So... we were given a hefty amount of Airmiles from Cam's mom with the stipulation that they be used for something for the whole family! With a little research, we decided to book 2 nights hotel in Red Deer and 1 night in Drumhellar on the August long weekend. We left Saturday morning and headed right to Aspen Beach at Gull Lake! This beach was beautiful and so kid friendly. They had a gigantic playground, a sandy beach, a little concession to buy ice cream and treats and the lake was perfect 'Isla' level. She had a blast... we all did actually! We headed into Red Deer after our sunny day, checked into our hotel and then headed out for a pizza dinner, complete with pizza dough mustaches! A perfect start to our get-a-way!
On Sunday, we decided to spend the day at Sylvan Lake. I hadn't been there in a super long time but I was totally impressed with the facelift that had been done! Huge, new public washrooms, a great big playground, lots of lawn chairs to relax in... it was great fun! Although there was no beach due to the insanely high water levels, Isla still had a riot! We took her in the water with her inflatable elephant and she loved the lake so much! We played at the playground and of course, had some ice cream at the Big Moo. What a fantastic way to spend a sunny day. Annie of course, sat in the shade; maxin' and relaxin' all day long! We realized that you don't have to go far to have a fantastic holiday and make memories!
We spent Sunday night in Red Deer as well. Isla loved sleeping in a hotel bed ALL to herself (see above photo). However, this did prove difficult when it was bed time and Isla wanted to stay up with us to watch the Olympics. Cam got innovative and built a barricade around her bed, blocking her precious view of the TV. After pretending her bunny was on the balance beam doing a routine, she drifted off to sleep. Such precious moments we shared.
Monday was a busy, crazy, long, super fun day! We packed the kids up and headed to Drumhellar. When we arrived, we went STRAIGHT to the Royal Tyrell Museum. I don't know who loved it more; Isla or Cam & I? She was beyond thrilled. Her little voice echoing through: "Look Mom, Look Dad, DINOSAURS"! She was ecstatic, to say the least. That museum is extremely impressive. We spent a couple hours there, touring each exhibit, reading about the various fossils and telling Isla all that we knew about dinosaurs. She was simply amazed. It is definitely something we will go to again, once the ladies are a little older. After this, we headed to our hotel, The Jurassic Inn (haha), and then went to the World's Tallest Dinosaur. We climbed the stairs, with both girls in tow and took a view of the town and surrounding landscape. It was so hot that day and coincidentally, there was a cute little spray park in front of the dinosaur so we splashed and played there before heading to Boston Pizza for the most gong show of a dinner we've ever had. After a 20 minute wait for our table, we sat down. I asked Isla if she had to go to the bathroom. "No". So I went. I come back to the table to see Isla's face wet with tears. Me: "Why is she crying?" Cam: "She was biting the table". Really Isla? Disgusting behavior. In the meantime, Annie had woken up from one of her token catnaps with a huge diaper full of poop. Me: "Isla, I am going to change Annie's diaper, do you have to go too?" Isla: "No". Upon returning to the table, Isla announces, "Mom, I gotta go pee". Third trip to the bathroom. I come back to the table to see that Annie has been crying and Cam was now feeding her a bottle that seemed to be spilling out of her face faster than the speed of sound. Once done, she barfed it all up. Finally, our food arrives. I blow on her food and tell Isla to wait a few minutes while it cools down. 2 seconds later, Isla is bawling saying her food is too hot. I nicely escort Isla out of the restaurant for a stern talking to about not biting tables, eating her food slowly, listening to mommy, sitting still and how to behave in restaurant. We ate as fast as we could and got the H- E- double hockey sticks outta there. Yikes. As amazing our day was, times like this happen quite frequently and at the time, it sucks. But by the end of the day, you just gotta laugh at the antics that can come. We love these times too!
On Tuesday, we decided to spend the morning/early afternoon in Drumhellar before returning home. We went to Reptile World... a place where they have over 80 species of reptiles, including HUGE pythons, anacondas, black mambas, turtles, crocodiles, lizards, frogs etc... Now, I thought Isla loved the museum but NOTHING like she loved these reptiles. She was yelling in awe at literally every creature in the exhibit. Over 80 times, we heard "LOOK MOM, LOOK DAD, a __________ (fill in with the name of a reptile she was looking at). It was like a kid at Christmas! She even held a snake... a boa constrictor to be exact and boy, was she pumped! She couldn't stop talking about it! We also went to the hoo doo's and the suspension bridge before heading back home. Even if Isla doesn't remember this trip, Cam and I will and the memories are worth every exhausting moment. I had so much fun... the best part was watching Isla and the uninhibited joy at her new discoveries. I am so proud of my little girl. Spending time as a family of 4 is just so special and I soaked in every moment. We have already started planning next years trip! Annie will be almost a year and half... she will be more of an active participant in our excursions! Hooray.
There you have it! A huge success... and now, I want more family time away!
