Please give yourself plenty of time to get your passports taken. We got ours 3 months before we left the country but unfortunately only 2 weeks before we changed addresses so that was king of a mess. It worked out but just added a little anxiety to the trip planning. Even if you are just planning on Canada I recommend getting full version.
Here is a link for everything you should need to know about passports.
If you are in a larger city I also recommend asking around to see if certain offices are better than others. We got our in the Denver area. Some offices in the area are great (Castle Rock) – others are a really difficult to deal with.
You may also need an international drivers license. These are sold at AAA and are to be used with your state license. Ours were either $20 or $25 per person plus the cost of a passport style photo. You should not need an appointment but if the office is out of the way I would consider calling first to confirm. You will need one if you rent a car. Please check with international rules to make sure you are driving legally.
