Relief at Lake Louise

The day started out grey and rainy. It was a blessing. After the last two days of 35C weather it was nice not to be hot and sweaty. It was just a short hop day, Banff to Lake Louise because the day before would have been rushed to see anything.  After packing up the parking lot camp we headed back to Banff to see things. 

Evander helps by blowing bubbles in the washing water. 

We found the visitor information centre so we grabbed the pamphlets we wanted and then followed the signs to the walking paths. There are lots of walking paths right in Banff. We did the fairway trail. Rob stayed back because Evander had just fallen asleep and he really needed the nap. 

Pretty and the mosquitoes weren't that bad, you just had to keep moving. Rob and Evander met us just as we were finishing the path and then we went back to the campers to make lunch. Banff is really set up for tourists. They had 12 hours RV parking and a handout to show RV parking, and lots of public bathrooms. (I know,I'm old). 

We moved kids into different vehicles after lunch and started to Lake Louise. It is about 20 minutes away. 

We got to the campsite just after 2:00 when it opened so we were pretty much the first people there. Evander, Patience and Niles were content to explore for a bit and then we all got showers! I got to shower the toddler, an adventure in itself. When we got back mom had started soup so I started a dessert, stewed rhubarb and raspberry, and people disappeared. Patience was helping a lot but there were no boys to be found. 

It was good because they really needed a nap. Niles woke up in time for supper. We woke Evander up after supper, and despite repeated attempts we could not wake up Xavier. We left his supper for him and went to see Lake Louise. 

Mom says she did 22000 steps yesterday. 

When we got back Xavier had just woken up so fed him and got ready for bed. Bedtime cereal was eaten and we cleaned up because we planned an early start in the morning. Everyone went to bed easily. 

Dinosaur Roar and Paved Paradise

Day 2:

Since we had made the effort to get to Drumheller we needed to do Drumheller things so we packed up our stuff and headed to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the dinosaur museum. 

Really for a family of six it is not too expensive. Now a museum, especially a very scientific museum, with a lot of writing is not always super fun for a toddler. No fault of the museum. I blame toddlers. Why don't they have a longer attention span?  Why can't they read?  

Fortunately the Royal Tyrrell Museum is super well done. There are some interactive exhibits and the giant bug things are creepy. Patience liked the time

tunnel and Niles liked watching the world change through time. Xavier is fourteen and so has no opinion at this time. Evander really liked the dinosaurs. We would walk along and I would hear, "Where the saur? Oh! There he is!", over and over again. 

After we saw mostly everything we headed out to the walking paths. We agreed that because it was 35C outside we would not do the entire loop. The last time I had been there it was with Joyce and we didn't do the loop either but it was so cold and windy that day instead. 

I have a picture of Xavier and Niles on the same slope from the last trip. They are a little older this time. 

This time I doubled the children. 

After lunch and a quick change up of the car seats, the air flow in our van is terrible making the children sweat to death, we headed out to Banff to camp.  I didn't take pictures. It is like camping in a parking lot that I had to pay for. It was alright but I will remember to skip it the next time. On the positive side the pop-up canopy that mom got is working great. 

I did take a picture of scenery. 

 

Our Alaska Adventure

WIWe started thinking about this trip one year ago when Rob reminded me that our fifteen anniversary was coming up and we try to do something big one the five years. After a discussion with Rob we thought that a big family vacation was in order because Xavier is getting older and who knows when we would have another chance to do this. Some plans were made. I took a part time position at work so I could be ensured a long stretch of time off and we started acquiring campers. We finally decided on a Boler. Early on we invited my parents to come too because when travelling with a number of children more grownups are helpful. This also meant we would be travelling in a Boler convoy (all two of us). We didn't make many plans beyond that because we didn't know how well the toddler would travel. So this is the account of our Alaska adventure. 

Day 1 

We began with a bang, quickly packing up everything that was left and heading out to Drumheller. Following Google maps we headed out. It was a lovely drive, quiet, with little traffic. Great, except where were the gas stations? No gas stations.... Nope.  None at all. We started looking when we were on a third of a tank. Kept looking at a quarter tank and as we were pulling into the valley near Drumheller mom texts me, "our low fuel light just came on".  At that moment I was looking at our low fuel light so I knew how they were feeling. But there were  no gas stations so we just kept going, and going. Somewhere in there we turned off the air conditioner to increase fuel mileage. It was 35C by our thermometer but we just needed to get somewhere that had gas. Finally we drove into a town called Rosedale  Pretty sounding and at that time the van was starting to audible alarms about low fuel so when we saw an open store I hopped out and stopped to ask if there was any place nearby. 

Nope. We had to get to Drumheller, only seven kilometres away. (Side note, if we wanted there to be a gas station in Rosedale we would have to travel there more than in the summer. I made polite noises to that comment). As a bonus I bought ice cream cones because it was almost 7:00 and everything is better with ice cream. 

In the end we made it to Drumheller and found the Co-op. Boy were we excited. So excited that each van bought a large jerrycan and filled it. When we worked it out each vehicle had just over a litre of fuel remaining. Small excitement for the day. Then we went back to Rosedale to the campground we were going to, Pinters Campground. A small, rustic campground with lots of running around room for Evander and hills for Xavier,Niles and Patience. 

The kids started asking to climb the hill before supper but we made them eat first, and clean up. 

We made it to the top but Nancy waited on the trail. She thought it was too high. I just tried not to look down. 

The view of our campers before going up to the top. See the tiny Boler blobs. 

Then we went down and tried to put the small children to bed. That is the first day, in a nutshell. 

And Evander makes six

So we have been a little busy lately. On top of regular summer busyness and back to school busyness we also had a crazy baby August. Within our church family we were blessed with six babies in 21 days and all in August. Three of them were in two days ( and a set of twin girls to start out the baby excitement ). We managed to split the baby count evenly between boys and girls. 

In our family  we welcomed Evander Gordon Gerald Waddell on August 10 at 1:25pm. He weighed in at a hefty 8lb 12 oz and bald like his uncle Roy.Conviently enough born on his Grandma Waddell's birthday (so we have no reason to forget) and a bonus for us all. 

 We had planned on taking the big kids to the Exhibition (the fair) that day, and had purchased ride passes and everything so of course we had a baby. It all worked out. We were able to get Aunt Jay to take the boys and Patience went too with Great Aunt Glenda. While the kids were excited about the new baby they were equally excited to tell us about all the rides they had gone on that day. 

We were home quickly and tried to settle in to the new routine of having a baby. 

I went back to school shopping when Evander was two days old because that was when the sales were on and we all know that shopping not on sale is crazy. School supply shopping is a necessary evil and thankfully Staples makes it easy. In and out 30 minutes for three kids. Poor Niles has to put up with my whining but we all survived and won't have to do it again until next year. I got many comments about "how can you do that with such a small baby?" But some things just need to get done and we are not blessed with a order and ship place so you just get out and do it. 

We finished off the paddling pool season and hopefully it will be open longer this coming summer. It is so nice to be able to go out to play somewhere so close to our house. The kids go everyday so they get to know the leaders very well. 

(Waiting for the pool to open) 

That should be enough for now. 

A family picture

It has been a while. Right now I am sitting at the pool ignoring Patience while she is at swimming lessons. I think it is the only way we are both going to survive this occasion. I can't watch. She is an opinionated five year old. I am fairly certain that we will be doing this level again because to pass you would have to do any of the skills that they ask you to show. So far not a problem with that. 

Xavier finished grade 6 and will be starting grade 7 in the fall. He grows weary of school so I am hoping that in the higher grades he finds something that interests him and keeps school tolerable. If not it will be a long five years. 

Niles has finished grade 4 and is eagerly looking towards next year when he can be in band. Trombone. (Although we were out of town on instrument testing day so the teacher says baritone. I think he can do it). He wants trombone because he can be annoying. Isn't that great? 

This is our family picture from the Taylor family reunion. Everyone is looking. Mostly. That is all I can ask for. 

Right now Patience is sitting on the edge of the pool not doing what the teacher is asking. I am still ignoring her. Yep this is going to be a redo. We might take another long break.