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!

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. 

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.

Mauro Visit: The Castle

What better way to enjoy Lake Louise than staying at the Chateau? I just can't think of any!

O Christmas Tree

We spent a lovely family evening decorating the tree. Each of us chose an ornament to hang first - Sarah a skiing Snow Baby and Alison Santa and Rudolf (whose nose no longer lights up after years of joyful play). I am loving all the stories the ornaments tell.

Happy Eleventh Birthday, Alison

It is a very exciting thing to turn 11. You can no longer show your age on your hands and a sushi chef will sing to you while waving around a very large knife.

And then there are presents and cards which are so very exciting!

Happy Halloween

Presenting the latest piece in the Edcath Art Gallery...

"Self-Portrait," by Alison Taylor

School Dance

Alison attended her final school dance at Banff Trail Elementary. We had to get there early so she could work a shift at the glow necklace/ candy bag station and then she and her friends danced up a storm. Mom was there to supervise because there are boys who ask girls to go with them to these events. Fortunately, all boys maintained appropriate space.

Gymnastics

As part of dryland training, the girls have been training at The Flip Factory. They have been jumping on trampolines, swinging from bars and climbing ropes. It looks like tons of fun!

Lake Louise Hike

Rustle and his girls hiked to the top of the world today. Actually, Rustle apparently did it a few times over as he would up ahead, then back to the girls, then ahead and back again. It was a brisk fall day, but no snow. Guess that start date in three weeks might need to be reconsidered.

This is me (Sarah) in Grade 9, Baby

We have been at school for over a week now (since Sept. 1) and so far Sarah still doesn't have a blue and red adidas bag or a humongous binder but she is in Grade 9. In Alberta, she is the oldest grade in Junior High, so no problems being a minor niner.

Alison is in grade 6 now (no song lyrics for joke fodder when you are in grade 6), so this means she is Boss at her school too and gets the back seats of the bus.

Rustle still hasn't learned any new tricks.

{If you don't get the reference, you can watch the Barenaked Ladies perform "Grade 9" here}

Jam-packed Summer Fun, Part 2

Now for the Lake of the Wood shots:

Bob on the laser.

Alison the Wakeboarder.


Alison the Kayaker.
Everyone loves tubing.
Nothing beats the hot tub after wakeboarding.


I think they had fun.

Jam-packed Summer Fun, Part 1

I can not believe that summer is over and school starts for Rustle's girls tomorrow. We were so busy having fun that we didn't even notice the time slip away.

So, a very picture-heavy post to help describe where the time has gone... I present: Part One - Cape Breton Adventures.

We had a magical visit:


We ate a lot:

We didn't eat the fish that Alison caught, even though she named it Dinner

but it didn't make us that grumpy. We also made some sweet stuff:


And we spent a lot of time exploring.



We took a road trip around the Cabot Trail:




and went whale watching in Pleasant Bay: (Alison was extremely excited)

The whales came pretty close to our zodiac:

And there is always time to read Calvin and Hobbes: