Are you happy Papa?

Our family vacation started at 4am Thursday morning. We both slept close to midnight doing last minute things and were completed exhausted.  Not a good start…starting at 0 energy for our vacation. But doesn’t that always happen?

We woke up the kids, and they were great despite the darkness. Olivia was amazed that is was still so dark. William, well, we literally got him up 5 minutes before we left. We got the airport in no time, thanks to Papa’s anxiousness.  We checked in and went through customs with no difficulty. We were able to run around and eat a “proper” (Tim’s croissant and muffins) breakfast before we boarded. Our flight to Charlottle took off at 7:30 and about 8:00am everyone had passed out for the flight. We manage a good flight with no tantrums, minimal crying, and no iPad. It was great!

We got to Charlotte happy and somewhat rested, but starving again. The airport was lovely, and it had a Starbucks every 50 feet.  Unfortunately, our stop over wasn’t long enough to enjoy this treat. We had lunch , then family bathroom time, and then we boarded our 3 hours flight to TURKS AND CAICOS.

We manage another nap. A longer one for Miss O thankfully, but William just couldn’t get comfy.  Needless to say, we gave lots of snacks, some walking time up and down the aisle, and some iPad time.  Finally we landed, with screaming toddler and wanted to jump out of the plane.  It was an interesting landing, the waters surrounding the island were beautiful.  When we got out of our plane, we were surprised that we had to walk down the plane and onto the tarmac.  Olivia was amazed by how big the plane was. Martin and I were amazed by the gust of humid Caribeean air that struck our faces.  YAY!!!!!

We got our luggage and found our shuttle. We headed towards our hotel in the brief rain shower. Who cares!  We were at Turks and Caicos!  We arrived to our hotel and we were greeted by a man who gaves us wet towels to refresh ourselves. Dozens of greetings and welcomes, and yummy fruit RUM punch.  At this point, Olivia and William were over excited and want to run!  Run they did - in the front lobby and devoured all the snacks available to them, while we were checking in. Oh forgot to mention, the lovely yummy punch spilled all over beautiful Parisian style chairs. What a day!!!! We needed to get to our rooms and out in the fresh air.

We got to our lovely room.  A large king size bed, then a trundle bed for Olivia and in the corner we fit a crib for William.   It was tight, but we had the best location and a first floor walk out.  It was perfect. When we got there, we managed to change into lighter clothing and unpack. But the kids were getting ancy and needed to move.  We loaded up the stroller again and went to explore our grounds.  Maman and Papa headed first to Café Paris for a well deserved latte.  We were dying!  It was sooo good that as we were walking and drank it so fast that I spilled some on my white shirt. Ugh.  Anyways…we got our caffeine (even though mine was decaf) and ventured out.  We saw the pools, we saw Camp Sesame, and then we got to the beach. Halleluja!  We were in heaven.

Olivia right away wanted to go down and play in the water.  So we took off our sandals and dipped our feet in the ocean. Yay!  Actually everyone except Sir William.  As soon as his toe touched the water, he turned back and headed straight to the BEACH LOUNGER!  It was hilarious! Here we are splashing around in the water, and William managed to climb up on the lounger and just sat there watching.  Sure enough, all this playing around someone was going to get really wet. The tide was pretty strong that time of night, and pulled Miss O back. She lost her balanced and in she went into the water. Face and all. Sigh.  Now what.  We didn't bring anything with us to the beach.  So Papa had to take off his shirt and give it to Olivia because our room was about a 5 minute walk from the beach, and she would have been frozen.  So we took off her wet clothes and slipped on the shirt.  She actually thought this was hilarious. People were laughing too!  It was a priceless moment. This will be interesting!

We left the beach and walk around the Italian village and picked up a couple of pizzas and headed towards our village – the French quarters. Man, we love this all-inclusive stuff.  We hadn’t done "all inclusive" ever, so this picking up food and leaving was new to us. We got to our village and had our dinner.  We were done.  But…the night was not over.

