Winnipeg: Part 5 ~ May 28-29th

Tuesday was pouring rain, so we made a quick run to our favourite stores, Homesense and Ikea, which was quite manageable with just the two girls. A few deals later, we picked up Aiden at Nursery school and headed home as Hydro was coming by between 12-4 pm in preparation for work on Ann's back deck. (Just like the cable company, you've got to hang around for 4 hours...) It gave me a great excuse to go to the local Nygard store while Nora napped, and I enjoyed that immensely. :)

After dinner, we drove to a different school playground which had a lot of things for the kids to climb. I was surprised to see Nora tackling these "stairs" successfully, as I hovered by. The most memorable thing about here was Ann asking the "big kids" to stop using unacceptable language around the children. So far, I haven't heard any new words at home!

Wednesday arrived with much excitement, as a trip to the Assiniboine Park Zoo was on the agenda. (An extra good reason for Abby and Aiden to miss school!) There were too many animal photos to share here, but there is definitely a lot of variety. Here are some of our highlights...

Peacocks freely roamed, their feathers just amazing...

This one was actively trying to engage a female's interest but she was unimpressed.

The polar exhibit featuring "Hudson" is the newest attraction.
We were only able to view his replicas like this...

A bird's eye view of some deadly snakes...

Our own hungry birds!

Pretty much impossible to get these chicks to focus at once...

These two are so sweet together.

The new kangaroo pen, where they are a little anxious that we're in their space.

Myself,  I was anxious to be in the same pen as the emus!

The new polar-themed indoor playground was awesome, although overwhelming with 3 classes on a field trip. Once those kids cleared out, we had a blast with the place mostly to ourselves. Nora especially loved jumping on the simulated, projected "ice" on the floor until it cracked, revealing the water underneath. With "refreezing" again, this made for endless fun and tons of energy burned off. :)

I enjoyed the cooler Arctic air in the building.

Even though we could have merrily spent the rest of our afternoon in there, it seemed prudent to visit the rest of the zoo before the meltdown hour approached. 

A darling "Red Panda".

Not a bad photo for zooming through the chain link... a gorgeous snow leopard.

The lion roared, startling us all.

Pretty Izzy.

Is it a white horse with black stripes or vice versa? :)

"Make Way for Ducklings"... a sure sign of spring.

For whatever reason, it seemed to be some kind of safety week at the zoo, with firetrucks, ambulances and police cars to tour. The paramedics invited the kids in. We are hoping that will be the only time they need to be in one... The fake man was a little disconcerting, as well as the tubes in his arms etc. Nora was able to remember that Grandpa had an IV with his recent surgery, so I think that was all the debriefing required for now.

With rain threatening, it seemed a good time to leave. But after dinner it was clear, for our last opportunity to visit the school park where the kids love the rolling slide.

With a lot of coaching, Abby took our photo for us as we
 realized we didn't have one of us together yet.

Two weary Moms, but two happy sisters.

Weary is not a factor for the cousins. Go, go, go!!!

A few more candid shots, because everyone is a little sad that we're going home tomorrow. Ann doesn't anticipate coming out west until next summer. Kids change so quickly, so we must enjoy these moments together while we can.

Our family would never have imagined that Ann's 2-year trip to China in 1996 would plant seeds in
 our hearts that would help bring Nora into our lives. Two special girls to me right here!

I think we've both had a long day!  (But fun...)