Now that we are home and the laundry is done and a week has passed, I have a few minutes to recap vacation.  It was a great trip for the most part.  We started off late in the day on July 30, and the timing seemed to work out really well for all of us – driving was split, the lils got to run around for an hour at a park in Kingston over supper, and arrived at my in-laws around nine.  Woo was sleeping and Goose fading, we were settled quickly.

We took off early Saturday, headed for the ROM via subway (a treat in itself).  Woo has been wanting to go the “dinosaur museum” at home for a while, and we have been having trouble trying getting there, so this was a great substitute.  It actually blew the lils minds! It was so much more than the fishies, that were Goose’s favourites, and the dinosaur bones that awed Woo.  Their children’s area is really great, so a good time was had by all.

We headed to the in-laws farm after a quick lunch.  The littles napped on the road, so there was an abundance of energy upon arrival.  Woo was so excited to re-discover all that the farm offered and the chance to share it with Goose.  Gramma and Granddad were really happy to see us, and it was many hours of playing and cuddling before the littles settled in to bed.

Sunday was a beautiful day, and the littles spent much of the morning exploring the farm and out buildings, and generally wearing their grandparents out.  After nap we headed to some friends for a swim in their pool.  Both kids really impressed us with their comfort in the pool, each in their own way.  Goose was her usual fearless self, repeatedly jumping in with no qualms.  She is way more confident than we imagined she could be.  Woo started really slowly, tentatively going in to the pool, but was freely jumping in by the end of the day.  They were both swimming for over an hour, and would have kept going if we hadn’t dragged them out.

I had some work to do on Monday, so Willy and Gramma took Woo and Goose to the beach for the morning.  They were pretty shy about the lake water, a surprise after the pool, but were keen to play in the sand and on the playground. Their uncle joined them for a bit too, which was a nice treat.   They headed home for the first of many corn focused lunches.  We ate VERY well, lots of fresh goodness on vacation…

Goose woke from nap with a fever, which meant that she and I stayed in while the others went off visiting more friends.  I was pretty sure that she was teething, but you never know. It freaked me out a little, as I didn’t want her to get her grandparents sick – especially granddad.  I was REALLY relieved when she started telling us that her teeth hurt.  Yay for early talkers!!  The grumpiness lasted the week.

Tuesday was somewhat unremarkable.  We had a visit from another friend, and went on a shopping excursion for provisions, but otherwise stayed home and played.  Willy set up the slide and pool – and made it a slide into the pool – so much fun was had their.  It provided a great kid friendly activity, and kept them from under the feet and out of the hair of their grandparents.

Tuesday night was great, as we got to see the Aurora Borealis, and I got to take some pictures of it!!  I was pleased with the results, but figured out some more ways to improve.

Wednesday morning we headed off to the local miniputt to see how it would go.  Woo was quite into it, even though he holds the club with a hockey grip, and Goose was more interested in throwing her three balls down the hole.  I think that it was a success, as the lils went through the entire course with much glee, and were happy enough when we left.  Filed away for future excursions!  Poor Goosie fell a few times at the outset, which didn’t help with her general crabbiness, but she pushed through it.

Willy golfed with his mom on Thursday.  I was REALLY happy to have him go with her, but stressed too.  I was in a place that I am not entirely comfortable, and looking after two monkeys who were getting on each others nerves, and tired of hearing about the things that they couldn’t do/touch.  Granddad wasn’t feeling well and stayed in bed for the day, so we tried to stay outside and quiet.  It didn’t quite work out, but we survived.

I realized today that we were starting to wear out our welcome.  I talked to Willy about it, and he talked to his folks, but they decided that we should stay til Saturday, as planned. In hindsight, we should have known that seven days were too long with them, but we also all wanted to be together. (have I mentioned that I hate cancer?)

We headed out for more beach and miniputt on Friday and were again pleased with the reaction from the lils. They were both more into it, and had a great time hitting (and sometimes throwing) the ball. We finished off the morning with a trip to the wharf, where woo and I walked out almost to the lighthouse on a scary rocky path, and Goose fell off a bench onto her head. Good times. No on was harmed on the morning, at least not permanently… Much of the rest of Friday, and the morning on Saturday were spent gathering and packing. After some tearful goodbyes, we headed to Toronto.

Sunday morning we decided to try a trip to the Ontario Sciences Centre. I had never been, but the lils had on a previous trip to Toronto. It was good that we arrived early, as it gave us a chance to check out a good portion of the kids area (although we somehow missed the water area the first time!). We hung out with Uncle J and his new girlfriend, and got to play with lots of cool stuff. Goose and Woo were appropriately exhausted by the morning, so we pack up the car and headed home after lunch.

I’d add pictures, but this post is long enough as it is!  The vacation was really great. There were some tough times, and a couple of uncomfortable times for me, but I think that we all did really well. I know that the lils and Willy LOVED it, and, in the end, that makes it great for me too.