Coming Home

After such a rough start to the weekend the boys ended up having a great time. They were so happy when they woke up to find this great big mountain of snow right outside their cabin. The owners had moved all the snow for them to make this mountain and brought them some sleds so that they could toboggan down this hill. It was so nice of them to do this for the kids. The owners get really excited because they hardly ever get kids up there.
Looking for their plane. The boys love going up in the tower.

The boys wanted to have this picture taken looking like the bear was going to get them. LOL

The big journey home. This was a great weekend and when they got home there were big smiles. They even got to go see the Mayor on their last day and get a certificate signed saying that they had been north of the Arctic Circle. It was a lot of fun. I love looking at the pictures from these little boy trips. I should really get in the action and start some mother son trips. LOL

Inuvik 2010 - Dog Sledding

This is what the trip was all about. Dog sledding is the main purpose for going to Inuvik and the kids loved it. These are some amazing pictures that the lady that runs the sledding took while they were on their tour. Rylan is all snug in the sleigh. It looks a little cold.
Look mom no hands. LOL I love how Jamie looks like a bear with those gloves on.

This action shot is awesome. These dogs love every min. of their run. What you have seen on t.v. is what it is like. Jamie had to hop off when they were going up hills to help push the sled up. It was very interesting.

Stopped for a break.

What great memories. The boys are excited because the Judy (owner) said that if the boys come back when they are about 10 they could each have their own sled and team of 3 dogs to do the tour on their own. That was like music to their ears and they are are planning their trip back again. LOL

On the go.

Look how those dogs work.

The end of their great tour. This really was the highlight of their trip.

These are the lasting memories that will be great for the boys to look back on. They really had a great weekend. They are all a little frosty but they did come back with all their fingers and toes.

Inuvik 2010 - Exploring Invuik

The boys decided to do some exploring for the day and enjoyed themselves. Rylan just about had Jamie convinced that he needed this hat. I had to laugh when I saw this picture because it really does scream "Rylan." LOL

Fun at the park. You know you live in Canada when kids are willing to play at the park even when it is snow covered. LOL

At least they didn't try and get to Invuik on this train. :)

Downtown Invuik. It really reminds me of an old west town. LOL It has everything that you could need and that is it. LOL

This is the same location that Jamie and Darien stood to have their pictures taken when they first went.

The Our Lady of Victory Church. It just looks cool so you need your picture taken in front of it.

Family fun in Inuvik.

The snow was so deep that when Rylan fell in it he couldn't get back up so Jamie had to go and help him. LOL They managed to find a farmers market and I was lucky enough to get some beautiful gloves that I love.

Inuvik 2010 - Welcome

Welcome to Inuvik.
This was the only polar bear that they saw.

Their home away from home. This is the same place that Jamie stayed at with Darien.

Their sweet ride from the airport.

There was a lot of time spent with these sweet puppies. The boys loved every min. of playing with them.

These dogs were wonderful and friendly.

This is such a cute little cabin. Sadly, it wasn't were they got to stay but it was a great place to explore.

This is the end of the road. This is such a great picture because it shows you were it ends. This is an unserviced road that goes North of Inuvik and as you can see that is as far as the power goes. After that you really are at the end of the road.

Keagan out for a run. He wanted to run for a while so Jamie followed behind him in the truck. LOL

Inside their room. It was just right for what they needed. All the floors are heated because of the perma frost they can't build the houses on the ground so they are all built on stilts.

Tell me who can afford to have a baby up North when a box of diapers is $89.99. This is a crazy amount of money as you can tell by the boys faces.

They had a great first day in Inuvik.

Inuvik 2010 - The Journey Finally Begins

So after a really eventful start the boys were finally on their way for their boys weekend just a day later. We took them all to the doctors for another follow up to make sure that they were all good to go and then off they went the next morning of course not before we had our family prayer. :)
They were very excited to go. This was a trip that Jamie took with Darien a couple of years ago and thanks to his pilot friends he was able to take Keagan and Rylan this time. I love the look on Rylan's face. This was a very loud and old plane and as it was taking off he couldn't stop laughing.
They were pretty lucky because it is one of the last airlines that still serves hot meals in their flight so they got this warm breakfast.

Sadly, their adventures didn't end after the accident. There was more to come. Because the run way doesn't get used very much in Inuvik they only clear it right when a plane is coming in to land but sadly it was too slippery to land. They tried twice but were not able to, so they went flew back to Norman Wells which is a very small town up north. This is the boys waiting in the airport to see what they would do next.

They ended up staying over night in Norman Wells where they did some exploring. They found this really cool museum were they could climb into these old trucks.

Of course because they were so far North this was how dark it was at 3:00 in the afternoon.

We aren't too sure how people can afford to live here. It is hard to see but a 4L of milk was $13.19. Crazy is all I have to say. Our boys would have to drink powder milk. LOL

They were so thrilled with how much snow was there.

In the morning they had a great breakfast brought to their room.

This was at the airport getting ready for their flight. Standing outside the tower. It was a little chilly.

Getting on their flight. Yes the front part of the plane is for holding cargo and the back is for the passengers. What a great adventure. LOL

The Journey Begins

This was one morning that I could do without and I am sure that Jamie and the boys could too. This is the morning that I got one of those phone calls that we all dread. Jamie called me after he and two of the boys (Keagan and Rylan) had left to go to the airport for a boys weekend. It had only been 20min. since they had left so when he called I was a little surprised to hear his voice and I thought that maybe they had forgotten something but no that was not the case. They had been involved in a major car accident and this was the end result of our car.
Jamie was on his way to the airport and could see the airport but sadly a man ran a stop sign and Jamie hit him going about 60 km/h. Thankfully, the boys were all buckled in the right way and the car did its job the way it was supposed to. When the EMS arrived they were surprised to see Jamie and the boys get out of the car walking with no major injuries. We are so thankful that they were not injured other than some stiffness and sourness. Rylan had the bruising across his neck and shoulder, Keagan hurt his leg but other than that all is well.

We have now come to appreciate the fact that the car has a five star safety rating and up until this point I had never really given it too much thought but now we will never get anything less. We also have a very strong belief in prayer because before they left that morning we had said family prayer and asked that they be kept safe and even though there was an accident they came home safe and that is huge for us.

This all the damage on the other car. Thankfully, he wasn't too far through the intersection so Jamie didn't hit the front of his car and not the drivers door. The driver tried to say that he thought that it was a yield sign but either way he should not have been in the intersection. His insurance company has taken full responsibility for it and so we are good. Our car is a write off so we are now in the market for a new car.

A week after the accident all is well. Unfortunately, Jamie is still not back at work. He is having trouble with the right side of his face. He is suffering from whiplash, he has torn muscles in his neck and right shoulder that are affecting the nerves in his face and making his vision blurry in his right eye so until it is better he can't go back to work. He is hopefully going back Dec. 25. He has to go to physio twice a week for the next 8 to 12 weeks and then all will be well. We are getting money from the other insurance company and there will be a lot of paper work and negotiations to go through but again thankfully they are ok or at least will be ok after a little while.

Cookie Time

This was one of our Family Home Evenings. It was so much fun making and decorating cookies. We have a neighbour that has been having some health issues so we decided to make and decorate some cookies for him and also for Keagan wonderful primary teacher.
All of the boys really enjoyed decorating them with the different colors of icing.

The hardest part was keeping their fingers out of their mouths. LOL Can you tell that there was deep consentration going on. LOL

This is a very typical face for Rylan and it is one of our favorites. LOL It was a great way to spend the evening together.

As you can see Stefan was having a little taste. LOL These are our favorite kind of cookies and we all enjoyed a couple of cookies too.