BANFF NATIONAL PARK
July 10, 2018
So the only free weekend we had to travel on was the Fourth of July. It’s my favorite holiday, and I didn’t want to miss out our neighborhood Fourth of July breakfast, so as soon as it was over we loaded up our car and drove to Canada. Which seems ironic to leave the country when instead you should be celebrating it.
We stayed overnight in Canada and the next day we woke up early and drove to Banff National Park. We made the rookie mistake of heading first to Lake Louise, along with everybody else visiting Banff. The wait time was over 2 1/2 hours to get in. So we decided to go another time and headed to our AirBnb.
What we didn’t realize about Canada is that in the summertime it doesn’t get dark until 11 PM. So we decided to do a lot of our sightseeing after the girls took naps in the afternoon and headed out at 6 PM every night. It was great because we got several hours of daylight still and there were no crowds anywhere.
We loved Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Johnston Canyon was a good hike to see the secret cave and waterfalls. I would recommend them all! We also did the hike to Lake Agnes where they have a tea house located above Lake Louise. We hiked with both girls on our backs and it was harrrrrd. It was about 4.5 miles round trip and a steep uphill climb. And when we got to the tea house it was packed! So go early if it’s on your must-do list. We snagged one of the last tables, and the biscuits and jam, and tuna sandwiches made the whole hike worth it. Or maybe we were just starving by the time we got to the top, but everything tasted SO good.
We also loved taking the Banff gondola to the top of the mountain. It was worth being able to see Banff National Park from a different perspective and they have free roaming mountain goats everywhere. Our girls thought that was pretty neat! Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were going crazy! We checked our watches and it was 10pm and still completely light. Our poor girls were such troopers being dragged all over at the craziest of times.
Getting to see Moraine Lake and Lake Louise were every bit as beautiful as I imagined. I was pretty skeptical at first that they just had to be photoshopped, so I was pretty surprised when they were every bit as brilliant blue as you see on social media. But beware because there are people everywhere! Apparently we weren’t the only ones excited to see Canada’s most famous landmark!
So the only free weekend we had to travel on was the Fourth of July. It’s my favorite holiday, and I didn’t want to miss out our neighborhood Fourth of July breakfast, so as soon as it was over we loaded up our car and drove to Canada. Which seems ironic to leave the country when instead you should be celebrating it.
We stayed overnight in Canada and the next day we woke up early and drove to Banff National Park. We made the rookie mistake of heading first to Lake Louise, along with everybody else visiting Banff. The wait time was over 2 1/2 hours to get in. So we decided to go another time and headed to our AirBnb.
What we didn’t realize about Canada is that in the summertime it doesn’t get dark until 11 PM. So we decided to do a lot of our sightseeing after the girls took naps in the afternoon and headed out at 6 PM every night. It was great because we got several hours of daylight still and there were no crowds anywhere.
We loved Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Johnston Canyon was a good hike to see the secret cave and waterfalls. I would recommend them all! We also did the hike to Lake Agnes where they have a tea house located above Lake Louise. We hiked with both girls on our backs and it was harrrrrd. It was about 4.5 miles round trip and a steep uphill climb. And when we got to the tea house it was packed! So go early if it’s on your must-do list. We snagged one of the last tables, and the biscuits and jam, and tuna sandwiches made the whole hike worth it. Or maybe we were just starving by the time we got to the top, but everything tasted SO good.
We also loved taking the Banff gondola to the top of the mountain. It was worth being able to see Banff National Park from a different perspective and they have free roaming mountain goats everywhere. Our girls thought that was pretty neat! Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were going crazy! We checked our watches and it was 10pm and still completely light. Our poor girls were such troopers being dragged all over at the craziest of times.
Getting to see Moraine Lake and Lake Louise were every bit as beautiful as I imagined. I was pretty skeptical at first that they just had to be photoshopped, so I was pretty surprised when they were every bit as brilliant blue as you see on social media. But beware because there are people everywhere! Apparently we weren’t the only ones excited to see Canada’s most famous landmark!
