Emmett's first Stampede

Under an ominous dark sky,

Emmett and his parents headed to the Stampede grounds, sporting their finest in western duds.

Stampede attendance has been abysmal this year due to the weather; in fact, for the first time in 85 years, the rodeo and chuckwagon races were cancelled. The day they were there, the heavens opened with hail the size of golf balls, but that didn't stop Emmett from taking in the sights at Weadickville, the stock dog trials,

the agricultural barns, and of course, the midway. Emmett introduced his parents to all the kid stuff at Stampede, where he made his own button, had his free vintage Stampede picture taken, and won a prize at the duck races. He's been practicing for months with his ducks in the bathtub.

Emmett's parents, in return, introduced Emmett to all their favourite foods at Stampede, including $2.50 hotdogs from Weadickville, $2.00 slurpees, $1.00 milk and cookies, pulled pork parfait, beef on a bun (Emmett's mom's favourite) and corndogs (Emmett's dad's favourite).

They were on their way to get some deep fried Oreos when Emmett was distracted by the

He thought they would be a great addition to his mom's wardrobe. His parents had to explain that pink chaps really weren't appropriate...

Yahoo

Giddy'up, cowboy!

Ten months old

Spain beats the Netherlands 1-0 to capture the FIFA World Cup title. A powerful earthquake hits Chile for the second time this year. Fewer people flock to the Calgary Stampede so far this year, with attendance down by about 13,601 people. A giant lobster trap has resurfaced after it went missing from Summerside, P.E.I. And Emmett celebrates his ten month birthday. His parents let him have pizza for dinner, which he hoovered after skipping breakfast and lunch.

And with each passing month, it gets more and more challenging to capture his birthday photo...

Fording his first dam river

Emmett and his parents headed out to Cobble Flats for some hiking and mountain time today. From the safety of his dad's back, Emmett forded his first river, the Elbow River. Ironically, Emmett crosses over this river further downstream almost every day on his way to the playground, but has never been in it.

Remembering the inadequate clothing they had for Emmett on their last hike, Emmett's mom opted to dress him in a nice warm base layer, and packed lots of extra clothes in case of inclement weather.

Fortunately, the weather was warm today, so the extra layers were not needed. But what Emmett's mom failed to notice was that the base layer was pink. Emmett was not impressed. Especially when other hikers commented on how cute "she" was.

The promise of building a dam was enough to get Emmett back into a good mood. Especially when it started to pour rain, just as they finished placing the last rock...

Stampede

Emmett didn't make it to the Stampede parade this morning. He napped through the whole thing. Though technically, he did attend last year while in utero. (note the bump under his mom's shirt)

Missing the parade didn't stop him from getting into the Stampede spirit. When he got up, he insisted his mom put his cowboy boots on,

so he could saddle up his horse for a ride

Of course, no horse ride is complete without a cowboy hat, so Emmett wore his late great Uncle Dan's hat, which still has mud on it from the chuckwagon races during Stampede in the 1960's.

Now that Emmett is on solids, he's looking forward to going to the grounds with his parents. In addition to the traditional corn dogs and beef on a bun that are found at the midway, every year there's something new to eat. This year, they are all looking forward to trying pulled pork parfaits and mini donut ice cream.
Yahoo.

Lasagna

In an attempt to help ease the post vacation blues of Emmett's dad, Emmett's mom made his favourite dish for supper last night. Lasagna. Turns out, Emmett has the same insatiable appetite for lasagna as his dad does. Excited to discover a dish that Emmett really enjoys, Emmett's mom served him leftovers for lunch today. All was going well until, in a momentary lapse of judgment, she let Emmett try to feed himself.

Fortunately, none of the lasagna ended up on the floor. Only in Emmett's hair. Which is when they discovered that lasagna makes a great hair styling product.

A week of July firsts

Emmett celebrated his first Canada Day with his first hike in the Rocky Mountains. He dragged his parents up to Wilcox Pass, where they braved snowy July conditions to catch a view of the Athabasca Glacier.

Unfortunately for Emmett, his parents are still new to hiking with an infant. Fortunately, they are extremely creative, and managed to find some hand warming devices in their backpacks. Even if they do make Emmett look like a dork.

July 1st activities in Jasper included a riveting Canada Day parade, complete with floats, Canadian Mounties, and an airport fire truck.

Emmett and his parents rounded out their Canada Day celebrations with another hike, this time with Auntie Clare, up to the top of Whistlers Mountain.

Once again, Emmett was riveted.