We started November off by saying goodbye to Nana. She's heading back to NB and we'll miss her!
We took a mini vacation to Banff for a few nights. The girls really liked sleeping in a Murphy bed!
The girls were up for it so we decided to climb Tunnel Mountain. Here we are happy and full of energy before our journey.
The view from the top. The buildings in the middle are where we were staying!
Cara posing with Mt. Rundle. There is a cliff behind her.
Gwen with Mt. Rundle. The kids were not afraid of the height.
We made it to the summit!
We've seen these chairs in three National Parks this year. These ones were at the top of the mountain!
It was very windy at the top. Not windy enough to knock down this Inuksuk.
A family photo on top of Tunnel Mountain.
Cara built her own Inuksuk.
While Gwen tried not to blow away.
We had a snack and tried to pose for a selfie.
Victory!
Mary and Adam were here 10 years ago. Haven't changed a bit!
Holding up Mt. Rundle!
When we got back down, we posed for a picture again. The kids were real troopers!
We headed to one of our favourite places: the Cave and Basin. After exploring the inside, we headed out and played a giant game of Snakes and Ladders.
The kids posed for a picture with Parka.
Some tiny snails (the little rock-like things). They were the warmest ones there.
One last pic from the birthplace of Canada's National Parks.
We went down to Bow Falls and checked out the mighty Bow River.
Tired, cold and windburned. Still had fun though!
The next day we packed up and set out for a few more adventures before heading home. The girls posed for one last pic in the parking lot of our hotel.
We checked out the Vermillion Lakes.
We pretended Gwen wanted to get a really close look at the lakes by jumping in!
Checking out the view.
We headed to Lake Minnewanka for a hike. Gwen posed with her new friend, luckily the only bear we saw.
Some cool lake rocks.
It was a little sprinkly but we still had a fun hike.
That Wednesday was Gwen's big day. Breakfast in bed before school for our 6 year old!
For her cake, she wanted a big cookie.
That's a lot of candles!
Amelia and her parents came by to help celebrate.
The girls are big fans.
We babysat for a bit so Amelia was here for the girls' bedtime!
That weekend was supposed to be Gwen's birthday party. But a stomach bug hit Gwen the day after her birthday and ravaged our house. So we decided to postpone until the next weekend. It worked out because most kids could still come and the weather was great!
We had a freeze dance outside that ended up with some tired kids.
Thirteen kids, 5-8 years old. It was intense.
We played not Pin the Tail on the Donkey...
Pin the Tail on the Hippo!
Gwen planned a lot of the party herself and it was great.
And Cara had a good time too!
We had a dual theme: Tsum Tsum and Hippos. Some kids got Tsum Tsum tattoos.
The birthday girl having a blast.
The Pin the Tail on the Hippo was a hit!
Gwen's awesome hippo/Tsum Tsum cake that her mom made.
Time for the big show!
Gwen's wish hasn't come true yet she says, but she says it was to turn into a hippo. Her parents are glad to have a little girl instead.
A few parents stayed and helped out which was nice. But the kids were all great.
Next we opened some presents. Lots of cool stuff!
Another attempt at a group shot...close enough.
Gwen's friend Sophie's mom made Gwen and her new doll matching pjs. And she was nice enough to make some for Cara too!
Stay tuned for a pre-Christmas post with a piano recital, a Christmas concert and other prep!
