Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Canada Part 2

We are now back in California and have been since Saturday. I was super nervous to fly home alone with both girls but things went fairly smooth. We were only delayed like half hour... so it could have been much worse.

I should have taken a picture, but just imagine me with Cora in the Ergo, huge diaper bag over my shoulder, pushing a luggage cart with two big bags and a carseat, and pulling Aubrey in the stroller backwards. We were quite the sight.

The worst part of the flight was that I woke up that morning super sick. Ugh. I get sick every time we travel. So, flying alone with two kids and a nasty summer cold.... sitting in the middle seat next to a 40-year-old man while trying to entertain a toddler and nurse a baby. I'm just trying to forget it because I know that I will have to do it again :)

Anyways.... the last two weeks we were there, Steven was not :( He had to go back to work. In order to make the distance seem a little better, I tried to send a "picture a day" from my phone to his. They were the only pictures I took, and the quality isn't great, but here are some of the highlights:

Lots of time at the lake. We need to work on Aubrey's "say cheese" smile. We get that one every time. 

 When not at the lake, we were at my grandparent's pool. I got the girls matching swimsuits from Gap. Love having little girls.

 Meeting grandpa for lunch. Cora was happy to see him. My dad also took Aubrey on quite a few "granddaughter" dates. These always ended with her coming home eating ice cream and going to bed late. 

 My brother came to visit! We took a few spins in my moms MGB.

 I got to see the new Calgary temple for the first time. So beautiful.

Cake batter in your underwear. Can a toddler have more fun?

This little girl got two teeth, now sits like a champ, is rolling everywhere, and starting to scoot. Ahh... it is happening so quickly this time around.

Sister love.

Rides, rides, and more rides. 

We are now on official grandma and grandpa withdrawal. Aubrey has never been great at playing independently, but we were making progress. 3 whole weeks of undivided attention? We have some work to do.

Love going home to visit. I already miss so many things and can't wait to be back at Christmas. I loved the sweet reunion with Steven, and I am looking forward to getting back in the swing of things once our family is healthy again.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Canada Part 1

We are here in Calgary! I love coming home to visit.

Just a few days before we were set to come, a horrific flood ravaged Calgary and surrounding areas. My parents home is fine, but so many people lost so much. Here is a picture of the golf course view out of my parents window right after the flood:

The entire golf course is ruined. The city zoo is gone. Thousands lost their homes. The aftermath is pretty sad, but I'm amazed at how much people are serving and doing everything they can to rebuild.

Nicole and Steve and Zach are also here to visit this week (Trent comes next week!). The cousins have been having so much fun together.  Heritage Park on Canada day, swimming at Grandmas, Calaway Park, swimming again at Southland Leisure center for the 4th of July.... and that has just been the past few days.


Aubrey was pretty excited about her first taste of cotton candy.

I'm definitely learning that vacations as an adult are all about making sure your kids have fun. I'm having fun, but I'm so tired.

Between all those amusement parks, the kids have gone on a lot of rides. They love them! I'm glad that I have adventurous girls who love to have fun. Here is how Zach and Aubrey feel about rides....

And here is how they feel when the rides stop...

Cora has been doing alot of this...
The poor girl gets dragged around everywhere and most of her naps are on the go. I complain about how she only naps for 30 minutes at a time, but it definitely isn't her fault. I was so adamant about a schedule for Aubrey, but that has not exactly happened this time around. At least she sleeps good at night.

We even managed to get a cute picture of all three cousins:

Stampede tomorrow, movie Saturday, my birthday Sunday.... lots more fun in Canada to come. Maybe we will even get a picture of Steven and I?