Mini vacation

     This past Friday, the final school bell rang and screamed out to all of us "Get out of here, it's summer time!".

     It's hard to believe that summer is already here, but our family didn't waste any time getting started on our summer adventures as we left the following day to enjoy a weekend away. Our original plan was to rent a cottage this summer, but since I now have to stay close to home in case this little baby decides to come early, my parents treated us all to an incredible weekend in Toronto. We stayed in a fancy hotel and ate delicious meals at lovely restaurants--all things that we don't usually spend money on...which made it that much more exciting and special for all of us. When life throws you lemons, you better make some lemonade--and that's exactly what we did. Instead of being completely disappointed about our original failed cottage plans, we made the best of our mini vacation and ended up having a fabulous time.

     The car ride there was even more successful than I expected (but anticipating lots of tears, I definitely came prepared). I brought some new toys and puzzles that Mya had never seen before, brought a cookie sheet and some magnets (which was a huge hit by the way for anyone else out there needing a good quick activity to keep a toddler occupied) and lots of snacks kept her happy and content for the entire ride there. Oliver was a champ...he just slept the whole time.

With few words and lots of pictures...here is our weekend away in a nutshell...

An afternoon at the Exhibition Place for a music festival, picnic, and bubble fun with Papa.

     I was videotaping my mom dancing with Mya to the live music on stage and, unknowingly, City TV was watching us as well. They ended up coming over to interview my mom and Mya about the festival and took video of them dancing as well. We didn't even get to see it when it aired...but we got a kick out of it all regardless.

     We broke out our new stroller that we bought for when the new baby comes and used it for the first time this past weekend. Apparently it's comfy cozy and encourages sleep. These two kiddos didn't last 5minutes in this thing before passing out from all of the excitement of the day.
p.s. Best double stroller ever, by the way.

Our beautiful view of the water from our hotel room...

     A family vacay just isn't complete without a few meltdowns along the way. I like to take pictures of the good times, but also the tough times--regardless, it's all memories that we'll one day look back on and re-live and smile and think to ourselves "remember how tough that was?...but we got through it". These mini-meltdowns, which are becoming quite routine, are really just reminders to us that she's almost two years old and screaming for independence and letting her opinion be known...but then there's a balance of "I need you more than ever now mom, hold me every second of the day please".  

Canada Day cousin love.

Date night, baby free. Thanks mom and dad!

We had lots of help carrying Mya around the city--family is not only great, but completely necessary. 

    

     A picnic at a water park turned into nap time for all of us tuckered out parents. This is what it looks like when your daughter wakes up at 4:30am at the hotel and doesn't want to go back to sleep. I was in the hotel lobby with her by 4:45am letting her run around while I trailed, exhausted, behind her trying to keep up. I wish that I had the kind of incredible energy and spunk that she has that early in the morning. She's a morning champ.

With a vacation that was created from a situation that was unfortunately completely out of our hands, (and at first very disappointing)...it turned out to be a weekend that we'll never forget. Sometimes the best of plans are better off being altered.