Winnipeg: Part 4 ~ May 27th

Monday was a fairly quiet day for us, which was needed after our busy weekend. Abby and Aiden went back to school, with promises that they could skip a couple of days later in the week to see Nora. :) We picked up Aiden before lunch and had some time playing in the schoolyard. The cousins were sweet together...

I was a bad influence on everyone by suggesting lunch out at McDonalds. To her credit, Ann did not know of one nearby, at least with the required Play Place attached. I on the other hand, know where all the McDonalds are in a 15 km vicinity of my house... only because James works there, right?! :)

A fun treat nevertheless...

As opposed to last year when I had to crawl inside the play structure as Nora was too little, this time she boldly crawled up and away, keeping up the pace well. At times like this, I see how much she has grown and that her little size is not a reflection of her determination. The cousins had a great time while we could relax at the table. Life is getting easier!

 Cuddling after naptime.

Lily has made herself at home now.

Once the children were in bed, things got silly and I have no recollection of why exactly. Perhaps we were looking at the pictures the kids made on the computer together the other day, but before we knew it we were having a riot ourselves. I have purposely made these pictures smaller as they are so frightening, but if you wish to have the entire scary effect, just click on them to enlarge. I have voluntary provided blackmail photos here if you ever have reason to try to coerce me. :)

How could smiley aliens like us ever frighten anyone? Well, maybe the eyebrows...

Chipmunk cheeks!

Just call me Elvira...

Reminiscent of Star Trek?

Future old ladies? The worst!

By the end of our photo shoot, our eyes were red from tears of laughter... it was just so hilarious. And all we could blame was an overabundance of chocolate and Kernels popcorn. Last but not least we got the cat involved, with help from the string. To say she was unimpressed would be an understatement! So watch out, you may be featured in such a photo on your next visit to Winnipeg. Make sure to email me the results! :)

 Cats bring out the crazy in us...

Winnipeg: Part 3 ~ May 26th

Sunday morning greeted us with decent weather, just perfect for our day trip. (Skipping church made sense as we would both just end up doing childcare there for our own kids... instead we were going to learn up close about God's creation! We were just feeling a bit nervous about that, as you will soon see...) With the van packed to the gills with snacks, activities, bikes, a stroller and four children in carseats... plus an ABBA CD... we headed north. Both Ann and I enjoy being somewhat unstructured, just exploring a place as we drive. So when Ann saw this steeple off the highway, she thought it would be fun to drive into the town and check out the old church. Just before she took the right hand turn, we noticed it was actually a prison complex on the plateau. Oops! Not today. Had a good laugh about that one. :)

Stony Mountain Institution

Eventually it was time for a "stretch and snack" break which coincided with seeing a road sign advertising a Ukrainian festival in the little town of Teulon. In the end, admission was a little pricey so I took a raincheck on a taste of perogy heaven. :) But never fear, we checked out the local park for sure. Myself, I would admit that I am less enthusiastic about playgrounds as I am getting more sedate in my "older age of motherhood" but Nora definitely enjoys herself with her "friends", and it is a good reminder to me that I need to try harder at home to get her out.

Ann had the children sitting safely for an interesting view.

A local man races his horses around the track...  part of the festival later?

The main spring blossoms of Manitoba appear to be dandelions, which were found in abundance. Soon everyone had bouquets of them for "Mommy" and "Auntie", which on a heart level is all a Mom ever needs. However, a couple of days later I discreetly dumped the wilted remains on a curb elsewhere. :)

Abby mentors Nora in many new experiences.

Playing second-shooter, I get to take fun shots like this...

And here is Ann's view~ love it!

And so, my moment of revelation... the Narcisse Snake Dens. (This is what is on the tourist itinerary for this time of year.) The annual wake-up call of thousands of red-sided garter snakes, coming out of at least four dens after hibernation to mate and disperse across the continent until they return in the fall. Having been terrified of even garter snakes from a childhood encounter, I was initially not keen to see them crawling all over each other. But, "for the kids" is a familiar reason for doing anything not in your comfort zone. I would have to say that knowing ahead of time that you will see snakes does take some of the apprehension away. Here was a chance to face our fears! :)

Just a sign here, not even a gift shop!

