This whole sneaking away for a quiet, low key Christmas thing… Can we do it every year? Pretty please?? We only just arrived here on Salt Spring yesterday, but I’m already in love with Christmas 2016. We have both of our babies at home with us this year {best feeling ever!}, we really have nothing to do, and there’s little to no holiday stress involved. Love it.
Today, after what was a fairly usual {holiday} day of exploring, visiting with friends, and playground fun, Miss G got the very best Christmas present of all… SNOW. Something she’s been patiently waiting for for nearly two years now {my poor little Canadian girl} and definitely a wish come true!
Ahhh… Such a great day. There’s nothing quite like seeing Christmas through the eyes of your child. Everything is just so exciting and wonderful. And though I’ve come to the conclusion that Christmas away from Canada and our families will always be a touch strange, I think we’ve settled into a nice little holiday routine with just our family of 3.
Our Christmas Eve was a lovely one this year…
Our flat was filled with friends {who are also visiting Heidelberg} for brunch, Grae and I did some midday ice play, the sun came out just in time for a long walk and visit to one of our favourite playgrounds, and we came across huge piles of leaves on our way home {a treat for a desert-dwelling kiddo!} Upon our return, we found chocolate and a handmade card on our doorstep and finished off our day with a movie night {the original Rudolph} and Miss G’s Christmas Eve presents {Christmas jammies and books, as always}. Here is our day in photos…
Today was weird. The morning started off slowly, like many of our mornings have this trip, but then we just sort of stayed in pajamas and did nothing all day long.
Ahhhhh… Heidelberg. We love it here. After a fairly terrible night of sleep {the party upstairs turned out to be quite the rager and Miss G was up at 4 a.m. after an exceptionally late bedtime last night}, we bundled up and walked to the grocery store to load up on essentials. After everything had been washed and put away, we had some brunch and put our grumpypants girl down for a much needed nap, despite the fact that she hasn’t had one in months and months and months. Luckily for us, she fell asleep and stayed asleep for a couple of hours – woohoo! After the post-nap fog had worn off, she helped me take a couple of photos for a special New Year’s Eve post I’m doing for CBC Parents, then we bundled up and went exploring Heidelberg’s Old Town. We wandered the streets, browsed the shops, visited the Christmas market {where Grae rode the carousel}, and then had dinner out at a restaurant we really enjoyed last year. It was a day filled with walking, crisp air, bright lights, and Christmas cheer – the perfect combination for our first day of holidays as a family.
What a day.
Shortly after waking up, we decided we’d get ready and head out to the Eiffel Tower nice and early before the crowds made it there. We still hadn’t decided whether or not we’d go up, but we thought we’d play it by ear and decide once there. {When planning the trip, I knew I wanted to take Miss G to see the the tower, but going up didn’t seem that 3 year old friendly given the long queues and general crowdedness. That being said, after talking with a friend, I was wavering based on the fact that it may be a once in a lifetime for Miss G. Brad, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in the least. We went up during our trip in 2008, and though it is truly breathtaking up there, he figured it wouldn’t be as exciting for Grae. That and he figured that this was fairly certainly not going to be the only time she visits Paris in her lifetime.}
After 15 hours of travel and arriving into Paris late last night, we spent the night at a hotel pretty much right at the airport. Though sort of accidental, it worked out well. We all got a good night’s rest before making our way into the city and therefore had {slightly} more patience while tackling the not so stroller-friendly train system. We arrived at the flat Brad and I stayed at during our very first spring break abroad just before lunchtime, got somewhat settled, and then headed out on the day’s adventures – walking down cobblestone streets, soaking in the sunshine, admiring cherry blossom trees, eating baguettes wrapped in brown paper, and stopping at parks and playgrounds along the way. This was our day…
A bedroom with a view.
Ugh…. As the end of our vacation nears, I’m trying not to think about the fact that we’ll soon have to say goodbye to this gorgeous city. We’ve without a doubt been living in a vacation bubble, and I’ve been loving it.
Today, after coffees and pastries, we crossed another big to-do off of our list – skating on the outdoor rink at the base of the castle! Sadly, Miss G wasn’t all that thrilled with the actual skating part of it, though she did love her little penguin friend. We finished off the day with an afternoon walk and a visit to the park and came home with that amazing feeling only a day outside in the cool fresh air can give you.
