"Oh Canada"

Brian and I were super blessed to be able to take a trip (just the two of us!) to Banff, Canada. We were wanting to get away before baby girl comes, and knew we had no worries with Luke spending 2 nights with Tula and Pop and 2 nights with Noni and Grandpa. My parents have been to Banff and after seeing their picutes, I had always wanted to go. This was a perfect time for us to get away, and we were not disappointed. Unfortunately the weather was less than optimal, and was mostly cloudy and rainy the whole time, but that didn't stop us from seeing the sights! We stayed at the Rimrock Hotel, which we highly recommend. It is located about a mile up from the town of Banff in the mountains, and has beautiful views. Here is the view from our hotel window! Brian and I enjoyed drinking coffee and just taking it all in.

There is a ton of wildlife in Canada. Cougars, black bears, grizzly bears, elk, moose, etc. We were fortunate enough to see some elk eating on the side of the road on our first day there. We did not see any cougars, thank goodness, but there were plenty of signs that said to beware because they were spotted in the area and were actually seen tracking humans. Yikes!

After seeing the elk, we made our way to Johnston Canyon. It is a short hike to a couple of waterfalls and was well worth it.

After the hike we were told to the little town of Field. It was nestled right into the Canadian Rockies and was oh so cute. I had the best mushroom soup of my life!

Brian right outside the restaurant.

After lunch we headed to one of the many gorgeous lakes in the area. Emerald Lake was breathtaking and we even had a little sun shine down on it.

The next day we took in the sights of Banff. Here is the famous Banff Springs Hotel. If you look up into the top left hand corner of the picture you can see our hotel nestled in the mountain.

Here is a view from Tunnel Mountain Road. Notice the Banff Springs Hotel in the background again.

Here we are at Town View Point. Obviously you can see the small town of Banff in the background.

The cute town of Banff. Look blue sky!

On our third day we headed out to Lake Louise. The Canadian government is in the process of building these new "animal roads" over the highways so the animals can migrate safely. They cover them with dirt and plant trees so it looks and feels like the forest. Pretty neat!

Before getting to Lake Louise, we stopped off at Moraine Lake. It is beautiful and used to be pictured on their $20 bill.

And now to Lake Louise.

After touring the lakes, we decided to take advantage of the relatively clear sky and hop on the Lake Louise Gondola. It was so much fun and we had amazing views to take in. It did get pretty cold at the top, and the rain started at that point, but was overall a must see!

View from the top. You can see Lake Louise in the middle of the mountains.

Obviously I was pretty cold at this point. =)

The highlight of the trip...a bear! She was just walking around right underneath the gondola totally unfazed by all the people around.

After the gondola ride, we headed back to the hotel for some relaxation and later enjoyed one last evening in Banff. They were actually having a festival that night with their annual "Bike Banff" race. They blocked off the streets downtown and had pretty hardcore races taking place. I think an Olympian was even in the top race. Very fun to see.

Our trip was amazing, but there is nothing like coming home to your little boy! Stay tuned for pics of what Luke was up to while Mommy and Daddy were away. =)

Baby Girl Sneak Peak

This week has been a little crazy, to say the least. I was at the doctor, and the NP thought that her heart sounded funny (like skipping beats). I was sent to the hospital for fetal monitoring, and hooked up for over 2 hours. She sounded perfect the whole time! While it was a little scary, her daddy and I did enjoy hearing her for an extended amount of time, especially now that we know she is fine. I also got to have another ultrasound, so we were able to see her sweet little face. The nurses at the hospital, the ultrasound tech, and my doctor, were all laughing because she is not cooperative at all! She is a huge wiggle worm, and anytime they would try to listen or put a monitor on me, she would push right back. You could see my stomach going crazy from across the room. It looks like this girl might just have as much, or more energy than her brother (Oh help me!). Here she is head on. Look at those cheeks. She has definitely gained more fat and looks just as sweet as can be.

Her foot has also chunked up some.

Oh and it was definitely confirmed that she is still a girl! No questions there. =) I am now 29 weeks and honestly 11 more weeks feels like forever! We are so ready to meet her. No official name as of yet, still working on that! I've been totally slacking in the belly photo department. The first pic is at 25 weeks.

This was taken last week while Brian and I took a trip to Canada (28 weeks). More Canada pictures to come!

Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on out, and she won't be pulling anymore surprises! =)

Slumber Party with the Cuz

Two weeks ago, Luke and I went to spend the night with his best buddy, cousin Ben. Luke loves him so much, and always walks right up to him saying over and over, "Hi Ben". I can't wait to see these two grow up together. I'm sure they will be TROUBLE! Luke loved wearing Uncle Will's army hat. Since Luke is no longer in a crib, he now sleeps on an air mattress when we travel. He does pretty well, and is very proud to be in a "big boy bed". Watch out though, because if he sees you taking the air out to put it away, there will be a major meltdown!

Ben just gets cuter and cuter, every time I see him. I am definitely starting to see his momma more in him. What a handsome little guy!

We went on a target outing with the boys, and Luke just thought it was the funniest thing for Mommy and Aunt Ali to wear his frog glasses.

Luke helped Aunt Ali out with dinner. He is really into helping cook now. He drags a chair over to the counter so he can see. There isn't much cooking going on, more like tasting on his part. =)

It won't be long now before we have a baby in our home (11 more weeks-yikes!), and Luke sure does get a lot of practice with Ben. He likes to be helpful, even when help isn't really wanted. =)

Luckily, Ben is a forgiving guy and isn't afraid to show Luke some cousin love!

Thanks for having us over, Ben! We love playing with you!

Last Day of Swim Class

Memorial Day was Luke's last day of swim class, and his daddy was able to take him. I sadly did not get to go because I had to work, but Noni and Papa went to watch and take pictures. Here are some shots from the day. Emler Swim School was wonderful! Luke can now swim underwater for 10 long seconds, he is very comfortable in the water, and even jumped off of Tula and Pop's diving board this weekend! It was well worth the money, and was a great activity during the week. We loved it! Now that the temperatures are rising (100 degrees!), we have had many trips to our neighborhood pool, and have brought some friends along. Here is Luke and Kaylee enjoying a snack break. Luke is a wild man in the water. He has no fear, and we have to really be on top of everything he does. From the second we get to the pool, to the second we leave, he is pretty much going 100 miles an hour. As you can see swimming is exhausting! The pool is close enough to walk to, and as I got in the driveway, I turned around to find one tired boy in his wagon. =) What a great way to release all that toddler energy! On another note, I just wanted to document what a sweet boy Luke has become. I helped out at Vacation Bible School today at our church, and Luke was able to come and joing his own class. It was his first time being in a school-like environment for over 4 hours and he loved it! He brought his little backpack with a lunch all packed, it was just too cute! I was able to take a sneak peak into his class, and saw him sitting at the little tables chowing down on a peanut butter sandwich, just having the best time. He is getting so big (tear), and I know he will love starting preschool in the fall. When I went to pick him up, the teacher went on and on about how good and polite he was, and was sad to hear that we were unable to make any of the other days this week. I am one proud mama! I leave you with a picture of my handsome boys before church this past Sunday. What cute matching outfits. =) Gotta love them!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. We started off the weekend right with a little Popsicle and splash park fun with our favorite girl, Isabelle. Then it was off to the lake. The playset was up and running, and got a lot of good action!

Look at this sweet face! Ben was a big fan of the swing, and Brian loved some alone time with his nephew.

Luke enjoyed taking a snack break with Uncle Rett. Thanks Uncle Rett for teaching him to say "We want food" while banging his fists on the table. ;) Oh goodness! I have to watch those uncles like a hawk!

Chilling with Uncle Grant. What cool guy!

Luke is really into fishing. Pop just got him his own little pole, and Luke spent a lot of time "casting" into the lake. This is so much fun, as his daddy, Pop, and uncles are all big fishermen!

Luke was loving Pop's hat...

...but Ben, not so much. =)

After two fun nights at the lake, we headed home to celebrate Noni's birthday. We went to the splash park, Glorias and Paciugos. Yum! As we walked to Paciugos, Luke noticed that Papa walked with his hands behind his back. All of the sudden we look over and Luke is walking slowly behind Papa, copying him. No one told him to do this. What a sweet boy!

Happy 60th Birthday Noni!

What a fun weekend! There was, however, one casualty from the lake. Luke got another black eye. So that is 2 black eyes before the age of 2! We sure do have one rough and tumble little dude. The picture below doesn't do it justice, and please ignore the applesauce all over his face.

Memorial Day was Luke's last day of swim class. I had to work, but luckily his daddy was able to take him. Stay tuned for pics of his last class.