Vacation: Fourth of July

One of the best parts of being able to claim dual citizenship is having more than one excuse to celebrate. Not only do we get two turkey days, but July allows us two reasons to celebrate. How many fireworks can one family handle? Apparently a LOT. After the Canada Day festivities, we moseyed on over to my brother's in Montana for the Fourth of July. I soon discovered that Montana is one of those states where the "good" fireworks remain legal. Bliss!

My brother's house is situated on a hilltop overlooking most of the town. Since several other townspeople annually have their own private fireworks display, it meant that we just had to sit back, wrap up in a blanket (what's up with the weather?) and enjoy a couple hours worth of hassle-free fireworks. (Plus, when the kids got tired, we simply took them in the house to bed!) Fabulous!

Lindy & her cousin, Kasen, enjoying the show

Happy Fourth, everyone!

Grandpa

Curtis spent some time this week with one of his very favorite people...Grandpa. (Or as he puts it, "Bumpa".) They each had a lot of things to share with one another.

Grandpa explained the proper function of his decorative water feature.

(In other words, he reminds Curtis not to throw rocks in it or swim in it.)

Curtis explained the proper function of his airplanes.

They watched a little TV together.

And Grandpa taught him about a secondary use for a wheel barrow (thanks, dad).

And Curtis enjoyed every moment. If Grandpa left, Curtis demanded that we "go find him". As we started our drive home, he was seriously put out that Grandpa wasn't coming with us. Poor kid. It took him a while to figure it all out.

Post Edit: 4 days after returning home from our vacation, Curtis is still demanding to go "home". I keep reminding him we are home, only to be told he mean's "Bumpa's" home. Sigh.

Vacation: Happy Canada Day, Eh!

Curtis learns about the Canadian Flag from Grandpa

We spent the morning basking in the celebratory glow of a Southern Alberta parade. Well, let me rephrase that...we spent the morning watching a procession of horses, cars, trucks, and trailers throw candy (albeit sparingly) to a hoarde of pushy, disorganized Canadians. With nary a float in sight.

I realized today that tradition is a funny thing. It wakes us up early in the morning to gather together with family members we neither recognize or remember (with one or two exceptions) and sniff the familiar waft of horse manure as it sits on the road and gathers up exhaust fumes. (I feel a little Tevia-like anthem bubbling in my vocal chords...)

But it's in the blood. It's what we do. And, apart from voicing my abundant opinions on what they should do to improve the festivities, I'm sure I will encourage the tradition to continue. Because in spite of it's shortcomings, it's a favorite. It's part of who I am and where I come from.

And besides, did I mention they throw candy? Canadian candy? Awesome. Oh...I mean "Awesome, eh?"

Vacation: Waterton

The annual hike to Red Rock Canyon in Waterton:

While Curtis wasn't exactly thrilled about putting his feet in the freezing glacier water...

...he was perfectly happy with a little (okay, a lot) of rock throwing.

Until these guys came along. (Yeah...they were a little too close for comfort.)

So we left. And visited the usual places. Cameron Falls:

And the BEST ice cream place, The Big Scoop. (Their homemade waffle cones are to die for.)

Another fun-filled day in our favorite national park! Pretty awesome, eh?

Vacation: Yellowstone

After a few more slides down our new favorite recreational activity, the Alpine Slide, the Jones family hit the road once more. Today's destination: Yellowstone.

We soon found out one incontrovertible fact: the beauty and miracle of this particular national park was completely and entirely lost on our three little ones.

While Ian and I watched this:

They were stubbornly focused on this:

And this:

Deflated, we left Old Faithful and decided to skip the rest of the park. As we continued through the park I made one last attempt to draw their attention to the fascinating pools on the side of the road. Lindy's response was a thoroughly disgusted, "It's just water, mom."

(Note to self: Don't try Yellowstone until each child is appropriately mature to appreciate the wonders of nature.)

(Second Note to self: Take an RV on that future trip...with a toilet.)

Vacation: Idaho and Jackson Hole

The first leg of our annual Summer Vacation started off with a bang. Or, perhaps I should say it started, then stopped, then started, then stopped, then started, then stopped...with many bangs in between. (We quickly learned not to let Ellie drink an entire QUART-size bottle of water right before leaving the house.)

When we finally reached Grandma's house, the kids were in seventh heaven. With a trampoline, hammocks, and a treasure chest of undiscovered toys...who wouldn't be?

Lindy playing with the animals

Ellie swinging on the hammock

After a good night's sleep, a little play time with grandma, and a nice breakfast, we set off to our next destination, Jackson Hole, WY. We had a couple hours to wait for our hotel room to be ready, so we made our way up the mountain and discovered the Alpine Slide. We had a blast!

Curtis could barely contain his excitement.

I caught a picture of him yelling "I did it!"

Lindy was also fairly thrilled about this fun family activity.

Tomorrow we head for Yellowstone. I can tell the kids are wondering if there will be a slide through those mountains...