We went to Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada on Thursday and Friday. Kyle's Mom, Dee Ann, came with us and it was the first time for everyone, but me and Kyle, to go to Canada. We had a fun time there visiting the sites, but keep reading to see how fun our trip back into the good ol' USA was.
Beautiful flowers made into Canada flag at border crossing getting into Canada. The Peace Arch Park there had the most immaculate garden, grass, shrubs and flowers. Very pretty.
Our first stop was Kitsilano Beach and this picture shows downtown Vancouver. We had beautiful weather while there and the views were amazing. There are huge green mountains surrounding Vancouver.
Kyle and Kate playing on the Beach. Kate loves digging in the sand.
The water was not too cold so it was fine to play in.
Poor Preston tried to take a nap while we were on the beach. He was sick (threw up in the car on the way up and down and once in a park and another in the hotel room. Fun times for us and him.)
I LOVE these lamp posts and hanging baskets. They were up and down the street, very quaint.
After the Beach, we checked into our hotel room and let Preston take a quick nap. We did Priceline and got a 4 star hotel room for the price we would have paid for a cheaper hotel downtown. It was a pretty nice room. Then we strolled the streets into the old downtown of Vancouver- Gastown. It was fun to look at the old buildings, see the waterfront and walk the cobblestone streets. We ate at Spaghetti Factory, which doesn't have the same menu items as the restaruants in the US- interesting.
Our family in front of the steam clock. It's a landmark there and chimes and makes noises every so often. It runs off steam and has since the late 1800's.
Kate watching Cars on the IPOD in the hotel room. Cute.
The next morning, we went to Stanley Park first thing and went to Vancouver Aquarium.
Beluga Whales, the little one is a baby and was just born in early June.
The dolphin show. We barely made it in time to watch this show and I'm glad we did because this was the highlight. 
The miniature train ride in Stanley Park. Kate loved riding on it and it took us through cute forests and scenery. It was nice to sit for a bit. This Stanley Park is HUGE and we walked a lot.
The farmyard animals in Stanley Park. Kate liked petting the goats, but she was scared of them too. The farm stunk and we weren't all that impressed with it. Stanley Park has lots to do and we stayed in the park most of the day. Before going home we drove around the park and saw totem poles, lighthouses and then went to a swimming pool right on the beachfront. We left around 5 pm to go home and it's a good thing we did because we had to wait 2 1/2 hours to cross the border!!! We were all so irritated. Preston was crying so Dee Ann walked outside in the Peach Arch Park while we inched slowly to the front and Kate ran around the park. It was ridiculous waiting that long. They only had 3 lanes open and the back-up of cars was very long. We went 1/2 mile in 2 1/2 hours! The Canadian side had like 5 lanes open and their back-up was minimal. It doesn't even take 2 1/2 hrs to get up to Vancouver! So needless to say, we were pretty tired when we finally got home around 10 pm.