After dinner, we went back to the room to give the kids a quick bath. Then we headed back out to the main stage which was around the corner from our room to watch The Sesame Street Concert. We got there, Olivia started off excited, but then out of no where, she panicked and want to go.  I think it was a mixture of over tiredness and the new place.  We calmed her down and show started.  As soon as the characters stepped on that stage she had forgotten why she was so nervous. She was waving and screaming as all the characters came on stage to sing. She and William were clapping their hands and she just wanted to dance. It was so much fun to see. We had built this trip up so much with Olivia and William about Elmo and the other characters. We were relieved to see that Olivia was excited about that too.  Tomorrow would be less difficult when we leave them at camp.

After the concert, they were done and so were we.  We were up since 4am!  We got back to our room and slowly the kids passed out. As soon as the kids passed out, Papa went out to get ourselves some sweet treats.  Then finally we both passed out.  What a day, but we made it.  And it’s heaven here. Till tomorrow.

WIlliam's Milestones - at 15 months old

Ever since he came home, he amazes us everyday with all the new things he has picked up.  I guess it helps the he's a big copy cat.  He's starting to say "Hi!" when we go out.  Manners always - "S'il vous plait/Please and thank you!".  He can tell you how old he is by pointing his index finger.  When he sees Elmo on TV or in a book (yes, it's brainwashing), he starts singing the ELMO song.  He's knows "Pablo" from the Backyardigans (one of Olivia's favourite shows).  The list can go on and on. It's amazing how much he has grown in only 4 months. 

Below is clip of him trying to put on his shoes so he can go out. This the last minute of the whole process. He persevered for about 5 minutes before asking help.

March Madness

You know saying "March rolls in like a lion, out like a lamb...".  This was our month.  Papa travelled a lot this month, which means Maman, Olivia, and William also travelled.  We spent a lot of time in Brampton visiting Lola, Lolo, Tita, and the family and friends.  Yes, it was very (very) tiring for EVERYONE, especially Lola who would take the train 1 day and drive back to Brampton with me the next day. I figured once the kids are a bit older I could drive down by myself.  Lola was a huge help. Once there, I was able to sneak out here and there for coffee, but it was still kid-focused and we tried out best to keep them busy. 

The month started off by celebrating Nalina's (Olivia's BFF neighbour ) 3rd birthday.

First trip to Brampton - Week before March Break

We always try to fit in our play dates with Bella and Jake. It's always a fun time jam-packed with activities.

Then we got to visit Tita Melissa's 2nd grade classroom. It was pretty cool because it was in a portable.  Olivia loved being the centre of attention.

Another "play date" with Bella and Jake at Vaugn Mills. Tita Michica and I spent lots of money putting these monkeys on rides.  We treated ourselves in the end with some yummy gelato!

Back to Ottawa for some unexpected warm weather.  It reached a high of 23 Celsius that week. It was great. We put on our shorts and capris and played outside for many days.  We opened the sandbox for the first time this season. It was a hit.

Then back to Brampton.  Why?  Papa left for his race with Lance!  Go PAPA go!

Olivia and William didn't spend much time on the couch at Lola's house that's for sure. This was one of the rare moments that they weren't running around the house.  Luckily Lola and Lola have this great park around the corner for the kids to play. "The blue one!" - Olivia would always say. The grandparents also took Miss O on a bus ride. They rode the transit bus to Shopper's World and back (the ZUM!).  That was the highlight of the day.  She was exhausted by the end, but she loved riding on it. All these little experiences. hahahhahahah

Play date with Bella and Jake (with dinner!).  Tita Michica made some delicious pizza.  Then as a treat everyone had icecream sandwiches.  Then relaxed on the couch for some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

The next day, we took the kids to Square 1. Apparently the Disney store there was amazing!  Of course, Olivia gravitated to the Snow White toys.

They also had this huge screening room with tables and children were able to watch Disney movies. I think they can actually host "princess" parties there. Insane right?  Where's William?  Sleeping in the stroller. Totally missed all the fun.

There was a day where Lola and Lola had an appointment, so it was just Maman and the kids. Luckily there is a Chapters around the corner from the house. It's a great Chapters. Much more things for kids here than in Ottawa. Thankfully it was quiet and it made great time killer.  :0P

We also made it to Manang Verna's and Tito Sunny's. The kids were so happy to see Zoey and Xan Xan.  Tito Sunny treated us to dinner. Sushi!  I have to say they kids had their best dinner "behaviour" all week. Tito Sunny has that effect on everyone.  :0)

Now we are back home (for now). Easter is around the corner. There will be a couple of more trips in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned.