My dad thought it was pretty funny that we were planning a holiday. "But you just got there!"Admittedly, it wasn't that long since we arrived in the land of the maple leaf, but hubby had been working for 11 or 12 weeks and we wanted to get away and do some outlet shopping to prepare ourselves for winter. There was mixed success, but still a good week away.
On the Monday, we headed south and went to Upper Canada Village before crossing the border. It's a collection of old buildings from over 100 years ago, and people work as they would have at the time. We visited the old school (girls on the right, boys on the left), saw a blacksmith at work, were sure to get out of the way of the horse and cart, saw wool being spun and the flour and saw mills at work. They actually make enough flour and bread to use at the cafes there, as well as having extra to sell. There was also a family centre with lots of activities for kids. It was a good day out, and Miss 3 quite enjoyed herself. It's just a shame that the twins aren't yet old enough to enjoy that sort of day out.
From there, the drive was not how we wanted it to be. There was traffic holding us up, it took us a while to cross the border and it turns out that the twins are not the good travellers that we hoped they'd be. Oh well. After having to stop for dinner on the road (not the plan!) we made it to the hotel in one piece. Tuesday was outlet shopping. We managed to do most of a day with all the kids, but left before 3 to get everyone back to the hotel. On Thursday, hubby and I shopped in shifts - I have never bought so much in 3 hours before in my life. Lots of bargains, including $45 snow booots and a down jacket, so I'm feeling a little more prepared for winter. (Although the weather is still warm here - it's hard to believe how cold it will get!) Hubby didn't have quite as much success, but that's what happens when you have giant feet! Sadly, there was not much luck buying winter clothes for the kids, but we did buy them some other cute stuff - planning for next summer.
On the Wednesday we did a little sightseeing. We were staying in Waterloo (west of Syracuse) which is in the Finger Lakes region. We went to the Seneca Lake National Park and they had a fantastic water playground for kids. Miss 3 had a ball running around in the streams of water. She loved it so much, she didn't want to leave, even though she was shivering and getting tired. Quite a scene (which can be quite embarrassing). She'd been so good at the start of the week, but was beginning to get a bit worn out.
The trip home was thankfully more pleasant. We just stopped in Syracuse and found a shopping centre that had an old-fashioned merry-go-round in the food court. (Nothing like the promise of a ruide to ensure a 3 year old will behave!) With coffee and lunch sorted, we were ready to head home, and thankfully only had to make 1 stop. It is always nice to get home; especially with kids - they are so much less trouble at home in their own environment.
A week after we got home, the twins had their first birthday.Woohoo - we survived a year with twins! It ended up being a quiet affair - but presents and cake are always good. That night, hubby and I went out for dinner to a restaurant that specialised in BBQ meat. Hubby had a full rack of baby back ribs, and I had a tasting plate of ribs, chicken and beef brisket. We foolishly ordered plenty of sides too. It was delicious, but I think we both ate tooo much! While we digested, we checked out Mosaika, a free sound and light show projected into Parliament Hill (good, but very Canadian!) and finished the night with a Beavertail and a walk home.
It's the Labour Day public holiday here, so it's been pretty quiet. Tomorrow, school starts, so I'm looking forward to Miss 3 getting out - she gets bored with me at home! Unitl next time :)
Beaver tail???
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