Spray park fun

This city has some pretty amazing and fun things for kids to do! We went to this huge spray park this afternoon and the kids had SO much fun.

Of course, being super mommy, I totally forgot to put sunscreen on their shoulders and backs so all three of them got sunburned. I am truly awesome.


At one point Olivia tried to run into the parking lot and almost got run over... ok, she didn't almost get run over. The nice man in the SUV stopped WAY before hitting her but still. She COULD have got killed. I almost had a heart attack as my fat self was chasing her. Apparently she can run pretty fast when she wants to.





I am also totally pathetic and I watched the Bachelorette tonight. I really love those cheesy reality tv shows. I can't help it. Stop mocking me, I already admitted I am pathetic!

Tomorrow is Canada Day and that is a BIG FAT hairy deal. Especially here in our nation's capital city. We are going to join in the festivities and watch the fire works and all that good stuff. Hopefully the kids have fun... they aren't exactly used to big crowds... seeing as how there will be more people on the parliament building grounds tomorrow than there are in our entire town.

park playmates

We went to the park yesterday afternoon.

Uncle Dave tried to teach Owen badminton... it was very cute to watch Owen's concentration.
Uncle Dave also got to play with Olivia... don't they look cute?
While we were at the park we met this family of kids- the little girl is six years old just like Aiden, the middle boy was ALSO named Owen and ALSO four years old, and the littlest boy was only a couple months older than Olivia... it was like they were custom ordered playmates!
Aiden was especially taken with the adorable little girl... I think she liked him too. 
I am always amazed at how easily kid's make friends out of complete strangers. And how they just accept each other without question. 

The conversation is always the same

"Hi, my name is Aiden/Owen... what's your name? I'm six years old/ four years old. Want to play with me?"

And then they do. Just like that. 

Kid's are great. 

humidex

It is HOT here.

Really hot. 

And humid.

I am not a big fan of humidity... it makes me feel constantly sweaty and that is not cool.

I AM, however, a big fan of the grocery stores here. WOW. Seriously. Amazing. And HUGE lovely aisles. I am certain that our local grocery store could fit in a small section of these ones. 
My children have NOT been sleeping well since we got here... but I am hoping they adjust and we don't have to get up every couple hours for the entire time we are here!

Airport Adventures

I am thankful to the airport for providing this little bit of a play area for kids... it was great and helped distract them from the fact that it was 4:30 am. Poor kids.

It did NOT manage to distract us from that fact though. Poor Mommy and Daddy. 

But don't worry, even when there is no play area the kids managed to entertain themselves. I tried not to think about all the stuff that had been on that floor before my kids. 

I do have one thing to tell flight attendants everywhere... when pouring a cup of pop for a 4 year old child during turbulence consider that the child may not have the ability to hold a full cup steady. Also consider that the mommy sitting with three children, one on either side and one on her lap, may not enjoy having the pop dumped everywhere. She also may not enjoy having to use her nursing cover to sop up the mess, the sobbing from the four year old who has no more pop left, and the ensuing trauma of having to sit in pop soaked underwear while the mother hangs the pop soaked pants over the arm of the chair to aid drying. And then please don't glare at said mother when you notice her child sitting clad only in his ninja turtle underwear and the mother nursing without a cover up. After all, it is all YOUR fault. 

So there.  

Entertainment

Uncle Phil and Aunt Erica came to visit us in the hotel before we left the city... and to honour their arrival the kids tried to stuff themselves in various pieces of hotel furniture.

Olivia really wanted to get behind the air conditioner for some unknown reason.
The kids attacked Aunt Erica to show her how much they love her.
Aiden felt compelled to show Uncle Phil his brand new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle underwear. I'm sure Uncle Phil was very impressed.
Overall though the kids had fun... nothing beats destroying a hotel room  kid style.

And it begins

Stage One- Preparation

Frazzled mommy packs belonging for 4 people whilst nagging the fifth person to pack for himself. Frazzled mommy and daddy get VERY little and non-restful sleep. Exhausted and frazzled mommy and daddy pack everyone and practically everything they own into the van and head out on the grand adventure.

Stage Two- Travel

Spend 3 hours in the non-air-conditioned van driving to nearest international airport.

Listen to whining, screaming, crying, fighting etc. for said 3 hours.
View the lovely prairie skies. 

Pray that the children fall asleep but that the driver doesn't. 

Ignore non-sleeping non-quiet children by looking at more pretty clouds.
Notice, again, that the drive to the city is really too long. 
Stop on the side of the road to let the boys pee. No, they weren't any bathrooms available. This is the middle of nowhere people. No cars even passed us during the peeing. Really. No one. 
Olivia finally falls asleep... boys still awake. Therefore no silence.
The non-silence wakes the sleeping baby.
Frazzled Mommy continues to be ridiculed by eldest son.
Youngest offspring continues to look at frazzled Mommy like she is the meanest mommy in the whole world to force her to sit in the torture device known as the car seat.
Middle child tried to make frazzled parental units laugh.
Middle child gives up and resorts to joining his siblings in their whining.

Stage Three

Arrive at the hotel where frazzled parents spend and exceedingly exorbitant amount of money to spend less than a day in a not-entirely-clean room. 

Feed exhausted offspring pizza.

Collapse exhausted in rented beds, after convincing hyper active children that they CAN in fact fall asleep without the stuff in their room at home, for an unbelievably short sleep. 

Get up at 3:30 am to go to the airport.

Lather, rinse, repeat.