Here’s our day in photos…
Vacation means low-key days, right? Because today I think we did a fantastic job of actually vacationing. Besides a late breakfast and an early dinner out, we basically played Lego, walked around the neighbourhood, and visited parks. Here are a few snippets of our day…
Morning park visit with Grandma. So thankful to have an awesome park right across the street from our flat.
Because pretty much everything is shut down from Christmas Eve through Boxing Day here in Heidelberg, today was our first real day out and exploring with Grandma Charlotte. We took her down to the main pedestrian / shopping area in the city, went out for a delicious lunch, explored side streets, shops, and playgrounds, and walked along the river. Grae napped in her stroller, so we were pretty much out and about all day and then finished off the evening with a stop at the park across the street from our flat and a game of Hungry Hippos. ☺
Here’s our day in photos…
‘Mama, I don’t want my picture taken.’
This weekend, after nearly 3 years of rarely leaving my little lady for more than a couple of hours at a time, I spent a weekend away in Whistler with my best girlfriends from high school. While I was a teensy bit anxious about it all, the fact that she was staying home with her Papa made it much easier than if it was the both of us going away at the same time. That being said, my mama tendencies made sure the house was in order and the fridge and cupboards were well-stocked before leaving. I also knew I wanted to leave a little something special for Grae for each day I was away so that she knew I was thinking of her and would have something from her mama if she was missing me just a little bit. Each of the bags contained a little note and all of the items needed to do a fun activity of some sort – something I knew Miss G would love and would be helpful if there were any ‘lulls’ throughout the weekend.
Here’s a peek at what was inside…
The day before I was leaving for my trip, Gracen came to me and said with big eyes, “I have an idea!” She explained an elaborate ‘hockey station’ that would involve moving our living room carpet, sweeping underneath, making nets, and creating little hockey sticks. When I saw this set of miniature sticks and balls, I knew they’d be a total hit.
Knowing that Brad and Grae planned on visiting Science World, I left our membership card and a gift card that could be used for snacks during the visit in the Saturday bag. The visit would have been enough, but since one of our favourite exhibits involves launching parachutes, I included a couple of inexpensive parachute guys to experiment with afterwards.
On days when Brad gets up with Grae and lets me sleep in, the two of them sometimes enjoy some morning television together (a rarity in our house). I decided to go with a lazy Sunday theme and pack up the makings of a special movie morning – a couple of videos and some yummy treats (wild rice sticks and unsweetened dried mango for Miss G and popped chips for Brad).
Just in case, I also included a ‘bonus bag’ to be used if needed. Inside were a few thick cardboard pieces, a box of sugar cubes, some white glue, and instructions to use the items to build sugar cube structures of any sort.
After a lovely weekend filled with reminiscing, 11:30 breakfasts, and quiet afternoons reading at the beach, I returned home to a quiet house. It took all I had not to go into Gracen’s room and snuggle up with her as she napped, and when she did finally wake, after a whole lot of vibrating, leg kicking, hugging, and ‘I missed you’s’, the first thing she said was, “Mama, can we open my last bag together?! I’ve been waiting for you to come home to do it!” That right there told me that the activity bags had been a hit.
Together, we opened the final bag (the bonus one) and sat on a blanket underneath our plum tree building structures out of sugar cubes. It was the perfect finish to my first weekend away.
♥
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One of the things I was spoiled with on my recent birthday was a camera lens I’ve been lusting after for a long while now. Though I’ve only had it a few hours, I must say – I think I’m already in love! I took it along on a walk of the family farm tonight and here are some of the images I was able to snap…
As far as my new challenge goes, I have to say I’m loving it! My camera has remained in manual mode since the day of our workshop and every single photo I’ve taken since this post has been shot manually. They certainly haven’t all been good (in fact many have been pitch black), but after two months of practice, I can say without a doubt that I’m so glad I took the leap. My photos are slowly getting better, shooting in manual is much more natural now, and I have a ton more control on what my photos actually turn out like. And I can almost guarantee that this new lens will make the transition that much more fun.
♥
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What summer vacation is all about…
A new sparkly new bracelet and a couple bags of organic veggies, and she’s one very happy little lady.