The Next Miley Cyrus

Brooke on our way to Alberta -- Her favorite song! This video was to cute to leave out! Enjoy!

The Deer Farm

This is the kids at Uncle Georges Deer Farm in McGrath, Alberta. He has been raising deer for approx 12 years and the kids and myself thought that it was so neat! We were not allowed to pet them as they are sold to hunting camps so they need to be kept wild and not tame! Some of them were brave enough to come closer than others . We were so excited none of us had seen so many deer so close up! My favorite part was the noise that the deer made as there warning call. It sounded as if they we breathing out like a puff of air! You may hear it in the videos.

More Family

Auntie Marianne and Uncle Rick -Tonia and Michelle's mom and dad!

Baby Ethan

(LEFT) Michelle - (Tonia's sister)
(RIGHT) Ethan Michelle's son!

Family

(LEFT)

Tonia -- Mother of Braydon,
David and Richard!
(RIGHT)
Soren Tonia's Husband!

David,Richard,Braydon-- Tonia and Sorens

Boys

The days are slowly creeping up towards our final step of getting to Fort McMurray! Friday we arrived in Calgary which was not that exciting except for the adrenaline and heart flutters I got from all the crazy drivers! I am just a small town girl and let me just say that Calgary makes driving through Toronto at rush hour look like child play! I have never seen so many people and aggressive driving! Here in Calgary we are visiting Tonia and Soren and there kids and two doors down is Auntie Marianne! The kids are having a blast! Auntie Marianne runs a day home so there is tons of toys to play with and the fact that all the cousins and their friends are around make being here quite enjoyable to the kids! We have not really done to much this weekend the kids have been having fun just hanging out! I think they are now officially 7/11 slushie addicts! EVERYDAY slushies! Apparently out here it is a right of passage!LOL Tonia is 31 and she has one everyday just to get her fix! It is quite funny actually! Today our events consist of a place called The Leisure Center! The wave pool is suppose to be amazing! So this evening I will be sure to post some pics! I on a personal note am getting quite excited! I have loved visiting and getting to know our family all over again but tomorrow at 9:00 am Dave,myself and our children will officially be on our way to our new home! I will enjoy today to its fullest and then we are off! When I get there a whole new adventure starts. The kids will be starting school one week later. Here in Alberta the school kids started on the 27th of August. They kids were quite happy we were not settled yet! Except Brooke who is just excited because she gets to go to grade one as here in Alberta they have no kindergarten just preschool and school,as well as most parents do not even start their kids until the age of six! So Brooke thinks she is the smartest five year old around! We always thought that however her knowing that becomes quite difficult when it comes to telling her something! All those that truly know what Brooke is like understand our pain! LOL

Sorry for the delay on getting this up to date but I am doing it now! This week has been quite exciting and full of adventure! Tired everyday but well worth it! Saturday was packed full after lunch the fun began! Here in Alberta they have what they call Whoop Up Days! The have so many activities that it would take to long to mention everything! But some of the things we were lucky enough to enjoy! It was 28 Celsius sun was shining and just a very slight little breeze it was a beautiful day to take the kids to the fair! Although very expensive the kids got to enjoy some new experiences and got a taste of a new culture! They were in awe of how large this exhibition really was! They had never seen so many rides and attractions. I think their favorite part was the very large snow cones that they got! None of them could believe how large they really were! Of course they girls could not finish theirs but leave it to Seth to come through! The kids had a blast. The excitement that was consuming them was barely controllable but as usual they were wonderful! The experiences that they have had in the short time they have been here is something they will carry in their hearts and minds forever as a mom that is a really comforting feeling!

Swimming Fun

After all the fun at the exhibition and all the fun at Pizza Hut off to the wave pool we went! Brooke was quite taken by her new cousins they giggled from their toes most of the day! Exhaustion was not something the kids were willing to admit! Between the two water slides and the wave pool there was no stopping them! Sienna was quite taken with Soren her new cousin that is married to Tonia! He was having a blast playing with the kids. I am not sure who was having more fun the little ones or the big ones! The wave pool was just around the corner so with all the activities we lucked out and it did not require a lot of driving. The less driving for the next little while the better! LOL!

Grandpa's Little Town

Grandpa Schwarz made each and everyone of them and there is many more! If it was in a town in 1940 he made it! The kids think it is the best thing going they put their toys in jail,they go to get their 25 cent hair cut and of course they use the men's and woman's side by side outhouse!

