Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Thanksgiving in Medicine Hat

So, we went down to Medicine Hat for the long weekend. It was a lot of fun. The boys were very excited to visit with their grandparents. The dog was super excited (as demonstrated by the incredible whine that started the moment we turned onto the road to my parents house).

We did something new this time, in that we took the boys swimming at the leisure centre. The wave pool was absolutely freezing, so we didn't last too long there, but the tot pool was a nice temperature and had tons of toys, the boys were in heaven!! So, Jeremy and I took turns in the lap pool. It was nice to swim in a lane all by yourself!! That pool was quite deep though, but it was good. It can be a 50m pool when needed, which I thought was very cool!! We each got in about a 20 minute swim and after that headed out. It was a beautiful facility. Next up was a quick stop at Starbucks, as it was buy some flavoured via get a free drink day. Forgot to get Sebastian a hot chocolate, so went back in for that, and, ended up with a survey, so upon completing that, it will be another free drink. Yay!!

That evening, we had a yummy supper and then Sebastian and I walked down to the creek. He really wanted to go and it was earlier enough that we went quickly. The dogs came with us (of course), and we had fun. On the way back, we were visited by 4 horses. The horses were a bit too close for comfort. They sort of surrounded us, and I tried very hard to stay calm and not panic, but it was a little intimidating. And, they seemed to be chasing Cronos, so anytime he ran in front of us, they were really moving around. I didn't want one of them to get startled and kick us or something. Eventually Cronos sort of stayed behind them, and then they didn't move around quite as much, which was nice!! Once we got back on the other side of the fence, I felt a huge sigh of relief!! Then, dad came out and we fed the horses some treats. That was nice, although Sebastian was still a bit afraid. Although, really, if I was about 3 feet tall, and a horse, that stands about 6 feet tall kept sniffing me, I'd be a bit timid as well. Sullivan, on the other hand, loved it!!

Sunday was fun as well. Jeremy and I went out for a run in the morning, and that was nice. Pretty funny that the last two times we've gone out together, it's been for exercise!! Oh well, it was nice. We went for lunch and then afterwards, took to the boys to a playground. They had so much fun. Sebastian was playing with another boy and having a great time. Sullivan was going up and down the slide. Then, we checked out a coffee shop in Riverside called the Zucchini Blossom. It was neat, part grocery store, part coffee shop, homemade pastries, muffins and cookies. They had little juices, and fantastic coffees. We enjoyed these while the boys finally napped!! Excited to maybe go back there sometime for paninis!!

That night it was time for turkey dinner and it was fanastic. Played with the boys again, fed the horses again (that showed up about the same time as we had fed them treats the day before).

Sleep isn't always easy to come by in Medicine Hat, the dogs often bark, and the boys are all restless in the unfamiliar surroundings, but the coffees help with that, and the company makes it all worthwhile. We had a wonderful visit, but it's always nice to come home again!!

This week, I'm hoping to get a hike in, but I'll have to keep an eye on the weather and see if that's likely or not...

Friday, October 8, 2010

Fun times in Coventry Hills

So, yesterday I was between 12 hour nightshifts. I am not a big fan of 12 hour shifts as it leaves you very little time for the rest of your life. And, with two young boys at home, I value the time I have with them!!

Yesterday, once Sullivan woke up, we went over to the park. Sebastian was excited to play with his dump truck and crane, so we took them along. The boys were alone at the park with me, and I managed to get a few exercises in (pushups, squats, dips, lunges, that sort of thing), and then another boy came along. Sebastian started playing with him, they were chasing each other and having fun. And then, some neighbours came along, Sebastian's little buddies, and they brought some dump trucks too. And then, some more neighbours came along, and their little guy brought a dump truck too. And then a whole other group of kids came along. At one point, I bet there was close to 20 kids there. It was fantastic. They were all interacting. There was lots of playing with the rocks and dump trucks, some games of tag and hide and seek, sliding and playing on the playground itself. It was great. We ended up spending almost an hour and half there. We've never gone there for that long before. But it was fun and both boys were loving it, so we just kept on playing. And it was so nice to see that we are finally developing a community and getting to know some of the kids in the area as well as their parents.

So, even though I only had a couple hours at home yesterday, I totally made the most of it with those boys of mine. It was awesome, and I went to work with a big smile on my face, because I had a fun afternoon!!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

October? Seriously?

Once again, I can't believe how the time has passed, it's crazy!! Life has been busy, and fun. Sebastian is back in preschool, 3 days a week this year. Both boys started gymnastics this year, and that's been great for them. Sullivan is a loving his trains and building track. Sebastian is so busy with Playmobil. Life is fun and certainly keeps us busy!! In August we did the Rock The House run, Sebastian's second 5km. In September, Jeremy and I finished Melissa's 10km (first date in forever and we go running. Crazy!! And in October we ran the Ambulance Chasers 5km. Jeremy ran his fastest ever 5km, and I ran with Sebastian and Kim (my sister), while pushing the stroller with Sullivan. It was a good run and a beautiful evening with the fantastic reward of Spolumbo's after the race. And now, we have no races on the radar yet. Time to sign up for something else...

In the meantime, here's a few pictures from that last little while...