Banff to Edmonton ~ What a Journey!

Some of you may have heard about the crazy storm that hit the Edmonton area last Thursday.... it was insane!

We really did not anticipate how bad it would get. As we left Banff we had a light dusting of snow but the roads were dry. I checked the road reports on Twitter and turned on INews radio.... it was at that point we knew that were in for a serious driving adventure. The main highway home was completely closed due to a pileup that involved 100 vehicles. It was like driving into a complete disaster. Here is what we were driving towards:

This is what we faced along the way:

It wasn't too bad when we took it slow. We made it to the 2A turn off and through Hobema before that highway was also closed by a very bad accident. We were forced to turn around and find an alternate route. My Blackberry maps managed to get us through some small back country highways to Wetaskiwin and eventually Beaumont. In the end we were on the road for 6 hours! Luckily we made it home in one piece but what an adventure!

By the time we got home, the back of the vehicle was completely caked in snow and ice and we had about a foot of snow on the driveway.

Gotta love living in Canada!

Mrs. E

Banff ~ Day Two

Day two in Banff was just as amazing as the first. 

We woke up early and enjoyed a nice warm breakfast. We packed up our car and went for a long walk around town. Sydney loved looking in all of the shops and she really loved picking out a gift for her new sibling. 

Once we were done in town we headed out to the stables to go on a sleigh ride. Sydney had never seen horses in real life and she was so excited! It was a little bit cold and windy so we all bundled up and enjoyed being cuddled up under some blankets together. The sleigh ride was about 45 minutes long and it was incredible. Here are a few photos from the day.

Mrs. E

Banff ~ Day One

I love my husband so very much.

Last Friday was my 28th Birthday and David gave me an early Birthday surprise. On Wednesday morning our alarm went off.... why the heck was there an alarm set on a day when both of us were not working?! David jumped out of bed and told me to pack up and that we were leaving in an hour. He gave me absolutely no instructions on what to pack, where we were going or what I should bring..... not helpful. 

So we packed up and headed on out. I didn't know that we were headed until we were about ten minutes outside of Calgary. We were going to Banff! I grew up going to Canmore and Banff and neither of us had been there in years! We drove into town and I still had no idea what our plans were. 

I knew it was too early to check into our hotel so I just went with it. We ended up heading up the Banff gondola. It was so beautiful at the top and we had an incredible time walking around enjoying the view.

Sydney also ate about half of the snow at the top of the mountain. She has a serious snow addiction and we are constantly having to watch where she is grabbing the snow from. 

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That night we went for a really great dinner at a Mexican restaurant in town. I really wanted to go to Saltlik but they are not kid friendly so we had to make another choice. The food was still really good and we had a great time hanging out as a family. 

After dinner we headed out for a quick swim and then all passed out back at the hotel. The entire day was so perfect and it was so much fun to go on an impromptu family adventure.

Mrs. E

Painting Adventures

One of the best things about having a toddler, is having an excuse to make extra big messes. 

David and I had been talking about getting Sydney some finger paints for a while. He made his way out to one of the education shops close to our house and managed to find some of the old powdered paint. One morning, while I was still working, David let Sydney go to town with the paints. He took her to our unfinished basement, rolled out some craft paper, mixed some paints, stripped her down and let her make a massive mess. 

She had a fantastic time whipping the paint everywhere and making footprints and hand prints. The best part was that everything washed right off in the bath and was pretty easy to clean up. It's these types of activities that I love the most. It's these activities that she will remember the most. 

Mrs. E