Sep 15, 2019

Helicopter Rides

Back in August we attempted to sell our bouncy castle on a local buy and sell. One person responded and didnt want to buy it but was interested in renting it for his military squadron family event. I said there is no insurance but I would just let you use it at no cost. He then wanted to have me and the kids come to the event and enjoy the festivities. I said that wouldn’t be necessary and not to worry, until he offered a free helicopter ride. YUP WE ARE SO IN.  The day before the event he said that he did not need the bouncy castle anymore but we were still welcome to come. So we went for it. And it was so fun. Free Free Free. 
Bouncy castle and obstacle course, fire truck tour, F-18 tour, carnival games (fishing, beanbag toss, velcroball toss, cotton candy, popcorn, prizes, BBQ and of course helicopter rides. Now this area was behind security so we had to have special permission and no cameras allowed so you’ll have to picture us in a large hanger with two planes, lots of tables some blow up bouncy castles and some kids toys. It was perfect. 
Wade loved the bouncy obstacle course, Kansas loved the bouncy castle push cars and the cotton candy
And they all loved riding around in a golf cart converted into a fire-engine. 
The bbq was good as was the cake but the best for dad was the helicopter ride. 
We were on the stand by list for the helicopter rides so there was no guarantee we were going. To go we needed to do a few things. We needed pants, safety training and some lucky sucker to watch Kansas and we needed a cancelation. Well we secured pants as I was in shorts and Wade said he didn’t want to go, and the guy who invited us, Devin had his wife watch Kansas for me. Two cancelations later. We got trained and were off. 
It was awesome riding in a Griffen. We took of from the base and flew north to the lake , we followed the shore line past the beach and spray park and headed south on the east side of cold lake and grand centre. The pilot then flew us through the beaver river valley and it was wild. Cutting left and right , up and down, Macie got a little weezy but she managed.
We saw some deer and cows. The fall colours were amazing. Then we came in for our landing.  The whole trip must have lasted like 15-25 min. Wow so lucky. 





















Sep 4, 2019

Monster Truck Rally

This summer Wade and I took in a monster truck rally in Bonnyville on July 6.
There were dirt bikes lawn mowers and monster trucks.
It was a nice afternoon to go and see some suped up machines. The dirt bikes were awesome. They did some sweet tricks which got the crowd goring.




The monster trucks were super loud and fast. Wade enjoyed it but he much more enjoyed having
His best buddy Osrick sitting beside him. 







Evil Mosquito’s

Last summer whenever Kansas got bit by a Mosquito she would swell up pretty bad. We were told that was very common for baby’s first year as there body is not familiar with the venom. This year thought we were not expecting her poor little body to react as badly as it did. Every time she got bit she would swell up so badly. Once she got it so bad it got infected and another time a mosquito got her eye and it swelled up like a balloon. Needless to say it was a rough summer for Kansas’ body but she dealt with it like a champ.



Macie got Glasses!


At the end of July I took Macie to see Dr Zidar for an eye exam and we finally got the news I thought would eventually come for at least one of my kids. Time for Glasses! I got her one pair right away on line from Zenni Optical. When they came in she noticed the difference right away. So when we were in Cardston for our Summer Vacation I ordered her up 2 more pairs. She looks super cute in the glasses and is doing such a good job of wearing them.  Her very first RX is 

OD -0.75-0.25x90
OS -0.75-0.25x90


Back to School

Tuesday September 3rd the kids headed back to school. Wade in Grade 1 and Macie in Grade 2. We decided to move them to the English classes as we have made a choice as a family to move to Magrath in a couple of weeks and there is no French Immersion program there. It was a hard decision knowing they wouldn’t be learning French anymore but in the end the better choice for our Family. Wades teacher for right now is Ms. Knull and Macies is Ms. Wight. The first two days have gone great and the kids are loving School, the teachers and being back with friends.




Aug 25, 2019

Summer Vacation to Glenwood


At the end of July our family headed down to southern Alberta to take in the summer festivities in Glenwood, and to enjoy the beauty the land.
We pulled our tent trailer down and as usual, it gave us a story to tell. Dad must have  overloaded the trailer and the rubber on the wheels wore off on one wheel so it was basically bald. Mom said not to worry we will make it to our destination because we prayed. Well Dad felt the need to change the bald tire at Brooks. He put the spare on and we traveled to Lethbridge.  We pulled up to Terra and Ryans house and dad looked at the tire and almost died. All the lug nuts were off and the rim was just floating there. Wowsers. So dad had to order a new hub and new wheel and do some repairs in the street. 
Some of the awesome things we did:
Kalinda and the kids went to "writing on stone" near Milk River with her sister and her kids.
Mom and Dad went to Blairmore to a bed and breakfast to have a get away from the kids to celebrate 15 years. The Host gave us a bottle of wine, and we had a traditional swiss continental breakfast. Cheese, sausage, yogurt, fresh baked bread. 
We did a ton of swimming 
We took in the pioneer days in Glenwood and it was epic. The fire works were good, and everything else was lovely. Scored heaps of candy in the parade and got a little wet as well. 
One of our favourite things we did as a family was travel to Blairmore with our bikes and bike from Blairmore to Coleman, hike the coalminers path, bike back to Blairmore, eat a ton of pizza, then go swimming. Super fun Day.
We were blessed with some great weather. Hot and Sunny. It was so great that we got the itch to move back south again. Mom and Dad went to look at a few houses in Magrath. Kalinda's Mom and Sister Terra have now moved there and that has really increased our desire to move there.














