Edmonton Adventure

It's been hard to find a day where all of my kids have work off. 

Thankfully I forced (truly) all of them to book three days off in July and three days off in August so we could guarantee just a couple of family adventures as a family.

In July - we used those three days wisely and took the kids up to Edmonton!

Edmonton is where John and I met and started our family.

Sadly, we've only ever returned to Edmonton once before since moving away in 2005, and that was when the kids were all really little. 

It was SO fun to revisit so many places and give life to some of the memories we've often shared with the kids. 

As soon as we got to the city, we drove by the last apartment we ever lived in. This is where we lived when Sam was born. We also drove by the house we lived in when Abby was born, the apartment we managed when we first got married, as well as all of the other apartments we called home, for that matter.  

We covered a large part of the city, just showing the kids all our "old homes!"

We took Whitemud Drive up to the Edmonton temple and walked around the grounds a bit. 

And spent a large portion of our first evening back playing along the North Saskatchewan river. 

It was here at Whitemud Park that John proposed to me!

On day 2, took the LRT downtown and showed the kids the legislature building, walked across the High-Level Bridge, and toured the University Campus. (How did I not get a picture of the kids on campus?). Abby will be going to school at the UofA in just a few short weeks. Our main goal was to help her figure out how to get around to all of the places that she will be calling home for the next few years. 

Later in the day, we made our way over to West Edmonton Mall. (Of course!)

Turns out - we all hate malls, so this one proved to be a little over the top for us all. After walking around for 40 minutes we all felt tired and ready to find something else to do. 

Somehow - Nate talked us into swimming at the Waterpark, which offered the reprieve from shopping and wandering that we needed. It was SO fun!!  I couldn't help but notice how much EASIER it is to do things like this with older kids. I didn't have to stay within arms reach of anyone, there were no life jackets or water wings to worry about, and there was not a stitch of crying or whining from anyone the whole time. 

(Seriously - parents should just save their money and do ALL the fun things when the kids are older.)

After a few hours at the waterpark, we were beat (so many stairs to climb;) and were more than happy to call it a day. The kids really liked our hotel (this was the first time I didn't force us all to squeeze into a one-room suite;) so, after a bit of shopping, we spent our second-night swimming and watching old episodes of The Office. We left the next morning at a time that strategically put us in Calgary at noon - which meant burgers and milkshakes at Peter's drive-in. 

It was a busy couple of days as we tried to squeeze in all the things we used to love, but I think another trip will have to happen down the road. It felt so good to be back there!

I can hardly believe that this will soon be Abby's home again.

 

A "Gift" of a Night

Occasionally we are blessed with an evening in Waterton where there is no wind. (Not even a breeze!)

On evenings like this, we like to spend as much time on the paddleboards as possible. 

Jess and I may have found my new favorite spot. 

 

Lower and Upper Rowe lakes - Hike #9

 

 

That day restrictions in Canada ended

 To celebrate the total lifting of covid restrictions (and Canada Day;) we headed out to Waterton.

We needed to beat the heat and that cold mountain water was calling our names!

We are loving being able to be up at Cameron Lake again. 

The fishing is good, much to John's delight.

...and Nate's;)

We saw a few bears on our drive up to the lake, and even a few while we played. 

We played in the water, paddleboarding, and even rigged up a way for all of us to boat/paddleboard down to the far end of the lake. 

Technically we are on US soil here. It may be the only time we make it to the states all year!

The water was icy cool, and the cleanest blue-green we've seen in a long time. Taking a dip in this pool made the 45-minute row a little more worth it. 

That evening we gathered at Lion's park to watch a presentation from some of our local Indigenous as they spoke about the recent bodies found at Canadian residential schools. We all really enjoyed watching the dancers and hearing some music sung in Blackfoot. Many are hoping that this will become a regular thing now on fireworks night.  We will see.

 

It was a rough year for everybody in this country (and really the world) but it felt good to come together to celebrate all that we hold most dear. 

We really are so blessed!

These days just don't happen often enough

 Days with my family are some of my favorite days!

