We are OFF!

When we woke up last Friday morning we were a bit disappointed to see the fresh new snow blanketing the ground. We had heard that we could be getting a storm but hoped they were wrong. Eric and I had stayed up late getting everything packed for our 7 week adventure. In the morning we still had the house to clean and so we didn't load up until about 11am. It is so much nicer to come home to a clean house than to leave with it feeling disorganized so I am glad we took the time to get that done.
For the first hour or so we drove slowly as the roads were quite slick and had yet to see a snow plow. Cars in the ditch reminded us that patience was the best option and not to worry about the time. Up until that day the roads had been snow-free since September so I was regretting not leaving the day before, but who knew and there wasn't much we could have done to change it. By the time we hit Calgary the roads were clear, yeah! There were a few streches in the Rockies that required prudence as conditions were foggy and slick, but all in all we were fortunate to make it as far as we did and safely.
I have to say thank goodness for movies! I feel no guilt in letting my children watch movies for hours at a time while on a long car ride. Sanity and peace are much to important to me...though I did decide to just see what would happen if we left it off for an hour or so. What was I thinking! Screaming, elbowing, name-calling began almost immediately and I thought, "This cannot be possible. They can't already be fighting" But yes, oh yes, it was immediately sibling rivalry playing out in the back seat.
We left Kamloops the next day and headed to Vancouver to visit our friends Patrick and Stephanie. We have been looking forward to spending time with them and they kindly invited us to stay at their home during the visit. Thank you Patrick and Stephanie for such a wonderful visit! The visit included a once-in-a-lifetime seat on a private jet (in the hanger of course) and trips for each of the kids to the cock-pit (Patrick is an aircraft maintenace engineer), a trip to the Olympic Oval, a walk along the dike with Mitsy, cinnamon buns and bluberry pancakes for breakfast, visiting the botanical garden at Queen Elisabeth Park, eating out at Modern Burger (for old times sake), visiting with Tim, and good chats! We hope we didn't tire them out too much as the kids are already asking when they can go back for a visit. Side-note: Poor little Austin came down with a fever before we left and it lingered for 5 days.


Stephanie bought some candy for the kids and Austin stuck close by her!
Patrick and Stephanie taking a few laps around the Olympic rink.

Olivia fell asleep through the whole thing!
Patrick making pancakes! Cinnamon buns to the right by Stephanie!
Patrick and Stephanie were dog-sitting and Mitsy was quite the hit with our kids.



Last Monday we took the kids to the Vancouver Aquarium. When we lived in Vancouver we had a yearly pass and I took Madeleine and Justin frequently. Madeleine remembered the Beluga whales but Justin was only 2 at the time and no such memories have remained, not surprisingly.



We then headed to the ferry terminal where Madeleine convinced us to buy her "just one more birthday present" , a pink wallet. We sat and ate cake we'd picked up from Sweet Obsessions. This was one of our favorite dessert spots while we were in Vancouver and felt quite filled after the 4th piece!
While on the ferry I experienced "a first" that I hope will never be repeated. On the top level of the ferry, on one end, are two play areas for kids. On the one side is a slide and a couple toys, on the other side is a TV. Well Justin and Austin had gone to the TV side and we remained on the other side for a few minutes. When I went to check on them Austin was gone and Justin had no idea where he was. I asked a nearby couple if they'd seen him and they had only noticed Justin, not Austin. I felt like I was in that one movie with Jodie Foster where she loses her daughter on a plane and no one can remember ever seeing her daughter so they think she has made her up. I quickly got Eric and we started circling the aisles on that level, no luck. I quickly grabbed a ferry worker, and through tears, explained I had LOST my 2 year old son. I then headed outside to make sure he hadn't gone out onto the decks. When I came back in the worker said they found him on a lower level. When I saw that little guy I was so relieved and happy that tears would not stop and I just held him tight. That was one of the WORST feelings in the world. What could happen to a child in only minutes...I definitely learned my lesson. In short we arrived safely on Salt Spring Island and were greeted by loving grandparents and a warm dinner. We arrived safely!