Camping Trips!

So far we've only been camping twice this year. We've planned a couple more times but had to cancel due to sickness, crappy weather and the fact that Marc has to work every third week ends and be on call the whole following week.

We definitely love camping! The boys love the tent! If it wasn't for all the fun outdoor things we do, the boys would be hiding in the tent all day long.
Setting up camp usually takes us half an hour since we have a gazebo to set as well as the tent. We've had our tent for almost 10 years and it still looks fairly new. We always make sure it is completely dry before we ever pack it. We are pretty uptight when it comes to things like that HA HA.
Packing the van is quite easy too. We have 4 camping totes that are each labelled for different things which keeps everything quite organized and easy to find when needed. A tote for gears, one for wood and kindling, one for food, and one for clothing. And of course the cooler for keeping the food cold. Yup, we are pretty organized folks HA HA.
We even keep a digital copy of a check list of everything we need to pack for camping. When times come to go, we print it out and off we go going through the list and the totes making sure all is there. We find that sometimes we wish we brought this or that on our trips so when we come home we add it to the list and tadda we have an updated list of things we need. Crazy? I know, but we like it that way. It keeps us always checking the contents of our totes without ever assuming that everything is already in. It is a pain to realize you forgot to pack things once you get to your campsite. Trust me, been there so many times. So, we like doing things that way.

Castle River Bridge is Marc's favorite place to go to. I love the drive there!

Our first camping trip was interrupted by crazy rain which got us packing to go home Saturday afternoon instead of  Sunday morning like we originally planned.
We packed our van Thursday night, left Friday evening after Marc was off work, stopped in fort Macleod, and continue on to Beaver Mines. Once everything was set, we went to the river to throw rocks and play with the boys then headed back to camp for a late snack, and treat. We stayed up late, and had fun telling the boys about a few childhood stories, and they had some really impressive stories to tell us about bears attacks and ghost. We all had our glow sticks, and glow necklaces on because camping without these is just not fun :). The next day, we got up fairly early, papa made breakfast then we went playing at the river, and collecting things for our scavenger hunt. We went to get some more ice in Beaver Mines, played at the cute playground there, had lunch at the falls then off to the beach we went. We built sand castles, played in the water, and ate wild raspberries. After hours and hours being outside, we headed back to the campsite, got some supper cooked, and went for some more fun at the river. We never stay at our campsite too long. We are always gone somewhere. Our little trip to the river was cut short by the rain, so we went to our tent, waited for the rain to stop, packed everything back in the van, took the tent and gazebo down and dried them in our apartment once we got back.

Our second trip was all about discovering some of Alberta's history as mentioned here.

Once all our sight seeing/discovery, and lunch eaten, we headed to Beaver Mines beach for some water fun and more sand castle building. This time, Marc and I brought our chairs to watch the boys play, and play, and play some more. Yann went in the water to play for a bit while Marc kept building away, and making trenches on the beach to allow the water to get in. He called it his island. After a couple hours spent there, it was time to go back and have some delicious supper. We relaxed around the fire telling stories again, and decided to go for a walk by the river and while we were walking, the boys finished they scavenging hunt. We had a late night treat, brush our teeth, and read scriptures, and when we saw the kids were getting tired, we sent them in the tent, put a movie on, and they usually just fall asleep right away. Yes, you read that right. We put a movie on! We brought their little portable dvd with us which they only use when it is dark out and only before bed time.
Marc fell asleep on his chair by the fire so I sent him off with the boys while I stayed out, put away all the totes, and waited for the fire to dye down before calling it a night. I love tenting! It gets cold at night so I always pack a bunch of comforters along with all of our sleeping bags which makes it so cozy, and we have folding mattress that are very comfortable so we all sleep quite nicely. I cannot wait for the time the boys can sleep in the second tent we bought when my brother was here.
Sunday morning, we got up early again, ate breakfast, and packed everything up to go home. We stopped at Beauvais Lake just for kicks and bumped into the Fyfes who invited us for lunch, and tried the fish they had. It was really tasty especially with lemon pepper. The boys were happy to see their buddy Sean. After a quick lunch, and a visit, we came back home, unpacked, clean what needed cleaning, emptied the clothing and food totes, and put everything away for the next trip.

We had fun camping and hope to be able to squeeze some more of it before the cold arrives. My favorite part about camping is being away, and doing things with my family. I love being with my three men. I love being close to the water as well.  It reminds me of home, and all the time we spent at my grandma's place, on the beach. I love being among the trees! And being away from cities, and towns. I love the fresher air you breath and the beauty, and grandeur of God's creations. 

A little bit of Southern Alberta!

Early Saturday morning, we left our tiny apartment and headed out to Beaver Mines, Marc's favorite place to camp at. Once our tents were pitched, we ate breakfast and off we went exploring the nearby touristic places. Marc loves his Alberta and so do I. With all that is going on here in this beautiful province, I wanted to explore it, rediscover it, and learn even more about it than just the nasty political goings on happening right now.

We headed out to see the famous Burmis tree! Yes, we actually drove to see a tree. We are awesome that way. First of all, the drive to Beaver Mines was beautiful. The mountains, pine trees, zigzagging roads and occasional wildlife were all so refreshing to watch and so awe inspiring.

I loved reading about the Burmis tree and how it had, for centuries so they say, battled the challenging weather and winds of the area. Despite its effort, it finally succumbed to it all and with the help of iron rods, it once again stands tall for every highway 3 users to catch a glimpse of it while driving by or for "tourist" like us to actually take time to photograph it and read about it. It reminded me so much of how when we hold on to the iron road, we are made strong and can still stand tall despite the trials of our mortal lives.