GRANDMA NANCY FEENSTRA

My Grandmother Nancy Fenestra passed away this summer on Sunday August 18th. She lived to be 89 years old. We had the privilege of visiting her this summer on our holidays and I am so grateful Mark suggested we take the time to go see her as it would be our last earthly visit. She was such a wonderful women and I am so grateful to have her as my Grandma. I spent many summers at her house in Vermilion, playing in the basement with her Car Mat and Car Toys, going out for Lunch, swimming lessons, playing in her playhouse, card games, visiting her at work, and going to the Vermilion Fair. She was an amazing women who loved to serve and help others in anyway she could, especially her family and members of her community. She loved to cook and entertain and was in her prime when she had everyone over to visit. I loved when she came to visit at Christmas time and the wonderful christmas presents she would bring. Although one year I remember her getting me the ugliest snow white outfit I had ever seen and it took all the kindness in my heart to wear it when she came to visit. I am so glad that I have the knowledge of eternal families and that one day I will be able to hug her and visit with her again.







LILY

On June 21st, 2019 our dear sweet Lily went to heaven. She was getting well into her years and developed Cancer. She was having troubles walking and was very stressed all the time. She had a seizure one day when I was bathing her and after that was really struggling. We put her to sleep so we could all be there to say goodbye to her. It was a very difficult, emotional day for our family (especially me, Mark and Macie). She was our best friend and the best dog a family could ask for. She loved us so much and we loved her dearly. Rest in Peace dear sweet Lily we miss you terribly. 





LAS VEGAS!!

