Rest in Peace, Beloved Puppy

It is very sad around Rustle's house these days. On September 23, 2013, after a short but intense battle with cancer, Rustle passed away.

We will miss him in so many ways. Rustle was a very important part of our family and it is impossible to look around this house without thinking of him. We have so many great memories and we all loved him so much. We all miss the love he gave to us.

Just some of the pictures of this very wonderful dog.

Happy 90th Birthday, Papa Les!

It was a huge event in Cape Breton to celebrate Papa Les' 90th birthday.

There were days of parties and lots of food, beverages and cousins.

Since Sarah had to go to Chile to train for skiing, Alison had to get all the attention and lobsters for herself.  It was almost as though she held up the sky!

 

(Thanks to my fabulous sister for the great pictures!)

Braces are off!

Things Alison said while at the orthodontist this morning:

Brushing my teeth never felt so good. 

It's a lot easier to smile now. 

It actually really hurts getting your braces pried off. 

Hair cuts!

I know what you are thinking. Why are haircuts exciting? Well, Rustle's girls have unusual hair needs. Sarah lets hers grow and grow. Alison just shaved her head. But Mom insisted and Mom was right!

Alison's buzz cut has some style now!

Sarah's dead ends are gone AND she looked like a girl when it was all styled. Nice!

Sarah update

Sarah spent a lot of time this past winter getting really strong and improving her skiing. She had her best results ever this season, including a first place medal at the Jay Cup slalom race. She placed third overall in Alberta and represented Team Canada at the international Whistler Cup in April. So, she's pretty much awesome!

I never get tired of this picture. 

This is Sarah in the Super G at Whistler in her Team Canada speedsuit. It is an incredible photo!

Shave a lid for a kid

Alison is amazing. This spring she joined with a group of thirty students at her school to raise money for children's cancer research by shaving her head. Alison herself raised over $1700 and the school announced that the whole group raised over $30000. So generous!

Here she is with her friend Jenna, freshly shorn. 

Six weeks later, she has a soft, furry head. In unrelated news, those are my shoes she is wearing. 

Waiting patiently

Rustle waits while I get ready. Everyone else waits until I finally post again!

Luxury Hotel Dog

Rustle really enjoys the luxury hotel experience. If his people are going to be off skiing all day, at least provide swanky accommodations.

Happy Halloween

Lots of snow wherever Rustle's girls might be - Sarah Mouse in Colorado and Alison Fork in snowy Calgary.

Good times were had by all, even though there were setbacks. Sarah had to pack her stuff for a flight and Alison had to make her costume twice as the first rendition was stolen at school. Nothing can stop these girls from having fun!

Some assembly required

It's not even Halloween yet and we've already broken a shovel.

Sarah is off!

Sarah left for Colorado this morning. The new ski season has begun!

She left a note. What a great person she is.

Mookie at the Jays game

This is fun ... And luxurious, says Alison from the TSN box.

Happy Canada Day

Alison and I finally made it to the Mauro's annual Canada Day party. We made special costumes for the event.

Please note the Mariachi band in the background. This was the tenth anniversary, which clearly calls for Mariachi.

Sammy McPhee

Alison at the City Science Fair

Alison created a science fair project about hand warmers, a very important topic for a ski racer. She learned a lot and can tell you all about exothermic oxidation and calorimeters, having consulted with a nuclear physicist from the university during the research process. She scored well at her school science fair and today is presenting her project along with about a billion other Calgary kids at the Olympic Oval. Here she is standing in front of her project.

Bozo Cup

Sarah won the Bozo Cup today. It is a head to head race that runs each spring. She raced seven times and didn't lose once, except for a crash. She is sitting at home with a trophy and bag of spoils while icing bruises on her knee and hand. It was a pretty good day.

Woo Hoo

Sarah had a great race today at the CanAms in Panorama. Here is a screencap of the news item on Alberta Alpine: (http://albertaalpine.ca/?q=news/klm-k2-canam-western-championships-day-3-burk-grabs-bronze)

Mauro Visit: Conquering the Ski Hill

How could we not take our beloved guests to our favourite ski hill? Lucas and Jack took snowboarding lessons one day, and then their favourite aunt took them on a little zip around the mountain on skis. We even caught some air! We totally rocked the place!

The boys soon discovered that snowboarding involves a lot of sitting.

Hey, look! Mary has her camera out!

Mauro Visit: Snowshoes

The boys and the moms took Rustle out for a snowshoe around Lake Louise. There were lots of snowmen to crush and hills to climb. It was a fun way to get around the lake!

Mauro Visit: Hockey Night in Canada

Old style.