The girls got to sleep in today. They were in need of a little extra sleep, and sleeping in my parents' basement was quite conducive to sleeping in as it can be quite dark. Today was Stirling Settler's Day so we got to enjoy the Settler's Day parade at 11 am. My parents live right on Main Street in this small little VILLAGE of approximately 1200 people, and the parade passed directly in front of their home. We were on the sunny side of the street so huge umbrellas came in quite handy. I remember when the parade use to last 15 minutes--blink and it's done--but this year it was about 30 minutes. And I will add that it was 10 times better than the Firestone parade. For one, they threw tons of candy. Since Kristen was the only in our family actively gathering the tasty treats, she had a full bag by the time the parade was finished. In fact, you could walk along Main Street and find candy all along the edge of the road.
The house my dad built.
For lunch, my dad built a fire in the back yard and the girls BBQ-ed hot dogs. They loved it.
Since we were leaving on Monday for more travel up to Radium Hot Springs, we wanted to get groceries and snacks for our time away. There was a "beef on a bun" dinner at the park at 5 pm that we had originally planned to attend, but once we got into Lethbridge, we decided to skip it. We stopped first at Henderson Lake Park for the girls to play. I think it was nice for all of the adults to sit and relax and not have to be anywhere or do anything. Funny as Amy and Misha walked up to the park equipment and noted, "It's not as big as I remember." Sadly, it never is.
Dizzy Amy.
One of my new favorite pictures. Sometimes you just catch the face and the smile and light just perfectly.
The movie "Freetown" was playing at the Movie Mill on Mayor Magrath Dr., a discount theatre, and we all decided to see it. We stopped first to snag some candy/treats at a dollar store. It probably wasn't the favorite movie for Kristen, but I think it was enjoyable and eye-opening for the rest of us. After the movie, we stopped for groceries, gas, and cash at an ATM.
My mom had left a black forest ham cooking in a crock pot as well as newly dug Yukon Gold potatoes in another crock pot. Delicious. Kristen watched Harry Potter on TV and gradually the rest of us migrated to the living room as well. I thought for sure that I would stay awake and wouldn't fall asle..... Ah well, maybe next time. I found Chris stretched out on the floor sleeping away at the other end of the living room when I woke up around 10:45 pm.
Grandma and Grandpa took Kristen and Amy down the block to the family dance party. They didn't stay too long, because you know, according to a certain 15-year old girl, there are never any good-looking boys anywhere. She has such a hard life with all the homely looking boys being born at the same time as her!
Because it gets darker so much later--about 10:30 pm--fireworks didn't start until 11. Some of us sat out on the deck and watched the display at the park a half a block away. It was loud and bright and fun.
I woke Chris up to send him off to bed and checked on Misha who had already gone to bed and had slept soundly through the fireworks.