Thanksgiving in Jasper

We've been thinking about making a trip to Jasper (the closest mountains to Edmonton) and decided that Thanksgiving Weekend might be a nice time to finally go.  One of Wade's coworkers recommended the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and when we started to look into it they had several activities planned for the weekend so it seemed like it would be a fun place to stay.  It was a beautiful place and we had a great time.

Saturday we picked pumpkins from the "pumpkin patch", carved pumpkins, did a scavenger hunt, and checked out the town of Jasper and ate dinner there. 

Sunday we rented a pedal boat and went out on the lake for a little bit (Ethan complained and didn't seem to enjoy it at all but 5 minutes afterwards he said "That was a fun boat ride"), Craftsgiving, took a guided wildlife walk (and saw some Elk), and ate a Thanksgiving Buffet dinner (Ethan really enjoyed the live band and danced in his chair the entire meal). 

Monday we checked out and then went to do a little exploring before heading home.  Ethan had two requests to start out the day...throw snowballs and pee on a mountain (he remembered doing this in South Dakota).  We took the Jasper Tramway up Whistlers Mountain and had a snowball fight at the top.  Next, we drove up to Maligne Lake and came across some big horned sheep along the way.  Ethan got to fulfill his second request and he also discovered the fun of throwing rocks into the slightly frozen lake. 

More Muttart Photos

Here's a few photos of the last two feature exhibits at the conservatory.  Ethan really enjoys running around in the pyramids and its an easy little activity for us to do.  I didn't like these as much as some of the previous ones but we still enjoyed seeing them.  I'm looking forward to seeing their Christmas exhibit. 

The first exhibit was a Sword in the Stone theme.

This was a beautiful arrangement the was around a tree in the park next to the Muttart.  The colors reminded me of my wedding flowers.

The second exhibit that we saw with Grandma Carol and Grandpa Charlie was a Fortune Teller exhibit.

Grandma Carol & Grandpa Charlie Visit

The first week of October, we had more visitors - this time my parents.  It was an enjoyable week even though the weather didn't cooperate.  Monday was pretty cool so we walked the West Edmonton Mall and went to the sea lion show which we've watched from the hall several times but never attended.  Another day was rainy, so we went to the Muttart Conservatory so Ethan could show Grandma Carol all the flowers.  The weather did clear off by the end of the week so we showed them one of Ethan's favorite places, Jurassic Forest.  On Saturday, we showed them our favorite farmer's market, rode the High Level Bridge (who knew it would have been so hard to get the 3 of them to look at the camera at the same time), and also went to a place we hadn't been to yet the Alberta Legistlature Building.  It was an amazing building even though the top is under renovations (and has been the entire year).

 

Twin Brooks

This summer, we have really enjoyed our neighborhood, Twin Brooks.  The neighbohood is full of sidewalks, walking trails, and a pond perfect for Ethan to ride his bike or for us just to go for a walk.  There is also a playground, although it is a little further walk so we don't walk there as often.

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.