It's not always easy to make a plan. It usually consists of dozens of texts to determine what date will work best for everyone, then multiple texts to sort out food, and then a handful of texts to sort out the last-minute changes, which inevitably always come up. 

I'm exaggerating a little, but not much. It sometimes seems like it takes so much planning for us to get together, but when we do, it is oh so worth it!

We all gathered at St. Mary's boat club as Crystal and Jeremy have recently become boat owners. It was a perfect spot for us all to soak up the sun (aka: get a little charred) and catch up.

It was nice to introduce Radar to some of his "cousins."

Chad told the best stories.

Jewel brought the banter.

Crystal spoiled with food and snacks.

The kids played for hours!

It really was the FUNNEST time together.

Totally, absolutely, unequivocally worth every best-made plan!

June

A recap of everything I haven't already mentioned about June:

We entered Sam, Jess, and Nate into a fishing derby and we may just have to make this a tradition.

I had to stay home to finish some school work, but I enjoyed getting updates with photos like this:

I met them out at Payne lake once they were finished and we dined on Dave's burgers and fries together while Radar familiarized himself with the area. He is a super curious puppy and seems to enjoy coming on these little adventures. 

Jess was called on to help a lady in our ward pick shooting stars for centerpieces at the Chinook. She got up early so she could pick them before school. These dainty little things are favorites to many of the elderly, and it made their day to get to eat their meals while enjoying the flowers. 

Radar has pretty much been our favorite thing, all month long!

I mean - just look at him. Is he not perfect?  Even when he pees on the floor - he can do no wrong.

Jessica and Sam have both tried to figure out how to groom this dog. Turns out it is a bigger (and messier) job than we realized.  Welcome to parenting kids!

John and I rented bikes and rode up to Red Rock for my birthday. I sure LOVED it!

We celebrated John on Father's day.

I FINALLY spotted to Harlequin ducks!  I've been wanting to see these ever since a friend at work told me how hard to find they can be. 

 

June gave us an opportunity to celebrate this girl's fantastic-ness! 

The upcoming summer months promise to bring a bit of change our way. 

Hears hoping that sunshine and lots of Waterton days are in our cards, as well!

When time actually flies

Never, not once have I ever felt that motherhood (or these days with my kids) was rushing by. 

You know how old people always stop you and remind you to "enjoy this moment because it passes in no time."  Yeah...I never felt that.

And then, one day, I watched this girl graduate, and suddenly I found myself wondering where the heck the time had gone?!

Abby's graduation event was held on May 25th. Prior to the actual ceremony, some of her friends gathered at our house for some food and a mini photoshoot. 

Due to covid restrictions that were still in place, only John and I were allowed to attend the ceremony. Grandpa and the kids watched it from the comfort of John's classroom, which was nice because they were able to be there for family photos afterward. 

Apparently there was some confusion about who the real graduate was? ;)

Abby definitely had some special teachers during her time at CHS, and none of them was more dear to Abby than Mr. Roe. 

It was a beautiful night celebrating a group of youth who persevered despite a very challenging year. 

It was a special night for me, as I got to watch my girl reach this milestone. 

She's more than ready to be finished with High School, but I'm not ready to see her go.

Not even close.

 

Baseball Nights

Spring gave us some gorgeous evenings for baseball watching. 

After being shut in for weeks, it was nice to hear that the government was easing restrictions enough for us to be able to have outdoor sports. 

Jessica played softball for a month or two, and both of the boys played baseball. I sure LOVED sitting in the shade of a tree, catching up with people that I hadn't seen in a long time, and watching my kids play.

It was especially fun when the games became a family affair! (It's always a Hardy Party when Sam and Kale play against each other.)

There was one particular evening when Sam had a late-night practice, under the lights. 

I snuck up to the top of Redford Park to watch the tail end of things and I just sat there trying to soak it all in. The sunset, the lights, the crack of the ball echoing through the still night, the sound of banter that is so typical of teenage boys....

It was a real "Field of Dreams" kind of moment that I felt deeply grateful to get to experience.