Family trip to Banff/Lake Louise

Derek's parents are in town, so we took advantage of our proximity to the Canadian Rockies for a short family trip to Banff and Lake Louise.

Lake Louise in the early morning

Herbert Lake

Moraine Lake

This little guy wanted part of the action too!

Bow Lake

We took a gondola ride up to the top of a mountain across from Lake Louise to get a bird's eye view. You can see Lake Louise, very tiny, in the background.

We were feeling adventurous, so we went canoeing! They had life jackets small enough for Wesley. It was both boys' first time in a canoe. Wesley didn't like it very much at first, but he fell asleep on my lap. Evan loved it.

After the canoe trip

We even saw a black bear cub!

Going to Banff and Lake Louise sure brought back memories. We visited the Rockies frequently when we worked at GoodSeed (since their Canadian office is an hour from Calgary).

Here we are in 2003 and 2004:

And here is our family in 2011:

Here we are in Banff back in 2003 and 2006:

And here we are in 2011:

It is a blessing to be living so close to the Canadian Rockies! To me, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Even though we had been here multiple times in the past, God’s creation never ceases to amaze me! When I stand at the shore of a serene turquoise lake, looking up at the towering mountains with their ancient creases and majestic snow-capped peaks, I can’t but help stand in awe of how great our God is and how small and insignificant I am. Just think, these mountains and lakes have existed—beautiful and pristine—for thousands of years even before the explorers came and "discovered" them, naming them after British royalty like "Louise" (fyi, Louise was the daughter of Queen Victoria). They stood here before the hoards of tourists came and took millions of pictures, making them popular. Before any human beings ever set foot on them, they existed purely for the enjoyment and pleasure of God Himself, who formed them by His mighty word.

“When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?” (Ps 8:4).

Yet, by His grace, we are now able to enjoy the natural beauty that God created for our pleasure, too. The pictures do not do the scenery justice. Our God truly is an awesome God.

We are also thankful that grandma and grandpa got to visit us here. Both boys had a chance to bond with them and have grown very close to them. Evan would wake up every day saying, "Where are grandma and grandpa?" Thanks for visiting, Ah-Gong and Ah-Ma!

See more photos of our trip on Flickr.