Weather wise, summer was slow to get started. Due to so much rain in June, the city of Calgary actually flooded. I never would have predicted it but the river rose, spilled it's banks and destroyed much of downtown Calgary. With spirits undaunted - "Come Hell or High Water" - the show must go on and so we took Brandon to the Calgary Stampede for the first time this year. It turned out to be lots of fun. Brandon wasn't fussed by the big crowds and he really enjoyed the lights, sounds and tastes of the mid-way. Along with his friend Kahlan, he tried fried foods, played on kiddy sized toys and watched the "Super Dogs" perform their show. Jamie and I agreed it was "Okay" and will likely take our little back-a-roo back to the Stampede for more good times next year.
Stampede was fun but it couldn't compete with the camping trip Brandon and Jamie took the weekend after. After meeting up with the Hill family in Water Valley, Brandon had a blast playing with all the other kids, chopping wood, riding his bike, getting muddy in the creek and, of course, quadding. They had so much fun, they even did it again in August. I was thrilled with their father-son bonding time and relished in a quiet yet clean home all by myself!
Speaking of me, I took a short trip to Victoria to say goodbye to both of my grandparents. Saying goodbye wasn't easy but I was happy to be surrounded by family that I haven't seen or spoken to in years. It's funny how it takes major events like weddings and funerals to bring people together when we're all just a click away really . . .
Anyways I was back in time to welcome my sister-in-law Joline, her man Marcus and their son Julien into our home for an eight day staycation with family. A few days after their arrival we had Julie and her son Kalluem come stay with us too. It was a busy household but lots of fun. Brandon and Julien got on really well and they were able to enjoy sites like the Science Center (the Calgary Zoo had been destroyed by the flood), the Royal Tyrell Museum, Calaway Park, and Sulpher Mountain in Banff. We played in the backyard, attended an awesome BBQ, went shopping and even had our photos taken by my favourite photographer. Before we knew it, their visit was over and we promised to go see them in New Brunswick next summer. Brandon can't wait. He really had fun with his big cousin!
Brandon started preschool on August 7th. I'm sorry to report that it did not go well. He only had to go two days a week in August but he cried every time I dropped him off. He even went so far as to tell me he "hated school". This broke my heart as all I wanted was for him to have a good first school experience. He couldn't tell me exactly what he didn't like so I'm guessing it was just more structured and altogether different then what he'd had at Linda's for the past two years. Now that we're more than a month into it, he finally seems OK. He no longer cries when I drop him off and he often tells me about things he learned in school - like how apples, oranges and bananas grow on trees or that his heart is the size of his fist. He likes a little boy there named Dillon and my hope is that they become fast friends soon.
We were so lucky to spend lots of time with our friends this summer. Nothing is more fun than hanging out at the water park, going for bike rides, having picnics or just hosting a regular old play date with some of our favouite people. Brandon loves his friends and spent many happy hours playing with Dakota, Leighton, Kahlan and Kaleb this summer. Mommy and Daddy were happy too hosting BBQs, attending stag/stagette parties, golfing and drinking wine on our fabulous deck.
Looking back I realize what a great summer we had. As usual I'm sad it's over so quickly but we have plenty to look forward to this Fall. Brandon started swimming lessons last week and loves it. This Saturday he'll start Gymnastic classes with his friend Kaleb and, currently, we're trying to get him outfitted with skis for this winter. Brandon and I will take short trip to Victoria for my birthday and when we get back we'll party it up for Halloween, celebrate Brandon's 4th birthday and get ready for our (epic) trip to Mexico.Yes, lots to look forward to in the months ahead :-)
On another note, here are some of Brandon's best words and phrases from the summer:
- "What are you kidding me about?" (means to say "Are you kidding me?")
- "Stop talking. You're hurting my ears".
- "Dis-ta-peared" (disappeared)
- "Hang-ga-ber" (hamburger)
- "Commcer-inal" (commercial)
- "School's not good. Mommy can I go to school for only two years?"
- "Mommy can you buy me a trailer, quad and dirt bike with all the money you have?" (he's referring to the change jar beside the phone. There's about $4.67 in there)
- "Cor-vent" (Corvette)
- "Mustank" (Mustang)
- "Mindy Cooper" (Mini Cooper)
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