Road Trip

April 18-May 5

Our tax refund finally came on Tuesday the 17th and we left for Alberta on Wednesday.  Not wanting to jinx it, I didn't pack or do laundry ahead of time, so when the cheque finally came, we had to scramble to get ready.  K was waaaay better than I had anticipated.  She loved crawling around the kids area on the ferry and slept most of the first day in the car up to Revelstoke.  We stayed there for the night and ate at this really great place, Nomad.  If you ever pass through Revelstoke, go to Nomad, everytime.  As soon as we checked into the hotel, Cole had to go ask for new sheets.  Our lovely daughter had a diaper explosion on the bed and you can imagine the mess.  

exploring the room in Revelstoke and getting into trouble

trying to get at the dried fruit

peeking over at dad on the computer

From Revelstoke we headed to Calgary, stopping in Banff for lunch.  K had a nice poop explosion waiting for us in Banff that we had to deal with on the trunk of the car before we could go to the restaurant.  In fact, after a nice long break, K decided the time to start exploding out of her diaper again was during our road trip. 

K and Cole at Calgary Zoo

In Calgary, we stayed with Cole's sister Courtney and had a family dinner with her, her boyfriend and Cole's other sister who lives in Calgary, Christina, and her family (including K's brand new cousin).  The next day we went to the zoo to pass time while we waited for Courtney to be done work so we could all leave for Lacombe, where Cole's mom lives.  K didn't care much for the animals...didn't notice really, but passed out by the end of the trip, so that seemed worthwhile right there.  When we got back to the car, we saw Cole's keys hanging out of the trunk. 

passed out

In Lacombe that night, we had another family dinner, with Cole's mom, the two kids that still live at home with her and Cole's brother and sister and their families that all live in Edmonton.  We spent the next two weeks in Lacombe, driving up to Red Deer most days (Cole lived in Red Deer during high school and still has good friends that live there).  I brought my camera, but for some reason didn't really take any pictures even though we probably won't be back for at least a year, probably more like two or three.  Cole and I have never been very good at making sure we take pictures.  We have gotten better since K, but now that she's on the move all time, it's fading again.  We should have recorded K with all the relatives she won't see again for awhile.  Oh well, I didn't really think about it till I got to Vancouver. 

having a snack/nap in Lacombe

bought a new tent in Alberta and set it up to see how we liked it

K thought the tent was pretty cool

On the way home, we stopped in Okotoks to visit Cole's aunt and uncle and cousins, and realized that we left Cole's suit back in Lacombe.  So instead of continuing on to Revelstoke the next day, we went back to Lacombe and then turned around and headed to Revelstoke.  So not fun.  We stayed with my parents in Vancouver after Revelstoke and the Cole went to a Parks and Rec conference in Victoria while K and I stayed with my parents for a week.  Cole, again, forgot his suit in Vancouver so had to walk on the ferry the next day to come pick it up and turn around and go back so he could get to his conference.  Long, long trip, but glad to be back home now.  Unfortunately, that means packing to move.  Blah.

rib dinner in Vancouver

8 months old in Vancouver