Just a Trim

Chancery was in dire need of a haircut.  Her split ends had split ends, & now that school is out we had time to go to the salon.  She was called back to sit in the chair, & started to explain to the hairdresser what she'd like done.  Chancery turned to me & said, "I got this, Mom, you just go & sit down."

So off I went to sit & read my book while she chatted away with the hairdresser, & communicated how she wanted her haircut.  Perhaps some layers?  Just a little off the bottom?

Nope, she decided to donate 10 inches of her hair, & is thrilled with the results!  It's much cooler for summer, but there won't be anymore braids for awhile!

Prelude at Grandpa & Grandma's!

The kids & went to my parents' house for a week to help them prepare for the whole family being there in a few weeks.  On the way down we went through Whidby Island to visit some friends.  

We went to the beach with them to hunt for sea glass, & the kids found some cool driftwood!

Then we took some time to wander around Coupeville & had a delicious lunch as well.

Once we got to my parents house we were set to work picking raspberries, making jam & cookies, & mulching flowerbeds

In our enthusiasm we even managed to splatter raspberry juice on the ceiling!

It wasn't all work though, we stopped at a few thrift stores, & the kids found this tiny piano & insisted on posing as Lucy & Schroeder from Peanuts!

And of course we visited "The Oak" in the neighbourhood. 

 I spent a lot of time here with the neighbourhood kids growing up, & Asher & Chancery have a lot of fun playing here too!

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We also met up with my friend Theresa & her kids.  We became friends in grade 7, & hadn't seen each other in 17 years!

The kids had a blast playing together, & we decided to try to see each other  more often (which shouldn't be THAT hard, right?)

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Next was a quest to find some climbing trees in the woods by my parents' house.  Unfortunately most the trees I used to climb are now dead (I'm not THAT old!), so we didn't have any luck...

We also had to make our way through quite a bit of salal since the trails are not kept up anymore.  The kids decided they are ready to apply to be on "Alone" since they didn't find it too difficult.

Last but not least, I showed them "The Best Ditch in The Neighbourhood".  It has the perfect slope, & I read many a book in it while waiting for my friends' school bus to bring them home.

Ice cream truck

Sometimes a promise isn't enough. Sometimes you need to document that your kids said it...

Waterton

Sunday we all went to Waterton National Park.  When Chad was growing up, quite often the family would go to Waterton & walk up the creek in Red Rock Canyon.  It was the kids' first time in Waterton, & it was time they partook of the tradition.  They were excited!

It was a bit chilly, so the kids were wearing jeans & long sleeves.  They probably should have changed first, but they were so excited to go up the canyon!  They did get their shoes & jeans wet, but we had brought shorts & sandals for them & by the time everyone got back out of hte canyon it  had warmed up quite a bit.

 It was quite the adventure, & I had to turn back due to inappropriate footwear.  Next time I'll know better!

It was awesome jumping from rock ot rock, trying to keep dry (& not always succeeding)

Troy & Tara said the water was way lower then they had ever seen it before, so they made it all the way to the end of the canyon!

After all the canyon adventures, we headed to the lake for some rock skipping.  For some reason I am a terrible rock skipper, so I was rejoicing in my accomplishment of throwing a rock with 2 bounces!

Than Chad told me, it was only one bounce, & a plop since it never came out of the water the second time.  I guess I need more practice!

After the lake it was time for dinner, then shopping (without much luck), then ice cream (you can't mess with tradition!), then the candy store (as if they needed any more sugar!)

It was a great time hanging with the family!

We're Having Fun In Alberta!

Grandpa & Grandma's house is always a fun place to visit.  There are so many things to do that are different from what you can do at home!  We came for a week's holidays to visit & relax, & we achieved our goals!

The kids caught a bunch of grasshoppers & kept them in an old cookie container as pets.

Chancery said, "Look they like me so much that even after I set them free they just stay here with me!"

That probably had more to do with them being lethargic & hungry from being in the container for several days than liking her, but anything is possible!

Digby enjoyed cuddling up in blankets on the cool mornings. 

I love thrift shopping, & there are several good shops in town.  I scored these shoes for 50 cents!

Chancery achieved her dream of looking like a real cowgirl, & we picked up several pairs of cowboy boots, at reasonable prices, to fit as the kids' feet grow.

Chad's parents live near a river, so we walked down to it & the kids had great time playing with the rocks & building towers.

 Meanwhile, I got a free fish pedicure!  It was bit tickly, but the price was right!

 Digby also enjoyed the walks to the river, though he did not seem to enjoy the walks back home quite so much.  After cooling off, it's a long, hot walk back to the house.

It's hot enough that cactus grow along the trail!

Deer frequently visit the yard, & Digby gets very excited every time they show up.  At one point there were 2 Does, & 4 fawns under the trees!

We love Southern Alberta!

Beach Day!

One of the things we do as often as we can is go to the beach!  When we have company we take them to the beach with us!  Normally it's just the kids & I, & while the kids play in the water & build things in the sand I read a book.  Troy & Tara's family is not used to being so sedentary, so they did a bit of  beach exploring as well.

They found big & small starfish...

Asher became a merman...

 And the kids built a few sandcastles!

After our fun day at the beach we went to dinner at one of our local pubs.  The kids like it because they have etch-a-sketches to play with, & we like it because it has good food & a fun atmosphere.

When we got the bill we saw that we hadn't been charged for the kids' meals, so we brought it to the waitress' attention.  "Kids meals are free this month!" we were told!  If only we had known earlier, we would have come more often!

Capilano Bridge & Granville Island

When we have visitors, we finally visit the touristy places!

Our first stop was the Capilano Suspension Bridge & Cliffside Walk.

The kids were being part of the totem pole

We had a lot of fun walking all the cool walkways.

There were quite a few signs stating that if you dropped something off the walkway, you were not to attempt retrieving it yourself, but to alert staff.

We tried to figure out what they would determine as valuable enough to retrieve since we saw a shoe, a coat, & a sippy cup that apparently did not make the cut.  For example, if you dropped your wallet we assumed they would get that, but what if you dropped a single credit card?

The actual suspension bridge was packed with people moving like herds of cattle, so we did not get a photo.  You'll have to go see it yourself!

 Once across the bridge, there is a treetop walk, & inexplicably this 'room'.  Perhaps it is for those who do not like heights to wait while their friends do the treetop walk?  But if you do not like heights it is unlikely you would have crossed the suspension bridge in the first place...  So many questions, so few answers!

We were unafraid to do the treetop walk! 

Asher found a large tree, but it was unclimbable.

 Chancery found someone willing to give her a shoulder ride!

The next stop was Granville Island to get some lunch!

We walked through the market & everyone was happy with the choices for lunch.  It's not always easy to please 8 people's palates, but we did it!  We had some Chinese, Curry, Deli Sandwiches, Bagels, & Pizza!

We walked around for a while, then decided to go on a 30 minute harbour cruise.

 

We saw a lot of waterfront floating homes 

 And the cement factory is painted to look like people!

After our cruise, we had some gelato, then it was time to head back home for the day!