The kids had a long weekend off school in mid-February for Family Day weekend. It just so happens that we actually had some family coming to visit...Uncle Jon!! We picked him up from the airport on Friday, February 13 in the afternoon, and he is officially the BEST - he brought us some Garrett's popcorn!! We relaxed that afternoon, then made pizzas and watched a movie that evening to settle in. Tomorrow would be a busy day!
We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning for ski day fun! Jon had skied many years ago in IL, but from what we hear, skiing in the Canadian Rockies is something quite different. He was surprised (and pleased) to hear that the runs were longer than 5 minutes. :) We drove to Nakiska and got Nathalie all settled in at daycare. Then it was time to hit the slopes! The weather was pretty good...lightly snowing and the temps were cool, but not too cold. We were so impressed at how quickly Jon's ski legs came back to him, and Ben loved getting to show Uncle J all his fancy moves and jumps. The sun came out, and it was just a beautiful morning of "playing" in the powder!
Picked up Nathalie and came in for lunch. Then the boys hit the big slopes again while the girls hung out on the little hills.
We were all pooped when we made it home that evening. Enjoyed some tacos for dinner and then celebrated Valentine's Day with goodies bags for the little kids and wine and chocolates for the big kids.
On Sunday morning, we went on a little road trip past Banff to Johnston Canyon. We had heard that the canyon is a beautiful hiking spot, and we were interested to see the falls as they were frozen at this time of year.
Starting our hike. Wasn't too slippery...yet.
The snow on the walkway was completely packed down and iced over, so the hiking became fairly treacherous quickly. When we weren't holding on for dear life, the views were really quite lovely...
We were just a short distance away from the falls now, and there was a really icy stretch downhill to get there. I was confident that we could all get down, but wasn't sure how we would all get back up. So, Uncle Jon and Ben were happily chosen to be our adventurers...and off they went, while the rest of us waited. Success!
Slipped and slid our way back to the car. It was a pretty hike, and one that we will attempt again in the summer when it's a little safer to walk around. Enjoyed lunch in Banff and then made our way home. Babysitter Amy came over to watch the kids so that the adult Zabikows could have an evening out. Great food, great sangria, and great conversation, but alas, no photos. Oops! :(
Decided to take Uncle Jon downtown Calgary on Monday before his flight.
Chicago Chophouse...hee hee.
Olympic Plaza, where the nightly medal presentations took place during the 1988 Winter Olympics. In the summer, outdoor concerts are held here. In winter, there is ice skating, and lots of Calgarians were enjoying the ice that day.
Stephen Avenue walk, a pedestrian walkway with lots of restaurants and shopping. We enjoyed brunch, complete with poutine, at Local.
After lunch, we walked to the "Wonderland" statue in front of The Bow building, basically a wire head sculpture of a young girl. And from there, we could catch a glimpse of the Calgary Tower. It was time to call it a day...the weather was quite chilly and windy, and Jon had a flight to catch!
It was, of course, hard saying goodbye to Jon. We had such a great time with him here and the kids really connected with "Uncle J". We missed you, Aunt Kristin, but hope to see you all very soon!
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