....in Ontario!
Oh that statement is so very true. What a fantastic mini-vacation that Maelle and I had. Warm weather, lush trees, colourful blooms, family and friends, relaxing outdoors and enjoying the sunshine. Now that's what I call a fun holiday. We spent six jam-packed days in Ontario this past week and boy did we have fun. Lots of day trips, lots of visiting, lots of eating, and lots of fun. I even got a surprise visit to a spa for a massage and a "new do"! Thanks Lori and John! That was such a lovely treat. I hit the fabric shops, Maelle mastered her UNO game, we shopped for pretty dresses, and we ate almost every meal outside. Perfection.
Here's a quick look at some of the highlights of this past week.
Grandpa gets a lesson on how to play hopscotch.
The Children's Museum in London was one of my most favourite outings that we had. Talk about a fantastic place! From venturing to outer space in the Space Shuttle, learning about stars and constellations in a mini planetarium, tooting around "My Town" in a plasma car on a makeshift roadway, digging for dinosaurs and exploring caves, playing in the sandbox in "Jellyfish Junction", and learning all about agriculture and farming, this is one fantastic museum for any age. Everything is hands on as kids and adults alike learn from experience. Wow. I wish we had something like this out west.
Now, I am sure that you all know I am a huge fan of outdoor markets. And this one did not disappoint. On what was the hottest day of the trip, we made the journey out to St. Jacobs to take in Saturday's outdoor market. My goodness the produce! Not to mention all of the fresh flowers, the sound of live music around every corner, freshly baked bread and treats from the local Mennonite community, golden jars of pure maple syrup, and the smell of food cooking throughout the market. The buzz of this market was incredible!
We took a break from the heat and ventured into the outlet mall just across the road from the market. The destination....the Lego store and some well deserved ice cream. Maelle had fun playing in the tubs of Lego at the play stations, and racing cars against the boys! I came home totally inspired to get a track built for the kids so they too can set up a few races of their own.
Sunday was spent in Toronto where Maelle was lucky enough to hang out with my cousin's little girl, Sarah, (thank you Tracy and everyone for showing Maelle such a fun time!) and I spent some time with Lori and John enjoying home made apple fritters, lattes, the spa, lunch...oh and our "business" meeting, and wandering the shops and boutiques in The Beaches. Despite a rainy start, the day ended in glorious sunshine.
Our holiday Monday was spent at Auntie Heather and Uncle Ian's house where we had a fantastic lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Snider. But first, Maelle and I introduced Auntie Heather to one of our favourite outdoor activities...geocaching! Now even though we had to hunker down during a quick rain shower, we still ended up three for three and I think we have created a new fan of this activity!
But as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And that end for us was on Tuesday. So after one more quick trip to the fabric store we boarded our plane and headed home to gray skies and oodles upon oodles of rain. Bummer. I am missing that warm sunshine for sure, but it was nice to receive a warm welcome home from the rest of my little clan.
A huge thank you again to everyone who made this trip so much fun for myself and especially for Maelle. The biggest thank you to Brent for holding down the fort while I was away and taking Aidan and the girls on some fun adventures before that rain set in. You rock Brent! Thanks for making this trip possible. Love ya!
