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!

We are getting there SLOWLY!

So it is now 5:17 pm and we are still 3 hours away from our goal for the day! Cochrane! Tired,a little stiff but everyone seems to be holding their own! No major incidents to report so far! Seth is quite sick! I think all the excitement and stress over the last few days finally caught up with him as well as he has never been the greatest traveller in the car! Sienna passed her time mostly by watching movies and surprisingly enough Brooke has not slept at all YET! It has been a little difficult to explain to the kids and more importunately getting the kids to understand how far we actually need to go! Brooke has already asked numerous times if we are there yet! Cute yes but driving me slightly crazy! I have driven the van with the trailer for the first time ever! And no issues except the paranoia! Lots of first and many more to come make this adventure into our new lives quite exciting! Still no moose or any wild life but the kids and I keep looking quite intently! So for now as Dave and I listen to the same Simpson's show for the fifth time in the background I have felt closer already! Well I guess for now I better get back to our moose hunting! Any wild life at this point would be great I would settle for a squirrel! LOL

Here We Go on Our Adventure

Well it is now 11:15 am and we just said our see yah later's to our friends and family! Lots of tears,hugs and kisses but all the while knowing this is for the best and the adventure of a life time! Right now we are half way to Bancroft and we are stopped right now at a major accident! Looks like a bus has flipped over and there are people still inside! It is horrible!The kids are asking a lot of questions! SHOCKING! I guess the questions are better than 3 DVD players going at the same time at 3 different volume levels with 3 different movies! The sadness of moving away from all the kids and I have known is still pretty raw but the excitement of the trip is starting to kick in and so is the nausea of the trailer jerking the van! We are well on our way!

Getting Ready

So here we are our first blog entry! We are 25 days away from our big adventure and through all of the stress and chaos the kids and I could not be more thrilled! So for now there will not be a lot of blogging but so updates our our wild adventure and I am sure going to to quite exciting! So for now our motto is High Ho High Ho it's of to Alberta we go!