We Came, We Saw, We Conquered....Calgary!

Last week Tuesday we woke up early and started our trek to Calgary. We were heading to the Calgary Stampede and the Zoo. Jamie's Oma and Opa live in Calgary so it worked perfectly to take in the sights and spend some time with them as well. We hadn't ever done this long of a drive so we were curious/nervous how it was going to go. The boys were so excited to go. The before we left they were chanting; "were going to Calgary, were going to Calgary." The boys did great. They watched 7 movies on the way there and 7 on the way back.
These pictures with the cowboy hats were taken the day after we were at the Stampede. Oma wanted a picture with all of us in the hats. After the picture the boys were roping cows.
We were able to go to the rodeo show and it was great! We saw everything. Steer riding, barrel racing, roping calves, bucking bronco's and little kids trying to ride wild miniature horses. The show was really long but the boys did great.

At one intermission Jaxon went for a walk with Opa and came back with a bucket of popcorn. Between everyone the popcorn was definitely eaten. Jaxon actually fell asleep on my lap during the last half of the rodeo. He was so tired and because we were sitting and not moving he couldn't keep his eyes open.

On the first day we were in Calgary, it was Jamie and I's 9th wedding anniversary. We spent it playing at the park, going to the mall with the kids, and having a yummy dinner at Olive Garden with Oma and Opa and boys. It was a good day to celebrate our anniversary. Next year.....Hawaii!

Our first afternoon in Calgary we went to a great park. The boys loved the playground and there was plenty of green space to play baseball. I had brought my phone to take pictures. Jamie was playing around with the different photo setting options. This cartoon option was a favorite along with a vintage setting as well. We were quite impressed with the quality. Aidan also doesn't mind as much if you take pictures of him on the phone instead of with an actual camera. Sometimes I think he just thinks you are on your phone instead of taking a picture ;)

Aidan thought it was fun to try to climb up the twisty slide...we both struggled to get to the top.

The boys love swings and we spent lots of time pushing them and making them go higher. They loved the underdog's or sudden drops that Jamie would give them. He would pull them up and when they weren't expecting it he would let go. I think my favorite part was watching their faces...and hearing their screams....priceless.
Eventually, we moved on to playing baseball. Aidan wanted to make sure that everyone got a chance to bat. Even Oma and Opa got in on the action and took their turn batting. It was great. The boys loved the fact that Oma and Opa played ball with them.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Jaxon decided that he wanted to pitch. He did great. This picture shows the whole action. The ball in the air that he threw to Jamie and Jamie ready to hit it. It was perfect!

On Friday, we headed to the Calgary Zoo. The last time I was there was the first summer Jamie and I were married. It is an amazing zoo. Perfect for the boys. I think that we spent almost 4-5 hours and I don't believe we saw everything.

We had a great day for it. Nice and sunny but with a bit of a breeze so you didn't get too hot. At one point, we stopped for ice cream. The perfect treat for the zoo. I decided to take advantage of the fact that Oma and Opa were with us to have them take a picture of Jamie and I. Since having the boys, we don't often have pictures taken of just us.

Aidan was set on seeing bears when we were at the zoo. I am not entirely sure what it was about the bears but it was important. We finally found them and it was perfect. The zoo staff were throwing food over the fence to the bears. We had the perfect view of the bears coming trying to find the food.

It was a great trip. We were so thankful to have Oma and Opa have us stay with them and be able to spend time with them. It was a short trip but a good one. We left Saturday morning ready for a long trek back home. The boys watched 7 more movies but were content. It was great to have the dvd player along. It was probably the best $200 we have spent. It helped make a long trip bearable.

Thanks Oma and Opa for a wonderful trip. We are very grateful! The boys loved it and enjoyed spending time with you both.