Calgary

This weekend we headed to Calgary for a mini shopping get away.  Calgary is not my favorite city for shopping.  It is a rather unattractive city, at least in my opinion, lacking trees and just general appeal for this country bumpkin.  However, Calgary DOES have The Lego Store.  Our boys have been begging to go to the Lego store...their hard earned money was burning a hole in their pockets!  lol!  Malia was tickled to be able to go to Build A Bear to buy a new outfit for her bunny.  Martin was thrilled to finally be able to go to The Bass Shop.  It is a must see!  What an incredible store!  It is huge and has many stuffed animals and a fish pond complete with waterfall, not to mention ALL the hunting, camping, fishing, and outdoor "stuff" any guy could EVER want!  As for myself...I found some awesome deals at Gymboree and most importantly, got to go to IKEA!  We will be renovating our "never finished" entrance and completing the laundry room.  I found everything I needed for that and can't wait to get out the sledge hammer to begin knocking down walls!

This was Raina's first road trip and she travelled amazingly well.  Like most kids she was best entertained with non-toy items, such as an old pair of sunglasses.

We discovered just how difficult and expensive it is to find a decent motel with adequate space for all 6 of us.  We ended up with a King Suite and were creative, to say the least, in finding space for every one to sleep.  Malia slept on the couch,  turned to the wall so she wouldn't fall off!  Nice and cozy!

The boys played with their Lego immediately on returning to our motel. 

Travelling with 4 kids can be a little crazy...especially when you need a bathroom break!  :)  However, our kids travel very well, keeping themselves entertained with their DS, books, movies, and looking for wildlife.

Of course, the best part of travelling is when the little ones nod off for a much needed sleep!

As we headed to Calgary, I found myself wishing we were heading to Red Deer instead...wishing that Kathy and Mark still lived there...thinking we would have all headed to Calgary for the day and had a blast...perhaps even a "ladies only" shopping day...

It has been almost 3 years since I last saw my very good friend and sister, Kathy.  It has been far too long and I miss her and her family  incredibly!  I can hardly wait to see them all this summer!