Canada!!!

It seems like this has been quite the summer of travel for Chad and I. It's really just been a huge blessing and nothing we could've or probably would have done on our own doing. A couple of months ago one of Chad's clients, who lives primarily in Canada, asked if we would be interested in going up there for a few days this summer if he paid our way. Our initial though was "of course!" that being that someone (grandma Lynne) would be able to watch Ty as we didn't really want to bring him up there with us. LOL, sorry Ty! Well Lynne agreed (THANK YOU AGAIN LYNNE!!!!) so we let Russ know. I figured he would pay our flight and we might be staying in his house or one of his rentals up there or something along those lines. Well just hours after talking and agreeing to the trip with him, we start receiving flight, hotel and rental car confirmations from him!!! Everything, and I mean, EVERYTHING, was taken care of!!! We flew up there first class (a first for both of us!!), stayed at the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary for 1 night and then headed over to the Rimrock in Banff (about an hour and a half away) for 2 nights. It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime vacation for us!! Russ even hooked Chad up with Big Jim for a day of flyfishing on the Bow River while I enjoyed the ambiance of the spaaaaaah at the hotel! The hotels were AMAZING, food was awesome, our view was breath taking, our alone time together for 4 days was indescribable - the entire thing was a huge blessing!! THANK YOU RUSS!!!! ALL WE CAN SAY IS "WOW!!!"

* on the plane and ready to go! *

* in front of the Fairmont in Calgary *
* Up on the Calgary Tower *
* SCARY! *

* From our room in Banff *
* Going for a walk - Chad was determined to see a bear - ummm no thank you *
* The view from our room - stunning *
* Chad flyfishing trip - treckin through the Bow River *
* 1 of the 5 he caught that day - not big but he was excited! *
* going up the Gondola *

* At the top *
* Going back down - that's our hotel in the middle *
* One stop at Bow Falls before leaving to the airport :( *

my little monkey water boy

Tyler has figured out how to climb up onto my bathroom counter. It's his new favorite thing to do and I caught him in the act the other day. We normally keep the bathrooms shut and locked his he used to be obsessed with the toilet (yes... there's WATER in it, haha) and turning on the bath. Well now he's figured out that if he moves the scale and uses it as a stepstool (although it's only 2 inches high) he can climb up to get on the counter, turn on the water, and play!! He loves brushing his teeth with his, mine and Chad's toothbrush and would probably be up there for hours if I let him. Only thing is he also loves to try out the soaps, lotions, makeup brushes, and anything else I have on the counter at the time... No fun for mommy!! So basically its a treat for him when mom forgets to shut and lock the bathroom door - lucky boy!

Cousins!

My Aunt Kathy, Jill and Anna came to visit for a few days in the midst of everything going on with my mom. Mostly so my Aunt Kathy could help with my Grandma, since my mom is unable to. Jill and Anna came along and it was soooooo nice to see them!!! They moved away 4 years ago and it had been waaaay too long! We spend a couple of days together over at my grandma's or out to lunch and got caught up on the happenings of life. So good to see you guys!!! Love you!

* 4 generations *

* Sister was here for a couple of days too! *

* Playing *
* Trying to get Ty to sit still and play - riiiiiiight *
* Jill & Ty *
* Ty and Anna - can't believe she's almost 8 years old! *

Little Chef

Sabrina and I went to Ikea while I was in Arizona and I fell in love with the store!! It was sooo much fun! hahaha!! While I was there, I got Tyler a small pots and pans set and spatula set. I cleaned out a drawer in our kitchen for him to keep his own kitchen stuff in and he LOVES it!! It's so cute to watch what they'll pick and mimick just from watching you. Anytime I ask him to cook mom or dad breakfast or dinner or whatever, he'll run to his drawer, pull it all out and start stirring and whipping something. Cute to watch!!!

Arizona

Sabrina drove down to the desert from AZ for a couple of days to help with Ty while my mom was in the hospital - thank you again Brie!!! Chad and I were able to go and see my mom, together, since Tyler isn't allowed in the hospital, let alone ICU. Once my mom was a little more stable, Tyler and I decided to drive back with Sabrina and visit her family over there for a couple of days. We are soooooo excited that she only lives a DRIVE away now!! It felt so weird just being able to go there pretty much as a last minute decision. Tyler had a blast with Hailey and Aubrie and it was pretty cute to watch him interact with Brooklyn, being that she's only 6 months old. He's so curious and interested in babies - not rough or eye gouging like I was somehow expecting, haha. He'd bring Brooks her pacifier if she started crying, or give her his. LOL. We had a nice couple of days visiting and we're looking forward to more frequent visits in the future since there's not an expensive and hassle of a flight involved - so excited!

Maui

We had an AMAZING family vacation with the Malestic's this summer in Kaanapali, Maui. We spent a week in a 3-bedroom condo with Lynne, Larry, Lauren, Paula (a good friend of Lynne's), Leon (our adopted grandpa), myself, Chad and Tyler. The Kahana Outrigger condo was awesome, had a beautiful view and plenty of room for all of us. As always, Lynne picked the perfect one after weeks of searching on vrbo.com :) We enjoyed relaxing on different beaches everyday (Flemmings, Makena, Blackrock, Outrigger) and spending a ton of family time in pure bliss. Tyler is OBSESSED with the water and LOVES the ocean. He enjoyed playing in the sand with Lauren and Daddy but the majority of the time he just wanted to be IN the water!! We, or should I say Lynne, even got him to nap on the beach each day we were there.

The second evening we were there Lynne surprised Chad and I with a sunset dinner cruise. It was sooo nice to be able to spend a night away by ourselves and enjoy a delicious dinner with a gorgeous sunset out on the water! Once the cruise was over and we knew Ty was already in bed back at the condo anyways we walked around Lahaina for a bit and enjoyed a yummy dessert! It was a great date night, especially since they come very few and far between when we're at home in the regular swing of things).

Lauren was a HUGE help with Tyler and it's so cute to watch them interact with each other. Tyler is in love with her and plays and follows her everywhere. Paula was also a big help with him and would take him for walks in the mornings with her in which he would usually fall alseep for his morning nap. His sleeping schedule was way off just with the time change and different schedule of activities everyday but overall I'd say he did awesome and adjusted very well!!

Throughout the week we enjoyed awesome homemade breakfasts and dinners in the condo, delicious fish at various restaurants in Kaanapali and Lahaina, tons of relaxation on the beach with a few pina coladas in between (virgin for myself and Lauren of course, haha), a couple of walks through the rainforests and many many many family memories made. Thank you again Lynne for another amazing family vacation!

Sorry for the huge picture upload but we took A LOT of picture over the 7 days!!

* And here are a couple of videos too - ENJOY! *