Nicki and Todd's Wedding

We had the most amazing time and met the most fantastic people at Nicki and Todd's wedding.  It was such a beautiful event.  Thanks for sharing your day.  We loved every moment.

The most beautiful bride

Sarah, Nicki, and I

 

Jayden breaking it down - all night long!

Best Friends

Me and my beautiful girls

Getting together with our friends feels like home.  When we are together, it is as though we have never left.  Even their children seem like they've kept a special placeholder for Jayden in their hearts.  When our kids are all together, there is a sense of belonging.  It felt like family.  Jayden considers Mia, Liam, and Owen as his new best friends and they feel the same way.

Jayden with his new best friends: Liam, Mia, and Owen

J.J. and Owie bonding over the DS

Kids doing the Spiderman

Uncle Lance helping Jayden with his technique

It was also great to see our big boys (the grownup ones) altogether again, my stomach hurt laughing from all their antics.  Chris even got to fit in some bro-mance time with Lance and Wojtek over hockey.

The 3 Bro-sketeers

As you can see, nothing has changed ; )

We relived old memories and made new ones.  Thanks for the great time, we sure miss you guys!

Toques and Toboggans

We had promised Jayden that we would take him sledding.  Here are some pictures of us on mom's gorgeous  new plot of land doing just that (incidently, on the same day we broke records for being the 3rd coldest place on earth but a promise is a promise).

Toques, toboggans, and having crazy fun in bone chilling temperatures - doesn't get much more Canadian than this eh?  

Initially, the snow was actually too cold to slide on.  We had to take turns pulling Jayden up and down the hill, all the while he was yelling "faster, faster!".

All this sledding sure builds up an appetite.  Time for roasted hot dogs, hot chocolate, and booze (I watched from the warmth of the heated truck, it did not take long for Jayden to join me).

Chris and his mommy

Only my husband can look so sexy in -45C weather

(I looked like the stay-puff marshmallow boy with a frozen snot fu manchu)

Edmonton - Third Coldest Day on Earth

That was the headline from the local papers.  Apparently we were second only to the South Pole and Calgary, Alberta for freezing uninhabitable temperatures.  My mother-in-law mentioned something to the extent of -45C (-49F) with the wind chill that day.

In the spirit of record breaking, we decided to assemble the world's 3rd most complicated  marble track (rated ages 8 and above).  

Suspicious that the 8+ rating may not have been a reference to the suggested age of the child but rather the number of people it takes or the number of hours it takes to assemble the toy

Nana's place has dogs, cats, horses, and few other standard Canadian pets...

 

 

 

 Getting some extra help

While we were there, we put Jayden to work feeding the horses and cooking breakfasts.  

Me posing with Chef Ravioli

Breakfast Smorgasbord

Fortunately, the old adage of working hard and playing even harder applies when you are at Nana's house.  So our days were filled with ATVing (Jayden drove), playing with the animals, and tobogganing.

Video of Jayden driving the quad

Jayden and Grandpa Dale pulling Nana in the poop chute sleigh

 Mother Nature's Skating Rink

Spending the third coldest day on earth at Grandma Terry and Grandpa Dale's was heartwarming : )

Frolicking Frosty Fun

We had a wonderful time at Gramps and LoLo's, here are some highlights (click on the link below to see video):

Video of Jayden causing roof top avalanches

 Dressed for Siberia

West Edmonton Mall!

 My Angel in Snowy Heaven

 Impromtu Shovel Sledding

 Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...on Jay's head

Family Pictures:

J.J. with Gramps and LoLo