Banff, Alberta- Part I

We recently took a family vacation to somewhere April and I have both wanted to go for a long time- Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. All I can say is beautiful! We did some hiking, a lot of swimming, some biking, saw bears and big-horned sheep, and even walked on a glacier. It was a great vacation, but I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Banff N.P. is just west of Calgary, where April has some family. We were lucky to get to visit over dinner. Below is David and Greta, Liz and Steven (and a little one on the way for Liz and Steven!), and then our clan. Great to see you guys!

Our first hike was probably the toughest- 2.5 miles around and steep grades. We took several rest stops, like on this log. The kids were troopers on the hikes, although I did get a few extra work-outs with Elin on my shoulders.

This is one of two emerald lakes waiting for us at the top of our hike.

The kids wanted to keep going up this rock trail... a bit tricky even for adults, we didn't go too much farther.

But the reward was very cool... some cool rock art (petroglyphs) that are thousands of years old. Hard to see in these photos, look for the red carvings.

We rode a gondola to the top of one of the mountains around the town Banff. Below you can see the incredible views.

April was having fun exercising her photographic skills... I thought this was a cool one.

Below is the town of Banff, difficult to see from this altitude.

Note we were all wearing our jackets, and the snow on the mountain tops in the background. And this was August!

Under the Knife

Yesterday Nate went "under the knife" for the first time in his life- he had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. I have to say (no bias, of course) he really was a trooper. He knew what was coming and was a brave man going in. I heard they started with a bit of Versed (sedative) and he was quite "entertaining" in the O.R. (I can only imagine...)

Before...

And he's been so brave with the recovery. He's taking it easy, of course (a strange site in our home), but he's drinking and eating the things he needs to even though it hurts. And he's even managed to be happy and kind when I'm sure it would be easier to be grumpy. Great job, Nate, we love you so much!

After...

Who could this be . . .

First of the Pics

So we went to the wedding, but came home with limited pics . . . So here are some that Aunt Mishay took!

Mary, Stan, Nate and E.

Mark, Mary, Steven and Jason.

Mark taking shots

Mama, Nate and Elin

Grandma Jan, Nate and Elin.

I am at a wedding!! I am so excited!

Dressed up with "magic powers" in our clothes to help us behave. (It worked this time.)

Cabin Time

We just spent a couple days at Mimi's cabin- always a good time. The lake water was perfect, the fish were biting, and the sun was warm! We had the motorboat out this time, so we took the kids tubing...

They both love taking the paddle boat all over the lake... never mind that it's usually Mom or Dad doing most of the paddling. Oh well, it's a good workout anyway.

The water level has been down for several years, and only now starting to come back up. It used to be up to the level of this pier. At least now it's high enough for the kids to jump in. Here's Nate... airborne.

Dad and E.

Mom and Nate... note Nate's lack of teeth.

Ahhhhhh... so nice after a hard day's work.

Catching frogs proved difficult but not impossible. Poor frogs, there's always a casualty or two.

Horses!

Nate and Elin really got into the fishing and had some good luck. And even Elin caught a fish!

Nate bought a little remote control boat and had a blast with it, although it kept getting caught in the lake weeds. Cool little boat, though.

And Elin had fun trying to catch it!

Weekend at Momma's and Papa's

We spent a couple days down at my parent's house to play in the pool and other various things. We had hot days, so the pool was perfect and the kids spent most of their time in it.

My Dad also has a go-cart that he pulled out for us... we made a "track" in the backyard and it was a big hit with the kiddos (of course, who wouldn't love to have your own go-cart and track in the backyard?) Nate "Andretti" quickly got used to taking the corners at full speed, and gave me a few gray hairs during the process.

The pool was perfect temperature for playing all day long. To make it even better, my parents keep a small freezer outside so the kids can grab an ice cream treat whenever they like (yes, they ate a lot of ice cream).

Fireworks!

This is the first year we've stayed in town for local fireworks. In fact, since Nate was 1 year old it's the first time we've watched any fireworks. It was a perfect night for sitting by the water, eating ice cream, and enjoying the lights and booms. Note Elin sporting her 4th of July crown she made... she couldn't wait to wear it!