OUR FAVORITE FAMILY VACATION
June 1, 2018
Staying at the hard rock hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico has become one of our favorite vacations together as a family. Marcus even checks the webcam constantly throughout the year when we’re at home in the states! It really is the ultimate relaxation and actual vacation because we never even leave the resort! Our girls really are treated like little rock stars and they loooove the unlimited piña coladas the staff bring them. We just always have to double check to make sure they didn’t include alcohol, ha! A typical day for us included waking up and heading down to breakfast for our favorite Nutella waffles and omelettes, then heading straight to the beach. The beach is a man-made cove so our girls are free to swim around and make sand castles as they please. It’s perfect for smaller kids! And it’s right by the soft serve ice cream machine…so it’s perfect for adults too!
After a few hours at the beach we head up to the pool for lunch. They have a great splash pad and wading pool, and the unlimited tacos, chips, and guacamole are what our kids practically live on for the week! And us parents live off taking turns going to the all-included spa! This place is seriously a slice of heaven.
Staying at the hard rock hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico has become one of our favorite vacations together as a family. Marcus even checks the webcam constantly throughout the year when we’re at home in the states! It really is the ultimate relaxation and actual vacation because we never even leave the resort! Our girls really are treated like little rock stars and they loooove the unlimited piña coladas the staff bring them. We just always have to double check to make sure they didn’t include alcohol, ha! A typical day for us included waking up and heading down to breakfast for our favorite Nutella waffles and omelettes, then heading straight to the beach. The beach is a man-made cove so our girls are free to swim around and make sand castles as they please. It’s perfect for smaller kids! And it’s right by the soft serve ice cream machine…so it’s perfect for adults too!
After a few hours at the beach we head up to the pool for lunch. They have a great splash pad and wading pool, and the unlimited tacos, chips, and guacamole are what our kids practically live on for the week! And us parents live off taking turns going to the all-included spa! This place is seriously a slice of heaven.
MAUI WITH JUST THE TWO OF US
April 26, 2018
This was our first time traveling to Hawaii just the two of us and we couldn’t wait to go and explore. We had been a few times with family, but this was our first without kids. We were so excited to do some hiking, and we were super nervous we wouldn’t make it to the top of the Waihee Ridge Trail before the clouds moved in. But the timing worked out perfectly and we had some great views of the island. Way off in the distance we could see a waterfall so when we got to a clearing we decided to put up the drone and see if we could maneuver it over there. We were pressing our luck in the small space we had but when it sailed over we just looked at each other and went “WHOA!” It was this huge waterfall that was just flowing. We started to bring it back and all of a sudden we lost connection with it. We thought it was a goner this time for suuuure…we couldn’t see it or hear it. Then Marcus had the brilliant idea to have it follow it’s flight plan and we got it back juuuust before the battery ran out. I always get so nervous when he takes that thing up!
After that we decided to find the bamboo forest at mile marker 6.5 on the Rd to Hana. When we got there the trail was completely muddy but we decided to just go for it and had a good laugh crossing the river and getting completely stuck. We got brave and climbed up to a waterfall that we knew would be pretty secluded but it was a 20 min climb over boulders to get there. And all we had were flip flops! The people who saw us said, “You guys are crazy to hike in those.” But they worked, and when we came around the river bend we saw this waterfall that was over 100 ft tall. It was SO worth it!
This was our first time traveling to Hawaii just the two of us and we couldn’t wait to go and explore. We had been a few times with family, but this was our first without kids. We were so excited to do some hiking, and we were super nervous we wouldn’t make it to the top of the Waihee Ridge Trail before the clouds moved in. But the timing worked out perfectly and we had some great views of the island. Way off in the distance we could see a waterfall so when we got to a clearing we decided to put up the drone and see if we could maneuver it over there. We were pressing our luck in the small space we had but when it sailed over we just looked at each other and went “WHOA!” It was this huge waterfall that was just flowing. We started to bring it back and all of a sudden we lost connection with it. We thought it was a goner this time for suuuure…we couldn’t see it or hear it. Then Marcus had the brilliant idea to have it follow it’s flight plan and we got it back juuuust before the battery ran out. I always get so nervous when he takes that thing up!
After that we decided to find the bamboo forest at mile marker 6.5 on the Rd to Hana. When we got there the trail was completely muddy but we decided to just go for it and had a good laugh crossing the river and getting completely stuck. We got brave and climbed up to a waterfall that we knew would be pretty secluded but it was a 20 min climb over boulders to get there. And all we had were flip flops! The people who saw us said, “You guys are crazy to hike in those.” But they worked, and when we came around the river bend we saw this waterfall that was over 100 ft tall. It was SO worth it!
