Our Time in Edmonton

Every time we go to Edmonton, Chris wants to move there. It's his home, it's where he grew up until I stole him away at the young age of 20 to come to Manitoba. Those of you who know the 'land' up here in Canada, know that Alberta is a booming economy, known as "The land of milk and honey," and then there's Manitoba, known as "the butthole of Canada." I'm not saying I agree with these labels, but there is something about rolling hills, river valleys, and the hustle and newness of a big city that really appeals to both of us. So it's not a matter of "if" we'll move to Alberta, it's a matter of "when." Chris is locked into his job for another 2 years, so as of now, we're talking about possibly moving after that..... this makes me very sad to think of leaving my family, and I don't know how I'll ever be able to handle it, but the job opportunity (which I'll get into another time) would give Chris a stable schedule which would make him home for our kid's important developmental years when they need their dad. This is very important to me, so it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make....*sniff, sniff* Also, knowing how wonderful Chris' family is, makes it that much easier to think of living there. We also have some friends and Chris' extended family who live there, that I'm looking forward to getting to know better :o)

Now for our trip: I love visiting Chris' parent's place. It's so relaxing and peaceful, and they LOVE the kids, so it's a good time for everyone. Chris' dad (Jim) loves doing things with Ethan, so every day that he wasn't working (even when he was totally sick with a chest infection), he took him somewhere - they'd walk to see the geese and ducks, go to the park, went to a horse farm to pet and see horses (Linda went too), or they'd just go play in the yard. Ethan LOVED it, and I was so happy that they got to bond so much. He would always talk about Jim when he was at work, and couldn't wait for him to come home :o)

In the above picture, Ethan is lying on the floor with Chris' brother, John and clearly thrilled! I felt like this was a really good bonding trip for all of us with chris' family - especially for all of us with John. He often has had to work on past visits, but we got to see him almost every day, which Ethan and Anthony really liked and me and Chris did too! I also got to know him a lot better, and we had a great time hanging out with him - we went to the movies and out for dinner a couple times, and I'm really thankful for that :o)

The above, and following pictures, were taken at the zoo! I LOVE animals, and Ethan definintely takes after me in that way. He LOVES Diego, and knows animal's names that I've never even heard of. On the way home, we were driving and saw some bison. Ethan saw them and yelled out "there's lots of camels! And baby camels! Where's more?" So he still mixes some up, lol!! (sidenote: we saw a pair of moose on our drive home, at two different times!! This was so cool cuz Chris had never seen a moose)

Anthony probably didn't notice the animals that much since all the kids caused so much action around him. We went to the zoo with Chris' cousins and their kids which made 6 kids in total. It was so great to see them, they're one of the reasons I'm looking forward to moving there one day :o)

Now for Chris' mom, Linda. I've always been SO thankful that she is my mother in law. I couldn't ask for a better one. We hit it off right from the start, and have always had a special connection. I really consider her to be a great friend, and my 'other mom.' She's been a part of my life for the past 8 1/2 years, and it's been great to watch her become such a special part of my kids' lives. She is such a hands-on grandma, who feed them, bathes them, and plays with them non-stop. Chris is a total momma's boy, and I love that about him, because he loves talking with me about his day every day. It might be hard to believe, but he actually talks more than me!! I know this is because of his mom, and I'm thankful for the son she (and Jim, obviously) raised. I love her so much, and know that the boys do too.

Ethan loved his cousin, Noah, and talked about him non-stop after visiting them. Here they are posing for a pic. I love it cuz Ethan was so enthralled with Noah, and Noah's just being a goofy boy. I'm bummed that I didn't get any good pics of the kids with their grandma and grandpa, I'll have to see if they got any with their camera. So that's it for our trip - it was action-packed, and fun-filled, I can't wait to go back!