Just good clean fun!!

We went on our first trip to the "HONEY STORE". The kids LOVED it. They got to see a working hive through a plexiglass window, and try on some bee keeper gear.

Above Alex... Below Liza...
Grandma spoiled them and bought them each their own bottle of honey. Liza has taken quite the liking to Dandelion Honey, and has gobbled it up and since asked Grandma to send more. I always find it fascinating how different the honey's can taste.
The Man at the Honey store gave us a mini tour and a little lesson on how honey is harvested and spun and what makes creamed honey and what kinds of honey different plants yield. It was VERY interesting. For some reason, I really enjoy these little pieces of information.

One day, while at Grandma's house the kids got into the recycling and the gave Grandma the gears about her addiction to Diet Pepsi. See their tower of bottles, and their faces of pure disgust. LOL Too funny.

A Lego store was recently opened in the mall and Katie had to have a picture by the giant lego woody. I took pictures of these Lego versions of the Stampede parade because I thought they were so clever!..

One of our favorite things to do while visiting Calgary is to visit with the Lee's Family. When I was about 13 I started to babysit for the Lees. At first it was just my little sweet baby Victoria. She was just a few months old and so beautiful!! She was just my little sunshine. I canceled plans to babysit for them..... I would come and take Tori (who we now call "big tori", because of my "little Tori") to the Zoo with me when I got my drivers license. She was my side kick. I even bought her matching red boots. We were pals. Marybeth and Lawrence were almost like another set of parents for me, but they were like friends and parents. They knew my boyfriends, they knew what was going on with me, and they were people I could confide in. Eventually they had another baby... Timmy. I went to collage soon after he was born. I was sad to leave... I cried when I left their house. I think I've done that a few times actually. I truly love this family. They are like my own family. They are precious to me. Marybeth and Lawrence now treat my children like their own grand babies (even tho they are far to young to have grand babies), and it is so fun to visit! This visit Marybeth decided it would be fun to go and float boats in the babbling brook, of Babbling Brook Park. (I put this name in there because I will never forget talking to little Tori on the phone after they had moved to Babbling Brook park, and her telling me the name of this place in her little voice.... she was so articulate)
This visit Marybeth decided it would be fun to go and float boats in the babbling brook, of Babbling Brook Park. (I put this name in there because I will never forget talking to little Tori on the phone after they had moved to Babbling Brook park, and her telling me the name of this place in her little voice.... she was so articulate) So here is Tori following her boat down the brook.

And Katie, if you look closely there are two boats there. The kids decided that their boats needed drivers, and so.... being like a Grandma, Marybeth searched the house and came up with some little guys to tape to the tops of the boats. It was great fun.

Liza Posing in a tree.
Tori soaking her feet in the cool water.

This is my baby Tori, and her boyfriend Connor and little Timmy. Oh how my little ones are WAY too big! I had to have a picture... and I had to post both of these pictures, cuz in the one above, I cracked a funny, and I just love the laugh that I got out of them. :-) I Love that I made them laugh like that.. it makes me happy.

There, now... all posing.... with their sweet smiles. UH, just doing this blog makes me miss them a million times over.
Lawrence makes "WILD WHOOPIN' MIX" with the kids. It is tradition... much like the firehouse burgers for dinner, which Lawrence makes awesome, every time!! I never want anything but Lawrences burgers... they are SOOOO yummmm. So above is "little Tori" enjoying her wild whoopin' mix after mixing it and saying "whoop whoop whoop" while she mixed.

Here is the founder of the Wild whoopin' Mix, trying to coax Katie into her first sample. YUMM

A Mass silly String fight broke out... which was quite well documented, but I'll spare the blog readers the multitude of pictures, and just say a good time was had by all. :0)

The rest of the evening was filled with one on one time of the kids with Marybeth and Lawrence. Coloring, and playing and singing.