TRAVELING WITH KIDS? HERE'S OUR TOP 5 TIPS!
March 6, 2018
I hear all the time, I’m so nervous to travel with my kids, how do you do it!? And while it’s normal to feel anxious about traveling, let me just tell you, you CAN do it. You’ve got this! Here are a few tips when it comes to traveling around with your kiddos in tow:
1. CHECK IT OUT: Most airlines check car seats and strollers for free. So give yourself another free hand and get your car seat checked from the get-go! However, I usually like to bring our stroller through security. So let me just warn you now that when you bring your stroller through security, you MUST take your child out of their infant carrier or stroller seat as you go through the detectors. Even if you have a precious, sleeping baby completely asleep (been there and almost had a throw down when I had to wake them up!) you still have to carry them through.
2. PLAY AROUND: Take full advantage of the kid’s play areas at the airport. We’ll have one parent grab food and snacks, while the other one takes kids to the play area. It’s a way to have your children confined to a smaller space than the massive-ness of an airport. Also, it wears those restless legs out before getting onboard. Our kids can’t get enough of it! We even have nicknames for the characters at our local airport (#shoutouttoourfriendpilot!) But then of course, I wash my children down in the free sanitizer near the exit when leaving, ha!
3. LET’S TALK iPADS: I love the iPad. So much so I pre download shows I can watch when we get on (Thank you Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc). Or I also love the free entertainment app (such as GoGo Inflight, or whatever airlines we’re on) to watch FREE unlimited shows and movies. But being parents, we never get to watch anything when traveling with our kids. SO…here’s what happens with our family. Harper watches a show for about 20 min, and then is done. I so wish I could just give her a device and have it keep her distracted for a few hours. But it’s a no go! But one thing she does like is games. We have the silliest games on our iPad, nail painting, dropping shapes into different containers, and we love, and I’m talking LOVE, the Usborne Sticker Dolly Dress Up app. I’m not one to pay for an app, but this one she loves dressing up each character on the screen. It’s definitely saved us a time or two.
4. QUIT TOYING WITH ME: The Target dollar spot is our best friend right before traveling. We spend a few dollars on the most random things: fidget spinners, coloring pads, window clings you can put on the airplane windows, little figurines, etc. Some of our other favorites are Melissa and Doug’s WaterWow! (paint with water pen), Color Wow (clear markers that only color on specific pages), and lots of sticker books. And obviously, we like to stock up on snacks. We splurge and bring ones in packages so they can eat them and then discard all packaging. We also don’t have a lot of space for snack containers. So I buy one container that has multiple openings (similar to a pill box) and put in craisins, cheerios, marshmallows, and fruit snacks. I’ll let you guess which of those gets eaten first…
5. THE BED BOX, WHAT IS IT? IS IT WORTH IT?: The BedBox is a small carry on suitcase that allows an airplane seat to be changed into a bed. The price is steep, and I’ve read people who have had problems with flight attendants asking them to put it away. But let me tell you, we’ve never had this be a problem. The “mattress” is much thinner than I expected, and I’ve been so worried that the wheels would fall off at times. But saying that, we have literally dragged it everywhere in the streets and it’s still held up so well! Now I wouldn’t travel without it! If you have a long flight 5+ hours and know you’ll be flying multiple times with it, it’s fantastic. It’s got plenty of space for the mattress and ALL of Harper’s toys, snacks, blanket, and stuffed animal she brings along. Here’s another tip, we also bought a toddler sized pillow and it even fits in there! The Bedbox also doubles as the most awesome pull along suitcase they can ride around on at the airport in between flights!
But let me warn you, just because you purchase one, doesn’t guarantee your child will fall asleep on the plane. Oh, but wouldn’t that be NICE!? However, if you’re lucky enough to have your sweeties fall asleep, it makes it a much more enjoyable nap for them, and for you! They’re not trying to twist and turn on your lap, and it helps my children sleep longer than they probably would have.
Really though, with flying, it’s just a few hours. You’ll do awesome! We work ourselves up so much that we forget this is an “experience” for our kids. Try to make it fun for them by pointing out new things. Give yourself plenty of time so you, and they, don’t feel anxious. If all else fails and they scream most the flight (hands up, it’s happened to us too) what’s a few hours in the grand scheme of things. Most people will be pretty understanding and will tell you your kids did great. And you get to feel like a freaking rockstar! Happy Travels!
