Sunshine!

It's happening...spring is starting to creep into Calgary!  Still plenty of cool days, but when we get a nice one, you can bet that Nathalie and I are enjoying a picnic lunch on the deck! 



 

Another thing that brings sunshine to my life...coffee time with good friends.  Isn't this latte amazing?  Yes, it tasted as good as it looked!

 

And speaking once more of sunshine, Greg and Ben had one last hurrah at Sunshine Village at the end of April.  So proud of what they have both accomplished this season!  I think there may be some tears in hanging up the skis for the season...good thing it's almost bike and marathon season!

 

Celebrating Easter

Our Easter celebrations began early in April with a family fun night at our church which included a showing of a Veggie Tales Easter movie and an egg hunt.  We came home with a serious amount of chocolate that night!

 

My little Easter bunny on her way home from preschool...

On Good Friday, we colored our eggs.  Turns out, a dozen is not nearly enough for these color-happy kids.  Good to know for next year... 

  

On Saturday, we had tickets for the "Legendary Easter Egg Hunt" at Butterfield Acres.  There was fresh snow on the ground, but that didn't stop us from hearing the legend of the Easter Bunny and enjoying the cute hunt for colored rocks, which we then dropped down the chute for the Easter Bunny to turn into eggs.  A little craft followed, and then it was time to see the animals.

 

Oh my goodness...these baby lambs were too cute!  And so were these three little pigs I found!  ;)

Happy Easter...He is Risen!!





After church, the kids were excited to dig into their baskets.  Candy, books, toys, etc.  I had to laugh at how different the kids are.  Ben pulled everything out and started opening up all the packages right away.  Nathalie, on the other hand, took each item out one at a time, and then proceeded to put everything back in nice and neat.  Ha!

Also for Easter, we got new bikes!  It was a beautiful afternoon for a bike ride to try out our new wheels.  And then we had a little hunt of our own in the backyard...like they needed more chocolate at this point.  ;)  The eggs were marked with B or N, and brother and sister were so sweet about finding their own eggs and helping each other too.  We pray that everyone had a blessed Easter!

Ladies Day

For Christmas, Greg got me a "Ladies Ski Day" to Nakiska.  It is a great event sponsored by one of the ski shops here in Calgary.  The fee covers transportation to Nakiska, a 90 minute lesson, lunch, afternoon ski time, wine and chocolate, discounts in the shop, and more.  On Thursday, April 3, Greg played Mr. Mom while I took off skiing for the day.  What an awesome adventure!  The weather was perfect, and the women were all so incredibly kind and encouraging. 

 

 

During our lesson, I was riding the lift with a woman named Jenn.  I mentioned I was from Chicago, and she said that she had actually been to Illinois...she got her Masters degree from a school in a tiny town called Macomb.  What??!!  I started laughing right away, explaining that is where I got my undergraduate degree.  She asked when I was there, and we realized it was at the same time...we even know a few of the same people.  !!!  Yep, on a ski lift in Alberta, I meet a woman from eastern Canada who hasn't skied in 25 years that just happened to be at WIU the same time as me.  What are the odds?  :)

 

 

After lunch, we skied the green runs a bit more, and then Jenn and I decided that we were ready for an easy blue.  We did it...and not only survived, but loved it!  I think I am slowly becoming a real skier...as opposed to just trying to get down the hill without killing myself, it's actually quite fun!  We had time to do the blue run one more time before relaxing with some wine and fondue.  Then it was time to get back on the bus and head for Calgary.  Such a great event...I will definitely be going again next year!  Thanks Greg!

 

Spring (or Winter?) Break!

We wrapped up Nathalie's winter session of gymnastics on March 17.  Normally, she is so shy about getting her certificate in front of the class, but this time, she marched right up and shouted YES!  (Hence the fuzzy picture...I wasn't exactly prepared for her to be so brave!)  Way to go, Nathalie!

And then, spring break began!  We started it off in a big way in the Zabikow house...with sugary cereals that are "banned" during the rest of the year when you're trying to send them off to school with something decent in their tummies.  Ben was in cereal heaven!

 

Sadly, we didn't see much "spring" during spring break.  In fact, it snowed nearly every day and was quite cold.  But, we made the best of it with playtime in the snow, watching icicles form on our windows, bowling, and other indoor fun.  The weather warmed up enough (and by that, I mean in the 30's and 40's) for Greg and Ben to enjoy a boy's day skiing at Nakiska.  When Canada hands you snow...make snowmen or ski!



Over the break, Greg and I were able to sneak away to Charcut Roast House for an amazing dinner and date night.  Good wine, good food, handsome hubby and great conversation...life doesn't get much better.  Our sweet babysitter, Amy, got to enjoy the sing-along version of Frozen.  :)  Unfortunately, "do you want to build a snowman?" seemed all too appropriate this week.  Here's to hoping that April is a bit warmer...