School begins

School started on August 27th this year, it started early! It was hard to swallow the fact that my oldest child was now in grade 2! On the first day of school I took her to school and waited with her until it was time for her to go in. I think she was feeling a bit nervous cuz she did start to cry just after the bell rang. When her teacher was calling all the children she noticed that Petra was crying so she looked at me and asked if she was okay and I told her that she will be, she is nervous and shy and once she gets in to school she should be okay so her teacher turned to her, extended her arm and said “you can come with me and be my helper today”. She totally took Petra under her wing and away they went. Petra had no problems after that. The very second day of school, Petra didn't want me to wait for her, she asked me to just drop her off and go. Wow...I was shocked. Petra loves school though. Ms. Rhea, Petra's teacher totally loves Petra and she has told me she wishes she could have 25 more of her. She said Petra does very well in school. Petra was very excited when she found out that Ms. Rhea is LDS and goes to the same church house we do. (when we go).

Adrianah started pre-school but she didn't start until September 11 I believe.

She gets to go to school with one of her good firends and she likes that.

She is loving school. When I take her to school she is always saying hi to the other kids when we are walking to the doors she goes in, I am amazed at how well she knows the names of the kids, when she says hi she actually uses their names “hi Ainsley” or whoever it is. Today she is going on a field trip to a farm, she is taking Oma and Opa with her and is really looking forward to going.
I am not sure that there is really anything else that I need to say to catch up on. I think all the big stuff mostly happened in July and some in August. I will write more if I think of anything that I have left out.

Our Banff trip

On August 17^th Wildor came home from work and in a round about way, asked me if I wanted to go to Banff Springs Hotel for a couple of nights. That's weird, where did he come up with about a thousand dollars to take me to Banff Springs Hotel!? As I questioned more, he said that mom is offering him a gift certificate for us to go. It expired on August 23^rd though so we would need to use it right away. Mom told him that if we wanted to use it that they would take the girls for us for that time. So after cancelling an appointment with my visiting teachers, an appointment with our bishop and Wildor calling his boss to make sure he could get the three days of work off, we called and made a reservation at the hotel. We checked in to our room on Wednesday August 19 and checked out on Friday August 21. So what exactly did the gift certificate include? 2 nights deluxe accommodation for 2, valet parking, breakfast both days for 2, and spa access for 2, both days as well. Not bad, we didn't know though until we went, how “not bad” it really was. Let me tell you a little bit....the room had a king size bed...love it! Anyway the room alone is about $500 a night so for the two nights it would have cost $1000 JUST for the room. Valet parking was about $30 a day (so let me help with the math $60), breakfast, well i don't know for sure why but it was a different cost each morning..on Thursday it was about $63 and on Friday it was about $40. (don't know why such a difference in cost, there was nothing different about it, it was just a breakfast buffet, so about $100). Spa access was $50 per person per day so that's another $200. Spa access meant that we could get into the spa and use their facilities, they have sauna's, hot tubs, steam rooms, mineral pools (in doors) and a hot tub outside. If you wanted a massage or manicure/pedicure etc that cost extra. So all in all, we figured the gift certificate was worth about $1,500.00. So we got wondering, how did we get so lucky as to get something like this handed down? When we asked mom, she said that Auntie Margie and Uncle Ken got it from some people when they moved here from BC and Uncle Ken didn't want to go so they gave it to mom and dad and dad didn't want to go so they asked us. You better believe we will say yes. This is actually one of those once in a lifetime sort of things, we can't really think of anyone, unless you have alot of money that would say “lets go to Banff Springs Hotel for a few nights”. We were pretty happy with the room that we got. We were able to look out our window and see the main hotel, what an amazing building!

While we were there we really enjoyed the time together. On Wednesday, the day we got there we went and looked at the shops at the hotel and then we went to dinner at a German restaurant called the Waldhaus, there, I went out of my comfort zone and ate something I normally wouldn't even want to try...I had duck. It was yummy! I am sad to say that i couldn't eat all my food though, we had a fairly large lunch on our way to Banff and so there wasn't a whole lot of room for dinner, after that, we learned to NOT eat lunch the next day so we could actually enjoy our dinner and have a chance of eating it all. On Thursday we went down to main street in Banff and went to the shops along that street. I found an amazing coat that Wildor bought for me. :) A bit later in the afternoon we both went to the spa and each got a massage, neither one of us had had a massage before so we were really looking forward to it. Yes, it was very expensive! It was called a stress relief massage so guess what? We were able to submit the receipts and we get reimbursed through Wildors work for them! The spa there is the number one spa in Canada i believe...it is amazing! After our massages we went and sat in the mineral pools for a little while. Thursday night we ate at a restaurant at the hotel that is called The Banffshire. It is a very high end restaurant. We have never paid so much for a meal before and unless we go back there, i don't think we ever will spend that much on a single meal again. :) There again i went out of my comfort zone and ate some things that i generally have no interest in and don't want to eat...i have raw tuna, and lobster.

The food was absolutely amazing! We were very happy with the good and the service. Mind you, we better have got good service for what we paid!

After dinner we went back to our room and vegged. On Friday we went back to the spa and made good use of their mineral pools in the morning then we had appointments to each get a manicure, well mine was called a manicure, Wildors was called “executive hand grooming” the only place that mine and his differed was i got my nails painted and he didn't. :) After those, we went back to our room and called for our car and our bags to be picked up and we headed home. All in all, it was an AMAZING time! As we sat in the mineral pool, we kept discussing our option to make it a yearly thing, we know how much money we have to save up so we save up and go every year. So i guess we will see if we do it again or not.

More summer activities spent with good friends.

So I was told tonight that i need to blog some more. As i went on to look at my blogs to see the last one, i realized that it was the end of July when i last blogged and that yes, it has been to long so i will attempt it now.
As i mentioned in my last blog, we went to Drumheller. Here is a few pictures from there.



We had fun!
We didn't really do to many other trips. Mostly just did things around Calgary like go to Sicome Lake with some friends one hot day. And well, if it isn't cold enough to make snow angels, then why not make sand angels instead!

Some of our activities also included getting together with family quite often. Petra is quite the mother hen and really enjoys having a younger cousin live so close.















For the August long weekend Wildor, the girls and I, along with our friend and his boys, camped at Leafy Woods on Aggie and Detlef's property. I went and bought a set of horseshoes cuz i was really itching to play so thats what we did most the weekend...i had some sore muscles after that! These are only a few pictures from the weekend.

This was basically our last "big" activity before school started.
It is now past midnight and i have to get up at 6A.M. so I should probably end here and will write more to get caught up when i get the next chance. It was a good but really short summer!

Is summer almost over?

Wow, I can't believe that July is almost over already. That means too that here in Calgary, our summer is almost over. *chuckle* It seems like we had a late starting summer this year, hopefully that means that summer will stick around a bit later then usual. No real big plans this summer. We did go sailing with Aggie and Detlef. We were supposed to be gone from Thursday the 16th till Tuesday the 21st. Sailing was good, we had really good weather this time, we went sailing 2 years ago and it rained basically every day, it was cold and just wasn't that fun, this year it only rained during the night, it was nice and hot and sunny during the day. Wildor and I ended up bringing Adrianah home on Saturday night. She just needs room to run, she is such an active girl that being on a small sailboat with 6 people on board is to small for her, she can't sit still. Petra decided to stay with Oma and Opa for the remaining 3 nights. On monday evening Petra called us, they were on their way home. They had decided to pull the boat out of the water a day early and since they were coming home early asked us if we wanted to go to Drumheller the next day (tuesday). So we all went to Drumheller for the day on the 21st. I haven't taken the pictures from Drumheller off my camera yet so when I do, I will post some. We went to the Dinosaur museum, as my father in law says "and thank you Adrianah for going with us to the museum and dragging us through it really quickly" yeah, that is my daughter, as I mentioned, she just can't sit still....constantly on the go. It has been a good summer so far. We will be going to go camping in Leafy Woods this weekend. (Leafy Woods is on my inlaws property, they have made a nice little place with trees, grass, a fire pit and picnic table where we can pitch tents. I am looking forward to it! I will take pictures and will post those at some point as well. And well school will be starting at the end of August for Petra and Adrianah will start preschool at the beginning of September. Another year is already more than half way through! Petra is still loosing teeth, the pixie dentist is starting to go broke.

Out of the mouths of babes

The girls and I went to help my mother in law clean house today. The girls took some books with them to keep busy if they didn't want to help clean. At one point, Adrianah had brought her book in to the kitchen where Oma and I were and was talking about her book, then sniffed her book and said "yep, smells Adrianahie". I don't know where that came from but it did make me laugh which embarassed her. I thought it was really cute.

Another summer begins

So Petra finished her last day of grade one. Already. I can't believe how fast time goes! How can it be that my daughter is going to be going into grade two! Adrianah will be starting preschool in September, wow, I am going to be the only one home all day before I know it.
Petra is slowly loosing her teeth. A few weeks ago when I was taking her to her friends birthday party she mentioned that one of he loose teeth was basically just hanging on by a string, I told her to just pull it out or she will swallow it or something, she told me that it will hurt and didn't want to pull it out. There's no point in arguing with her, moms don't know anything anyway....it was time for the party to be over and I went to get her, I didn't even get in the door and was told by one of her friends "Petra swallowed her tooth." I couldn't help myself, I looked at her and said "I told you so." (See moms DO know a little bit). Walking to the car Petra told me that she was eating some watermelon and bit down on something hard, she thought it was a seed so she just swallowed it and realized it was her tooth. I asked her why she didn't spit it out if she thought it was a seed, I didn't get an answer. So Wildor and I were teasing her that she got to start looking for it, suggesting different ways she could go about finding it (of which I won't mention in this, I don't want to gross you out, I am sure you have an imagination and can guess what Wildor and I would have said). Anyway it came down to me just telling her that she would have to just write a letter to the tooth fairy and explain to her what happened, and draw a picture for her. So that's what she did. I also suggested that with her new bed she has, it might be difficult for the tooth fairy to get to her pillow so to just leave it on her steps (she has a loft bed, I will try to remember to post pictures of it later). When she was in kindergarten her teacher told her that her kids would put a bowl of water by their bed when they lost a tooth and the tooth fairy would dip her wings in it and the kids always liked to see what color the water would be, so Petra thought it was a good idea so next to her letter to the tooth fairy she put a bowl of water. When the tooth fairy came, she left the letter knowing that I would want to put it in my scrapbook, as well as dipping her wing in the water leaving it pink and leaving the money. Man, I wish I was a kid loosing my teeth, for the first tooth Petra lost, she got $2, and every other tooth she has lost she gets $1. If I remember right, the tooth fairy would only leave $.25 for me, yes that is right A QUARTER! I think that by the time she is done loosing teeth the tooth fairy is going to be poor! Now every time Petra is eating watermelon, I ask her "you don't have a loose tooth do you?" she gives me the look, she doesn't like that. I tell her often that she is getting crotchidy in her old age and again she gives me the look and stomps her foot at me with hands on her hips. Its fun to tease her like that. Not long ago she told me that she doesn't want parents who tease her. I told her she better go find other parents then, she didn't like that.
Adrianah is quite the handful lately. Mom often tells me that she looks like I did at that age and acts how I did too. Oh man, I am SO sorry mom! Geeze louise will we have our hands full when she gets older. She is constantly telling me "no" and stomping her foot at me. Today we went to Fish Creek Park to have a picnic breakfast thing with some friends and when she was told it was time to go she stomped her foot and told me no, I gave her another chance to correct that and she didn't so I went over to spank her and in doing so, I hurt my wrist. How stupid is that!?! "so, how did you hurt your wrist?" "I was spanking my daughter". And the mouth that that child has! And the attitude....it is interesting how different siblings are! Petra is almost a spitting image of her father, acts like he did (does), looks like he did (does) etc. and Adrianah is almost a spitting image of me, acts like I did (do). looks like I did (do) etc. It is however, quite rewarding to be out somewhere (grocery store etc.) and have complete strangers tell me that "you have very beautiful daughters!" I am amazed at how often I (and Wildor) get told that. And generally speaking they are pretty well behaved in public as well.
I am glad I have 2 girls that right now, are best friends, I really hope that continues and they stay best friends!
I will try to post some pictures of them and their (new) beds soon.

Mooommmyyy

Sitting at the table as a family at breakfast on Friday morning, Wildor finished his breakfast and reached for the Saskatoon pie that was in the box on the table and proceeded to get a piece out and I said to him "what is that teaching our daughters?" and he said "what?" and I said, "pie is considered a dessert and you always tell the girls that they can't have dessert after breakfast" and before he could say anything, Adrianah who is sitting across from us says "mooommmyyy! Daddy can have dessert if he wants to!" Case closed I suppose. Nothing more to be said, just a chuckle as in "haha, you were told" from Wildor.