North of the Border

The remainder of our stay with Aunt Barbara and Uncle Charlie was terrific. Barb watched the kids for a day while I had a pedicure, shopped, went to lunch and then a movie. Needless to say I enjoyed my day off and Barb Molly and Aidan did too. We packed the car on Friday morning and there were many long faces as we pulled out of the driveway. Everyone agreed that it was a great visit and we plan on doing it again soon. Daddy received many hugs and kisses when we got home.

We were home just long enough to do the laundry and pack the car for our next adventure. We left Sunday morning and headed to Welland Ontario to visit our dear friends the Petrachenkos. Our hosts were Mike and Monique and their two children-Savannah (15) and Maverick (12). The travels went well and took about 7 hours. We arrived around 4pm and headed straight for the pool. Molly and Aidan swam in the pool by themselves (with their vests on and several adults standing on the edge). This was a first (one of many for the trip as it turned out) for both. They even climbed in and out of the pool unassisted via the ladder. Daddy hopped in after a while but Molly and Aidan insisted on "doing it myself".

Other highlights of the trip included a birthday BBQ for Mike, golf for the guys and a trip to the zoo for the girls and kids. The rest of the time was spent eating, drinking and being very merry indeed. We stayed up into the wee hours almost every night and spent several of them around an outstanding camp fire. I must mention that Monique is an OUTSTANDING cook and I'm sure we've added more than a few pounds during our stay.

Molly and Aidan were very comfortable. They loved the swings and sand volleyball court in the back yard. They also took a shining the Savannah and Maverick. Molly started calling Maverick her "favorite kid" while Aidan called him Max. Both Savannah and Maverick were good to the kids. Molly and Aidan napped and slept at night well. They went to bed at 11pm two of the nights we were there (a first) and Aidan napped in his stroller at the zoo (another first). Both kids ate well and we discovered that they both like cashews and pistachios.

After a whirlwind tour that when by in a flash we loaded up the car and headed home yesterday. We had a great trip. It was wonderful to spend time with our friends whom we consider family. We already look forward to our next visit.