On the Road Again...

July 8 - 23, 2006: After playing host to the Wilkinsons the first week in July, we started our own summer adventure in the wee hours of July 8. Our trip would take us to Toronto and Ottawa with numerous stops and visits in between.

We drove to Quebec City the first day and after finally finding our hotel, we rewarded the kids for their excellent behaviour during the car ride with a nice swim. A reward that might be disappointing to some, but not to them! Our time in Quebec City was short-lived as we continued our journey on to Cobourg the very next morning. The kids couldn't wait to get to Cobourg and love going to the beach. Unfortunately, some heavy rain put that plan on hold but they were able to hang out at Thingamazoo while mom, dad and grandma did some shopping. After two nights in Cobourg we continued on to Toronto with plans to return to Cobourg on our way back.

Our journey on to Toronto started with a visit the Forgies for 3 nights. The kids had a blast meeting up with aunts Sharon, Charlene and Cheryl as well as cousins Casey, Sarah, Elizabeth, Bobby and last but not least, auntie Margaret and grandma & grandpa Forgie. Aunt Charlene even joined us at the Toronto Zoo and the kids loved having her tag along. They also got to join Sarah, Elizabeth and aunt Charlene for lunch the following afternoon and still talk about all the dead fish they found at Kew Beach...wow! Aunt Sharon's hospitality was very appreciated and she didn't bat an eyelash when Grant kept giving her his not-so-easy-going attitude. I even managed to have a dinner date with my friends Kelly, Jenny, Jacqui and Kim.

Photos: (left) Grant & aunt Charlene at the Toronto Zoo (right) Grant getting what he deserves from cousins Bobby and Casey.

Photo: Ashley and cousin Elizabeth.

Photo: Grant giving poor aunt Sharon more abuse.

At the end of the week it was time to send dad back home on an airplane to earn some money so we could continue our journey. The three of us said goodbye to dad and the Forgies and headed to Newmarket to visit the Bell and Dempster families.

Our first stop was with the Bell family. Ashley and Grant had a great time catching up with Maddie and Cameron. On Saturday, uncle John had a get together at his house and he and aunt Shelley played gracious hosts to the three of us, plus the Bell and Leblanc families as well as auntie Linda and grandma& grandpa Dempster. The kids had a blast swimming with all their cousins and fulfilled their obligation to annoy the older cousins! Actually, they all played great and it was nice to see them having fun together.

Photo: Grandpa Dempster, Ashley, Grandma Dempster

Photos: (top) Cameron, Grant and Colin (bottom) John with his kids Erin and Colin

The following day we continued the barbeque and swimming adventures but this time we all headed to the Leblanc home where Fiona, Claude, Jeanette and John played host. Again, the older cousins were great with the younger ones and everyone had a lot of fun.

Photo: Cousins Maddie, Jeanette and Ashley

We ended the day with a short drive back to grandma and grandpa Dempster's in Cobourg where the kids finally realized their wish to go to the beach. So, the following day we packed up the sand toys and swimming gear and headed to the beach which is always a pretty spot. They played for hours and even went on to swim at the beach pool so no complaints were received that day from anyone.

Photo: Me, Grant and Ashley at Cobourg Beach, Lake Ontario.

After two nights in Cobourg it was time to bid a teary goodbye to grandma and grandpa Dempster and make our way to Ottawa where we would spend time visiting some old friends. Diana was kind enough to host a pre-birthday get together for Ashley & her old school friends since we would be back in Halifax by the time her birthday rolled around in August. Ashley & Grant loved spending the afternoon with Brock, Sabrina, Amber, Alexandra, Brayden, Charlie and Jamie. I loved catching up on life with Diana, Lara and Debbie. It was a chaotic but very fun afternoon!

Photo: Enjoying a pre-birthday party at the Wilkinsons in Ottawa

The moms even managed a night out at O'Connors that week and engaged in conversations that didn't include comments like, "stop pushing your sister, enough whining...!" Our time in Ottawa was spent visiting friends and hanging out. The kids had a great day with the Provans who include cousins Mitchel, Taylor, Collin and Rachel. Grant refers to the boys as his "big brudders" and Ashley and Rachel got along great and try to convince others that they're actually sisters! We are all very excited to have the Provans coming for a visit to Halifax in August.

Photo: Grant & Ashley outside of Benjo in Quebec City

Well, our plan to spend 4 nights in Ottawa got cut short by a night after learning that Rob needed to fly out earlier than planned so we'd need to get home in time for the dog. We started the journey home with our first night's stop finding us back in Quebec City where the kids got to spend hours in their favourite toy store, Benjo. Benjo caters to those of a smaller and younger stature. The price tag was fairly painless at the end and was worth the hours of entertainment they enjoyed.

Photo: Ashley & Grant at wharf in Fredericton (Holiday Inn, Mactacquac)

The following day we spent our last night of the trip in Fredericton. We were really impressed with Fredericton and loved the Holiday Inn as it's located just outside of town on the Saint John River and has a pool, outdoor playstructure and wharf. It was a relaxing final night and we took full advantage of the beautiful grounds. The next day we arrived home to find Rob had been busy during his week alone. The house had been painted and lots of landscaping had been done. We had a great time and have a quiet week or so before it's time to get ready for the new leg of visitors.