Monday, March 30, 2009

Oh Canada.....

About 5 years ago, Canada stole my heart. Well, actually, it stole my little sister, which is almost as bad. They kindly lend her to us a few times a year, but it's never enough for me to forgive this serious injustice. And now that my niece is there as well, I have a serious grudge against all things maple leaf.

But having my brother-in-law, sister, and Savannah in Ottawa does afford us some great opportunities. This past week, Erin and Alex flew the boys and I out for spring break (Dan had to stay home and work). Getting there was surprisingly better than I expected with a one year old, a three and a half year old, and only an hour to get through customs between flights. And the week just got better from there.

Our first day there we went to the Sugarbush - a farm where they get the maple sap out of trees to make syrup. While it was cold and the line was long, we enjoyed a feast of pancakes, eggs, potatoes, and sausage covered in warm, fresh maple syrup. The boys loved the horse carriage ride to the petting zoo/play area, and Max hasn't stopped talking about the slide that we made Uncle Alex go off first to "make sure it wasn't too scary". And it certainly wasn't something we could ever do in Oregon!

While there we also went to the Children's Museum across the river in Quebec. Max fell in love with the model boat and the crane used to load and unload packages from the hull. Luke also fell in love - a small car that he could climb around in and "drive". It was a great place that I can imagine Savannah enjoying a great deal as she gets older.

Much of the rest of the week was spent just hanging out. As Savannah and Luke get older the five months that separate them gets smaller and smaller. They are able to play next to each other and even shared some adorable hugs and kisses. Savannah adored Max and followed him wherever he went - and of course he enjoyed having a little fan. The best thing was watching any one of them light up the minute that a cousin came into the room.

And believe it or not, Erin and Alex and I even got to enjoy some time sans kiddos. After the littles would go to bed, we would hang out and watch tv or basketball, and chat. Erin has recently started knitting and so it was a blast getting to sit and knit with my sister. But it was also in those moments when I would get those little pangs in my stomach. The ones that made me wish we could do that every Thursday night.

And the thing that made coming home bearable? Dan.


2 comments:

Stefanie said...

That sounds like so much fun!! Sad that you don't get to see your sister as much as you'd like to, but now you probably appreciate the visits much more!

Amelia said...

Oh my, the three of them look so much alike! I can't wait until Ellie has cousins. Mmmmmm, fresh maple syrup. And on eggs and sausage, I thought I was the only one that did that ;)