Today has been filled with lots of activities! It is amazing to me how much you can actually pack into a day! The day started out as each one does everyone having breakfast together. Thee kids as well as myself really seem to like to conversation and together time we get! I have a new respect and admiration for our grand parents! Grandpa made this amazing little town out of wood! He has the general store,a jail,his and her out houses etc ... everything you would find in a little town years ago! He did an amazing job! I will post a pic of it tomorrow when I get the pics of my memory card at Walmart! Anywho back to our day! After breakfast grandma and I took the kids to a very quaint little park with loads of bike trails and the kids went roller blading! Of course Baby (Grandma and Grandpa's Pomeranian) went along with us! The kid were quite tired out when we returned! After a quick drink it was off to shop. I the great brave driver made Grandma come with us as I get lost going around the corner! We made it Walmart where I got some pictures done and the kids went around with Grandma! As we go through the check out I always opt to go through self check out but Grandma apparently does not because she was hitting buttons and ending needing help to do self check out because everything is in french! It was quite cute! Long story she ended up putting money in and could not figure out if she paid or not! She is really sweet! After our walmart giggle we went onto the dollar store across town to get packaging to send out our boxes to Ontario ladies! Driving not so fun in Lethbridge, who the heck decided four lane traffic was a good idea anyway! So fighting through idiots driving to Grandmas house we go where the kids again went back to the backyard to play with the little town again! Surprisingly enough this is more like a very relaxing wonderful family vacation than a move! Lesson for the day is CHILL OUT AND LOOK AND ENJOY PEOPLE and your surrounding you never know when you will get a chance to enjoy them again.

So Dave left for Calgary to catch his flight back to work! I thought that it was going to be hard being in a strange town but thankfully grandma and grandpa Schwarz have made the transition quite easy! Dave left at 3 pm our time (that 5 pm for you Ontario folk) and after dinner I decide to get brave and take kids to a place called the movie mill! Basically it is a theater but the cost is only $4.00 per adult and $3.00 for kids under 12. We chose Night at the Museum 2! Long story short it was horrible the screen had lines through it and the kids were getting a headache watching it so after about 40 mins the kids wanted to leave! Leaving was cool with me but as we left I then realized that I did not know how to get back to grandma`s house! I took a few wrong turns ended up at a dead end road but luckily enough I had my trusted GPS the kids! They guided me home. Red face and all it goes to show you that kids actually do pay attention! LOL!

I though I Saw A Gopher

Ok so without Internet it is hard to keep up on a blog. So in the best interest of me spending two hours typing I have decided to just do the pictures you will get the point! To start this is a gopher and they are EVERYWHERE literally there are more of these than bugs! They kids think they are amazing however apparently the farmers hire people to shot them as they make holes all over the fields and the live stock fall in them and break their legs! Cute yes but.............

Fossil Check

This was a really cute little town that we stopped at that had rocks and fossils. It was such a beautiful little shop! Thank heavens for needing to pee or we would have never found it! All the kids got to chose some rocks and we pick up some really neat ones for a very special little woman in Marmora who collects them and we miss very much!

Swinging Bridge

Swinging bridge! The kids got a kick out swinging it while I was trying to take their pictures! I kept falling over my feet they were giggling from their toes they thought it was so funny! Not so much for mom though!

Beautiful Scenery

Some beautiful scenery on the way! Manitoba I think!

Seth and Frosty

Seth not feeling so well! Which was pretty normal!





Our fishing snowman! Just before we left Ontario!



Potty Break

This is one of potty breaks at one of the much appreciated rest stops before we left Ontario!

Interesting Fun

 



The kids at a Trading Post we stopped at before we left Ontario.





The first night we stay in a hotel in Cochrane and when we came out to get ready to go this helicopter was approx 500 feet away. It was really neat watching the guy go up the rope as well and them maneuvering around



 

This is Brooke doing what Brooke does best BEING A SUPERSTAR!

Checking Out Brandon!

The kids got a chance to check out Brandon although there was not much to see! I think the kids thought it was quite cool to be in the town where their dad grew up! We have made good time. We decided to pick up a souvenir for the kids but even that turned into a challenge! The kids got to investigate a little and seemed quite content with being there! They had a lot of questions about their dad and unfortunately I did not have many answers! All I could say was daddy can fill you in when you talk to him! I don't think that helped them out much! So after about half an hour we were on or way!

Time To See Where Dad Is From!

We just left Winnipeg time check is 4:33pm we decided to drive through to Brandon before it gets dark so the kids can get a chance to see where their dad came from! They seem quite excited! Full bellies and well rested on we go! They kids as well as myself wish now that there were some trees! We are quite taken back by the fact that there is NOTHING but flat land and grass! All that complaining and now we miss them! Maybe with all this open land we will get a chance to see more wildlife!