I hear all the time, I’m so nervous to travel with my kids, how do you do it!? And while it’s normal to feel anxious about traveling, let me just tell you, you CAN do it. You’ve got this! Here are a few tips when it comes to traveling around with your kiddos in tow:
1. CHECK IT OUT: Most airlines check car seats and strollers for free. So give yourself another free hand and get your car seat checked from the get-go! However, I usually like to bring our stroller through security. So let me just warn you now that when you bring your stroller through security, you MUST take your child out of their infant carrier or stroller seat as you go through the detectors. Even if you have a precious, sleeping baby completely asleep (been there and almost had a throw down when I had to wake them up!) you still have to carry them through.
2. PLAY AROUND: Take full advantage of the kid’s play areas at the airport. We’ll have one parent grab food and snacks, while the other one takes kids to the play area. It’s a way to have your children confined to a smaller space than the massive-ness of an airport. Also, it wears those restless legs out before getting onboard. Our kids can’t get enough of it! We even have nicknames for the characters at our local airport (#shoutouttoourfriendpilot!) But then of course, I wash my children down in the free sanitizer near the exit when leaving, ha!
3. LET’S TALK iPADS: I love the iPad. So much so I pre download shows I can watch when we get on (Thank you Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc). Or I also love the free entertainment app (such as GoGo Inflight, or whatever airlines we’re on) to watch FREE unlimited shows and movies. But being parents, we never get to watch anything when traveling with our kids. SO…here’s what happens with our family. Harper watches a show for about 20 min, and then is done. I so wish I could just give her a device and have it keep her distracted for a few hours. But it’s a no go! But one thing she does like is games. We have the silliest games on our iPad, nail painting, dropping shapes into different containers, and we love, and I’m talking LOVE, the Usborne Sticker Dolly Dress Up app. I’m not one to pay for an app, but this one she loves dressing up each character on the screen. It’s definitely saved us a time or two.
4. QUIT TOYING WITH ME: The Target dollar spot is our best friend right before traveling. We spend a few dollars on the most random things: fidget spinners, coloring pads, window clings you can put on the airplane windows, little figurines, etc. Some of our other favorites are Melissa and Doug’s WaterWow! (paint with water pen), Color Wow (clear markers that only color on specific pages), and lots of sticker books. And obviously, we like to stock up on snacks. We splurge and bring ones in packages so they can eat them and then discard all packaging. We also don’t have a lot of space for snack containers. So I buy one container that has multiple openings (similar to a pill box) and put in craisins, cheerios, marshmallows, and fruit snacks. I’ll let you guess which of those gets eaten first…
5. THE BED BOX, WHAT IS IT? IS IT WORTH IT?: The BedBox is a small carry on suitcase that allows an airplane seat to be changed into a bed. The price is steep, and I’ve read people who have had problems with flight attendants asking them to put it away. But let me tell you, we’ve never had this be a problem. The “mattress” is much thinner than I expected, and I’ve been so worried that the wheels would fall off at times. But saying that, we have literally dragged it everywhere in the streets and it’s still held up so well! Now I wouldn’t travel without it! If you have a long flight 5+ hours and know you’ll be flying multiple times with it, it’s fantastic. It’s got plenty of space for the mattress and ALL of Harper’s toys, snacks, blanket, and stuffed animal she brings along. Here’s another tip, we also bought a toddler sized pillow and it even fits in there! The Bedbox also doubles as the most awesome pull along suitcase they can ride around on at the airport in between flights!
But let me warn you, just because you purchase one, doesn’t guarantee your child will fall asleep on the plane. Oh, but wouldn’t that be NICE!? However, if you’re lucky enough to have your sweeties fall asleep, it makes it a much more enjoyable nap for them, and for you! They’re not trying to twist and turn on your lap, and it helps my children sleep longer than they probably would have.
Really though, with flying, it’s just a few hours. You’ll do awesome! We work ourselves up so much that we forget this is an “experience” for our kids. Try to make it fun for them by pointing out new things. Give yourself plenty of time so you, and they, don’t feel anxious. If all else fails and they scream most the flight (hands up, it’s happened to us too) what’s a few hours in the grand scheme of things. Most people will be pretty understanding and will tell you your kids did great. And you get to feel like a freaking rockstar! Happy Travels!
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