Here Katie is performing for the whole group, her made up songs. And you know... They sat on the couch and listened to it FOR EVER!! Now that's love. :-)

AND HERE THEY ARE: Marybeth and Lawrence
This picture makes me smile. They mean a whole lot to me. I love them both very much, and i am so grateful for the role that they played, and do play in my life.
Alex got his first real "GO" on a pool table and hasn't stopped talking about it yet!! He wants one now. It's funny how he gets these things in his head and he just has to have it!! He really wants to get good at playing pool.
"Little" Tori took quite a shine to "big" Tori's boyfriend Conner. She thought he was really something. And the fact that my children loved him, just confirms to me that he is a good guy, and I therefore approve and much to her parents dismay encourage nuptials. :-)
Kate even drummed and sang at the same time... It was quite a show!

We had a wonderful evening. We left feeling so happy and full of love. WE KNOW that the Lees love us, when our kids are good and when they are stinkers... when we're happy, when we're sad. They've been there for me through a lot of stuff... I love them.

Part Deux

On day two, we got up nice and early (4am) and began our drive. I'm telling you... that 4 am start is the bomb!! My kids always go back to sleep for at least 3 hours, and we get that first leg under our belts before they even wake up. AND it's an opportunity to watch the sunrise over Utah with my honey.. which was LOVELY!! :-)

Our early start landed us in Great Falls right at lunch time. Because of Facebook, we are in contact with some friends from Medical School who are currently living in Montana. We called them up, upon our approach and met them at Mickey D's for lunch.

Though it was a brief encounter.. it was so nice to see them again, and get reconnected really quick. It was fun to hear stories of Geoffs job and the growing wee ones. And to meet their youngest boy Grayson for the first time. The kids clicked just great and enjoyed one and others company.
We arrived in Calgary that night. Some asked us.. why the rush??? why do you need to be in Calgary by July 9th. Well, we had to be there for the Calgary Stampede Parade!! I just LOVE the parade, it just feels to me like it tells the story of Calgary and the "world" I was raised in. Showing the diversity in the people and the cultures. I took a ton of photos... but let's face it parade photos are boring. :-)
So here is Katie... well, the back of Katie, as she waves to paraders.
I LOVE pipe bands!!! I have very fond memories of bag pipes. When I was a little girl, we used to camp in British Columbia in the summertime, we had a group of people who would go together every year. There was a gentle man who used to go up on the hill every night and practice his bagpipes. I LOVED IT! To this day, the sound of a bagpipe is so calming and wonderful. I can feel those wonderful Peach Orchard nights. This also tells of the strong English/ Scottish heritage in Calgary.
Some Mounted Police Officers (AKA MOUNTIES) Are there really police men on horses? YES! There are. Do we have policemen in cars.. of course, but from time to time, you do see a mounted police officer. In fact, I have a 2nd Cousin who is a Mountie. For some reason when I see Mounties, my heart fills with pride for my country.

The Calgary Flames USUALLY make a showing. For some reason this year... only two flames player showed face. VERY disappointed in my team. They better kick some serious rear this season to make up for it. Seeing the Flames in the parade makes me proud of my city.
Curtis Glencross... He is now a STUD! :-) Who cares how well he plays hockey... cuz, he can ride a horse in a parade too! :-) I shall cheer for Glencross, just cuz he showed up.
There are a LOT of Indians in Alberta. And YES! I called them Indians, because they LIKE to be called Indians... or Natives. To my knowledge they are proud of this fact. They dress up in full head dresses for the parade, they wear their "nation" name on their wagons and they even host an "indian village" on the fair grounds, where they dance and give Tee Pee tours. Always very cool.

Here is the whole gang of kids Tori, Katie, Liza then Alex. Behind in the brown cowboy hat is Grandpa, and red hat is Brent.

It was great fun to see the little horses, and the Stampede Royalty. The Chinese Dragon Dancers, and the "Shriners" in their little cars. The floats that I look forward to are mostly the local ones and the one from Penticton BC. The mini chuckwagons to get us all excited for the races....and don't forget the street cleaners that are dressed up like bulls and horses.

