Darren and Laura turn 30!

Linda Lonsdale and I threw Darren and Laura a 30th birthday! We did it out at this little beach out in Chestemere, its like this hidden gem that was perfect for a beach party! We had a good turnout and the kids seemed to have a blast! I forgot my camera and didn't take a whole lot of pictures but here's a few!

 Dave got off work early to get out there, and I was so glad he got to come! He doesn't get to do a lot of  "summer" activities with us because he works so late.

 Adorable Bekah, she just loves me and I love that.

 Dad and Grandpa - two handsome men! It was so fun that mom and dad brought Grandma and Grandpa up with them!

 Will's still in his pj's, it was such a crazy day getting ready for the party that getting him dressed was the least of my worries. He LOVED the sand and water. He's such a happy boy!

 Lonsdales brought out their kayaks and they were a hit! Both boys had a ride with dave!

 Will waving HI! He went for small ride and when they got back he was signing "more" & "please" he didn't want to go out. Dave took him for another long ride. He had the biggest smile on his face!

I didn't take any pictures of the awesome cakes the Laura's sister made for them or any decorations. But it goes to show how much fun we were having. Thanks Lonsdales for a fun night! Happy Birthday Darren and Laura!

Daves Surprise Birthday.

This year after the Murray campout I planned a surprise birthday party in Waterton for Dave. I'm surprised he never caught on, three different people said something to him about it. Also most people showed up after we did, not before us. But it still worked out and he was surprised. On Dave's actual birthday is Clays wedding, so I'm glad we got to do a little something for Dave!

  I should have taken a picture of everyone there, we had an awesome turn out! 

Afterwards we ate supper with Mom & Dad, and LL & Max. It was so much fun, it'd been 4 months since we'd seen them last! Benson really wanted a surrey ride, and so we "let" the men take them around!

 And then of course the babies all wanted rides too! It was pretty funny to watch Max pedal with them on his knees. Afterwards we headed out to my parents camp-site in Glen Springs (I think thats what its called). I only have videos of the kids ziplining, and still haven't figured how to upload those. But I did snap pictures of the kids going for motorbike rides. Levi absolutely loved it! And of course Will wants to do everything so we let him sit up there with Grandma!

It was such a quick trip and hardly any sleep but lots of fun! 

Strathmore Stampede & Heritage days.

Strathmore has Heritage days every August long weekend, and we were really excited to be able to do it this year. Its a pretty big deal. We found a pancake breakfast, a BBQ lunch down-town on Friday that the boys enjoyed. After the lunch I was trying to figure out how to get tickets for the Running with the Bulls on Saturday for Dave and I to go. Cause it was my first time I didn't know where anything was, where to park, how to get there, it was kind of stressful for me. I finally figured out where to park and they shuttle you back and forth between the parking lot and the entrance to the Stampede. Theres a campground in between the parking lot and the stampede, kind of annoying but the boys thought te golf cart shuttles were so fun! I finally got where I needed to be and after an hour of waiting in line I gave up, the boys were tired and my arms were sore from holding Will (didn't have a stroller cause of the shuttle). As I was walking away frustrated that I hadn't purchased tickets a lady chased me down and gave me free tickets to the rodeo that afternoon! She felt so bad that I had to wait and could tell I was pretty discouraged. So sweet of her! I decided to run home and grab snacks and a soother for Will cause it was 1:30pm and Will hasn't napped yet and the Rodeo at 2pm. I was pretty nervous it was gonna be a disaster, but the boys did great! We stayed for 2 hours! Levi was just fascinated by everything, he was slightly confused about good & bad horses/cows and why they would buck. Luckily we sat next to a really nice couple who kept explaining things to Levi and holding Will. Will even tried to have a drink of his beer - oh dear!

We had really great seats in the grandstand!

The boys watching the Rodeo!

On the shuttle - Its one of the first times I've thought they look a lot alike.

After we got home we had supper and I checked Facebook and saw someone giving away free tickets for the Chuck wagon Races that evening. So Levi and I rushed off to go watch, it was a nice little mommy and Levi date. 

That night there were fireworks and we could see them from our house. So I woke Levi up to go watch them and he asked to go back to bed, haha! I think he was a little exhausted from our fun day!

Saturday morning we headed to the parade with the Olivers.

Will was so wiggggllllyyyy.... it was a pretty good struggle to get him to not run onto the road or to sit in a chair. So we bribed him with a sucker, you can even see a tiny tear on his cheek.

Levi the lucky kid, just sat in his chair the whole time while the other kids got candy for him.

And of course Will saw a puppy and was so excited! He even shared his sucker and put it right on that toungue, so gross! (we threw it out after!)

Saturday night Dave and I enjoyed the Running with the Bulls. It was hilarious and terrifying at the same time. The guys who compete pay $25 to enter ( THEY PAY TO DO THIS!!) and can win $1000 for being the most daring. There's judges watching each round. First round had 5 bulls, 2nd round had 4 and the last round had 2 very experienced bulls. Some people just always jumped on the fence and others would chase the bulls and try to tag them. After it was done was another round of chuck wagons. 

It was a pretty great "first" Heritage Days.

Family Pictures 2014

Laura took our family photos for us again this year, and again I'm in LOVE with them. 

                                         

 We bribed with marshmallows, so Will had one in his hand or mouth for most pictures. He's so wiggly!

I cut Will's hair the day of pictures and was regretting it cause he didn't look so babyish any more, but now that we have the pictures I'm so glad I did, what a stud!

 This one kills me everytime.. Oh WILL!

I get so stressed about outfits, hair, location, my body etc.. but its worth it to always have these. 

Thanks again Laura! 

Drumheller again.

 We hiked horse shoe canyon on Levi's actual birthday. This is his element, he's just like his dad.

 We headed into Drumheller to do some more exploring. Levi loves all the dinosaur statues in town.

 We went to the sketchy reptile museum, the boys thought it was cool! Its pretty outdated and stinky but the boys found all the animals pretty cool.

 Then we headed into Wayne a ghost town where they filmed some of Shanghi Noon. It takes 11 bridges in about 20km (a world record) to get there.

 We then found a little vintage market out in the middle of nowhere, I wanted to stay longer but both boys had fallen asleep in the car so we just looked quickly.

I love that Dave and I have really tried to get to know the new area we live in. We hope the boys are loving it too. There's been so many fun things we have found around here.