Whew! What a day. Knowing that we had a babysitter hired for tonight, our goal for this afternoon was to tire the munchkins out as much as possible in hopes of having them all in bed before leaving. Our plan? An afternoon outdoors and a heavy dose of fresh air, sunshine, and physical activity.
One thing we just cannot get enough of while in Canada is the awesome parks and playgrounds. During the two years we spent in Vancouver between Kuwait stints, Miss G and I started every morning with a walk around the neighbourhood and an inevitable stop at a playground of some sort. Sadly, in Kuwait that’s just not our reality. Heading out the door for a brisk walk around the neighbourhood is next to impossible, playgrounds are few and far between and not at all well maintained, and much of the year it’s too hot to spend half of your day outdoors {especially on playground equipment}. SO, we make the most of it while we can. A summer filled with park and playground visits simply can’t be a bad thing, right?
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.
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…
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.
While last year’s NYE was a quiet evening at home as a family of 3, this year we were lucky enough to spend it with some of my very favourite people. We arrived back in Cochrane early this afternoon to fireworks on the countertop and plans of a bonfire in the works (thanks, Gar!) My NYE contribution was picking up some groceries and putting together some homemade {wholewheat} thin crust pizzas while Miss G got her nap on. Mix in some s’mores, noisemakers, and late night science experiments with my nephews {after the girls had gone to bed}, and you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome New Year’s Eve.
Making a bonfire with wet wood in freezing temps isn’t easy.
Four excited little munchkins.
Chay Belly and Miss G having a good laugh together.
Fire success!
Auntie Roz made sure we were a noisy bunch.
Someone went to bed for the last time in 2012 with a noisemaker in hand. ☺
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Gracen is absolutely loving hanging out with her cousins. We woke up this morning, had some breakfast, and pulled out our play dough gingerbread people supplies for the kids to play with. In addition to the original supplies, this time we added some miniature baking pans, tiny rolling pins, and more cookie cutters to the mix.
All of the kids really enjoyed creating their play dough masterpieces and the activity provided a great start to our day.
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Only 6 weeks apart and absolutely smitten with one another.