A return to some roots

Last week I packed up both kids and embarked on another solo plane flight westward.  Instead of flying to see Grandma again, we were headed halfway across the country – to Winnipeg.

Having a quick snack in the airport, en route to Winnipeg

Both my mom and dad grew up in Winnipeg, and their entire families still live there.  Growing up, we spent two months every summer in Winnipeg and at our family cottage on Falcon Lake with extended family, so it is very much a part of my childhood.   As most of our relatives haven’t met either Luke or Evelyn yet, I decided it was one thing I wanted to do before heading off to the far east this Fall.  They were both a bit young to appreciate the significance of all the landmarks “mommy why Grandma used to live at this house?  Why Grandma little girl once??” – it was sure cool to see some places through my kids eyes.

At the Assiniboine Park Railway – a little train that unfortunately wasn’t running until July 1.  Heather and I remember going on this in the summers when we were little.

Seeing the bears at the Winnipeg Zoo.  Unfortunately for the bears, the enclosure hasn’t changed at all in almost 30 years… Debbie – the oldest Polar Bear – just died in February.  We can remember seeing her and her cubs playing in the water.

The lily pads and water wheel I remember from when I was little

Luke enjoying the camel-themed play structure that I don’t remember at all… Heather?

Luke’s first pony ride.  Surprisingly, it was a big hit!

Evelyn enjoying some Jeannie’s Bakery cake for dessert.  This is my mom’s favourite cake in the world, and was my parent’s wedding cake!

A visit to the new Children’s Museum was a huge hit, especially when Luke found this little “construction zone”.  The cold weather and rain kept us from playing at playgrounds for most of the time there, and our poor boy was desperate to dig in some rocks.

Luke playing “market” in the Chinese market exhibit.  He kept asking what each vegetable was and I would only tell him the Chinese name, so I’m hoping he’ll learn them quickly once we get to China!

And then – we went to the lake!  My mom’s side of the family sold the cabin that I had grown up staying at, but my dad’s family still owns their cabin – just a bay away from ours.  Uncle Peter has done an incredible job of maintaining the history of the cottage, while still adding on new elements that make it much more live-able.  Unfortunately, it rained.  We were there 2 days and spent the majority of the time inside, saying “look, its getting brighter – maybe the rain is letting up?”  In the end, we just made the most of it – Luke and I spent hours at the dock getting drizzled on, throwing sticks and rocks into the water.  No swimming in Falcon Lake this trip, hopefully we’ll make it back soon for another try!

Me and my baby at Falcon Lake

“Mommy PLEASE go find more sticks!”

A soggy, but generally happy little boy.  The buckets of water were on the dock because the winds and waves were so strong a lot of docks in the bay got damaged.  The buckets helped keep the dock from lifting up in the high waves.

Uncle Peter took us out for a boat ride to see our old cottage and beach.  Luke really loved being in the boat, but he wasn’t so certain of the lifejackets…

Evelyn having her nightly bath – in the kitchen sink!  There’s no bathtub at the cottage, so this was the next best option.  At my mom’s cottage, Heather and I bathed in a big tin washtub in the kitchen for years after we outgrew the sink!

The “teddy bear” the Luke happened to see behind the garbage cans as we waited for Uncle Peter to throw the garbage in.  Noone else noticed it, and Luke was so adament that there was a “teddy bear” I pulled the car back a bit to see what stuffed toy someone had thrown out!  Then I hollered to Peter who swiftly jumped back in the car… Luke’s got incredible eyes for things like that.

We also got to spend a lot of time with all the family who we had gone to visit.  We stayed with my cousin Kerri and her husband Scott (their blog is linked to the side of this one!).  Their 10-month old baby Graham had no idea what hit him when his two rowdy cousins came to stay, but he loved playing with them and it was so neat to see all three kids playing so well together.  Kerri is my only “real” cousin and we spent a lot of time together growing up, so it was really fun to watch our kids together.

Evelyn and her cousin Graham.  He’s a couple months older than her, but they are roughly the same size and have the same mobility skills.  Watching the two of them crawl around and play with one another was just incredible.

Evelyn and my 88-yr old Aunt Babe.  My grandma, who Evelyn is named after, was Aunt Babe’s older sister.

Luke and Aunt Babe

All of us together