Well, the roads didn’t want to cooperate with us today… We checked the highway reports early this morning to find out that the Coquihala had been closed due to a huge accident and they weren’t expecting to open it for a long while.
Our options included heading home in the usual direction and taking the detour route (which seemed to be the longest, busiest option), or heading home on the slow and windy Crow’s Nest highway and hoping for the best. Of course, we picked the Crow’s Nest. The roads were snowy and slippery in some parts, but all in all, they weren’t terrible. By the time we made it to Princeton, we’d gone through the worst of it and decided to stop for a little break.
Saying that Gracen was ecstatic to be out of the vehicle is an understatement. Sadly, after letting her cruise around the snowy parking lot for a good long while, we had to strap her back into her seat for the rest of the trip. She was not a happy camper to say the least.
The rest of our trip consisted of clear roads and a couple side of the highway potty breaks. It took us well over 8.5 hours to get here, but at least we have no where we need to be for the next 7 days. Yay for that.
In preparation for tomorrow’s trip up to Vernon for Christmas: Part II, Grae and I dropped off the vehicle to have winter tires put on this morning. We walked home with Little G in her stroller, had some lunch and a nap, and now we’re backpacking back down to pick it up. Winter roads, here we come!
Today Grae and I decided to check out the Sunday Family Social held at Hillcrest Centre. It’s just like the regular Play Gym sessions they usually host throughout the week, but with more kids and more daddies.
They also have a “quiet play & snack room” where they provide healthy snacks for the little ones and coffee and tea for moms and dads.
Gracen had a lovely time with the other kids and it was nice to find something new to do on the weekends. We’ll definitely be back.
This is how our little lady can be found during the quiet moments of the day…
I don’t think an oatmeal-smeared face and bed head has ever looked so irresistible.
Everywhere we go, I see little girls with ponies coming straight out of the top of their heads. Although this is not a style Grae normally rocks, she was a good sport about letting me try one today. This was the result. Hahahaha! Never again, sweet girl. I promise.
The sun was shining this afternoon, so Miss G and I headed out to one of our favourite parks to soak up the nice weather.
She’s becoming such an independent little thing on the playground. Today she was walking up the stairs on the own and sending herself down the slide time and time again.
And there may have been some rolling on the ground too. That’s just how this little lady rolls.
She may have had a little help getting up on this rock, but either way, Grae’s the queen of the playground. ;)
Well apparently Grae’s new seat gets the seal of approval… We got ready for the day, packed up our things, got everything into the vehicle, and got about 4 minutes up the road before this little lady was out like a light in the back. Her new seat must be comfy!
Up until now, Gracen has happily been in the infant car seat we brought her home from the hospital in. And although she’s still well within the height and weight restrictions of her first seat, the straps are starting to get a little snug over all of the winter layers we’ve been sporting these days. So after some online research, we decided on a new Britax Marathon for our girl. We picked it up this afternoon, tried it out in the living room, and put it by the back door where Grae’s been visiting it every few minutes since.
What a little monkey. Apparently she was hungry.
Nothing like ringing in the New Year with a few new scrapes and bruises… Our little beauty is looking a wee bit rough today after yesterday’s park incident and it’s 100% mommy’s fault… We were having a wonderful time on the baby swings when Miss G asked to move over to the toddler swings (they have a back support, but the front is open). Against my better judgement, I put her on one. She was swinging just a tiny bit and I was right there in front of her just in case. Everything was fine. And then she decided to fling herself forwards out of the swing just as she was swinging away from me. Sadly, there was no catching her. She landed with a ‘thud’ in a full on bellyflop in the sand. There was sand in her nose, mouth, and pressed onto forehead and nose. And apparently sand is not at all cushiony – she’s got the scrapes to prove it. Poor little doodle. We’ll stick to the baby swings for just a little longer, little one.
Once Bradley was off work, G and I met him at the Canada Line station, picked up our pre-ordered sushi, and headed home for dinner. We had some Christmas crackers we’d forgotten to use on Christmas Day, so we busted them out for NYE… It’s festive, right? Gracen didn’t mind that they were a week late. In fact, she was pretty stoked on her paper crown and wooden birdie ornament.
Grae absolutely gobbled up her veggie rolls, miso soup, and edamame beans and then it was time for a bath, some stories, and her last night of sleep in 2011. Sweet dreams, baby girl.
For Gracen, life doesn’t get much better than this… She’s got all of her very favourite things at once – a pillow, blanket, book, and a bowl of seeds and nuts (or as she calls them, “rarahs”). Life is good.
Is it just me, or is there something so wrong about a baby in a bikini that it is ridiculously cute? When I saw this little ruffled number on the sale rack at the end of last summer, I just couldn’t help myself. And when given the choice this afternoon, Miss G picked this from her bathing suit collection… We’re pool bound!
Gracen is very certain about what she wants and between talking and signing, she usually knows exactly how to get it. This morning, she was just laying on her pillow reading some books when she asked me to help her take off her pajama top. Once I did, she politely insisted that the top be put on her Cabbage Patch doll. She was very persistent and when it was fully on and buttoned up, she sunk into her pillow, dolly cuddled closely, like all was right with the world once again. Weird little munchkin… Where does she get this stuff?