We left our hotel in Portage la Prairie on Saturday, June 27 after some swim time. We got in to Swan River by late afternoon with hugs all around from Nana and Papa. Uncle Ian, Auntie Rhonda and Cousins Brody and Hannah joined in for a fish fry supper that evening. We got settled in and the kids enjoyed some outside play time.
On Sunday morning, Papa, Travis and Carson went north to Whitefish Lake to fish. Carson caught the first fish and he was very proud and excited. We enjoyed his northern pike for supper (as well as the ones Papa caught). Grace, Nana and I stayed back in Swan River - Grace isn't quite ready for a stretch of time fishing in a boat. Grace enjoyed time at a nearby playground (I think we made three trips to the playground on Sunday). That evening, the Chileans arrived - Uncle Derwin, Auntie Dana and Cousins Kirsi and Aidan. Lots of fun to meet Aidan (who just turned one) and have Grace meet her Kitch cousins. The three Kitch boys were back together!
We all packed up on Monday morning for Wellman Lake and to Ian and Rhonda's cabin. We got the tent up, which brought fun adventures for the kids too! Soon it was time for the beach and some water fun. We enjoyed beach time, boat rides and some action on a water towable behind the boat. For Carson and Hannah, the faster the better! Grace enjoyed her time, as long as she was riding with Trav or me. We paddled a bit in the canoe and Trav and Carson took a longer canoe ride (this got Trav hyped up again to get a canoe). Despite no nap time for Grace, it was a beautiful day full of sun and water.
Trav and Carson stayed the night at the lake in the tent. Hannah stayed in the tent with the boys. Sounds like it got pretty cold overnight! Nana, Papa, Grace and I went back to Swan. Grace must have really missed Daddy and brother, as she woke up at 3 am on Tuesday and was up for the day! Ouch!
We got out to the lake on Tuesday morning in time for family pictures. The lake made for a beautiful setting and once again, it was a beautiful day! We're excited to see how the pics turn out!
After lunch, we packed up and went to the Wellman Lake beach. Grace was having a very 'off' day and we thankfully got her down for a nap. She took a 2-3 hour nap in the shade on a beach towel on the beach. Meanwhile, Carson spent his time making bridges and trenches in the sand along the edge of the lake, including multiple flood diversion efforts. Perhaps he'll be an engineer!?! Cousins Kirsi, Aidan, Brody and Hannah all got in on sand and water action. More boat/towable time in the afternoon as well.
We enjoyed a campfire after supper. Soon it was time to pack it up and head back to Swan. We had planned for Grace and I to stay with the boys on Wednesday night, but it was going to be too cold to try to tent it for the night.
Carson was VERY excited for Wednesday - it was Canada Day! The four of us went back to the elementary school Travis attended and the kids had a great time playing. We got some fun pics too of Trav, Carson and Grace outside the school. We attended a town celebration in the afternoon - complete with barrel rides and games. In the evening, Nana and Papa hosted family for a Canada Day celebration. An evening full of food and visits. Carson had a great time watching fireworks - he LOVES fireworks.
We had a leisurely Thursday morning with more visits. We said goodbye to cousins, aunties, uncles and Nana and Papa and got on the road about 1:00. We didn't have a specific goal in mind - we planned to see just how far we could get with the kids. As we left, Grace was singing her new favorite song "Brody, Brody...Brody, Brody". When Grace has a favorite person, they get the honor of having a song sung with their name. It's sing-songy and adorable. Grace has been singing the Brody song since we got back. Watch for it to hit the Top 40 charts soon.
Carson, Grace and I took naps as Daddy cruised down the road. We stopped for a stretch or two and by the time we hit the Winkler/Morden area (just north of the border), we decided to make a haul for it home that night. We just wanted to get home and knew we could bank on sleeping kids. Ahhh.....
We stopped briefly at the border on the Canadian side. We wanted to see if we could get the kids' passports stamped from the way up. Trav and Carson went in to check it out, while Grace and I stretched and cleaned up the van. Apparently passports are only stamped when you have been interrogated and detained. Not what we were setting goals for, so we'll have to skip that part!
There were two things we could be sure of on the trip - Carson' playing electronic Yahtzee and Grace asking "Mama, what happened?". Carson played dozens of games over the miles (including capturing his all-time high score of 498) and Grace must have asked her adorable question at least 150 times. We started playing the "Grace, look at the. . ." game and enjoyed trees, flowers, cattle, horses, elk, etc. all across southern Manitoba. By the time we got home I had rubbed my skin raw on my right side from turning in the seatbelt. :-)
The kids fell asleep right after the border. Trav and I visited and enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet. Of course we love our kiddos, but travels with two special needs kids (particularly Grace's sensory processing needs) can have its challenges and tests of patience. When we pulled into the driveway at 11:45 p.m., we were very happy to take in the basics (yes, we took the kids in) and crawl into bed.
We put stuff away and played 'catch up' on Friday. Grace took a nearly 4 hour nap. She was ecstatic to be home. We had a relaxing day and started to gear up for the 4th!
2 comments:
It was great to see everyone again and to meet Grace! I think all the kids enjoyed our time at the beach and lake and it was fun to see them all playing so hard.
That was a loooooooong drive in one day! Prayers of thanks for a safe and fun trip for you.
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