Homeschool & Guinea Pigs

After our big Canadian road trip we started school….and adopted a couple of guinea pigs from church friends.

The piggies are named Snowball and Poppy, lovingly called “the girls,” not to be confused with our girls 🙂 Snowball is solid white and tends to be the friendly one. Poppy has an orange spot on her head and likes to run and hide until caught! They seem pretty spoiled with their large enclosure to roam and kick up their paws. The most entertaining thing they do is called “popcorning” where they hop/ leap into the air (all four paws off the floor) to express they are happy or excited. They also poop a….lot! 😀

Road Trip: Days 11-13

Said goodbye to my parents at Mount Robson Provincial Park in B.C. then headed back to Jasper for a hike around Maligne Canyon. The next morning we packed up to go but decided to drive around in hopes of seeing wildlife. We were fortunate to witness a large herd crossing the river and eventually they crossed the road in front of us. We continued our drive on a back road and came across another smaller herd.

We had a wonderful time despite some car sickness, long hours, and moving to a new hotel almost every night. Todd did an amazing job planning every detail and we enjoyed getting to see more of God’s beautiful creation with one another 🙂

Road Trip: Day 9

After a full day at the water park, we woke up early the day and drove to the Edmonton Valley Zoo. After exploring the zoo for a few hours we headed 4 hours to Jasper with a stop in Edson to see a larger-than-life squirrel. This day was extra special because my Dad turned 70! What better way to celebrate than on a long road trip with family and wild animals, ha! 🙂

Road Trip: Day 7

On our way to Edmonton we drove through the prairies with a stop at Elk Island National Park hoping to see a few wild animals. We spotted bison, a beaver, frogs, birds, and a white-tailed deer. The girls also had fun making bison magnets and dressing up as wild animals at the park’s learning center/theater.

Road Trip: Day 6

Our next stop was to Drumheller, Alberta to see the dinosaurs! We toured the amazing Royal Tyrrell Museum, climbed 106 stairs to the mouth of the World’s Largest Dinosaur, hiked along Hoodoos Trail, then stopped for a quick walk across the Star Mine Suspension Bridge on our way out of town.

Ada is really into dinosaurs at the moment so we took the opportunity to learn more about them at one of the best museums in North America.

Road Trip: Day 4

Our first full day in Banff was a full one! We visited Cave and Basin Historic Site, Bow Falls, Fairmont Hotel overlook, Johnston Canyon Trail for a waterfall hike, took a walk around Bow Lake, hiked to an overlook of Peyto Lake, and finally hiked a short ways to Mistaya Canyon before heading back to our hotel (we also saw a black bear on our return drive). This was all made possible by Todd who organized each and every day! 🙂

Road Trip: Day 2

Our second day consisted of driving a few hours to Salmon Arm. Along the way we stopped at DeMille’s Farm Market that had a fun petting zoo and then an afternoon at Shuswap Lake visiting with old college friends. That evening all of us enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool with multiple sections and water fountains.

Road Trip: Day 1

At the end of summer we embarked on an epic two week road trip through British Columbia and Alberta Canada. My parents met us for part of the trip which was a lot of fun. We caravanned and/or carpooled for several days together seeing beautiful country.

Our first full day (just the four of us) was spent exploring the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops. We enjoyed the animals, bird show, and riding on the miniature train.

NW Fair

Another fun day at the fair with the special addition of my parents. It is so nice having them close! The girls mostly love the rides, so we try to see the animals and booths in the morning and during snack breaks. The chickens and bunnies are always a favorite and the 4-H/agriculture exhibits were well done this year.

Vancouver Birthday

For my birthday this year we spent the day in Vancouver, Canada. We enjoyed the sights of the city, eating poke for lunch, and exploring the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park.

The sea lion show at the aquarium was really good! t was fun to see these large creatures jump, dive, wave, bark and catch fish. One of the males acted just like a big dog, barking and begging for his treats. The spitting walrus was also very entertaining, Ada and Ruby got a little wet 🙂

We ended the day by heading back to Langley for dinner at White Spot. It’s a burger joint in the gas station near the university we attended and frequented with old friends. We also found a good gelato shop in Fort Langley, another place that brings back so many fond memories of our college years.