Calgary Get-A-Way

The Hamiltons love ourselves a road trip. We went on a great one this summer and another great one two weekends ago. It was a shorter jaunt to Calgary than Vancouver, which allowed for a few fewer adventures, but that didn't take away from the fun. Our main goal of the trip was to visit some friends that we haven't seen since Calder was Lawson's age. . . 6 years!!! It had been way too long, but because of circumstances out of everyone's control this was the first time we were able to make it work. 

Alstyn LOVED Lawson! Like I mean LOVED!  It was so cute. She also loved having Boone as her side kick. As you can see from above, Boone loved being her side kick!

We took in the Calgary Zoo. It was gorgeous out and such an amazing afternoon outside. I even got in a picture thanks to Calder! For the record the penguins were very cool. And VERY smelly. . . Sort of like a hamster cage that was left in a hot steamy bathroom and not cleaned for a couple months.

Colton is older than Calder (9) and male. This virtually guaranteed that Calder would be on Colton's tail all weekend. Colton was AMAZING with Calder and is such a good kid. We couldn't have been happier having Calder follow his lead.  Although, I think they both ended up having quite a bit of fun. We were thrilled that we even got to catch one of Colton's atom hockey games!

This was the only picture I got of Colleen and I didn't get any of Trent. TERRIBLE. 

This lack of pictures seems like the perfect excuse to crash in on them again. 

The only things I wanted to do besides visit were hit the zoo (check) and IKEA. Colleen graciously offered to watch our kids so we could actually shop when we went there, rather than micro manage our children. On our way home, haven taken way longer than anticipated she sent of this text:

Hugh and I had been feeling bad having taken so long and the way Colleen said this took away all our guilt. We put ourselves in her shoes and both agreed that when we get a chance to look after someone else's kids, whether it be our nieces and nephews, our friend's children, or Calder's classmates it gives us a unique experience to get to know these amazing little beings. Hugh and I both made a mental note to remember to express exactly what Colleen did to us when we look after other people's kids. It truly is a gift.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Oh. . . . On another note, Colleen's house was so beautifully decorated for Christmas. It was simple, natural, sparkly, down home, and candle filled. So cosy. It inspired me to do a couple of simple things in my house, but I forgot I wasn't crafty (check out Colleen's  "BELIEVE" under her fireplace). Below is one of the one non-crafty things I copied. I can't show you the crafty thing I attempted because it hit the trash! 

The "NOEL" was all my mom and her friend, but I did add pinecones and an ornament to the basket and scattered pinecones all around my house as Colleen had (I LOVE how wintery they look).  I also bought a couple of lanterns and filled them with mini lights. Colleen had those artificial red berries in her lanterns along with the mini lights, but I had a bunch of extra Christmas balls, so I thought I would try those. I also hung the ornament over the edge of the lantern (just as Colleen had!). I will admit that I'm not good at decorating, but I'm not to bad at copying (provided I don't have to craft to do it!). I like these simple touches. Thanks for everything, Colleen!