~ Happy New Year ~

Today I sat down with the specific task of going through all of this year's photos and selecting just a few to look back on from the year.  Ya...  so...  I take a lot of pictures.  My final total of "just a few" was more like over 100.  I think we had a pretty amazing year this past year.  Maybe one of our best yet!  Although, I have to say that it's pretty hard to go wrong when our lives are filled with such supportive family, wonderful friends and lots of adventures both big and small. 

Here are just a few snaps from the year of all the family that visited, a few of the friends we played with and many of the places we went and things we did.

May we do more good in the world this year than we did last year

May we spend more time with the people we love, doing the things we love

May we explore new places, as many as we can

May we celebrate each special time in our lives; there is always a reason to celebrate  

May we stop and enjoy the small moments

May we mostly remember the best parts

A Carousel in Florence & Thoughts on Traveling with Little People

For the past couple of days we have walked by the carousel in downtown Florence without the littles noticing.  But on a slow Monday afternoon, we finally indulged them much to their utter delight.  I mean, really, do you have to fly all the way to Italy to get on a carousel?  Let me tell you something.  Seriously.  This is the most beautiful carousel in have seen in my life!

There were no lines, it just kept going and going regardless of how many people were on.  And only cost 1 Euro a ride, although admittedly, we did get a couple of free rides too.  Gabriel and Magdalene went around and around and around.  They just couldn't get enough.  It was lovely!

Pizza in the piazza.  Don't go for the knock-off pizza cut and served by the grams.  Go for the real thing.  You won't be disappointed.  

Best backdrop for a carousel, really.

The ceiling of the carousel were painted fresco imitations, the base of the carousel was beautiful wood flooring and the horses were elaborately decorated with glass and beads and gorgeous fancy plumey feathers on their heads.  It was sort of a piece of art!  Which suits the city, I would say!

Italy is an interesting and complex place to take children.  We haven't seen any playgrounds here...  So the streets and the sights are our playground.  It's been an interesting experience finding creative ways to help our children understand and appreciate what they are seeing but they are doing extraordinarily well so far, I feel.  It's been a lot of queuing into their interests in whatever we see.  For example, spotting the "rowing boy" in the river caused quite a bit of excitement.  As well as traveling on the "moving stairs" and the various "trains" (trains/metro).  Counting boats in the maps in the Sistine Chapel, spotting Santa Claus while traveling.  There has been a lot of carrying and cuddling and suckers and ipad/screen time (on the train or in the apartment during down time). There has been a lot of eye-spy and chasing birds and petting horses that draw carriages, a lot of watching fountains and sipping hot chocolates.  Puzzles and sibling silliness.

We've mostly really, really appreciated having other family who can take charge and be fun sometimes--playing the "Ghost Game" or reading stories and doing puzzles.  The most helpful thing was purchasing and gifting them special toys they have been asking for over the past couple of months.  We held out for so long and finally gave them on Christmas morning which was half way through the trip.  This created a great deal of excitement and new creative play.

As I sit here at 10:30, typing, I try to think of tips to give parents who may be taking their very little people to Europe.  I am not exactly sure where to start!  But one thing I have realized is that we should never under-estimate our own children's natural desire to see and explore new things.   We have been very surprised at how much they take in and understand and appreciate, especially when we are excited about what we are seeing and doing.  I feel that this is the biggest component of traveling with children.  They feed off our energy and excitement and share in our interests and passions when we share them with them. 

A Decade of Us.

Ten years ago, on a hot, hot day in July, I stood, a young bride, at the front of a church, sweating buckets while facing my nervous-looking soon-to be-husband.  We promised ourselves to each other for the rest of lives, no matter what obstacles we might face, a promise we have held true to. 

To me, it seems ages and ages ago even if it's only been 10 years.  I feel like we both are different people than the young sparkling eyed spring chickens we were that day.  But somehow, despite living in sometimes in different countries and different time zones, we have managed to grow and change together to develop into a partnership that I am very proud of and thankful for.

Lucky for me, Jordan is my best friend.  We started out as friends first and foremost--a good foundation for our marriage.  He has always inspired me to be a better person, encouraged me to follow things I am passionate about at the expense of doing the same for himself, challenged me when he thought I was ever taking an easy way out or going about something a wrong way.  He'd question me in order to encourage me to think for myself, he has always supported me, and... of course, provoked me too because every good relationship needs a healthy dose of "conflict." He has loved me despite my many flaws.  He is everything a good husband should be and I am endlessly thankful for him.

So, here is to ten years!  Ten amazing, adventurous years.  I cannot wait to see where the next ten years take us.

Glamping in the P.E.C.

This past weekend, we went on a spur of the moment camping trip to Prince Edward County with the kids.  I've been working way too many sunny weekends this year and missing spending good quality time together as a family outside our house.  By the time we got around to booking, most of the campsites were full!!  (What with the amazing weather they had promised!)

We found a great campground near beautiful Sandbanks provincial park, called Quinte's Isle.  We were pretty impressed with everything for kids there--a pool, splash pad, playground, horseback and pony rides, mini golf nearby, the beaches, boating....  We felt like we really just barely scratched the surface of everything there is to do there, opting to spend most of our time at the beach and trying to figure out our new camping gear.

We arrived very, very late on Friday evening...  set up our tent (which we have only setup once before) in the pitch dark with the help of Gabriel flashing the flashlight like a strobe.  It was nearly 11pm by the time we got to blowing up the air mattress...  needless to say, a little too loud.  Jordan rigged up the mattress to blow up most of it inside the car (with the doors closed) so as not to wake up the whole campground.  Gotta say, i was pretty impressed with that!  I didn't even know that was possible.

Our first night was...  a little rough... when Magdalene woke up very excited to be camping and tested out all of her new words on us at 3am.  Our neighbors weren't too happy with us... but what do you do with a toddler who won't be quiet in the middle of the night.  At least she was cute and not crying loudly.  Just talking really loud and happy.  "Ahhhh Chooo!!!!!"  and telling us that "doggie need water."  and various other cute phrases, most of which I have forgotten, but are, needless to say, just a little bit cuter during the day that in the middle of the night.

But you know, that's how it is with the littles, right?  It's always crazy and chaotic and in the moment you shake your head and wonder why you decided that driving seven hours (there) and 3 hours (back) for the sake of a sleepless night or two camping.  But even in the moment, I was thinking, "This is soooo worth it."  Because if you wait until your children are the perfect ages, you could either be waiting a long time, OR they will decide you aren't cool enough to go camping with.  Camping is magic to toddlers.  It's campfires they help build, that they'd never see otherwise, it's sleeping in nature on the ground, listening to the birds and waking with the dawn, it's roasting marshmallows and trying to cook on a camp stove.

We met ChouChou and Fizey there, who stayed in a B&B nearby.    We didn't manage to tempt them to stay with us.  Together we went to the beach all day, the kiddies splashing in the water and floating in the lake.  Later on we celebrated the boys' (Fizey and Jordan's) birthdays--dinner out and dessert at the campsite.  

I decided that just because we are camping, doesn't mean we cannot enjoy some of the better things in life--wine glasses, candles, flowers, a proper heavy quilt and lots of pillows.  It was so worth the extra trunk space, I gotta tell you.  If you are going to go camping, pack a few of the extras and make it a little glamorous, I say!  But you have to know how to pack a trunk if you are going to bring the extras. 

We had a pretty amazing weekend with the little ones.  I have to admit that taking the kids camping is way more fun then just going camping as adults.  Every little detail is so new and fun for them.  Definitely, it was worth the driving and the (somewhat) sleepless nights.  Hoping we have at least one more weekend of glamorous camping in this season!