Has it really been 4 months since the beginning of summer? Yikes!! Must have had so much fun, I almost forgot to blog about it! Luckily everything is recorded in pictures so we can hopefully catch up before Christmas is upon us!
The boys were super excited to go on an airplane and packed their backpacks full of toys and snacks for the trek back to Alberta. Evy was on her way back with Auntie Wendy too so the kids had fun passing time together at both the Bermuda airport and the Toronto airport. Sam was a good airplane traveller as he always is and Jasp was not as bad as Mommy and Daddy expected. Poor little guy is always thrown off when he doesn't get his nap in his comfortable crib. Jasp had just started getting into watching dvds, especially Rio the movie and a few episodes of Curious George so that helped a bit on the plane but what helped a lot was his backpack. Daddy said he played with the zipper, opening and closing it numerous times, for up to half an hour! He passed out just before we arrived in Edmonton and was even passed off to Grandma for a cuddle without even a flinch of waking up.
June-yee came down for the long weekend as it was Canada Day holiday weekend. We had fun going to the St.Albert's Farmers Market where we had some yummy mini-donuts and fresh lemonade, hung out at home playing dress up and went for our "traditional" brunch at Socrates before she headed back to Calgary.
For the actual holiday, we went over to Grandma Paulette's condo and spent some time playing toys and relaxing. The boys were super excited to open up their birthday presents (belated for Jasper, early for Sam!) from Uncle Tony and Auntie Sarah. Star Wars dishes, yay!!! It was rainy out so we could not partake in any outdoor activities. However, the boys had fun being on the lookout for the train that passes by on the high-level bridge, Jasper announcing, "All aboard!", every time it passed by, which was quite a few times. We also heard the cannons going off for the ceremony at the Legislature. Sam, still sensitive to loud noises, was not too fond of that part of the visit.
We had a nice catch-up visit with Grandpa Ken and Grandma Cheryl in which they provided a backyard dinner with delicious ribs and sweet desserts. The boys loved petting Babalouie (for a cat that does not normally see kids, he was very good and patient with the boys), had fun watering the garden (no worries about water shortage like in Bermuda!), and enjoyed playing in the "clubhouse" which was apparently for boys only. Fortunately I was granted permission to go in to take a picture.
On the rainier, slightly chilly days, we stayed inside and relaxed. We were also getting adjusted to the time change (the boys were waking up at 5:30 am!), so naps were had by all, including Mommy and Daddy! We had indoor activities such as a visits to WEM's Galaxyland where the boys would ride the train all day if they could and the St. Albert Library where we borrowed plenty of books and movies. Sam also really enjoyed riding his bike around the block whenever he could. Po Po and Gung Gung bought a tricycle for Jasp which could be led by an adult. It didn't take long for Jasp to stop driving crookedly off the sidewalk but it was funny to see at first because it looked like Gung Gung was the one who was steering Jasp off the path.
It was Uncle John's birthday on July 4th and he treated us out for dinner at a chinese cafe. Sam had fun trying out the chopsticks but stuck to a fried fish dinner. Jasp's asian genes came out and he enjoyed the chinese food like the noodles and fried rice, yum! Daddy does not think there is such a thing as chinese desserts so we ended up at Dairy Queen after dinner. Another day, we met up with Auntie Wendy and Evy for dimsum. Great thing about chinese restaurants is that the kids can fool around and be loud and no one will notice.
For the most part, the weather was hot and beautiful. The kids were introduced to slurpees for the first time and Sam even offered a "cheers" for the initiation of the new summer tradition. Sam remembered the waterpark by Po Po and Gung Gung's house and was excited to go there again. Jasp was not too crazy about the water splashing everywhere and preferred to stay home and play with the water table, the splash pool Daddy picked up at Walmart, and the water guns. Poor ants did not stand a chance against the McCallum brothers.
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| Sammy May 2009 |
Just before Daddy took off for Bermuda we invited ourselves over to Uncle Derek and Auntie Gen's house for a quick visit with Chloe, Jonas and baby Maeve who was just born in April. Jonas is 2 1/2 and loved having Sam and Jasper over for company. Thank you to the Grays for welcoming us back on such short notice.