Moose Are Real -- Seth Said

SETH SAW A MOOSE! So the game continues! The girls missed out as they were sleeping! We officially got into Manitoba at 2:16pm Hooray the biggest chunk of the trip is now over! They kids were not thrilled at all just another place with trees and rocks to them! They are so cute! I on the other hand was quite excited only to realize there was nothing at all to see! We just stayed on the same hwy and welcome to Manitoba sign! Dave keeps chuckling to himself because I got so worked up and then NOTHING! I had to pay $12.50 for 4 ice creams just to use the bathroom Crazy I say! We are about an hour from Winnipeg where we will be able to get out and have a late lunch and run around a bit! Seth and Sienna are quite excited to be in Manitoba as this is where there dad was born! Brandon Manitoba is where he was born! I wish I had more specifics for them like his old house and stuff but they seemed thrilled anyway! So far lesson for the day is "Go potty before Manitoba it costs to much to pee"

Shopping Break

So now it is 12:42pm and we a minutes away from Kenora! We stopped at the really neat little place called Fort Vermillion! It is this little place that is setup like a little fort! Hence the name I guess! The kids got to check out the upper level and the playground! They got a good run in so I think that helped ease some of the tension that was happening! The kids got to get a slushy and laughed their heads off when they got their picture taken with Dave in a cutout! There were four spots for their heads and they laughed from their toes when they realized that Dave's head could not fit in the hole as it was to big! They laughed all the way to the van! It is nice to see us coming together as a family and giggle over silly things that were intended to be funny! It amazes me how little stress there is considering we are in such closed quarters! The kids started an animal game with Dave and I (although the rules change often) The game is how many animals do we see! Wild life is pretty scarce so now the kids have Incorporated statues we see in the little towns! (hence rules changing depending on what is classified as an animal) Brooke classifies the snowman and dinosaur the rest of us do not! For the rest of us 2 Black Bears everything else cool ZIP! As we drive Dave would like to add "What's with the trees growing on the rocks"

Where Did The Time Go?

Today has just begun and already it has been the best day! We got up and got ready and we left the motel at around 8:30 am we drove for about an hour and stopped at this cute little restaurant! When we got there it was 9:34 am ! We went through a time zone and never notice the kids thought it was really cool! On our way to breakfast we saw a really cute black bear walking along the side of the road in the ditch! The bear restored our faith there is life out there! The restaurant had AMAZING food! It was a little disturbing though because it was just a little town restaurant the decor was hunting. Camo chairs and curtains lots of mounted fish etc.... It was a little disturbing that they had a wall of fame which was covered with pics of animals that hunters had gotten! The kids were quite bothered by the pics of dead animals on the wall! It made for a great breakfast conversation! We just drove into Ignace we are only about 4 1/2 hours away from Winnipeg WAHOO see yah Ontario!

Welcome Sweet Alyssa

Well where do I begin today was one of the weirdest days I think! I got news that my niece had her 3rd baby early this morning! Alyssa a sweet little sister for my two nephews! What a great anniversary gift for me! I got a call later this afternoon to find out she might have spina bifida! Tests tomorrow will determine what the bumps on her spine! Prayers would be great! Seth feels much better he has been quite hyper all day but very well behaved none the less! I realized about 6 hours into the driving today 2 thing's one I have the best kids in the world and 2 I HATE trees. Yes they give us air and they are beautiful but after 8 hours of rows upon rows of trees the beauty dissipates after about 2 hours! Still no signs of any wildlife which is quite exasperating to the kids and myself but honestly I think that I whine about it most! My 3rd anniversary is today and for it Dave and I celebrated driving in a van starring at trees and more trees with a little bit of rocks just to add to the dullness of it all and for dinner Dave and the kids ate at Wendy's in Thunder Bay. We were going to have Subway but imagine that SubWay had NO bread at all at 6:00pm. Anyway I am not going to stay on to long I am typing 5 words and killing
10 misquotes Lesson for the day NEVER get a motel by the water in the middle of no where these little pests come in swarms!

We Made It, Time to Rest

Well 10:05 pm and we are FINALLY here! So as it is well over due we are all staying at a lovely little motel which we got for a great price. So long story short we made it safe and quite happy although exhausted! Sadness of missing our friends and family is still there as it will be for quite some time but the joy that I get out of being with my family as a whole is so rewarding! Good night all tomorrow is a 12 hour day!

Pit Stop!

So now it 7:42pm and we are still a ways away from Cochrane! I think at this point it might be an imaginary town! I think the kids are starting to get the point of how long it really is to get to Alberta! Seth is feeling a little better as he spent the better part of the trip sleeping! He is so desperate to see some wildlife! Dave has to keep explaining to us four children that we will see more A LOT more as we get closer to Manitoba but as you all know we are not the most patient people! OK OK mostly me! Seth has got so desperate he is now pointing out all the cows or dogs we see! It is really cute! We stopped for a quick dinner at none other than McDonalds and beside McDonalds was a really cute museum it was not open but the cow that was outside was enormous and the kids could not believe the size of it! They got to run around and burn off some much stored up energy and we took a few picks and off we went again!