Camping, Camping, and More Camping!

That's been our summer weekends... and we're loving it!! I think camping is such a great family activity and I'm glad our kids enjoy it too! I grew up in a big "camping family" (both immediate and extended), so I'm thankful we have our trailer and take our own children on mini-vacations and travel around Alberta. We've had a great July (can't believe it's almost over!) camping and enjoying the summer weather (in between the rain storms)!

July 9-11 - We were supposed to camp with Strathmore Friends, the Koppel Family, but Mark had to work, so we decided on a whim to cancel our reservations and go to Strathmore for the weekend. It was SO great to be back in our old "home". I always love visiting Strathmore and catching up with great friends who I miss dearly. Colby had so much fun playing with Matthew (6) and Cameron (4)... he always loves playing with older kids and was quite attached to Matthew! We went to the Calgary Zoo and also visited good friends, the Plett Family. I really do miss our Strathmore friends and think about moving back (occasionally!)... if I could only find a job!! Not such a great scenario in GHSD right now! Thank goodness life is established here to keep us grounded and right here in Stony Plain. :)

July 16-18 - We camped with the "Edmonton Cameron's" and two other families at Miquelon Lake. It was a really nice weekend (minus the wind) and all of the kids had fun. It was Canada Parks Day 2010 on Saturday, so there were many activities, including face painting, quilt square craft, and pond dipping. Colby always enjoys playing with Blake and they had a lot of fun the entire weekend, especially playing in all of the water and mud around the campsites! Pond dipping was a great way to spend an hour out on a dock searching for living things in the wetland. Colby was more interested in seeing how much mud he could pick up in his net, but also seemed intrigued by the creatures the older kids found! I really like going to Miquelon Lake... it's been recently renovated and it's a great family campground! Close to home makes it even better!! We hope to go back next year!

- July 23-25 - Ol' Macdonald's Resort in Stettler!! One of my all-time favorites since we used to go all the time when I was a child!! This is such a great place for families and was even better this year, now that Colby is a year older. Being a very short weekend (we arrived Friday night and left Sunday), it was pretty jam-packed!! The kids absolutely loved the beach and the lake. We haven't really played too much at the beaches while camping with the not-so-great weather, so I was happy to have some fun in the sun this weekend!! Colby enjoyed building sandcastles and playing in the lake and taking his dolphin (inflatable lake toy) for "walks"! :) Jenna LOVES the sand... and everything about it. She ate a lot of it!! She loved crawling in it, crawling over sand castles, even going in the very chilly lake! SO much fun!! Check-out time is 11:00 (which I'm not a huge fan of!!), but we were able to park in an overflow area and spend some more time there today (Sunday). So we packed a picnic lunch and headed down to the beach again this morning for some more fun before getting cleaned up and heading home at nap time. Aaaahhhh, travelling at nap time! Nice and quiet! :)

I'm excited about our next camping adventure. On Friday, we are heading to Cross Lake for the August Long weekend with friends Rob and Christa Kluz. Then we're coming home on Monday for a couple of hours to re-pack, etc. before heading to Jasper. We will be in Jasper from Monday until Friday. I'm excited to explore the town as a family and do lots of activities together. On Friday, we're going to Crimson Lake (by Rocky Mountain House) for the weekend before heading home on Sunday. We're both really looking forward to getting away as a family on this year's little summer vacation!

Have a great week... and enjoy the sun!
Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna

Dear Colby...

My little Colby...

Where do I begin? You are such a funny, smart, and handsome little man who I'm proud to call my son! While I still can't believe that you're 2 1/2 years old already (I know...where did the time go?!) I have had so much fun watching you grow, explore, and learn. I absolutely love playing with you and having some very interesting conversations with you... you're one smart cookie! :) You come up with the funniest sayings sometimes!! Thank you for being such an amazing big brother to Jenna. It often brings me to tears watching you play and interact with her, giving her hugs, kisses, and snuggles, and telling people that she's your "baby sister". You will go far in life, no matter what you decide to do. (I think you might be a bit stubborn like your mom too... so I know you'll persevere and get whatever you desire out of life!!) I look forward to watching you continue to grow and learn about your world and having fun all along the way! Thank you for bringing so much joy and love to our lives!!

Love and hugs,
Mommy
xoxo

Dear Jenna...

My dearest Jenna...

I often ask myself, "Why does time need to pass so quickly?" I truly believe time goes by quicker when you have children and even more so with your second baby. You were so close to crawling for so long (lots of creeping around on your tummy for a couple of months!) and are now unstoppable with your crawling! First it was crawling, now it's taking a few steps behind a walker toy, and climbing two stairs on your own!! You're growing up way too quickly!! You've even said your first word, "Hi!" and use it in context whenever someone is talking to you. It's adorable!! While I like to see you grow and discover things, I wish you could stay our little baby girl forever! You are such a beautiful and happy little girl who brings such joy to our lives! You are loved more than you will ever know and I am so proud to have you as my daughter!!

Love and hugs,
Mommy
xoxo