Grandma and Grandpa visit from Ontario

We were so fortunate to have a visit from Steve's parents in March and April. Don and Georgia flew out just before Easter, and the kids were so excited to see them. 

Don was here for two weeks and Georgia stayed with us another two weeks after he flew back. We packed a lot in while they were both here! Don and Steve went to a hockey game in San Jose, where the San Jose Sharks were playing the Edmonton Oilers, and the Oilers won. We took them both to San Francisco for a lovely dinner at a restaurant called Top of the Mark, situated at the top of the Intercontinental Hotel in Nob Hill, with beautiful views of the bay. 

After posing for pictures, the kids busted out some dance moves to the music playing on the outdoor speakers of the hotel.

They rode the Little Train in Tilden Park.

Madeleine is tall enough to ride the carousel all alone now, and showed Grandma and Grandpa her favourite horse named Rosie.

We took an Amtrak train to Sacramento for a day. The kids were so excited to ride the big train, and the 1.5 hour train ride each way was the perfect amount of time to hold their interest. 

In old downtown Sacramento we went for lunch, walked around, and went to the Railroad Museum. 

We visited two wineries in Napa Valley, and spent some time in the little town of Sonoma. The first winery, the Larson Family Winery, was rustic and very family-friendly.

The second winery, Artesa, was much fancier and very beautiful, inside and out. 

Both kids loved playing tractors and horses with Grandpa Don, and Madeleine loved this barn that Grandpa built for her.

The kids showed Grandma and Grandpa around Muir Woods one misty morning.

Just before Don flew back to Ontario, he and Steve spent a day touring Angel Island and Alcatraz. 

We had a busy and wonderful visit with Don, and were sad to see him go, but we were so thrilled that Grandma Georgia stayed with us for another two weeks.

We stayed around home more during the weeks with Georgia. We went to parks, out for walks, and I got to go for runs, work in my garden, and do errands child-free, which was such a treat.

We had an early birthday celebration for Madeleine and she had fun skyping with Grandpa, Great Grammy Inez, and Uncle Chris while opening some of her presents.

Grandma got lots of sunny days here and the kids made their special mud soup for her from our back garden. We all loved having her here and look forward to having both her and Don's next visit! 

Road Trip!

Last week we drove south to see Joshua Tree National Park and the Grand Canyon. The kids did so well in the car on the long drive the first day. It helped that we moved Ross's carseat to forward facing just before leaving - he was so excited for the new view! They listened to music (we all have the Frozen soundtrack on repeat in our head now), told stories, sang to each other, looked at books, coloured, and of course snacked. We stayed at a less-than-ideal motel the first night, in Victorville, about 1.5hr outside Joshua Tree. The next day we headed into the park and set up camp for two nights.

The rocks pictured above were right by our site, and Madeleine asked to climb them with Daddy many times, citing how special it was that he didn't have to go to work.

Both kids loved scrambling over the boulders, and we had a lot of fun exploring Hidden Valley one afternoon.

Ross was full of energy that day and just climbed and ran non-stop, all while Madeleine was yelling at him to "watch out for the prickles!"

We spotted lots of lizards and a few jackrabbits and birds.

Ross giving a Joshua Tree a big hug.

This was our campsite - we were there Sunday and Monday nights, and it was still fairly busy, but we were happy with our spot. Both kids loved playing in the sand. They spent hours shifting mounds of sand or rocks, building roads, castles, and occasionally fighting over the much-desired pink shovel.

Doing some poses with Mommy at Key View lookout.

Madeleine and Mommy exploring the rocks next to our campsite.

The day we left, we drove through some very flat desert with very little infrastructure except freight trains and worn out, abandoned buildings. We spent the night in Williams, Arizona and the kids were thrilled to see snow still on the ground right behind the hotel. The snow, plus the indoor pool and hot breakfast made that stop fun for us all.

We got to the Grand Canyon the next morning and set up camp again for two nights at the campground in the park. It was noticeably emptier and quiet and very nice to be at such a big tourist destination off-season. The views were spectacular but the kids could not have cared less, and were more interested in the mules and the train that we saw in the village.

Here they are pretending to be cheetahs on the Rim Trail.

Again, they loved playing in the dirt and using their shovels, pails, and little diggers. They spent hours doing that quite happily, and their little headlamps meant Ross could do some night construction too!

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we drove south to Flagstaff for one night. We went to visit Lowell Observatory, which Steve has always wanted to see. We got to tour the large 24 inch refractor, and then returned that night for a viewing of Jupiter.

The next morning we got on the road for a long drive home, and were amazed again at how well the kids did. We made a couple of longer stops for them to stretch, eat ice cream, and race around on their balance bikes. They fell asleep after dark and a few hours later we got home and put them in bed! They were SO excited to be headed home, and talked in the car about all the things they wanted to do with Daddy on Sunday (top of the list: play John Deeres, horses, and Daddy-monster). When we asked Madeleine what the best part of the trip was for her, she said roasting marshmallows. Ross also said marshmallows, although he did not like them roasted.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ross!

Our sweet Ross turned three this month! He was, of course, very excited for his birthday and worked hard on learning how to hold his three fingers up to tell you how old he was going to be. 

He was happy to have Grammie Jean and Grandpa Mark here for his birthday.

He loved opening his presents from Steve's family on Skype.

We all went to the Golden Gate Fields, a racetrack nearby that is right next to the highway we drive on several times a week. The kids always see the horses and the track and ask when we're going to go... so I figured this was as good a time as any!

We didn't even try to explain the gambling side of it all to them, they just loved watching all the horses and jockeys, and of course the two big John Deere tractors that smoothed the track and pulled the starting gate.

All the adults were ready to leave after a few races, but the kids were having so much fun, we ended up staying for seven of the nine races that afternoon.

Ross and Madeleine get along so well, apart from the usual sibling spats over toys. At least once a day they get angry with each other and declare "I won't be your friend anymore." Which, of course, lasts all of a few minutes and then they're playing, giggling, crafting, reading, or wrestling. Lately their playtime has involves horses, tractors, and firetrucks - a combination that usually makes them both happy. Ross still loves books and listening to stories. He is very focused and loves to help, whether it's in the kitchen, garage, or yard. We have noticed how he often tries to negotiate with us - if we ask him to do something, he comes back with some revised version of it. He is also, like Madeleine, very much a rule-follower. At his gymnastics class right now, he is always cautious, and ensures that he does every step of an activity. It is so amazing to see how much he has changed over the last year, and it really makes us look forward to seeing him grow and change over this coming year!

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas we had my parents staying with us for a few weeks, and my sister and her husband were also here from Ontario. We finally have more wintery weather this year with lots of rain and cooler temps. One day, the kids asked to make a birthday cake for Jesus, so we did. Then, in the car later that day, Madeleine declared she did not want it to be a cake for Jesus after all. Why not? Because he's a boy.

They got to make lots of Christmas cookies with Grammie and Aunty Kristin. M loved the decorating part.

Ross loved the eating part.

Grammie and Grandpa reading new Christmas books.

Christmas time with Aunty K and Uncle Matty.

And lastly, here's Ross, a few days after Christmas, being so helpful putting ornaments away and cleaning up after the tree!