STAMPEDE BREAKFAST

What on earth is that? you may ask. Well... In this wonderful city from whence I hale when the town turns totally country for 10 days out of the year, various establishments through out the city host massive pancake breakfasts. They are FREE!!! And usually open to anyone who chooses to attend. The Mall's each take a turn hosting, the YMCA, various Banks and grocers. It's an incredible thing to watch too. Now how on earth do you suppose that they plan for and feed people when they have no invitations, and no idea how many people will show up? I took pictures this year.... for blogging purposes, so that you could see, just how it's done. There is a published city wide list of where public pancake breakfasts are to be held. Multiple ones each day for the 10 day period. Massive amounts of people show up and are given a plate upon arrival. These people are put into lines like this...

Click on the picture to see it larger.... (i've written in how it goes)

This picture was taken from the second floor of the mall. The Breakfast is taking place in the mall parking lot. Far off in the distance there, you may see the bands and performers whos country music fill the air with the spirit of Stampede! Look closely you'll find Brent waving his plate at me, so that he could find himself in the picture later.
Now this is huge.... It took us 20 minutes to get through this line.... SERIOUSLY only 20 minutes, so this mass of people will all be off eating somewhere else while the next mass is lined up behind them. I can't even imagine how many people they feed. They usually start at 7 am and run to 11. So I guess it's safe to say this many people times 12. (if I have my math right!)

Here are the kids with their plates. They are hungry, but happy.

For some reason, Liza didn't pose with her empty plate. Too cool I suppose. :-)
So you may be thinking at this point, they must have these pancakes pre made and they're just flipping them out of a pan and onto plates. NOPE. They're making them fresh, at the head of every line! Just squirting and flipping and serving ALL morning long! And each one of them, happy to be there in their cowboy getup :-)

And then, you just cop a squat where ever you can, on a curb, under a tree, by the music. where ever you please, and eat your yummy pancake and sausage. MMMmmm... Nothing like a Stampede Pancake Breakfast!

The whole City gets into the spirit of the Stampede, and I think that's why I love it so much. It's so much more then a "state fair". It's a time when the whole city is united, and doing the same thing. The Airport is decorated, and adorned with a banjo playing band to welcome in guests, just for these 10 days. The stores, grocery, drugstore, clothing stores and even restaurants are decorated. The Dentists and Dr's offices sport a western attire, it is seriously like a holiday in this City. It's so fabulous!

For example, I grabbed a quick shot of this Merry go Round in the mall. Normally a regular every day Merry go Round... Stampedized with a Chuck Wagon attached to the bench, so that it would fit into the theme for the week. SO WONDERFUL!!

My Dear Friends and devoted readers. I've lived in a lot of cities..... I've liked some and loved others, but I will ALWAYS be a CALGARIAN!!! ALWAYS!! It's in my blood, and I like it. It was good to be home.

The Pit!!

Although, I have yet to blog my summer... I keep not blogging other stuff, and it's bugging me that I am so behind... so.... I must share the story from tonight.

Yesterday I went to a consignment sale, I got lots of goodies, for fairly good prices. Katie thinks that she got the luckiest, because she not only got a pair of "piggy pj's" but also a "Horsey outfit". The Horsey outfit has the cutest little character style horses on the skirt, and the shirt, and the matching little vest. It IS a very cute little combo. She of course HAD to wear it today to preschool!

