Winter/Spring '10 Rundown

At the beginning of January, Chris surprised me with a little kid-free getaway to Banff for our anniversary! He had secretly arranged for his Aunt Mary to watch our kids for the 3 days and 2 nights that we would be gone. He told me just a day in advance so that I had enough time to get the kids and myself packed and ready. So on the 4th of January we drove up to Lacombe to drop the kids off at Paul & Mary's, got them to bed, went to bed ourselves, and then got up bright and early to head off to Banff. First thing we did when we got there was check out our hotel, but it was too early to check in so we drove to Sunshine Village for day one of snowboarding! Day one was rough for me as it had been about 4 years since I had been and I wasn't very good to then. I think we even cut out a bit early. That night we went to the Keg for supper and wandered the streets of Banff and checked out some stores. At our hotel we got to enjoy the hot tubs and the steam room and sauna. We pretty much had them to ourselves! I loved it! Chris isn't a huge fan of those things but he did it for me. The next day we went snow boarding at sunshine again and by the middle of the day I finally figured out how to really snowboard. I had a blast! It's too bad that it had to be so close to when it was time to leave. At the end of the day, Chris decided to snowboard down the rest of the mountain, but I didn't want to because there were too many flat parts and I HATE flat parts so I rode the gondola. Unfortunately the gondola shut down for about a half hour and I was just stuck there in one of the cars all by myself. I was actually starting to panic a bit and trying to figure out how I was going to get out before I froze to death. It was really cold and the sun was starting to go down behind the mountain so my fear was somewhat warranted... right? It did eventually get started again (obviously) and Chris was there at the bottom waiting for me. That night we did some more wandering and ate at the Spaghetti Factory and hung out in the hot tubs before hitting the hay. The next morning we got up, packed up, and started our drive to Lacombe. We spent a good portion of the day in Calgary doing some shopping and whatnot. By the time we got to Lacombe the kids were already in bed so we spent the night at Paul and Mary's again and then left the next morning. The kids were pretty happy to see us but they had such a fun time with Auntie Mary, Uncle Paul and their kids that they didn't want to leave. I knew they would be well taken care of! The sad thing about this getaway is that I didn't take any pictures. Oh well.

The kids and I did some more lazing about and just playing in and out of the house. We actually played outside in the snow quite a bit.

I even got in my gear and got down in the snow with the kids to teach 'em how it's done!

Poor Jensen had to stay inside a couple of times because I was still worried about his illness (that post will come).

But he got to join Aubrey and me eventually!

We enjoyed our indoor time immensely as well. Playing with playdough is one of our favorite activities!

Jensen discovered that he is a muscle man! He would even grunt when he tried to pull the handles!

Once we got restless we decided it was time to take a trip out to Saskatoon to visit some of our favorite people: The DErin Cahoon clan! The kids and I drove out on February 2nd and an eventful drive it was! I missed the turn in swift current and just kept driving straight. I honestly can't believe I missed it! I drove for quite a while and finally stopped at a gas station to ask for the shortest rout to Saskatoon. What should have been a 7 hour drive turned into more like a 10 hour drive. Good thing my kids are so good in the car and good thing I brought a DVD player! The main reason I even went out was because Darren was performing in a kind of talent night called "Legal Follies." It's a fund raiser that the Law department at the U of S puts on for... something... I can't even remember what it's all about! Ha! But I wanted to see Darren do his thing and spend some time with him and his fam. It was a fun time! Aubrey sure enjoys hanging out with her cousins and gets along with them quite well. It's too bad that Jensen was such a grump that week. We drove home on the 6th and it was an uneventful trip home, thank goodness!

Halle and Aubrey enjoying a movie together...

Jensen with Baby Jane. He wasn't too sure about sitting very close to her!

Not long after I got back from Saskatoon, Chris and I finally bought a new vehicle! We had been driving a 2005 Honda Civic that I had had since high school. It was a fabulous car but it was getting quite squishy for the four of us and it was getting really old not having cruise control considering how much long distance driving we seem to do. So after almost a year of research we dove in and bought a 2010 Hyundai Vera Cruz. We absolutely love it! It seats 7 and is so roomy and nice to drive! It was just a rude awakening to go from filling up our little civic to filling up our big ol' SUV! Oh well. The purchase and pick up was just in time for on the 12th of February we left for St. George, UT to visit my parents!
It's a long 16 hour drive but the kids did so well and it was so worth it. We drove through the night in true Cahoon style (those of you who know my dad will know what I mean) so that the kids would be asleep for most of the drive. We got to my parent's place in the early afternoon on the 13th. We were able to spend a couple of days with my mom (my dad was in Africa) and then Chris and I got to ditch the kids once again and spend a few days in Las Vegas!
We left on the evening of the 15th to pick up Darcy and Jessica (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) from the airport. We stayed at a resort just off the strip where Jessica's uncle and aunt own a time share so our hotel was free! We went to 3 shows: Cirque du Soliel's 'O', David Copperfield, and Carrot Top. O and David Copperfield were fantastic but I'm honestly embarrassed to say that I went to Carrot top and that I actually sat through it. Most of his jokes were quite clean but was he ever a swearer! And did he ever like the F-bomb!
When we weren't at shows we wandered the strip to see the sights and did some shopping at the outlets. Chris and I got to go on the NY, NY roller coaster too! I have been to Las Vegas quite a few times and have always wanted to go on it so it was great to finally get to! It was pretty fun! I was pregnant too and didn't know it... oops! It was a really fun few days with a really awesome couple.

Chris and I

Jessica and Darcy

Gotta Love Caesar's Palace!

We got back to St. George on the 19th and spent a few more days with my mom. I got to go to Vegas for another day with my mom on the 22nd to pick up my dad from the airport. We left the kids with Chris! How lucky am I to get so many breaks? Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and I love being with them, but as all mothers know, it's also nice to get away for a bit. Chris and the kids and I left for home on the 23rd.

The weather was so nice down there. We got to play outside quite a bit.

We went and fed some ducks which was a favorite for Aubrey and Jensen!


We visited a mall there and this is basically all that we did! Jensen sat in a little car! Aubrey does not like these whatsoever. She is terrified of them when they are moving and won't get on them when they aren't... I think she thinks we will turn it on while she is still in it!

We of course had to hit up one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Rio. Even our picky little Jensen loves it!

Unfortunately, Aubrey had a bit of a mishap. I had bought her some flip-flops and she wanted to wear them on a walk with grandpa. She started running on the sidewalk and she tripped and fell. Of course her hands were in her pockets!

The poor girl got quite the fat lip and bruised up nose.

One of the days there Chris and I took the kids swimming at the Washington Family Leisure Center. We really love the pool there! It is so much fun for the kids. Jensen is way too brave though. He was going down the kiddie waterslides and having a blast but would all of a sudden take off from the baby pool and run to the big pool and jump in! It would literally be a race between him and me or him and Chris. One of the lifeguards started to keep a really close eye on him. At least Jensen thought it was funny! Unfortunately it was another one of those events that I didn't take pictures of.

March was quite an uneventful month. Our next noteworthy event was on April 3rd. Easter! Every year Chris' grandma Shurtz has all her kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren over that can make it for colouring eggs and an Easter egg hunt. It's always fun to see everyone. I love how close that Shurtz family is. We actually get together the third Sunday of every month. It's one fantastic group!

Aubrey got to try her hand at colouring Easter eggs! I wasn't nice enough to let Jensen though...

Aubrey and Jensen with their loot! They just search for empty plastic eggs but there is one egg for each child that is full of candy. It's just perfect for these little guys.

After all that we moved to Medicine Hat on the 18th of April to start our summer of sales with APX.