friday fun

Hello Friday!  And hello to a fabulous afternoon adventure out to Forgetmenot Pond in Kananaskis!
With school done for the week (Friday's are short days!) and the weather absolutely gorgeous, it was time for an impromptu adventure into the mountains!  Camping season is drawing closer by the day - only a few more weeks until our first trip - so we had a little jump start on the season with a trip out to an area we haven't been to since the floods of last year.  This area, needless to say, was ravaged and many of our old spots completely destroyed.  However, the little gem known as Forgetmenot Pond was spared and left just as beautiful as we remembered!

We took the kayaks out for their second run since purchase, and so far they are proving to be one of the greatest investments ever!  Just ask Aidan!

With views like this, how can you not want to spend as much time on the water as possible!  I am already planning out my early morning paddles with a thermos of tea when camping season begins!

Maelle is also proving to be quite the little paddler.

Bree and Jenna are a little to young to venture out on their own, so their is just enough room for them to tag along for a ride.

After a full afternoon of paddling it was time for a fire and a dinner complete with the first roasted marshmallows of the year!  In Aidan's words "this one was epic!"

A perfect end to a perfect afternoon and evening!
So very thankful that places like these are so close to home!

everything is awesome!

I have never in my life seen as much Lego as I saw this past Sunday!  Holy doodle!
Welcome to Lego Kids Fest my friends!
Here in Calgary for only three days over the long weekend, we were lucky to score some tickets to an event that left us all in awe.  The creativity was astounding!  Over three hours we spent wandering exhibits, playing in building piles (and when I say piles, I mean piles of Lego beyond anything like I have ever seen!), building, building, and more building!  This was by far the coolest thing not only for the kids, but for Brent and I as well!

The kids favourite movie this year...right up there with Frozen of course!

Bree and Jenna checked out life size versions of their favourite Lego Movie characters, Wildstyle and Emmet!





















Aidan and Maelle took part in a Master Builders course, where they got to chat with one of the builders who actually worked on the Lego Movie!  Totally inspiring and he really tried to get the kids to think outside the box and build with no instructions!  No rules!

They even had a great "read and relax" area when a break from the crowds was needed.  Awesome idea!  The ladies spent a good deal of time checking out some new Lego books.

The Duplo pile proved to be just as much fun as the real Lego!

Maelle tracks down a mini version of Wildstyle.



I think we all left Lego Kids Fest with a different approach as to how we all play and build with Lego.  The message was clear - "anything is possible!" - and I couldn't agree more!

of we go to Ontario!

I apologize for the onslaught of pictures in this post....this may just be a personal record!  But, in all honesty, there is really no other way to sum up a great trip (Bree and Jenna's first!) to Ontario.  The girls and I spent a total of ten days in Ontario, and boy were we busy!  We crammed a lot into our trip, and to say it was fun is a total understatement....it was FANTASTIC!

We kicked off our trip with an early morning flight, and two very excited ladies (first flight as well) who provided the in flight entertainment to all the folks seated nearby.  Let's just say there were a lot of giggles!  I have to say, that this flight was one of the best I have ever been on, in terms of how awesome the people and flight attendants were.   The girls even had a chance to chat with the co-pilot!

After a day of just chilling out, it was off to one of my favourite places...St. Jacob's!  And no trip here would be complete without a stop at the Lego Outlet, where even adults (hi Grandpa!) can be kids again!

Off to the Ontario Science Centre for a full day of good fun!

The gigantic marble/ball run was a huge hit with the girls, and was and still is something that Aidan and Maelle often talk about!

Niagara Falls! And finally we saw the sun!

The girls were amazed at the sheer size of this waterfall....not like the ones we are used to seeing!



With such a nice day, we had a great picnic (thanks Grandma!) in Niagara on the lake!  It was so nice to visit here once again....it had been many years since my last!

After a short stroll around the town and through the neighborhood - gosh those houses are gorgeous! - it was off to the Butterfly Conservatory.

I think Bree and Jenna didn't expect to get up close and personal with these little friends!  It took them by surprise!

Mid week, we boarded the Go Train with Auntie Heather and were off to Toronto to take in a few local sights.  Mainly the new Ripley's Aquarium.  What a great place!

I mean where else can you have a huge six foot shark swim just mere inches from your face?!

This is Bree crawling through a glass tunnel while several sharks swim around her.  This was by far the coolest thing I have seen for kids in a long time!

A little tricky to get a pic of the ladies and the CN Tower, but we managed!  Just needed to be a little creative!

We even scored a beach visit to the nearby town of Port Dover!  Thankful for some summer like weather!

And no sooner than arriving, it was time to head home.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this trip possible and such a great success!  We were so very lucky to visit many family members, and friends alike.  We did and saw so much that to summerize everything is mind boggling!  Thank you to those who let us visit you and who stopped by to say "hello"!  The girls loved every minute of this trip and enjoyed meeting many familiar faces and many new ones!  Hopefully we will see you all again soon!