West Edmonton Mall - World Waterpark

Exhausted!  Yes, I am exhausted today as we spent most of the day at the West Edmonton Mall World Waterpark with the kids.  

Emma is giving it some attitude.

Our first slide that the boys went on was an “advanced” one called the Twister that was very fast and twisty.  Josh said, “it was hard to see because of all the water” that got sloshed around as you hit the bends in the ride.  Our next stop was a short slide in which Josh wanted to try where you sat on a yellow sled.  I was a little surprised that Josh would want to do this one as it went straight down . . . I knew he would of liked the end where you skipped along the water like a rock across a lake, but the beginning was not really his style.  It turned out to be Jamie’s favourite one as he went down it about seven more times throughout the day.  He does admit that he was a little scared the first time because of the steep drop, but he loved how fast he went and skipping across the water.

"Lean forward!" was the last piece of advice Jamie heard from the attendants.

During this time Emma was warming up on a “Beginner” slide called the Caribbean Cruiser with Michelle.  When we met up soon after, Emma was ready to take on the Twister . . . I must admit that I was a little concerned that this slide would be too long, too fast and too scary for her, but we made the long trek up anyways.  I was the first to go so that I could catch her when she hit the pool below when she came after me.  As I waited in the pool, I could hear her screaming most of the way down . . . I had a bad feeling about this, but to my surprise when she made the last turn and came screaming down to me, she had the biggest smile on her face.  When I plucked her out of the pool she said to me while giggling, “Did you hear me screaming?  I screamed all the way down until I had no more screams left in me!”  Emma loved it!  She liked how it went “straight down and the dark part (a tunnel)”. 

This was a little nerve racking for me because as soon as Emma dropped into the pool, I would lose sight of her in the white water.  I would have to fish around and pull her up out of the water.

This was the first time that we could all do the same thing as a family that met everyone’s fun factor.  What I mean by this is that usually we have to split up when we go to things like this . . . Emma is often too small or scared to do what the boys want to do or what Emma wants to do is not necessarily high on the boys’ list of things to do.  Thanks to the Twister, most of the day was spent together going to the various areas of Waterworld, as I believe the boys saw Emma as not so little anymore . . . that she could and would do what they wanted to do as well.

One of the last slides that we went on was Nessie’s Revenge, which went straight but dropped three times.  Josh loved “the speed, the drops, and the height . . . looking down on everyone in the wave pool”.  I must admit that I also liked this one because of the speed of the slide and the drops.  I even caught some air over the second and third drop . . . it wasn’t very graceful as I felt like I was being slammed all over the place. 

"Here I come!"  I was told to stand further back in the pool if I felt the need because of how fast they would go.

The last thing that the kids wanted to try was the ziplining.  Unfortunately for Emma, she was two pounds too light to go.  Despite her disappointment, she was okay with the boys going without her (we did promise her an Orange Julius when we left).  So off we went.  On our way there I told the boys that when you get comfortable let go of both hands and make a pose for mommy because she will be snapping a picture of us.  I can always tell when Josh gets a little nervous about an activity because he becomes a bit of a chatterbox.  Asking lots of questions about what we are going to do and re-assuring himself that he will be okay.  Jamie on the hand often becomes quiet . . . not saying much, but trying to put on a brave face.  When we got to the tower, the attendee helped us into our harnesses and got us hooked up to the zip line.  The boys were a bit hesitant to let go of the ladder even though I was trying to show them that they were secure.  As we were just about to be released Josh turned to me and said, “Wait, I just want to think about this for a minute”.  My response like any good parent was “too late, we are going soon”.  The attendee unclipped Jamie, ran over and unclipped Josh and then finally me.  When I looked over, the boys had a vice grip on the rope and Josh had his eyes closed for a few seconds.  Once they realized they were okay they started to whoop it up and let go of the rope.  As Josh said, “once you get going . . . you get more confident the further you go”.  He was right.  Josh thought it was “cool being the tallest one there and looking down on people”.  Jamie said when he “looked up and saw the teensie tiny rope that was holding me and it was scary.  When she let go of me, I felt that I accomplished something”.  Emma can’t wait until she is a little bigger to go ziplining with the boys.

The boys are still holding on with two hands  for dear life.

Josh pulling of the Superman and Jamie giving Michelle the double guns.
The boys are a lot more confident at this point.

