Canada 2012

     The kids and I returned fairly recently from what has become an annual summer tradition--visiting Memaw and Papa in Canada for a nice lengthy stay of 2-3 weeks.  I really, really love going, but I thought this would be the year that it wouldn't be possible, since I had a 4 month old baby in addition to Jeffrey and Arabelle.  It was the plane ride, of course, that I was concerned about.  

     Which leads me to a great "life lesson".  One of the unexpected things that I have learned through motherhood is that I am physically capable of things that I would not have thought possible. You kind of expect motherhood to be emotionally trying and full of sleep deprivation, but you don't necessarily expect feats of brute strength to be required.  A six-hour layover spent almost entirely pushing a double stroller with two children (and several large bags), all the while carrying a baby in a front carrier, is one such example.

     I certainly did get a lot of  looks and stares in the airport.  Many of the comments I received can be summed up by the following exchange:  

     A gateworker approaches me, looking with concern at the two small children in the double stroller.  When he finally notices yet another small human strapped to my torso, his eyes bug out a little.  

     "Do you have help?" he asks, worried, looking around me.

     "Actually, no" I say with a determined grin.

    He eyes the three children, the large jogging stroller, the overstuffed carry-on bags cantilevered over said jogging stroller.  "Really!?" he asks incredulously.  "Because that looks impossible."

     

     The actual flights were also difficult (even the best case scenario was difficult), but only a few occurrences from the worst case scenario wound up coming to fruition (like a massive nose bleed mid-flight).  Needless to say, I am proud of my accomplishment, and will never complain about something like "leg room" on a flight again.

Arabelle was in a "making faces" phase.

Staring Contest

One of the fun things we did during our stay was visit the Elmsvale(sp?) Zoo.  I LOVE this little zoo because it obliterates the two factors that I find most objectionable about traditional zoos: the heat and the ridiculous size.  This zoo is small, and they call it a "jungle" because all the paths and animal  pens are carved out of a forest, making it very shady.  They cover most of the basic "zoo" animals (with the exception of the elephant) and the entire zoo is the perfect walking distance for toddlers and small children!

Somehow I did not wind up with any pictures of the kids with exotic animals, but here are some with farm animals.

Aunt Stella holding Arabelle.  Arabelle amused us during this trip by calling Stella "Phillip" quite consistently.

Jeffrey with goats.

This was my favorite part of the visit to the little zoo.  The kids on the miniature ponies were just too cute...and very proud of themselves.

New Splash Pad by Mom and Dad's house.  I couldn't get Arabelle to wear a swimsuit earlier in the summer, so I bought her this during her "loving ladybugs" phase. Now she hates it and says she's "scared of ladybugs."