British Columbia 2010: 2 of 3

I agree that this past weekend was awesome. Many kudos to Holly for pulling the wool over my eyes with that dinner/karaoke combo!

So where were we? Oh yeah, leaving Grand Forks and moving onward. The last time we did the Grand Forks - Vancouver drive, it didn't go so well. Max was almost 5 months old, had never really spent more than 30 minutes in a car, the weather was terrible as in "the road was closed shortly after we started driving on it due to the whiteout conditions" terrible, it was the middle of January, etc. We were cautiously optimistic that things would be better this time and they sure were. The trip was split into 4 legs and they went as follows:

GF-Osoyoos for brekkie [Leo slept, Max played with his new Bob toys];

Osoyoos-Princeton for lunch [we switched Leo's seat forward to stop a brief episode of screaming - he recovered and Max was still able to entertain himself];

Princeton-Manning Park lookout [Leo stayed awake and happy, thanks to Mum Mums broken into many enticing pieces, Max was starting to ask about our destination, but was happy to chew on a fruit roll-up...yes, they apparently still make those]

Manning Park-Vancouver [Leo cried for the last 30 minutes into town, but we weren't stopping. Max had his first sleep of the trip and it lasted all the way through to Abbotsford].

So, all in all, the trip was quite enjoyable. I'd never have guessed that it would go that well. Thanks kids!!

Our only parenting misstep was having breakfast at the beach in Osoyoos. It was a beautiful day and Max and Holly spent some time splashing around in the water near the local itinerants' hangout. Max really, really, REALLY loves the beach so he completely lost it when it was time to go and he realized that he was getting back into the car for a long stretch. This is maybe one of five times in his life where he was so upset that he was almost hyperventilating. I guess we owe him a longer visit to Osoyoos at some point.


Leo loves the Osoyoos waterfront!

Max frolics in the water with Mom.

The bag Max's Bob toys came in which also doubles as a nice hat. Yes, it says "Helping Children Learn".

Leo's first look at mountains.
We arrived in Vancouver around dinner time and moved in at our friends' house in East Vancouver. Their place is perfectly set up for hosting visitors with a beautiful two-bedroom suite in the basement with its own entrance. We were treated to dinner on the first night and Max was treated to his own bed, which improved his sleep dramatically. Most importantly for Max, our host family included two girls (ages 2 and 4) and therefore, LOTS OF TOYS. The backyard of the house included a swing set and huge sandbox so the kids spent many happy hours playing outside. I want to extend a big thank you to the M-Cs for putting us up so close to the heart of the city and especially to the girls for being such wonderful sharers and friends for the boys. Speaking of sharing, a big thank-you to C for sharing a few amazing bottles of French wine with us too.


Our first dinner on the M-C's back deck.

Max's spot at the kids' table - so cute!
We got up to a lot of adventures in town, mostly things that we would normally want to do on our own, but with a focus on things that we thought Max would like. As it turns out, this leg of our trip was a crash course in "what you think your kid will latch on to is not necessarily what they will latch on to". Aquarium: Max bust, Leo hit. Skytrain: Max hit. Casa Gelato: Max bust (possibly related to the tongue-lashing he got for splitting Leo's lip open via a push minutes earlier). Granville Island: big hit. Ferry: semi-bust for Max. I think the Aquarium was by far the most disappointing for us given a) the cost, b) how cool we thought it would be for Max and c) the lameness of the object that attracted nearly all of Max's attention, causing him to lose interest in everything else (see below). I hate you, Baby Kermit.


My green arch-nemesis, testing me. Call me Sir Gawain.

Leo marvels at the belugas. The day we went to the Aquarium, one of the (grey) babies was having its first birthday.

Leo peers into a tank at the Aquarium.

Max was totally into the Aquabus that services the False Creek area between Granville Island and downtown Vancouver.

In fact, Daddy was even able to talk Max's way into the captain's seat of one of the shuttle boats.

Max enters the toy store area of Granville Island through the kids' door.
Other adventures included a wonderful group hike with our hosts at Lynn Canyon Park, a cool breakfast at Commercial Drive's Little Nest (an eatery for hip parents with babies), an afternoon apart (Holly was with the boys at Burnaby Mountain Park while I gave a seminar at SFU), lots of park time in our temporary neighbourhood and a wonderful dinner with the Vancouver contingent of my family (home-made indian cuisine! Eco Mac 'n Cheese for Max! Great moments, including Max exclaiming "I love that green guy!" of my green-clad cousin after exchanging some excellent high-5s. Thanks for the great evening, family!).


Two families toward the end of a long day in Lynn Canyon Park...

...not that Leo remembers any of it. He slept like this on Holly's back for roughly 2 hours. Unprecedented!

Leo goofs around at a park. This was the playground where an elderly passer-by told us that we shouldn't put Leo down the slide as he was looking terrified. You know how much we LOVE the drive-by parenting tips from complete strangers.

I didn't take this picture. Could it be Leo's first self-portrait?.

Max plays on some of the monuments at Burnaby Mountain Park.

Leo enjoys his Great Aunt Christine's company while Max enjoys one of her gifts.

"See how your brother is biting my leg? This is something you should not do to Leo, Max." Great Uncle Don dispenses some wisdom...

A timed family self-portrait.
Overall, the Vancouver leg was a little more exhausting than the previous week. We were on the go a lot more so juggling fun time and nap time was more challenging. However, in retrospect, I feel like it provided good practice for how I schedule my days, now that I'm home with the boys. Next stop - Vancouver Island!