After our short time looking at the tree, we headed out to Leitch collieries. Now, this was probably my favorite stop on our exploration. My mind went on an overdrive thinking about the people that lived and worked there. How and why the colliery came to be, and so on. We got to talk to a very knowledgeable guide who explained some of the stories, and stopped at every informative displays to learn some more about this place. As with the Burmis tree, the beautifully crafted stones structures remains were stabilized and walking trails established. I recommend visiting this place or at least read about it here . It is a great piece of history. One of the online site I read about the Leitch collieries described it as a 'glorious failure' understandably so when you read its history but nonetheless it was a great learning moment walking through it.

The Powerhouse!

 The Manager's house!

 Remains of the kilns and rail platform.

To end our Alberta exploration, we went to the Lundbreck falls. The boys were so excited about seeing them. Of course I snapped a couple of pictures but I have to say, it was so odd to find waterfalls in the middle of nowhere. They were no Niagara falls but they were still worth the drive. There's a beautiful bridge there that I just loved. We all went under it to look at the falls some more. I love bridges! I really do! After running around, and taking in one of nature's beauty, we got our lunches out and ate peacefully.

The crayon box that talked!

The crayon box that talked, written by Shane DeRolf, is one of little M's favorite book to read.

I love the cute story of the different colored crayons that didn't get along but who, at the end, discovered that use together to draw a picture, they each play a role that allows the picture to be complete.

My boys absolutely LOVE to draw! Every single days they are drawing something new or improved. Crayons, markers, pens and pencils are found all over our place. In our beds, under our chairs, in the creases of the couch, in the kitchen, the bathroom, the van, EVERYWHERE!

Little M has "mastered" drawing! He used to faithfully watch his brother draw and by doing so has learned how to better himself in the art of drawing circles, lines, clumsy rectangles, squares, etc. I love watching them using the crayons to draw their favorite superheros or animals, and so on. While the crayons help them complete the picture, and what they had in mind, the stories that they tell to describe their master pieces definitely brings the picture to life. They are so creative and their story telling abilities are amazing as well. From dragons who meet superheroes to captain Moroni who defends the good people, and of course Spiderman who saves our family from the monsters, the ever changing stories are quite amusing, sometimes hilarious and at times a bit scary. I love how passionate they are about it so everyday the crayons are left out for them to create, to experiment, to just play and enjoy, because tomorrow they may not want the box of crayons filled with pretty colors.

Pictures of them drawing on our camping trip, before we had supper.

Lethbridge Street Wheelers!

Today marked the first day of the street machine weekend in Lethbridge. Tonight, was the street wheeler event where old and new automobiles proudly parade on the streets of Lethbridge. This year it seemed like there were a lot more vehicles than the previous year.

Marc and I used to go from car shows to car shows before the boys were born, and tried to continue doing it after but life felt a tad busy once we became mama and papa. Last year, we found out they held a street machine week end, so we got excited about doing something we liked doing before. I wouldn't say we are car enthusiast but we can certainly appreciate the elegance, beauty, passion car owners put into their vehicles whether they drive it daily or get it out only on week ends or for special occasions.

The boys had a few favorites this year that they waved at. I like looking at the elegant, and classics cars from the early nineteen hundreds while Marc enjoys the classic muscles cars and the trucks.

After a few hours admiring the colorful cars, we walked back to the car, and headed home. We stopped for onion rings at D.Q in Coaldale first, and continued on.

It was a beautiful day! Not too hot, not too windy. A good day! The boys and I went out to play a bit in the morning, and found some more treasures, ran a few errands in the afternoon, then watched a movie while waiting for papa to come home. We had a delicious supper, then went to Lethbride for our evening outing. I like these kind of days. Not too busy, not too overwhelming, and with just enough things to do.

I forgot my camera to snap pictures of the beautiful cars but managed to take a couple pics with my phone while nobody was standing in front of me.

The boys!

My uncle used to have a mini cooper!

I love the old school ones!

One of my favorite cars, the beetle!

The old school ones are cuter.

Front seat row for this "photographer"!

 Beautiful mustang!

My grandpa had a red one we like riding in!

Good time with family!

Last Sunday, Marc's younger brother texted me to let me know that their sister was coming down to southern Alberta, with her husband and daughters on Wednesday. He wondered if we would be interested in getting together for supper, potluck style, so we could all visit, and catch up on what was new in each others lives. Of course, we had to do it! We honestly don't see each other enough as it is so there was no way we were missing this.

Wednesday came, we put some ribs in the oven at noon, on low, so it would cook slowly until we live at 5pm, to finish it off on the barbecue in Lethbridge. The boys kept asking when we were leaving for uncle J's place to play with the girls. So once papa got home, we packed the van and off we went. The boys were so happy! They fell asleep in the car and it was a welcome nap.

Four, out of the five siblings were reunited, each with their respective families, and it was a blast. We got to celebrate our brother in law's birthday with good food, the birthday song, and delicious cake. The kids were running around playing, and laughing, and screaming while the adults stayed upstairs, visiting, and laughing, and eating.

It truly was a great time and I wished they did it more often. I wondered if they knew how lucky they were to live close enough to each other that they could do things together, be part of each other's lives and have their nieces and nephews around. I wish I could do that with my siblings. As brothers and sisters, we are so close but with the distance between them and me, I don't get to physically be a part of their lives, and celebrations. It is one of the hardest thing for me to cope with here. I see their lives through pictures, messages, and phone calls but miss all the untold details, and anecdotes that makes me a stranger among my own family. I hate this part but I chose to follow my sweet husband so this is one of those sacrifices that I have to make.

I am hoping for more times like this so the boys could grow up around cousins just like I did, and not be strangers in their own families.

We had a blast! I have no pictures to add to this post but my sister in law took a few, and the sibling ones they did were hilarious.