Today SUCKS a lot...

Our Forever Dog... Jake



It's hard to believe that it has been a whole year since Jake past away,

  and our hearts hurt just as much today as they did one year ago. 

 How did Jayson and I get so lucky to have a dog like Jake?

We miss you Jake...

even though Jake is no longer with us it just seems wrong to take the "and our Dog Jake" out of our blog title

Evening shots from lastnight

Little 'J'

This little man 'J' is the foster son to one of my co-workers and is a cutie patootie!!   He is in foster care and I am not able to post any pictures of his face BUT once he is adopted I will post all the cute pix I got of him an his mom.

Thanks 'J and J' for a great afternoon of fun!

"What is your name? What is your favorite color? When is your Birthday"?

No pictures yet...just a short story

So, holidays have been great, ending with a trip to the 'valley' to see Grandma and Grandpa Kenco, Uncle Bruce and Aunt DJ, Uncle Vince and Chris and Allison.  We had a great time and even though we do not get to see each other as often as we wish, the time spent together was appreciated that much more.  And Allison and Chris, thank you again for the time the two of you spent with Jackson and Mackenzie.  Both of them could not stop talking about how much fun they had with you and the Bears have a permanent home with cuddles each night when the kids go to bed.

Okay, so here is my story~Uncle Vince this one's for you!!

For those of you who know, and for those that don't, Uncle Vince is somewhat of a character.  When we were little he would tell us stories of "The Horse with the Red Eyes" and speak in funny voices to make us laugh.  And this trip was no different (insert smile here).  To get Mackenzie and Jackson to smile he would say in an Irish sort of accent, "What is your name?  What is your favorite color?  When is your birthday"?  and before he was finished Mackenzie would be giggling away.  Sooooooo,
I'm putting the kids to bed last night and Jackson comes running into Mackenzie's room, jumps up to reach her in the top bunk and says, "What is your name?  What is your favorite color?  When is your birthday?", and the two of them started laughing and giggling and then Mackenzie would try and say it back without laughing and then the two of them would start all over again. 

So Uncle Vince, thank you for making our bedtime routine a little longer and a memory I am sure the kids will always remember.

day 2 in couer d'alene

A few highlights from Day 2:

1  Jackson went on his first roller coaster ride- The Timber Terror with his mom cuz Dad's too scared.

2. Mackenzie LOVES caracelle rides

3. Ice cream is the fifth food group when you are on holidays

4. wave pools are as much fun as waterslides, especially with a lifejacket and goggles on

5. you can walk around an amusement park for 5 hrs then go to a water park for 2 hrs and still gain weight...what's up with that!!??

as you can see i am still having trouble loading pictures...i think it's jayson's laptop and not user error!

Tomorrow we are off to cruise the lake and hike Tuff mountain...and I'll give it another go at loading more pictures.



pictures you didn't get to see

Day one in Couer d'Alene

Day one here in Couer d'Alene we spent the entire day at Silverwood Theme Park which is an amusement park and a water park all in one.  There is so much to do and see we'll be back again tomorrow.  Unfortunately I am the only brave sole in my family and will be the only one going on any of the roller coasters. 

The weather here is hot and the views are fantastic.  There are mountain view everywhere you look.  Jenn, you better look for a new Managing Director because we are staying here!!

I've posted a few pictures so you may have to look at older posts to see new pictures.

Enjoy!

Boulder Beach

These picture do not do Boulder Beach justice.  It's a water park that caters to every age group including two fantastic wave pools.  Some of the waves were 6 feet high.  Jackson was enjoying diving into the waves while Mackenzie wearing her lifejacket enjoyed riding and jumping over them.

Boulder Beach con't

Lazy River...all you need as a drink full of your favorite beverage including the alcoholic kind

Polliwog Park..for the kids and the kid in all of us!

Silverwood Theme Park con't

mmmmmmmmmmm Dippin Dots!  What are Dippin Dots you say?  Well it's a mouth full of fun.  It's ice cream that is formed into teeny tiny balls and you use a spoon to eat them.  You can get them in fun flavors like chocolate mint~Mackenzie's favorite, or cookie dough, bubble gum.  You get the idea.  The dots melt in your mouth and can still give you a pretty good brain freeze if you are not careful.

Just like any amusement park, the train that goes around the entire park and through Main Street of Silverwood Park

Silverwood Theme Park Con't

the Log Flune..Mackenzie said she will go on this one with me. Jayson looks terrified just watching the ride!

Tower of Terror...looks like I may have to go this one alone.

stops in Fernie, Frank Slide

having problems uploading pictures so read my first post below.

pics of our first day...read below

We have arrived!!!

We've arrived in Couer d'Alene, Idaho.  Now you only thought Idaho made potatoes...right?  Nope, they have kick as mountains too!

We decided to leave a a day early to get a jump start on our vacation...which is a good thing since our running time was 13hrs.  And no, it did not really seem that long.  The kids had their DVD player and I had my magazines and iPod. 

We did break the trip up a bit arriving in Lethbridge at about 11pm lastnight.  Got one of the last hotel rooms in the city (there's a huge soccer tournament in Lethbridge this weekend), went to bed, got up and started on the road at about 10:30 am and pulled into our final destination at about 6pm.

We broke our trip up with a few stops along the way.  I wanted to show Jackson and Mackenzie the Frank Slide and you know there was no getting around stopping at our favorite ski destination, Fernie, BC.  Jackson thought it was pretty cool seeing all the mountain bikers come down the mountain and then take their bikes up his favorite chair, The Elk Chair.  And poor Mackenzie got so upset when we told them to load up so we could continue on our way.  She thought Fernie was our holiday spot and had tears when we said we were leaving.

When we finally arrived in Coeur d'Alene we bought a few groceries and then headed down to the main resort.  We walked the Worlds Larges Floating Boardwalk and saw a few boats, boat houses and yachts parked in the marina.  One was for sale for $170,000!  And she was a small one!!  Then off we went for a very late supper at the Olive Garden and now it's time for bed.

Here are a few pictues from today.

Enjoy and we'll catch up tomorrow.

I am having problems with adding pix so i'll try again tomorrow

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, here we come!!

And we are off...tomorrow morning that is (Saturday).

Yep, we are packing up and heading west and into another country I might add.  Why?  Why not?!  Our summers pass by way to quickly and with that our kids are growing up way too fast.  And it's time we went on a summer holiday outside the box of our usual and some place we've never been.  Just looking at some of Coeur d'Alene's websites and you'll know why.  The scenery is beautiful..you know how much we (I) love the mountains and there is sooooo much to do from boating and hiking to fishing and wait for it...a humongous water park called Boulder Beach Water Park and Silverwood Theme Park.  Jayson may not get on a rollercoast to save his life but I sure will!!  Mackenzie and Jackson are so excited too.

I will try to blog a few pictures while we are there but until then....

you can check out this map to see where we will be for the next 6 days!!