Today after our visit to The Bow and lunch at a trendy pizza and wine restaurant downtown, we decided that we needed to get the kids out somewhere where they could run and let off some steam. We headed to Big Hills Springs Park, a provincial park not far from where my brother and sister-in-law live.
The photo above is, without a doubt, one of my favourite photos of all time. It’s not professionally shot or artistic {or even edited for that matter}, but it perfectly depicts Miss G and her little cousin Kinslee exactly how they were as babies {Kins – outgoing, fearless, and up for anything, while Miss G, cautious, sensitive, and reserved}.
With the weather forecast calling for a whole lot of rain today, we decided to pack up the crew and head to our Baba’s house a couple of days early today. Turns out that the weather was pretty awesome and we probably could have had another lovely day out on Sylvan Lake, but there’s truly no better place than Baba’s house. Here, you’re given little glass bowls of honey to dip your popcorn into. Here, picking beautiful flowers from the gardens is allowed. Here, latex gloves are rounded up and distributed in hopes of making bubble catching missions more successful. Here, everyone drinks from fancy glass goblets and there’s not a bat of an eye when one breaks in two. Here, you’re welcomed with open arms, even on the shortest of notice…
Growing up, we spent a lot of time out on the lake. My dad barefooted, my mom slalomed, and my brother and I loved to tube, kneeboard, and spend time ‘swimming’ in the middle of the lake. I can’t count the number of times Gary and I cocooned ourselves in dry towels and spent the bumpy ride back to the marina tucked right under the dash after a long day of sunshine, wind, and water. Oh, the days… Some of my favourite childhood memories, without a doubt.
Well today, we got to begin creating those same with our own little ones. After wanting one for many, many years, my brother finally bought himself a boat a few days ago. A beautiful one. A big wakeboard boat with a great sound system and room for plenty of munchkins and friends. And though the weather forecast looked terrible last night, we decided to stick with our original plan of heading to Slyvan Lake for the weekend and I’m so glad we did. We spent our afternoon and evening on the water soaking in the sunshine, blue skies, and fresh air {yay for inaccurate weather reports!} and paused only for a moment to pick up some dinner from shore.
The highlight of the day? My very cautious, very sensitive water-loving little lady went tubing for her very first time ever. I was a wee bit surprised when Uncle Gary asked who would like to try tubing and Miss G immediately responded with a loud, ‘ME!!’, but after hearing about the possible outcomes and watching her cousins try it first, she was still raring to go, so she did. And she loved it too. She loved it so much, in fact, that she spent a good part of her time behind the boat singing ‘Let it Go’, complete with the dramatic arm movements. Hah! The day ended with a very proud Captain Grae taking us home for a very late bedtime, but it was absolutely worth the tired grumpiness that will undoubtedly ensue tomorrow morning.
Here’s our day in {a ridiculous number of} photos…
This afternoon we tried the neatest thing… Using chalk on the trampoline! My sister-in-law suggested the idea and the kids absolutely loved it. The chalk went on smoothly and vibrantly, and in no time, the trampoline was transformed into a giant chalkboard-esque canvas.
With the big boys off to school this morning, Roz and I decided to take the girls to a beautiful new playground this morning. I can’t say how lovely it is to visit a clean, well maintained park where the equipment is all in good working order and not too hot to touch after 10 months in Kuwait… Such a treat, and quite obviously, Miss G thoroughly enjoyed herself.
This afternoon Grae’s Auntie Roz came in the house from a photo shoot and suggested that we make the most of the gorgeous clouds and light by bringing the girls outside for a little walk and shoot of their own. It goes without saying that we immediately jumped at the opportunity {you absolutely do not turn down gorgeous Roz Edge Photography images} and we headed out into the field in our gumboots. The images turned out absolutely gorgeously and though I may have done my hair or put on some make-up had I known I’d have my photo taken this afternoon, I’m beyond grateful to have some images of me and my little lady {and my little niece}.
Here are some of my favourites…
This morning we packed up all four kids, piled into the vehicle, and headed out Red Deer first thing in the morning for a rugby tournament. Both of Grae’s boy cousins play and it was so much fun to watch their games. The little girls kept busy on the sidelines with activities, bouncy castles, and for Grae, countless performances of ‘Let It Go’ {complete with dramatic arm motions and day dreamy facial expressions}.
Here is our day in photos…
After a fairly decent sleep last night given the fact that we just arrived back in Canada yesterday afternoon, Miss G and I were up early and ready to soak in the outdoors this morning. Lucky for us, my brother and sister-in-law live on a giant farm which they’ve recently begun converting into a petting zoo {okay, not for real, but my sister-in-law may have a serious small animal collecting problem}. With Grae’s two big boy cousins off to school for the morning, us girls went around the farm meeting and feeding the animals, picking dandelions, playing games, and jumping on the trampoline. After a splatter session at a local art studio, some shopping, and some dinner, we ended the day back outdoors, but this time with all of the cousins together.
Here is our day in photos…
Nothing better than hitting the ground running! After arriving in Canada last night, today we dressed the kiddos in play clothes and headed down to 4 Cats Art Studio for a splatter party my sister-in-law had booked a few weeks ago. Each of the kids got to paint a small canvas of their own, plus they got to work on a large collaborative one too. It was insanely messy, a ton of fun, and Miss G loved it.
Well, after 30 hours in transit, only 6 of which Miss G spent sleeping, we arrived home in Canada this afternoon. {WOOHOO!} So how was travelling alone with a 3 year old for over a day? It was alright, actually. We skipped bringing a stroller along and didn’t use our hotel voucher during our 9 hour layover, but we did come prepared with lots of activities and yummy healthy snacks. The first part of the journey, the part that happened during the middle of the night from Kuwait to Germany, was a little rough. Grae was tired, I was tired, and the full service that took place after we were up in the air wasn’t all that helpful. After landing in Frankfurt, however, things began looking up. We roamed the airport in pajamas, found some great play areas, pulled out a bunch of activities, and got a nice lunch. We started our next {9.5 hour} flight to Calgary with a 3 our snooze for Miss G, which meant that I got a much needed break and some time to recharge. We arrived in Calgary to a 2 hour wait in passport control, but by then, we were too excited to be home to let that get us down.
Here’s our trip in iPhone photos…
I’ve wanted to put together a DIY light table for Miss for ages now, but as simple as it is, it’s just never happened. There are so many really easy tutorials on how to create light tables using plastic bins and portable LED lights {like this one from Teach Preschool and this one from Happy Hooligans}, but the problem is that I haven’t come across the perfect shallow plastic bin with a flat, clear top {or bottom}.
I feel like Miss G and I have been making homemade gifts like they’re going out of style lately {and I love it}. This most recent one is exactly like the portable activity kit we gave her little friend Evelyn on her second birthday, only this one contains slightly different activities – things we thought a busy 3 year old would enjoy. Now obviously the activities included in this kit are not just for boys {in fact, Miss G has already announced that she’d like the activity kit I’m making her to be exactly like this one} – it’s just that we gifted this particular kit to her little friend who happens to be a boy.
It’s no secret that Miss G and I like to create and give little homemade gifts. I’ve always loved giving gifts and it’s important to me that Gracen sees that there’s just as much joy {if not more} in giving as there is in receiving, even if the gifts are tiny and made by hand. I think ‘happy summer’ gifts like these also help her prepare for significant transitions – in this case, saying goodbye to her friends and home here in Kuwait and heading back to Canada for the summer.
