Vancouver

Wayne had a medical conference in Vancouver, BC this past weekend. The local health region offered to pay for a number of physician to attend. They covered his flight, hotel, food and transportation costs. So it was a 'no duh' moment, when he asked if I wanted to go! We just had to pay for my flight.

We had our Granny-Nanny, Deb, come stay with the kids for the couple of days we were gone, with some help from mom and dad. Wayne and I left from Lethridge at 5:50am! However, our plane was late leaving as snow had fallen during the night and the de-icing machine wasn't working! After a boost, they got it working and we left about half hour late. We arrived into a very snowy Calgary and had to RUN to catch our next plane, only to find out we were delayed again because of the weather. We sat in the plane for almost 2 hours as they de-iced yet another plane. By the time we arrived in Vancouver, we were about an hour late, but the weather in Vancouver was a welcomed change from snowy Alberta!

We were picked up my Aunt Gin and then met up with my other family members for Dim Sum in Richmond! YUMMY! Wayne, who is not usually a fan of it, quite enjoyed it. We had a great visit with everyone, including my grandparents (who do not speak english) and my Uncle Steve, who is always the life of the party!

Wayne spent the next 2 days at the conference while my Aunt Vivian graciously kept me company. We shopped in Gastown, Chinatown and Metrotown. I got some great stuff for me...and the kids! We rode the SkyTrain and SeaBus. It was a very busy couple of days, but we had a lot of fun!

There was even some filming for a movie or TV show going on just down the street from our hotel. Wayne walked down there and snapped some pics of these NYC vehicles...keep in mind we were NOT anywhere near New York.

It was a much needed getaway and we are so incredibly GRATEFUL for everyone who drove us around, shopped with us, fed us, fed our kids and took care of them while we were gone!

Azia turns 9!

Azia turned 9 years old on March 16th. (I'm obviously a bit behind on this entry). She didn't have her party until the next weekend and it was doosey! She decided she wanted to have a sleepover. She invited 7 friends and they had fun making lip gloss and watching movies in the theatre. (Unfortunately, the screen and projector still aren't quite installed, but they were happy watching movies on the plasma.) The girls were up until well past 1am!

Some things we love about Azia...
-She is very creative. She writes incredible stories, has great illustrations and makes very crafty cards.

-She has 'the moves'! Azia is quite the little dancer and does some pretty slick (and silly) dances.

-She has a great smile. Azia has 2 dimples and I love them! She has an infectious smile...even with the quarky teeth!

-She loves all things flip flops.

-She is a great friend and sister.

A Glimpse of Heaven

Once in a while, the kids surprise us by actually being kind and thoughtful towards each other. Just a couple of quick examples...

The other morning, we were hanging out in the office, barely awake. Parker comes in and says to Azia, "Good morning Sleeping Beauty!" Now, isn't that just about the sweetest thing a brother can say?

Then yesterday, Azia was freaking out about having to practice her piano. Wayne was busy trying to get the boys ready for bed and I was on my way out the door to my dance class. As I was getting ready to leave, I saw Emmy come upstairs, give Azia a shoulder squeeze hug and ask if she could help her work through her songs! Wow! (This was a surprise since it is usually Emmy who is throwing a fit about trying to figure out her songs!)

Ahhh, it was heavenly bliss...for a few minutes anyways.

Spring?

Remember those winter pictures I posted just the other week? Well the snow is all but gone, the sun is shining and it is starting to feel a bit like...dare I say...Spring? That is the way it usually goes around here in Southern Alberta. One day it will be -20 degrees Celcius then the next day it will be +10 degrees! Our snowpacked driveway is clear and dry and the kids couldn't get outside fast enough to play. One of the new 'fun things' at our new house is this...

Summer nights are going to be FUN...playing b-ball all night. All are welcome to come and join us!

Cardiff is playing on one of the snow/ice drifts that didn't quite melt away. That one will probably be around until July! The Bean was just happy to be out (even though he wanted to crawl around the soggy lawn). Today was a good day.