I love these little moments when the kids surprise me by doing something that I didn’t think they had it in them to do.  Taking risks and pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone is what gives them that sense of accomplishments and a sense of life.  Experiencing the kids’ “Firsts” with them is what I love about spending quality time with them . . . I need to continue to remind myself of letting go of everything else and being all in with them . . . being, as one of my friend’s said, present . . . not just physically, but more importantly mentally . . . tuned into them and the moment. 

A great family day!

Driving Arggg??? Well . . .

One of the things that I was dreading about this trip was the long drives with the kids . . . when really I should of never doubted Michelle and her preparedness.  We have played Travel Bingo, grooving to Michael Mitchell Songs, Coin Bingo, tried Cat’s Tail, movies, little presents, treats, and a Thinking Outside the Box challenge.  Yes, you heard me right a Thinking Outside the Box challenge in our truck . . . Really Michelle?  A Thinking outside the box challenge???   Anyways, once again I was doubtful, but Michelle pulled it off.  The challenge was to build the tallest structure using post-it notes on (of course) their clipboards.  Kids focused, quiet, and thinking . . . perfect.  I was impressed with their thinking and their structures.

Josh went with the solid base and then tried to stack them as high as he could.

Emma's was quite the elaborate one story house that collapsed.
I think she had the most rooms built in her structure.

Jamie went with the four walled structure with a wispy roof.

Michelle crowned herself as the unofficial winner of the Thinking Outside The Box Challenge.
Apparently I was  too late of an entry since I was driving.

I can't wait to see what Michelle will pull out of her bag of tricks next.

Trail Riding and A Day at Lake Annette

Today we decided to drive back into Jasper and go trail riding and spend the day at the lake.  Although it took us some time to actually find the trailhead, once we did, it was a great ride.  I was very proud of Josh, who made the ride into a game as he raced Emma and I through the trails commentating on their every move.  Obviously Josh could of whipped past Emma at any time, but he allowed her to pass him multiple times throughout our ride (what a great big brother!)  Emma did a great job riding most of the way by her self as I helped her up the hills and through some of the more difficult terrain.  She was adamant that I was not her tow truck, but her teammate on Team Butterfly, as she loved seeing the butterflies follow her around as she rode.  Jamie was at the head of the pack leading the way and Josh was our trusty map-reader keeping us on track.  About an hour later we re-emerged at the trailhead that we started at.  A tiring ride by the end, but everyone felt a sense of accomplishment and was happy that we went biking today.  What better way to end off a hot bike ride through the trails, but a nice dip in the lake. 

A few missed turns, but a great adventure by all.

Bikes on the bike rack, beach stuff unloaded, and pack mules Rick and Michelle loaded up to make the trek down to the lake.  Sand toys, inflatables, electric air pump, sports equipment, mini-kayak, beach blanket, chairs . . . did we forget anything? . . . yes, the kitchen sink!!  (I am sure Papa has a spare one that we could of taken in the trailer somewhere).  If I wasn’t sweating bad enough from the bike ride, I was definitely feeling the heat now . . . I think I was officially that guy, you know the overly sweaty guy with pit stains and the growing back sweat.  Lets just say that I couldn’t wait to unload and hit the water to cool off.  I must admit that the water was pretty cool, but compared to the Athabasca River . . . this was like a natural hot spring.  The kids had a blast paddling Jamie’s new kayak around and testing their balance trying to stand up on it like it was a paddleboard.  The kids spent most of their time in the water today, even Emma said, “this water is better than last time”.  

Emma loved being pulled around the lake.  She did a great job paddling her dad as well.

Unfortunately, our time was winding down and we needed to head back before the “Crazies” come out of our children.  One thing about our kids is that when they get overly hungry they start to lose it . . . they are like Bruce Banner, you know the mild mannered physicist who would transform himself into the HULK!  I know I am a geek.  So off we went packing up our stuff and headed down the highway back to our camp.  You know you have had a good day when two of the kids are sound asleep in the back of the truck 10 minutes into the drive.  In my opinion, I would rather have them sleeping than getting on each other’s nerves all the way back . . . because then I think Michelle or I would turn into the HULK and RAGE!!

