Disneyland

As Michelle and I entered the boys room with our Mickey Mouse ears on and our collection of Disney stuffies we attempted to surprise our kids with a trip to Disneyland.  "Hey guys wake up, we got to get going!  Guess where we are going?"  The response that we got were bed head looks of what are you doing? Let us sleep impressions on their faces!  And "huh?!?"  Even once the initial sleepiness had slowly worn off and they got out of their bunk beds, they were still questioning if we were just kidding around with them.  Our next step was to wake up Emma with the great news.  Just like the boys Emma's response was very similar . . . perhaps, waking the kids up at 2:30 in the morning is not the best time to surprise them.  Ten minutes later we were packed up in the truck and heading off to Bellingham to catch our flight.

Once we finally arrived at our hotel, our kids were once again surprised to see our friends waiting for us . . . yes, it was going to be another Schwakida Adventure!  Lets just say that Disneyland is not a relaxing holiday as it was pretty much go go go everyday . . . I can't wait to go back again with the family.

One of Josh's favourites.  Lets just say that Michelle got the smoother of the two drivers as Jamie was a little erratic.  As Jamie was driving, Emma says to me, "Daddy, we need a new driver!"  I think I got whiplash for the first time!

I just loved listening to these two chatting up a storm as they walked.

Scully was a big hit!

My favourite part of this picture is Michelle's expression on her face as she watches the kids experiencing the magic of Disney.

Emma has a bit of a death grip on poor Pluto's paw.

Emma just had to touch every character that she met.  I love this picture of her.

"Peace Dude!"

The man of the hour.

This was Emma's favourite ride . . . Gadgets Go Coaster . . . I think it was a big hit with all of us.

Emma was a little more relaxed this time meeting the Princesses.

A little hotel fun, relaxation, and a time to re-energize for our next visit to Disneyland.

The HOJO had a great water park that the kids loved to play in.

Love the faces!

Emma enjoyed having a Princess makeover . . . hair, makeup, dresses, and a photo shoot to top it all off. 

Showing a little attitude.

Magic Hour!  Yes, the Karate Kid made his debut.

The kids had a blast jumping around for these photos to kill some time prior to the park opening up.

The girls felt very old as they were allowed to ride Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.  I don't think Emma is having fun?!

Is trash talking appropriate in the Happiest Place on Earth?

I think this is one of my favourite pictures.

Some late nights for the kids, but they handled it very well!

Another amazing Schwakida adventure that was full of good times, laughter, fun, and of course family and great friends.  Thanks again to Captain Canada "AKA John" for more amazing pictures of our trip together.  Lets just say that if he wants to change professions he could write a guide book about how to get the most out of your Disney trip as he is the King of the Fast Pass!  Even if we were heading home, he was still looking to see what ride we could Fast Pass.

Paradise Valley

Every year, we like to go camping as the kids love sleeping in a tent and roasting marshmallows over an open fire.  Camping with kids, is a bit of work for us, but we do love it.  We managed to get a site at Paradise Valley in Squamish, which was a new place for us to camp.

The kids took some time to paint some rocks at the camp . . . Gee, a craft at camp???  Mich was in heaven.  Can you guess which one I did?

One of the things that we have wanted to do for quite some time is visit the Britannia Mines and have a wander about through the little shops in that area.  Well, lets just say that the shops were disappointing, but the mines was very interesting.  The kids had fun trying to strike it rich gold panning for different minerals.

My kids posing for a picture my way.

My kids posing for a picture there way!!

Waiting for the tram to take us into the mines.

Jericho Beach

Jamie is always coming up with different ways to be silly and this time while we were at Jericho Beach he almost got pinched down under.  Lets just say that while we were enjoying our time hanging out, Jamie decided that it would be funny to put a little crab he found on his stomach, but does he stop there?  Of course not . . . Jamie figures that it would be even funnier to lift up his shorts and joke about it climbing down his shorts . . . well lets just say that Jamie was moving quite quickly when the crab decided to accept his invitation and head down under.

Yikes!!!

Whistler

We initially declined on an invitation to go to the Whistler Hockey tournament as we have had enough hockey for one season, but after talking to one of our friends and talking with one another we decided to go.  We figured that we would go to Whistler for a family vacation with the hockey being secondary . . . play hard . . . but also kick start the summer with a trip away from home.  Josh's team exceeded our expectations in terms of getting into the semi-finals as it was a thrown together team of players from all different levels.  At the end of the day, the hockey was a nice reprieve from the hot days out in the sun.

We always love going to Whistler as a family taking in the 'Village' life and simply slowing down from the hectic pace of our daily lives.  This trip was no different as we got a chance to walk through the village taking in the sites, swimming in the hotel pool, scootering in the skate park, and most importantly relaxing as a family.

Relaxing poolside. 

Hockey

The boys had another great year playing hockey making new friends, developing new skills, and simply having fun.  This is one of those things that I hope to be able to pass onto my kids is the fun of being apart of a team.  I loved soccer for the competition and trying to make myself a better player and person, but it was all of the off field stuff that I loved even more.  Staying in hotels, traveling to different places, eating out with teammates, and of course all of the banter that goes along with it.  I know my kids are learning how to be a part of a team, trying to make others feel included, developing healthy life habits, and learning how to win graciously and to lose with good sportsmanship.  I must admit that I love watching them play . . . whether it be in practice or in games.

Jamie Hockey 2

Jamie loves to celebrate the goals that he scores . . . at times we have had to remind him not to slide through center ice on his knees pumping his fists!

He always got lots of chances to score in every game, which allowed him to focus on other parts of his game once he scored his three goals.

Josh Hockey 4

Josh was a great two way player this year for his team.  Making great passes and back checking hard on his shifts

Yes, even Josh had his patent "Kesler" celebration after his goals.

I love this picture of him celebrating while the other players are down and out.

Josh's skating is definitely his strength.

Josh and Jamie even got to play together for one game this year which was a highlight for the family as we got to see them in action.  It was really cool how Josh took him under his wing and helped him out both in the dressing room and on the ice.  Lets just say that Jamie was a little nervous before this game.

The boys were nicknamed the Sedin Twins as Josh scored a hat trick and Jamie scored the other two goals to win the game 5 to 3.

He was even awarded the hard hat that game by the coach.  Well done boys!!