3 years old they would be good travelers. Boy am I so glad we pressed on with those plans!

First, Canada is beautiful. Canada is REALLY REALLY cold, but beautiful! Second, our kids are seriously troopers! They were very go with the flow and able to adjust to everything very easily. They amazed me, really! This trip was their first airplane ride. They did great even without naps and an unplanned refuel stop that put us into Calgary at almost midnight! Of course Mallory fell asleep literally 5 minutes before we landed!

At our airport ready for the big flight!

Checking out our plane!

Here we go!

Thanks Aunt Mami for our headphones! They were perfect for our trip!

Bubba checking it all out!

Me and sis being silly!

She just couldn't hang on any longer, bless her!

This kid was SUCH a trooper on the plane!

What we landed to in Calgary! And -18 degree temps! We couldn't get to our resort about an hour from the airport due to white-out conditions, so we found a hotel a few minutes away for the first night. And our view waking up the next morning... a magical winter wonderland!

We made our drive to Canmore and this was our beautiful lodge resort! Dusty's Dad offered a few months ago to send Gamaw with us for a few days to help with the kids so we could do some stuff without them. So we reserved a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite with a living room and full kitchen. There were electric fireplaces in all the rooms and it was just so cozy, but spacious and great for all of us! The kids both slept with Gamaw every night she was there so we got some great sleep those nights! Ha!

We spent the afternoon settling in our lodge, exploring the resort, and resting a bit. That evening we went to town centre for dinner and a quick grocery run. All with this going on outside...

 

Yes, feels like -30. I can't even explain what that level of cold feels like. It kinda hurts honestly!

Day 2 was our first big outdoor winter activity: snowmobiling! We found a place that would let the kids ride, most start at 4 or 5 years old. It was my favorite thing we did and the kids loved it too! The last trail we were on the kids got sleepy and a little cold so we quickly headed back in and got warmed up. Then they couldn't stop talking about how fun snowmobiling was!

Of course a trip with 3 year olds came with its fair share of hiccups. When we got back to the little office to warm up Mallory tripped walking and went to pull herself up and put her hand right on the glass of the wood stove before D or I could get to her. She burnt the crap out of three of her fingers. Broke my heart. So we spent an hour looking for burn cream and band aids in that tiny town. Gamaw got her comfortable with a plastic bag of snow. We grabbed a snack, made the drive back to what the kids called our "new home", and ordered some delicious pizza and watched Christmas movies until we all crashed!

Two full days down, lots of fun memories, and we were already exhausted! More to come!