"Get me out of here!" - Jasper, Alberta

Our day started out pretty slow as we hung around the RV park playing lacrosse and of course Boom Ball.  Grammy and Jamie walked around the campsite looking and recording all of the different license plates that he could see.  His list consisted of plates from Colorado, Northwest Territories, New Brunswick, Florida, and Nova Scotia to name a few.  Jamie diligently wrote them all down on his little clipboard that teacher Michelle brought with us on our trip (silly me, who leaves home without their pack of clipboards for the kids on a trip like this??). 

“Get me out of here!  Get me out of here!” Emma shouted as she took a plunge into the Athabasca River.  

*                      *                      *

Lets go back about two hours in time .  .  . as we packed up our swimsuits and headed back to Jasper to go on a river raft adventure through Sundog Tours, we realized that we would be cutting it close to making the meeting time at the local parking lot to meet our guides.  Now Michelle had calculated very carefully (of course) the time in which it would take for us to get to the meeting area, however, trying to get seven people ready after a lazy morning meant that we were running a little late.  “I knew we should of left at 11:45!” which is what Michelle repeated as we drove.  I must admit we were a little late, but we could not foresee the possible slow downs in traffic as we drove the 40 minutes.  At one point the traffic slowed down to a crawl as there were about six mountain sheep hanging out by the highway so every passer byer wanted to have their looksie and snap a pic.  Once traffic started to move again, we were once again slowed down by Mother Nature . . . this time about ten deer decided to wander across the highway at their own speed of course.  It was almost as if they knew we were late as they sauntered across saying to themselves, “I know you are late, but look at me, yes look at me!” 

I know we should slow down and take advantage of the sights we see, but in this case we were hoping that they were still around when we drove back.

An elk that was ignoring all of the people taking its picture.  I think it was worse than a Justin Bieber sighting.  

Once we got to the Athabasca River, the kids got to put on their wetsuits, booties and lifejackets on and after a few safety lessons and paddling lessons we were off.  The kids were excited as the boys got to help paddle the boat and be at the front, while Emma sat in the middle giggling nervously away.  Michelle and I sat in the middle section of the raft, while Wayne sat behind Michelle and of course the strongest paddler of the group, Dale, was seated behind me.  Off we floated down the river, paddling through the five sets of rapids all the while Emma giggling in the middle.  Jamie’s favourite part was “when we got splashed by the big waves” and going through the rapids.  Josh loved the "rapids and the speed of the ride and the splashing of the water.  Emma’s favourite part was getting splashed by the water as well. 

Dale is all set to go.

The kids were excited to get going.  Love the plastic bag socks.

The Princess enjoying the crashing surf.

"Come on Jamie!  Put some muscle into those strokes!

"Yes, 2016 Summer Olympics here I come".

At one point in our journey, the guide told us that we could go in for a bit of a swim if we wanted to, so of course Jamie was game to go right away.  He put his paddle aside and slid into the frigid waters as he described it as “breath taking cold, it took my breath away”.  He quickly wanted out.  
Emma tried to slowly lower herself into the water, but slipped in . . . head submerged . . . the look of panic in her face as she resurfaced yelling, “Get me out of here!  Get me out of here!” . . . I was surprised to see her scrambling to get back on the raft since she is one to love swimming and love floating around for hours on end. 

"Get me out of here!  Get me out of here!"

Next it was my turn, I swung my legs over the edge and cockily dropped myself into the water submerging my head . . . instantly the bitter coldness hit me and I was gasping for air, but my lungs did not want to fill up . . . I knew right away why Emma wanted no part of this swimming experience. 

Do you see the joy in my face?  That is the look of, "Are you kidding me!"

Back on the boat, we tried to coax Josh to go in, but he said he did not want to . . . but not wanting to do something and doing something are sometimes the same thing.  As we started again, Josh decided that it would be a good idea to lean as far back as possible and try and get his head wet . . . well, lets just say that Josh tumbled in backwards, almost going under the raft if it wasn’t for Papa grabbing him, and finally being rescued by the guide.  So, although Josh did not want to go for a swim, he did anyways.

(Sorry everybody, but there is no picture of Josh in the water as I was being the concerned parent.  I think I would of taken some heat, if I grabbed my camera and told everyone to wait until I had a picture of his tumble.)  Josh was "surprised that I fell and the freezing water . . . I was scared when I almost went under the boat because I didn't want to get run over".

According to the guide, the water in the Athabasca River was ice up on the mountains 18 hours ago . . . so lets just say that it was cold!!!  Everyone had a great time and as the kids said to us on the drive back, “that was a definite do over!”

