Learning About Mommy's Roots

The night before we flew to Canada, Mom called Uncle Adam to see how full flights were. See, mom bought a buddy pass from Adam’s sister who is a flight attendant (she is also mom’s hair dresser). This means we had to fly standby and have no guarantee of getting on the flight. Uncle Adam listed us as First Class passengers so we would have a better chance but even with that, the flights were not looking open. However, mom had a gut feeling we should go to the airport bright and early anyway (we had to be at the airport at 6am) and give it a try. Man, we were happy we did that! The economy section of the flight was full but there were only 3 passengers in first class so mom and I got two first class seats to our selves for the whole trip. Things couldn’t have worked out better!
When we got to Calgary, Auntie Laurel, Nick and little Beckham picked us up. I was so tired I fell asleep in the car so Auntie Laurel figured we could grab a bite to eat on the way home. She is so sweet and knows how much mommy loves “timmy’s” (Tim Horton’s) so that is where they stopped and it definitely hit the spot. Later Cousin Ashton came home from preschool and Uncle Mark came home for work. We had a fun night watching Ashton play soccer and Uncle Mark coach him.
The next day, we squeezed all 7 of us and our stuff in their SUV and started off to Medicine Hat to see the rest of the family. About 20 minutes out of Calgary, one of the tires blew up which was a little scary. Luckily, Uncle Mark is handy and we are all patient so he put a spare on and we continued on our way.
I was sure happy to get out of the car when we got to Medicine Hat! I had a great time exploring Grandma and Papa’s house and mom was relieved to get a break from the strong magnet that seemed to exist between her and I through out the whole trip. Mom was worried about all the stairs in their house but I handled them like a pro and never fell. I particularly liked the back yard with the noisy fence and trampoline.
The whole weekend was crazy with the whole family and 5 little boys running around (well Beckham mostly ate, slept, pooped and smiled-he is one of the smile-iest 6 week old babies). One day, most of us went to the Leisure Center to swim and we spent 2 hours there. I was in Heaven in the warm kiddy pool. Mom took me down the snake slide a couple times and I tolerated it but it wasn’t my favorite. Another day, Uncle Matthew and Uncle Derek thought it would be fun to take Wyatt and me to Rod’s old farm for a bit before our naps. Uncle Mark was already taking Ashton and Nick out to quad so mom thought it was a great idea. Unfortunately I fell asleep in the car and missed all the action but you’ll see lots of pictures in the slideshow of everyone else’s experience. This is one of mom’s favorite places to visit when she goes home.
That night, Grandma planned an un-birthday party for everyone and invited Great grandma and grandpa Campbell over. Before we ate, we all took pictures in our matching Ashley Lake shirts. I was fine for it unless I had to be with anyone but mommy. After we ate, mom’s friend Kristin came over for a visit. She happened to be in town for her birthday and mommy was sooooo happy it worked out to see her.
On Saturday, we all participated in the Rattler Run! Mom and her family often ran in this race as they grew up so it was fun to re visit the experience.

Derek, Matthew, Mark all ran the 5k and finished in that order. Mom and Auntie Crystal also ran the 5k but finished with linked arms and smiles on their faces. Auntie Laurel and Grandma attempted to walk the 3k with all us boys but decided to quit when they couldn’t take the screaming anymore. When mom finished, I was asleep in the stroller - I’m sure you noticed I am rarely having naps in a crib these days. Afterwards, we went to eat and play at McDonalds and then we were off to a wedding shower for Janae Nielson. I was the only baby there so I got tons of attention and candy and loved every moment. Mom had a great time visiting with some old friends she rarely gets to see. What a crazy day, and it wasn’t over yet. That night, we ordered pizza and invited the Halmrasts over for a UFC party (yay for the girls… boo). Auntie Deb (papa’s sister) is so sweet and thinks I am so cute. Brennin and Landon also came (2/3 of Deb’s sons) and they were really funny with their thick Canadian accents. Mom was so happy to see them all because she sure loves the Halmrast family and now I do too!!


I don’t know if I was really sick or just wasted from the previous day but I had a rough night and threw up the next morning. Mom decided that I should probably stay home from church but Grandma volunteered to stay with me so that mom could go see more friends and take a break from me. Grandma was always happy to see mom go because then I became her best friend. Sunday was also the day when all my aunties, uncles and cousins left. Mom and I were sure sad to see them all go but are also grateful they could create such amazing memories in the home and city they grew up in.

They next two days were pretty quiet while mom focused on getting me better and catching up on sleep. Papa found some time to take mom out for lunch and they had a great time at one of her favorite restaurants, Moxie’s. Wednesday and Thursday were fun because mom was able to set up some play dates with friends. Wednesday I got to meet two friends of mom’s from high school and their kids: Carly and her son, TJ and Christal and her daughters, Kaydence and Peyton.


Mom loves getting to know her friends children and experience all their sweetness. She also loves to see what amazing mothers her friends are!
Later that night, mom went to have dinner with 3 other friends: Dayna, Jessica and Kayla. They shared a lot of laughs and memoires and mom found out that Dayna was expecting a baby!!!!! Mom is so excited for Dayna and her husband. She knows Dayna will be an amazing momma!
Thursday we went to a huge park and played first with Papa and then with friends and kids from church.



After my nap, we went to see some friends mom used to work with at Houston Pizza. Jessica and Janine were so sweet and funny. Janine’s apartment was full of stuffed animals so I was in heaven playing with them all. Mommy and I appreciate each and every friend we were able to visit. It is not easy staying friends with someone who lives far away and doesn’t visit often so their efforts make us feel very loved, blessed and grateful!

Here is a slideshow of more pictures from our Canada visit: