We were planning to head to Calgary, to visit Jon's family, this summer but because we HOPE (things still aren't 100% yet) to be building a house... we decided to re-arrange the trip to spring break. We had such a great time, and I was so glad we decided to visit in March... we got to spread out our family time a bit (it seems like it's "feast or famine" when we see both Jon and I's family! Nothing for long spells and then both sides within weeks!) and enjoy a break from the cold temps!
We flew so we could make the most of the days we had... which as you can guess, the girls were PUMPED about!
We got to the airport and only AFTER we were all the way through security and almost to our gate did we realize our plane was 3 hours behind schedule. Not such a thrilling bit of news... that's for sure! And Wpg airport isn't exactly all that entertaining!
We did find this little kids spot... which bought us some time...
... but we were all mighty glad when it was time to (finally!) board our plane and head west!
The temps in Calgary weren't exactly Palm Springs material... but were MUCH friendlier than what we've been experiencing in MB. The girls were just happy to be outside without snow pants on!
And Anderson and Larren did some positive bonding this trip... last time it was a tad rocky... so we were glad to see them start softening up towards each other, and even sharing without prompts! One small step at a time, I guess!
There were LOTS of trips to the horses, surprises in the mailbox, and several scoots on the four wheeler and tractor!
Each got to take a turn driving... while the others waved happily from the back!
And Uncle Jonathan, being the kind of guy he is, never ceased to keep things exciting! Be it driving up and over every pile of snow in the vicinity, or getting stuck (with each child!) on the four wheeler... he made the rides memorable!
And what would spring break be without dying Easter eggs?
Each of the "big kids" donned one of Grampa's old T-shirts and went to work!
The two little ones just watched on while Gramma kept the snacks a comin'!
Larren... keeping an eye on what's going on in the driveway!
And helping Gramma and Auntie in the kitchen!
(And to all my gluten free friends... we tried Glutino bread for the first time out there and it was Ah-MAZING! Udi's has nothing on it... they are hardly even comparable. We will be switching brands pronto! It was the first time we'd had an actual sandwich since August!)
We got to enjoy an Easter family get together at Jon's sisters (with her in law's too!) and it was a lot of fun!
They had an Easter egg hunt...
... followed by a family tradition, egg rolling. Though I'm not sure if that's the official name for it! We'd heard lots about it... but it was so much more fun being a part of it!
It's simple enough... start with a decorated hard boiled egg (the fancier the better!) and a whole aisle full of candy!
Roll the egg down a ramp and whatever pieces of candy your egg touches are yours! The goal of course is to aim for the big chocolate bars... and avoid no man's land!
And Jodi is definitely the one to have as the "candy passer outer!"
She's quite generous on what pieces of candy were touched and serves each handful with a cheerful smile!
Everyone had to have a turn... that was the rule! From Larren being the youngest to one of the great aunties in her 80's (90's perhaps)! It was a hoot!
And the girls just couldn't stop showing us all the candy they'd collected! They were pleased as could be!
Well, all except for one little lady. This is her "Really Mom? You made me take a nap while all the candy was being passed out" look! But with enough fruit salad, her frown got turned upside down in no time! Especially when the gluten free cookies (topped with frosting and sprinkles!) came out!
And... the most exciting part?!?! We got to be there to celebrate our nephew's first birthday!!!
With the distance we haven't been able to be there for a birthday yet and we were SO glad to be there for the special day!
I didn't get any pictures of the Telus science museum with my camera... but we had a BLAST spending the day there! If you're in the Calgary area it's worth the stop, that's for sure! We were there for the ENTIRE day... and not one child got bored. Even Caidrie didn't think twice about missing her nap. But we weren't even out of the parking lot before she was conked out in her car seat! We definitely had some "bed ready" kids that night!
We ate lots, did our fair share of card playing, and most importantly... deepened connections.
It was a great week and we look forward to seeing my mom in Minneapolis this weekend, and Jon's sister and brother in law (and their boys) here in Manitoba next week. See, what did I tell you? It's a feast or famine... but either way, we'll TAKE IT!