We visited dens 1 and 2, as the 3 km circuit seemed a bit daunting.

Evidence that I willingly went here...

After getting out all the bikes, it turned out they were prohibited on the trails.
 I suppose running over a snake might not be such a pretty sight.

The kids were truly excited... 

The first den, where most had already left.
 The limestone underground is what draws the snakes here.

What a picture can't convey is the sound of hundreds of snakes hissing...

A guide helps with the first snake...

Snakes bring families together, who knew?

Isabelle was truly in her glory...

...she was a natural at catching them.

Nora, while unafraid, was content to place her stick close
to the snake as she "didn't want to touch it with my hands."

Izzy needed the occasional reminder not to choke the snake, as it would then
 release pheromones that leave an unpleasant scent. (Although it didn't take
 long to determine that it would definitely be a "Bath Night".)

Girls and snakes, not my first word/thought association~

With help from older kids, soon everyone had their own snake to grip and squeeze. Before you knew it, Isabelle was trying to master holding onto two at once.

 You can guess what she asked on the way home... when can we go back?!

Ann and I refrained from holding snakes, which I thought was okay. Baby steps, right?!
Here's to good memories, no matter how potentially creepy. :)

Winnipeg: Part 2 ~ May 25th

Saturday was a low-key kind of day as we anticipated our big road trip Sunday. (You'll never guess where, and will have to wait for the next posting!) Off to the park we went, feeling somewhat chilly today.The big draw here was playing in pea gravel, with my shoes getting trashed with dust. At least Ann and I had quiet time to visit.

Sometimes everyone got along, here is one of those times. 

Pea gravel dust is even more fun than the gravel itself?!

The secret to good photos of children... getting down to their level.

All worn out, it was time to mellow while lunch was being made. Putting in a video with this crew is like giving them all sedatives! On the table is the "I Spy" quilt I was finally able to finish for Aiden, after it's start in 2010. (Yikes!)

Can you spy my toes?

During nap/quiet-time, I was able to start picking out squares (which I lugged to Winnipeg with me) for Isabelle's quilt, which helped her feel less left out that she doesn't have a quilt yet. Let's hope it doesn't take three years! Meanwhile, Ann multi-tasked at her laptop... finding recipes for dinner, checking email and then entertaining kids by watching videos of them as toddlers.

Nora loves her Auntie.

 Okay, these may be creepy but the girls had so much fun. This photo feature alone is worth getting a Mac!

Aliens

Chipmunks

 Frogs 

All the laughter must have woken up the other two. Soon everyone moved to the couch to make room for a good view.

How to pass Winnipeg winters?!

Bugs

As adorable as a two-headed Izzy would be,

 I think Ann is happy with her the way she is.  

Knowing that we risked potential disaster, we bravely decided to go out for pizza at a nearby restaurant that overlooked the street. (It seemed fitting to go out as Lewis was celebrating his birthday at home with Scott and his school friends with laser tag and pizza...) Our strategy to arrive before anyone else was helpful. Despite a 70's style decor reminiscent of Mr. Mike's, we enjoyed our pizza and achieved our goal of not leaving any damage. :)

Aiden was too preoccupied watching traffic out the window to be in a photo.

With daylight to spare, it was off to another school playground to burn off those calories!

Isabelle is the most photogenic right now, as she is still cooperative with multiple attempts. She sure is a cutie, and Ann takes lovely photos of the kids. 

As for Ann and I, our fun really begins after they're all in bed. Pulling out our snacks of choice, which is generally chocolate in some form or shape, we watched more of Downton Abbey, Season 1. (Getting her up to speed, I am...) Also a lot of quality time with kitty playing with string, and we're all happy. :)