Blackstrap

This last week after Mark wrote the MCAT we decided that we needed to do something fun to get his mind off the test and to enjoy summer while it was still here. We decided to go camping Thursday, Friday and come home Saturday morning. We've done enough traveling this summer so we looked for something close and found Blackstrap Provincial Park. It's about 40min from home and it was awesome! Lots of trees in the campsite, great beach, great lake and not crowded!

Once we got there the first thing on the agenda was to eat dirt... and lots of it. 

There was a lot of diapers full of sand this trip.

 After dinner we headed to the beach! It was beautiful!

 Max loved playing in the sand and water.

 and of course eating more sand.

 After Max finally fell asleep we got to star gaze a bit. It was beautiful! The best night sky we've seen in Saskatchewan!

 The next day we made breakfast, took a nap and then headed back to the lake.

 Enjoyed some ice cream.

 Played at the playground.

Got a couple bruises and a couple scratches.

 And relaxed/played in the tent.

That night we went to bed without the fly so we could enjoy the amazing stars as we fell asleep. We realized that was a mistake at about 1:30 am. I remember Max starting cry before I actually felt rain on my face but it didn't take much time at all to realize we were going to get wet. I grabbed Max who was not happy that he was awake and Mark grabbed the fly, trying to put it on before we all got drenched. It came fast and it didn't slow down! Once we were all in the tent we listened as it poured! It wasn't long before we were feeling water on our faces again. We grabbed the flash light and saw that water was getting in the tent in more than just one place. We quickly realized we wouldn't be spending the night there. I sent Mark to the car with Max and started gathering our stuff together. I took our bag and blankets and threw them in the back seat and rolled up our foamy so it could sit nicely in the middle of the tent without touching any of the sides. I then got in the car and we left. We got home around 3 and by then Max was too wired to fall asleep so we hung up all the blankets and clothing that got wet and we all took a shower/bath and then finally went to bed at 4:15. As soon as Mark woke up that morning he headed back to Blackstrap to grab our tent and chairs that we had left. He mentioned that he was impressed with how I handled the whole situation. I reminded him I've had a lot of practice* :) 

I was just glad we didn't have to take down a tent in that rain!

Our first camping trip as a family was exciting, but I think that our first camping trip being rained out as a family was even more exciting! :)

*For those of you who don't know, growing up and even as an adult whenever my family would go camping we would get rained on. Every. Time.

Summer Days

For most of the month of August we've been back in Alberta enjoying summer with our families.

Here are some of the fun things we got to do!

I was able to go on a hike with my mom in Glacier. She's in a lot better shape than me but I was glad she slowed down for me and we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery together.

 Tennis in Waterton.

 Soccer in the back yard.

 Reading with Hub.

 Playing with water in the backyard.

 Helping Grandma in the kitchen.

 Welcoming Braden home.

 Hanging out with cousins

 Turning 1!

 Hanging out with my cousins.

 Playing in Waterton.

 Camping by the river.

 I love Brix's face in this picture! Cousins are the best!

 Celebrating Max's Birthday!

 And Natalie's Birthday.

10 on the 10th

(Obviously that was a few days ago)

Mr. Max @ 10 months old!

• He loves to cuddle!
• He always wants to know what's cooking. He loves the stove, the kitchen aid and the microwave.
• He'll try to pull himself up to everything. Like my legs...when I'm in the kitchen. The chairs are his favorite though cuz they move.
• He loves being outside!
• He loves pens/crayons and actually knows how to use them. He'll try to draw on books or paper if he gets a hold of one.
• He knows that balls are for throwing... and eating. He'll play fetch with himself. 
• He loves to point at your nose, mouth and eyes. He occasionally rarely gets them right when you ask him to point out a certain one.
• He waves goodbye... usually as soon as you're out of site.
• He loves people! Unless you want to hold him. He loves his Mom but Dad is a close 2nd. When ever we go out he gets lots of attention. He seems to make peoples day better.
• He hates waking up. (Just like his mom.) Those first few... 10 minutes after he wakes up are pretty devastating!... For both of us.
• He loves to watch the bath tub fill up with water.
• He's super ticklish. It doesn't take very much to get him to laugh.
• If he hears music while he's standing up he'll start swinging his hips around. It's the cutest! Makes his Mama proud.

He's the cutest! We love him lots!

Pike Lake

Mark finished his first summer class on Friday so we decided that we were going to make the best of his freedom and go camping! It was a lot of fun! We went to Pike Lake which is just under an hour from Saskatoon and it was perfect for a weekend getaway! We invited the McMurray's and the Orr's to come with us which was so fun! I love camping and this was our first time going with out my parents and I was pretty excited! Last year we had purchased a tent and a foamy so Thursday I went and bought all the other things that we needed and called it my late birthday present. I'm pretty excited to say that we are adequately equipped to go camping!

 Mark's favorite new purchase was of course the axe. Pretty sure chopping wood was one of his favorite parts.

 Camping makes me happy!

 Putting Max to sleep was a challenge because it was so light so late but Jaclyn has the magic touch.

 Meah and Max

 Makin' breakfast!

 Exploring the park.

 There was a small lake there with a pretty nice beach. While we were there they were even having some canoe/kayak races on the lake which was fun to watch. 

 Max just exploring/eating the sand.

This was Sunday morning just before we headed back home. Max loved camping. The first morning he  was so excited to wake up in a tent. He thought it was pretty awesome! We were all very tired by the end of the weekend but we all had so much fun. I can't wait to do it again!