Summer Fun... WEEK ONE!

I truly hope to be a better blogger over the summer.  Honestly, I've promised myself that I will pick up my camera more often and capture this growing boy.  Sam is quickly leaving anything slightly resembling a toddler or preschooler stage and is becoming a very independent little boy right in front of my eyes.  It's awesome and remarkable and a little tiny bit sad all at once.  I count my blessing each day that I get to spend this last summer before he's officially a school-aged child with him.  I'm so lucky!

One of our fav family traditions is going to the Canada Day parade.  Airdrie holds a long, candy throwing parade and we get curb seats each year.  This year we went with Linc, Chels, Brady, Jen and Berkeley.  It was a beautiful morning!

Couple pretty cool Canadians!

The whole flock!

What else we love about celebrating Canada Day is the firework show.  Sam got to stay up SUPER late so we could go. He was quite a happy little man and the ice cream daddy found us definitely helped everyone stay alert.

Really awesome firework display.  I've never taken a pic that does the fireworks any justice.  It was a beautiful evening.  The fireworks ended just before 11pm and we packed up to head to the car.  Just then, we heard screaming from all around us... we were a little panicked until we realized the sprinkler system had come on at 11pm and people were being sprayed!!  It was really funny... we got a bit wet but the memory is awesome!

Sam and I had a mom/Sam date to see the How to Train a Dragon 2 movie.  We decided the next thing we needed to do was go check out the new komodo dragon at the Calagary Zoo.  We ran into this cool guy on our way...

That is a pretty awesome dragon face if I've ever seen one.  Our buddy was just chillin' right by the window so we got an awesome view of him.  He's pretty neat and the enclosure is awesome too.  I don't know how other komodo dragons live, but this seems pretty ok.

All this dragon watching was exhausting!

My joey jumped in this pouch!

My mom won tickets to the Calgary stampede parade this year.  The last time I went was when Sam was a baby and we went on our own.  First ever time riding the C-train on the busiest ctrain day of the year with a stroller and no real idea where I was going... needless to say, this year the adventure was a million times more enjoyable and so much more simple.  Here's Sam just playing in traffic (PS the road was obviously closed, I'm not a terrible parent!) !!!

Some awesome Gramma Bee time!

No real good parade shots but here is another one of Sammer on the road.  Can't beat a perfect road closure to allow for a Calgary Tower pic.  Handsome little man!

Sam has learned lots of little boy tricks this summer already.  One is tree climbing.  The acreage has the BEST trees to climb and they are right outside Gramma and Grandpa's house!!!  Sam likes to keep his helmet on 'for safety' and that's just fine with me!

The awesome skill he's acquired is riding a two wheeler.  Around and around the yard he drives for HOURS.  It's amazing.  Only one crash all day and no tears.  Happiness is a little boy discovering the freedom a bike can bring into his life.

Kaili had an awesome idea to build a tree swing.  She had a dream and Grandpa made it happen.  These two chilled in the trees for the afternoon.  Two peas in a pod!

Sam received his heavy duty trike a couple years ago.  With shorty legs there was no hope that he'd drive it for a long time.  Shaun pulled it out of storage and by the tips of his toes, Sam burned around the yard on yet another type of bike.  Mom even loaded him in the wagon in the back and drove it down the hill... though hilarious and fun, I'm grateful there are no pictures of that!