As she was getting ready for bed tonight she put on her piggy pjs and showed me that she was wearing them. Then she pointed to the laundry basket and said... "I love these jamies, I am NEVER putting them in there!" I chuckled to myself, as I remembered that this past laundry stretch was a rather LONG one... nearly 2 weeks. (she was likely missing some of her favorite outfits for some time, and was blaming the laundry basket)

About 5 minutes later, I found the horsey outfit on top of her dresser. "Katie, this needs to be washed honey." Tossing it carelessly into the "BASKET OF DOOM!!" OH THE TEARS MY FRIENDS...... OH THE TEARS.... you would think that I'd thrown it in the trash. Because I just did laundry for her and Tori yesterday, I realized that indeed, she would be with out her new favorite outfit for at least a week. I took sympathy on the girl, I know how it is to have a favorite shirt or jeans, and have them miss laundry day. I pulled it out of the basket and told her that I would wash them tonight with my laundry. The tears continued for some time.... we're talking 20-30 minutes, despite the fact that I kept trying to explain it. Finally, when calmed down, just a bit, she was able to understand when i told her.... "the horsey outfit is in the washer... right now.... it is wet and soapy.... in a few minutes, I am going to put it in the dryer... then it will roll around and get dry. I will fold it tonight and put it right here.... on your floor. It will be clean, and you can wear it tomorrow to the gym to show all your friends."

A little sniffle, and a snuggle of her stuffed pigs and she was off to dream land.

I just thought it was SOOOO funny that she was so sure that the laundry basket was the last she'd see of her outfit!! LOL I love this girl!!

Vacation Part one

On the plane. Here we go! 3 weeks of traveling

Brent drew out the itinerary here on this SWA napkin. The plan Fly: Nashville to SLC Utah via Houston and Albuquerque. Drive: SLC, Utah to Calgary, Alberta. Calgary, Alberta to Bend OR. Bend OR. to SLC, Utah. Fly SLC, UT to Nashville TN, via Phoenix. Buckle up!!

We arrived in SLC in the early afternoon, picked up our "traveling home" from the car rental place ( a lovely Toyota Sienna). We enjoyed a new van. It was quite a step up from our nearly 14 year old van. Sad that a rental which is sure to have only the basics, was a step up, but it was. :-) We went straight to the mall so that I could go to a "Deseret Book" before our long trip. We met up with Andrea and Jeff and the kids in the mall. The kids got a quick taste of "Hot dog on a stick" lemonade, and Brent and I split a Gyro (yummm) We hit a few more spots on our way to the park to meet up with the rest of the family.
The kids had a great time visiting with cousins and aunties and uncles. Above they are getting a loving picture with their Auntie Anne.
I had to have a picture with my little sister 'Drea. Drea is pregnant with baby #3 in less then 3 years!! I love my crazy sister!
Alex was tickled beyond belief to have someone to play baseball with. He loves to play catch and hit a ball around. Auntie Jodilyn is a big ball player and a wonderful Auntie!
Amber and Katie hit it off right away, they sure enjoyed playing together and my girls (both Tori and Katie) wanted to know when they were going to see Amber and Ashley again! They SO enjoyed playing with these little cousins. Tori is my nurturing girl, so she just wanted to play Mommy all the time.
They also LOVED to play with Natalie and Brandon. Katie and Natalie are very close in age, so they hit it off right away too. Tho neither of them could remember the other's name they wanted to be together all the time too. Katie would say "mom, when is that girl coming?" "what girl Katie" "You know her name, what is it?" "Natalie?" "yes, Natalie, when is Natalie coming" Too cute.
I love cousin bonds, some how, no matter how long it is between visits, cousins reconnect and love each other. This is Liza and Jessica. Jessica is actually Alex's age, and Brandon is Tori's age, but gender apparently plays a larger role then age does, because Brandon chose Alex as a playmate and Jessica chose Liza. Interesting how that works.
Cousins again... Left to right, Brandon, Natalie, Tori/ Katie, Amber.
Here is Brent with his little sister Anne. We sure love Anne, it's always fun to get together with her and revisit all the games and fun little phrases that she is known for.

Thanks goes to Arbra for coordinating a picnic for Dad's birthday. Yummy dinner of KFC and Costco Cake (yumm)! A good time was had by all.

Even "Pacco"(as we affectionately named him), the random boy from the playground, who's parents watched near by as he joined in our mini family reunion, enjoyed a serving of KFC, and Cake too. LOL Thanks for the entertainment kid!