Sore Butts to Hinton

Today was one of our longer travel days as we went from Cache Creek to Hinton, Alberta, which was about a 6 ½ hour drive.  

The kids did great in the truck, however, Jamie did sum up the trip by saying, “my butt hurts!” . . . leave it to Jamie to say bluntly what we were all feeling (any excuse to say butt and he is all over it).  We made a quick stop in the township of Jasper and wandered in and out of a few of the shops.  A very neat little town, but I am not sure how anyone stays in business.  You have your local eateries and then you have a slough of souvenir shops that line the streets.  Yes, it was busy and their were a lot of tourists, but come on . . . really?  It seems like the only thing that changes as you wander through every souvenir store is the person sitting behind the desk . . . I mean, really, how many Jasper, Canada keychain variations can there be?  How does anyone stay in business when everyone sells the same stuff?  I know, I’ve got an original idea . . . I am going to open up . . . a souvenir shop next to the other ten . . . seriously?  Unless it is the same owner of all of the shops, I don’t get it.  Anyways, we continued along and hopped into an ice cream shop and bought some jumbo freezies to keep us going.  We got back into the truck and made the last 40 minutes of our journey to the Hinton KOA where Papa and Grammy were awaiting us.

After dinner, we heard that you could fish off the bridge in the little creek, so off we went as a family.  We were very lucky this time because we lost a hook, caught multiple weeds and branches, and got bit by a few mosquitoes.  Ahhh another great day fishing!  Sorry Jamie, but no luck this time.

Cache Creek

We started our summer vacation off again up in Whistler as Josh had a hockey tournament there.  We had a great time as we spent most of our time with one of his friend's family going to the skateboard park, rainbow beach, and hanging out at the pool.  Josh played really well as he was named the player of the game against the team that ended up winning the tournament.  A proud moment for his dad and his mom.  I think the highlight for me was fulfilling one of my bucket list items for the summer, which was to try Poutine for the first time . . . I know, I know . . . me a "Fry" guy and to have never tried poutine before is quite shameful!  So one evening we stopped into Boom Burger in The Village and I ordered a family size poutine box for the family.  Truthfully, I am not sure if it was good poutine or average poutine, but I must admit that I thought it was quite tasty.  Perhaps I will need to try poutine again so that I can compare the two samples.

"Step away from the poutine kids, Daddy gets the first mouthful"

Our road trip continued from Whistler as we meandered along the highway to Cache Creek.  Lets just say that the winding highway from Whistler to about Lytton almost did our kids in as we tried to get them to focus on anything but their turning stomachs.  Luckily for all of us, we made it into Brookside Campground with no incident.  We did have one casualty however as Michelle told Emma to not fall asleep as we were getting closer to our destination.  About ten minutes later I glanced back in my rearview mirror to see Emma wearing her sunglasses, hoping that we would not notice that she had fallen asleep. Smart, creative little bugger!  The boys were excited to see their Papa and Grammy waiting up for us as we rolled into the RV park.

We spent the morning hanging out at the trailer playing Boom Ball, frisbee, and bocce.  After a quick lunch, we headed out to The Historic Hat Creek Ranch, which was established in the 1870's.  It reminded me of a mini-Barkerville, with its old heritage buildings, Barnard Express Coach ride, and panning for gold.

Learning about the ways of the Shuswap People.

Gun Slinger Jamie

The kids loved the panning for gold activity, as they picked out their gold (iron pyrite) and collection of interesting rocks that they found.  I loved how the kids kept referencing the TV show, Yukon Gold as they panned their pay dirt.  Some of the things they said were,  "An ounce an hour is our goal.  How much is an ounce?" and "Lets just keep sluicing for gold".  I guess they do learn some things from the old tube.

Striking it rich! 

Keep sluicing Josh! 

I think the boys could of stayed here until they made their millions!

One of the things that Josh was able to cross of his Summer Bucket List was to try his hand at the game horseshoes.  He did really well for the first time.  After three hours we were finally done, I think I was done about an hour before that as I was melting in the summer heat.  Back to the RV park for a quick swim in the pool to cool off and refresh ourselves before dinner.
Tomorrow, we have a long travel day as we are heading to Jasper for our next stop on our journey.  Hopefully the highways will be more kind to our kids as we travel.