I also got to go on a really fun mommy day out! Lena has been introducing me to a bunch of her other friends and they all decided to go on a hike one day in Waterton. I love hiking and take any opportunities I can to go with girls since Jeff's knee isn't the best so he doesn't love hiking with me. So I found a babysitter and went to Waterton. We first had to take a boat to get to the trailhead and Jessica Spackman's family let us use one of their friend's boats. We could've taken a ferry, but the timing didn't work out so we got our own little private ride instead. Then we hiked Crypt trail. I was a little nervous about this because I had seen some pictures of a tiny path and a cliff on one side. Luckily it wasn't near as bad as the picture made it look! This trail also had waterfalls, a ladder, cave, and some ropes to hold on to in one section because it was a little dangerous. It wasn't too scary though and I ended up loving this trail! We kept a really good pace and then when we got to the top we jumped into the lake. It was absolutely freezing! We're talking glacier water. I jumped in twice, just for pictures, and then we all changed wherever we could find a spot and then headed back. It was about 6 hours of hiking and then swimming, eating and driving made for a full day of fun! I loved it.
I also went out for Laura's birthday. We did the Luge at COP, which was so fun, and also nice to meet some people I hadn't met before! I want to go back next year with the kids. We went down 4 times and we had such a big group it was so fun! Then we headed to Cactus Club for some food. Glad I'm not the only one who is obsessed with their butternut squash ravioli. So good!
Having no more plans for the rest of the summer was fun, but also a little daunting. I go a little bit crazy when I don't have plans (especially for the kids), so I made as many plans with friends as I could! One thing the kids seemed to love the most this year was the corn maze. We went a few times, once with Jeff, and a couple times with friends. We always had coupons, so I never did get a membership, but I wish I had because there is so much for the kids to do here and they seemed to just love it every time. The animals are always fun and it was so cute watching Leo pet goats for the first time. He was nervous to touch them, and would barely touch it and then step away laughing. It was pretty adorable! Deacon has always been my animal lover so he's in heaven whenever there are animals around. When we went with friends, the kids all decided to pick up the goats. Deacon had no problem picking them up, but Bentley normally wouldn't dare. The peer pressure got to her though, and I was amazed to see her pick one up for the picture! So funny. Then there's the fun slides, jumping pillows, train rides, and so much more!
I should also add in here that Leo learned to walk!!!! At 16.5 months, he finally decided it was time. So these pictures are some of his first outings with shoes and actually being able to walk around. It's funny how quickly you forget what it was like when they couldn't walk! Once Leo caught on, it was no time before he was running. I was pretty happy about this milestone, though, because he was getting very heavy to carry!
Sarah came to visit and I was so excited to see her! We went out one evening just the two of us to Starbelly for dinner, followed by playing games and watching Bachelorette together. We also got the kids together at a splash park to play and that was a lot of fun too. Of course they don't know each other that well, but Bentley remembered Parker and they had fun playing together. It was so fun to catch up and have my best friend back for a couple days. I've really missed that! Our friendship is the kind that is exactly the same when we get together, even if we've been apart for a year or more. Maybe one day she'll move back forever!! While I have lots of friends here, I still miss that feeling of a "best" friend.
Bike rides around our house or somewhere in Fish Creek have also been a big thing for us. Since Bentley's learned to ride her bike without training wheels she is quite fast, and Deacon is also really fast on his strider bike. I have to run Leo in the stroller to keep up. We like stopping for ice cream at Annie's and we also tried out the bike park. Bentley wasn't a fan of it, all of the bumps were a little much for her, but then realized she liked to do it on a strider bike. Deacon was obsessed, and thought all the bumps and hills were awesome!
Jeff and I had a fun date night downtown trying out the River Cafe (the restaurant on Prince's Island). We explored downtown a little as well, which I always find so beautiful and fun. Here we are on the famous, incredibly expensive bridge.
We went to the Saskatoon Farm one weekend and the kids absolutely loved picking Saskatoon berries. The McNaughton's also came so they had some friends to play with as well. We picked a bucket full and then explored the place. It's so fun there! When we got home we made scones with our berries, and later we made 2 pies. My first attempt at making pie ever and it was delicious! I'm sure we will be back again next year for more berries, and the picking makes it so fun for the kids.
We went to Calaway Park 2 different times and the kids were thrilled! One time was with Jeff and Scott and Kellie and kids, and another I went with some friends (Lena, Breanne and Britney). It gets very busy there and lines can sometimes be long, but we still always had such a good time. Deacon was really brave, and even went on this big drop ride where he looked so tiny! He smiled and laughed the whole way through, I couldn't believe it. Bentley was her usual cautious self, but was brave and went on a ride or two that were out of her comfort zone and really liked it. Leo did great in the stroller as long as I brought enough food! I even went on some rides, and the moms switched off baby watching and it was a blast!
Towards the end of the summer I saw this big slide/pool on Amazon and thought about how much the kids would love it! We were having our annual BBQ pretty soon where Jeff smokes brisket and we invite a bunch of friends over, so I convinced Jeff this would be a great addition. We went back and forth with this because it wasn't cheap, but eventually decided to go for it! It showed up on our doorstep 2 days later! The kids were thrilled and I don't regret buying it one bit. It has made for so many fun pool parties or just casual days in our backyard. It's been a blast!
The kids love playing outside and one day they got in in their heads that we were going to have a lemonade stand. I tried to convince them to do it another day when it wasn't so hot, because of course they picked the hottest day of the summer. Also I wanted to have some time to make it look cute and what not, but they insisted so they sat outside waiting for customers. They ended up with 2 customers and Leo as a continuous customer, but they were happy. It doesn't take much to make them happy.
Other days we went bowling, to the zoo (where we loved the butterflies the most!), found some new parks (like the Ralph Klein park), Bentley had Addie's birthday party, or stayed home and relaxed. Leo has been a handful, but so so adorable. He loved playing this game where I would put sunglasses on him and then he would walk around the island in the kitchen, and then take them off and have me put them back on. Only to do it again. Such a cute little boy!
Summer was so much fun! There is just so much to do, and I love hanging out with my kids and my friends. When September came, though, I was feeling ready to get back into more of a routine and I was excited that Bentley and Deacon would be starting school.
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