Fun with Family

Last Sunday we went to Christa & Brent's for a pot luck to pre-celebrate Family Day. The kids (and adults) had fun playing in the snow & Sydney LOVED riding on the snowmobile. She thinks it would be great if we had one too. However, since we live in town & rarely have enough snow I think she is going to be very disappointed if she really had her hopes set. Jason finally gave in & relaxed & realized that it is fun to ride on the toboggan.

Here are a few shots from the day.

It doesn't take a big hill to have fun.

Brent was the day's chauffeur

He finally goes down with a smile on his face!

Go Aunt Debbie!

Jaxon putting the moves on Sydney

Hayleigh is growing her hair for Locks for Cancer & is almost there. Some lucky person will benefit from her beautiful hair.
(Hayleigh hope you weren't too traumatized by Jason's commando step over you when you were lying on the floor)

Poke & prod the whole way

All smiles at the beginning of the hike

This morning we went for a walk on the Bruce Trail. Given the options this was Jason's choice, but honest to goodness after about 20 minutes it was a constant "when will we be back at the car?" Sydney was running ahead with Brad because she wanted to be the leader & find each of the markings, but Jason kept finding excuses to stop. We had to make snow angels, pick up leaves, pick up sticks & any other distraction that he could find to justify stopping. Each of these would have been fine if they were not coupled with the whining about getting back to the car. I finally told him that the only way to get back to the car was to keep putting one foot in front of the other...he got that, but he figured it would be much faster if I carried him. Fat chance!

I just caught up on Carrie's blog & her comment about Mallory's phrase "Oh my gosh!" reminded me of the note I made of some of Jason's sayings. However it seems to me that we seem to have already left Jason's phase of "Oh my goodness!" and "Holy Smokes!". Both phrases were made all the more funny since he said them in his deep voice.

Sydney likes snowball fights when she throws at you,
but don't you dare bump it back at her!

Brad's version of the Olympic torch

Follow the leader

Reasons to love Sydney

After a night like last night where Sydney woke me up at 11:45pm saying "she has been trying for hours to go to sleep & can't" and then proceed to be up for the next 3 HOURS! it is important for me to remember some wonderful things I do love about her.

When she came in our room I told her that she had been asleep, but must have woken up & now was having difficulty getting back to sleep. I don't think she believed me, but regardless both of us were up until 2:30 am (that was the last time I looked at the clock). I tried telling her to count, to say the alphabet, think of things that made her happy and try to relax. None of that worked, then I tried sleeping with her because she was so upset. I even tried rocking with her in the rocking chair, but of course she is not our cuddly child so after 15 minutes she had enough of that. I put on soft music for her to listen to, I read her a couple stories, tried sleeping on the couch. Eventually I gave up & told her that she would need to figure out how to get back to sleep & at some point it happened. Once she was starting to kick me in her sleep, I decided she was good & I could go.

So, when I had a day where I felt groggy due to interrupted speech it is good to remember some of the funny things she does...

• her constant search for approval or validation of what she is saying. This was a quality that was quickly observed by her aunt & uncle when she stayed with them the other week. Robb said that he wishes he had started a checklist at the beginning of the week to mark down how many times he heard her say, "Wriiight, Uncle Wrobb?"
• her incredible attention to detail which often translates to cleverness & ability to throw your tactics right back at you. Example- before Christmas we were grocery shopping when Jason was at school. Sydney wanted to sit in the cart but (1) we were almost done and (2) she is too big to easily get into the carts at No Frills. When I said no, she said "Mommy I can sit in the cart or ride on the end. Those are your choices, what are you going to choose?" I was so floored at how she completely mimicked my tone & wording that I almost laughed. Then I told her that there was a choice that trumps all in this situation & that is "Mommy's choice- you can walk"

There are many things to love about her...but these are two that jump to mind.

