Friend's Thanksgiving

We have always enjoyed our Friend's Thanksgiving tradition and last weekend we were lucky enough to carry on the tradition with our new friends here in Canada.  We were able to borrow a smoker from one of Wade's clients so we had a smoked turkey, a fried turkey, and then we decided to also do a ham on the rotisserie.  We had a great turnout and were lucky enough to have a beautiful day because I'm not sure how we would have fit 31 people in our house.  The kids had a blast running around playing in the backyard and everyone else had fun just sitting around relaxing.  I failed at my picture taking duties once again but I did take pictures of the meat cooking before everyone arrived.

Wade requested Grandma Hansen's cheeseball so I tried to add a little Thanksgiving twist to it.

 

Preschool

It's finally that time...most schools here start after Labour Day but Ethan's preschool started a little later.  The week of Labour Day, they had an open house.  We went and meet the teachers, found Ethan's hook and mailbox and learned our way around the classroom. 

Last week was a staggered start so the kids all started in smaller groups and for a shorter time.  Ethan wasn't so sure about it and there were tears but of course he eventually calmed down and started to play.  Afterwards he told me "That wasn't so bad". 

The first day this week went better although he was still clingy.  I'm sure it will continue to get better and he will soon be ready for me just to drop him off and leave.

Another Visit to Fort Edmonton Park

We recently made it back to Fort Edmonton Park to take in what we didn't get to see on our first trip.  Although the old buildings don't seem to keep Ethan's interest much, he does seem to find plenty there that does hold his attention.  We rode the train and the carousel again but this time the streetcar and the Farris-wheel were both running.  It was the first time he had rode a Farris-wheel and I think he like it.  He had his head down but I could see his dimple the entire time so I know he was smiling.  I also heard him giggling several times on the way down.

Devonian Botanical Garden

I've been meaning to take Ethan to the check out the Devonian Botanical Garden and just haven't gotten around to it but I knew time was running out.  A few of the flowers seemed to be starting to die off for the year but we still had a good time wondering around.  Some of Ethan's favorites were the butterflies, maze, waterfalls, and bridges. 

Labour Day

Time to catch up on a few posts...

The first Monday of September is Labour Day here also (although spelled a little different).  We starteed the long weekend with a trip to check out another farmer's market in the area.  This one was in St. Albert (a suburb northwest of Edmonton) and was a very large market although much more arts and crafts vendor than we are use to seeing although that is true of all the markets we've visited here. 

On Sunday, we went to the Alberta Aviation Museum.  It's located next to the Executive Airport although the airport will be closed soon.  The Museum is a historic site so it will be able to stay but they won't have such easy access for bringing in guest planes.  I think Ethan's favorite part was the coin operated helicopter machine.

Ethan and Wade finished off the day by camping out in the backyard.  Ethan got a little cold so they gave up and came in about 3:30 but they still had lots of fun.

And to finish off the weekend, Monday we headed out to Elk Island National Park.  We attempted to build a sand castle, we went on a small hike (with an interesting bridge), and also enjoyed a picnic lunch.  Elk Island has the densest population of hoofed animals in Canada but the hikes that were best for viewing the large animals were rather long so we didn't see any.  We saw several beaver dams and I've had Ethan tell me he has seen some beaver homes while we were driving in the city so I guess it made an impression on him.