It had been a really long time since we had been on a big vacation as a Family (since Wade was one), so we finally decided it was time again. This cold weather year after year had just finally become to much so we decided to head somewhere warm and hot. I remember going to Las Vegas as a kid and loving it so I thought it would be fun to go as a Family. We left very very early on Saturday April 13th. We stayed at a hotel the night before and then we were up at 3:30 Saturday morning. We were so tired and exhausted but the kids did amazing. We were well equipped with tablets and snacks thanks to Dad being so well prepared, I didn't really want to bring anything at first but I'm glad we did as they kids stayed quiet and occupied the whole flight. We landed at 9:30am Las Vegas time and headed straight for our rental car. After we got in the rental car we drove down the strip quickly and then looked for our Hotel. Thankfully the Hotel let us check in early so we could get all set up and rest for a bit. The kids loved our Hotel room. Macie had her very own room with a TV in it. She thought that was the greatest thing ever. Wade had a pull out couch and loved that his bed could transform (we called it the transformed bed) Kansas had her very own play pen and Mark and I got our own room with a king size bed and our very own bathroom. We also had a small little kitchen that was fully accessorized (toaster, blender, pots, pans etc.) and a nice size dining room table. It was the perfect set up for our family for the whole week. After getting settled in we got some lunch at the hotel restaurant then we headed to Walmart to stock up with Groceries. We saved a good chunk of money by making breakfast everyday at the hotel and even a lot of our lunches. After having such a long day on Saturday we decided to go to bed nice and early. Sunday we woke up pretty early and so we headed to a 9:00 Church at the Serene Ward with Bishop Burr. We ran into a family from Toronto who was down for General Conference and a tour. After church we came home, had some lunch and then headed to Red Rock Canyon for the day. We had a lovely time there and the kids loved climbing all over the rocks. It was such a beautiful place and I loved seeing the amazing landscape that our Saviour created.  We then drove to the Las Vegas Temple to walk around the grounds. What a peaceful feeling. Monday was the day of touring the Stripe. Again we had got up nice and early and we headed there right away to avoid the busyness of the crowds. Everything thing started out great until a Man that was completely out of his mind lunged at me with some type of pen or knife and then spit on Wade. It was a horrible and terrifying experience, but we were grateful that nothing worse happened. The rest of the day thankfully went great. We did a lot of walking and touring. We ate at Guy Fieri's (from diners, drive in and dives) restaurant, spent a lot of money there and at the M&M store. Wade bought himself a knight costume which he found at the begining of the day and wouldn't stop begging to go back and get. Macie got a fairy jewelry holder and fairy globe, and just enjoyed viewing all the amazing hotels. After a long day of walking we headed back to the hotel for supper and then some hot tubbing down at the pool. Tuesday morning, because the weather was crappy, we decided to go and do our indoor activities. So we headed first to the container park to kill some time as we were a bit too early to hit the activities.Container Park was pretty cool. All made of sea cans. Kansas loved running up and down the ramps and playing with the big legos. After about an hour we headed to the SeaQuest Aquarium and then the Rex Centre. Sea Quest was amazing and a very cool interactive fish Aquarium. You got to pet sting rays, sharks, a huge turtle named Norman, we were able to feed lots of animals and see a Rodent of Unusual Size. We all loved the fish aquarium and had a blast. Macie needed to buy a stuffy from the gift shop, so dad took Wade and Kansas out of the store to wait. A little train on came by and dad and the kids jumped in not telling me. So Macie and i come out of the store looking for them and can't find them. We found the stroller just sitting there and began to worry. All the while dad and the kids are having a blast in the Jupiter Express.When they came back they got a serious stink eye.
Next we headed to the Rex Centre where Dad, Macie and Wade went and did some lazer tag and then some go carting. There wasn't much to do for Kansas at the Rex Centre so me and her got Dippin Dots and hung out while the older two and Dad had a blast. I did get to go on one of the go cart rides with Wade as the kids couldn't drive by themselves and that was a blast. We had a great morning and enjoyed being inside as it was windy and raining all day. Next we headed to the strip and tried to go and see some more stuff but the rain was terrible so we decided to go out for supper. We went to TGIF's which was kind of disappointing. After supper we headed to the outlet malls, Me and Mark were disappointed and found nothing good to buy but the kids hooked up with some goodies. Kansas found herself a Mickey stuffy that she fell in loved with and wanted to buy with her Money. Wade found a dinosaur stuffy from the show Toy Story, and Macie bought herself some new earrings. when we were all worn out we headed home and crashed. Wednesday was an awesome day, we got up nice and early again and went to go and see the incredible Hoover Dam. It was amazing and just so unreal, almost couldn't believe that man had actually built it, and especially so long ago. Wednesday afternoon we hung out in the pool and me and the kids got burnt to a crisp. Wednesday night we headed to Target and Ross to do some serious shopping. We hooked up with some cute clothes for us and the kids for such good prices. Thursday we hung out at the pool all day and then Thursday night was my favourite part of the whole trip, Me and the two older kids went and saw Cirque Du Soleil (The Beatles LOVE). It was incredible, we had front row seats and got to be so involved with the show. It was so amazing watching these people just do unreal stunts and terrifying tricks and had no fear and so much confidence. Me and the kids absolutely loved it and couldn't stop talking about it all night. While me and the kids where at the show Dad and Kansas toured the strip some more. They found the flamingo's (which Kansas loved), the cool architecture at Ceasars palace and watched the fountains at the Bellagio. We all collapsed that night from a long, incredibly awesome day. Friday was another chill by the pool day, but we got so hot and roasted by 2:00pm we had to come inside and chill in our air conditioned hotel. Friday night we went for supper at this delicious place called "Steaks & Shakes" It was so delicious, especially the burgers and milkshakes. Saturday morning we had to get out of the hotel by 10:00 but didn't have to catch our flight until 7:30 so we had a lot of time to kill. We decided to drive down the strip one more time and as we drove by Circus Circus, Mark wanted to go in and check it out. When we got there we decided to stay and play at the indoor amusement park as it was not busy and we were so burnt we didn't want to be outside all day. While that was a great idea and the kids had a blast. Our Brave Macie went on the big roller coster for her first time, she was absolutely terrified and I don't think she will be going on one again for a very long time. The rest of the morning they stuck to pretty low key rides that they both could enjoy together. They especially loved the airplane ride where they got to pretend to be fighter jets and shoot the other airplanes down. After Circus Circus we went and played at a fun outdoor park that also had a splash park, which was nice to cool down in when we got hot. After the Splash Park we ate at a fun sub joint called "FIREHOUSE SUBS"  It was pretty good and the kids loved trying on the firemen equipment they had set up and getting their very own fire hats. Well after all these amazing adventures it was finally time to come home. We made good time dropping of our rental car and getting to the airport, so with lots of time to kill and three very busy kids we walked the halls of the airport for a long time and bought some fun snacks. We boarded the plane 30 minutes late which meant we were not going to be home until 12:00am our time. The kids again were excellent and the tablets, snacks and pop-it books saved the day. We decided to be crazy and drive home that night, and thankfully the kids slept the whole way and pretty much fell asleep the second we got in the car. We got home at 4:00 in the morning, put the kids to bed and then still set up an Easter Egg hunt for the kids that morning. Wow what a trip, such an amazing time. I hope our kids remember it for many years. Besides a couple moments here and there the kids were excellent, I would have used our sunscreen a little better, and it was so fun constitently running into members of the church, especially at the hotel we stayed, so many members of the church. I wish we had a little more money set aside to do a couple other fun adventures, but there is always another time and another moment. It was awesome and incredible and we are definitely looking forward to more travels and adventures like these in our future.




Crazy bus ride to the air port from hotel




























They Love their Hockey team







Kansas and the Flamingos