The welcoming committee

I've traveled for work and always wished that I had someone there to greet me instead of the driver we paid through work. So, I was looking forward to seeing Brad & the kids when I stepped through those doors & they did not disappoint.

A little slice of paradise

Sunday we returned from Antigua (an-tee-ga) and the trip was great. Our hotel could use some upgrades on the rooms, but they were nice, the beach was awesome & the food was good. We had an hour delay leaving Toronto because they had the wrong plane (how does that happen????) and since we didn't really sleep on Saturday night because our driver picked us up at 3am...we were TIRED when we arrived at our resort. Coming home we learned that the week before our trip CanJet had a 20 hour delay due to mechanical trouble. Suddenly I was no longer bothered by the 1 hour delay.

Apparently February is Antigua's coldest month, but our weather did not indicate that there is any "cold" to be had there. It was HOT! Thankfully most days had a good breeze because the couple days we had with no breeze made you hardly want to move. We actually were also very thankful for the cloudy days. There was really only one "bad" day of weather & that was the day that we hired a cab to take us to some sites around the island- so that was perfect. Otherwise back at the resort you needed to take cover for about 10 minutes every once in awhile while it rained. Are there such things as book umbrellas? Once when we were on the beach, it was sunny but it was also raining (mist) & I didn't really want to leave but I didn't want to get my book wet.

Our activities included shopping in St. John's, playing bocce ball, a bit of snorkeling, listening to some local music, having a free mud spa at Half Moon Bay, visiting some of the sites, & enjoying each other's company & relaxing. Now that I am back home I realize that one of my favourite things about the trip was sitting down to eat each meal & NOT HAVING TO MAKE IT!!!!

Here are some photos to take you through the trip....

Entering the resort. As you can see by the flags the guests were Canadian, American & Brits. However I would say that 2/3 were definitely Canadian.

View from the front step of our room. Just steps away from the beach.

Breakfast our first morning at the prime table. I have another picture where you see Mom & Kim better, but the water doesn't look as beautiful as it was.

The restaurant was an open air restaurant, so we had many winged guests wanting your table the moment everyone stepped away. The first morning I saw a canary take a bath in the water glass, but of course that morning I did not have my camera. All week I wanted to see it happen again, but never did.

Mom patiently waiting on her porch for Kim & I to arrive to pick her up for dinner.

On Wednesday there was a walk leaving the hotel at 7:30am to see Devil's Bridge. The walk was too far for Mom & Kim was not getting out of bed to go. I was glad that I went, but it was so hot walking back to the hotel I wished that the group had left a half hour earlier. Our guide was not letting anyone walk across this nature made bridge because if you go down, the water will take you under.

Vacation isn't just about rest, Kim & I also got some exercise. Here everyone is just running on the spot while Duane hams it up for Mom.

Mom & I also got some exercise getting our butt kicked at bocce ball.

Hill top gazebo on the way to "The Outhouse" where there is a serve yourself bar & barbeque ribs & wings....yum yum.

"The Outhouse"

Picture from the gazebo looking down on the rest of the resort.

Ready for my snorkeling lesson.

Kim & I heading out to snorkel. Wonderful stuff to see right close to the resort.
The water was crystal clear & the sand was wonderful.

Day Trip...first stop, Half Moon Bay
Hurricane Lewis destroyed the resort on this bay in 1995 & it has never been rebuilt. Our tour guide recommended we come to this beach, climb the rocks & coat ourselves in the mud. She said our skin would feel divine.

Kim & some friends we made (Natasha & Marc) coating themselves with mud. Kim had a trip & got a very bloody knee, but said it was still worth the trip.

We got quite a few looks when we walked back the beach, but the end result was so worth it. My skin hasn't felt that good in years & it lasted the rest of the trip. Unfortunately 3 days back in our climate has turned my fingers back into cracked & sore appendages.

Washing off the mud. Marc washed off earlier on our walk, was feeling the pressure of the stares. He too was amazed by the affect of the mud. The sky was a little wicked looking, but it was still wonderfully warm.

This is us with Dudley, our guide for the trip. Anyone going to Antigua...let me know & I will give you his number.

Look close on the shore & you will see the rehab centre set up by Eric Clapton. The same rehab center that Brittney Spears checked herself into & out of the same day. Dudley says that there have been many a celebrity come to this spot.

If he is going to own a rehab centre on the island, he also needs a place to hang his hat. Look carefully & you will see the home that Eric Clapton built for himself. Not sure if he didn't want it to stand out too much so that it didn't ruin the beauty of the surroundings or if he just didn't want to call too much attention to himself...who knows.

Whitney Houston on the other hand has a cone on top of her
white house which stands out a little more.

The absolutely stunning view of English Harbour seen from Shirley Heights.

Many a mornings I was up very early. Sleeping was not something I was very good at while we were away. However, getting out & enjoying the quiet was nice.


Early morning view of the resort with pink fluffy clouds.

I am glad we took this one just before we left, because my nighttime ones did not turn out well at all. On my camera it looks like they are clear, but when I pull them off- they are all blurry. ..grr.

One of these little guys was in our room in my suitcase when we were packing the last night. I was almost bringing him home. I also thought I took a video of the sound the tree frogs made to bring home for the kids, but I must have deleted it. It was a very loud, but soothing sound.

The most important thing to say about the vacation though....
"Thank you Mom"

The below video gives you a sense of just how violent the water is at Devil's Bridge.

The thanks I get for trying to be helpful...

Before leaving for Antigua I made a timetable that outlined each of the kids activities & who was responsible for getting them there. To make it easier to read I gave a colour for each set of responsible adults. This schedule also let Brad know who was feeding the kids dinner & what Sydney needed to send to school on a given day. Brad of course had to tell people at work about my colour-coordinated spreadsheet which then lead to me being the butt of many jokes. Brad told me I needed to tell him what was what & I did. Did I receive a thank you for how much it helped? No, just told that everyone thought it was quite funny.

I met a woman on the trip who is also a stay at home mom who also left an itinerary for her kids who are each a couple years older & hers was 4 pages!

Mine may have been colourful, but at least it was the basics only. I didn't figure I needed to leave directions on how to care for the kids. I was quite confident I could leave that role safely in Brad's hands.

I also had the kids pick out their clothes for the week on the Saturday so that Brad didn't have the arguments with them during the week when he was trying to hurry & get out the door for work. Apparently on Friday Sydney asked Brad if I picked out his clothes too. :)

I saw this picture on the camera when I was away, but did not realize until I got home that it was a video.

Enjoying the snow...

It has been a long wait, but in the last couple of weeks the kids have finally been able to play in the snow. All 2 inches of it! Thank goodness they like to shovel snow & consider that play, because it took a long while before there was actually enough snow on the ground to be able to do something with. Snow angels were a hit last week & sledding was a hit this week, but already the snow is quickly diminishing...


Oh well, I don't need lots of snow around to be happy to hit the hot weather with Mom & Kim on Sunday...woo hoo!!!

New Years Eve

I know it is a week late, but I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge what a great Mom I have. Not only did she keep the kids for us on New Years Eve, she made it fun for them. First we all had dinner together (including Grandma & Papa) & then they went to see the lights down by the lake & then returned home to watch fireworks from Nana's kitchen window...check out the heated seats. If you look closely at the picture, you will see that Jason has a very runny nose which resulted in Nana not getting very much sleep. The first night of a cold for Jason results in a very restless, crying boy.


Our adult party involved eating, drinking & a game of Scrabble- not sure what I was thinking being the lone sober one playing a bunch of drunks. Lesson learned.


Our friend Todd brought his dog Daisy & by the end of the night she stopped begging from the floor & just sat at the table & looked at the food. Didn't touch anything, but just watched. I think she figured if we weren't going to eat it....why not her.