Spring is here and summer's just around the corner?!?

Last week, spring felt like it was just around the corner.  We went outside without mittens and toques and one day I even went for a run in capris!  With the time change, it was light later so we could take advantage of going to the park after dinner.  The snow had melted so we could actually see the grass again and there was that smell of spring in the air. 

I was getting excited about packing up the winter gear... and then this Wednesday, we had a big snow storm (yes, a week before April!) and now it's  -10.  Atleast, the sky is blue and the sunshine is glorious, but we are back to bundling up and playing in the snow.
I've been trying to be proactive to avoid a bad attitude that winter is still here (especially when our Vancouver friends are bragging about the +17 temperatures).   I've been trying to convince Mike to let me go away on a beach vacation (I'm even willing to be very selfless and go alone).  He's not convinced so instead I'm trying to be a bit more realistic and start to plan our summer vacation.
I think it would be fun to rent a cottage and explore some more cottage country that Ontario is famous for.  I was asking Josh what we should do for our summer holidays.  I told him that maybe we should go to the beach.  His response was 'I know, we should go to the beach with the yellow umbrellas'.  The beach he is referring to is the 'fake beach' that is a five minute walk from our place.  I told him that I was thinking of going somewhere a bit further away and his next suggestion was going to the Science Centre.  It's nice that it doesn't take too much to make him happy.

For now, while I wait for the day to come when I can finally put away the toques and mittens for good, I will try to stay positive.  It's nice to always have to wear sunglasses when driving and when the sun is streaming in through the windows, I just tell myself that it's really warm out.  And in June when all of our Vancouver friends are complaining about the rain, I will be down at the 'fake beach' soaking up the rays and the warmth!

Good times with Grandma

This past week we had the great pleasure of Grandma (my mom) visiting us.  Much preparation was done for her visit (mostly on Josh's part).  Each morning, he would announce how many days it was until Grandma was here and on the Friday when his countdown was at zero, he could barely contain himself.
Josh had a long list of activities he was going to do with Grandma.  We were able to fit a lot of the activities into the 4 days she was here.  Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind that we didn't get to all of the activities he wanted to do; I think he had atleast a week's worth of things planned.

We thought that since Grandma's birthday was the week before she came, we would make her a cake.  Josh phoned her to ask what kind of cake she wanted.  This is what I heard from his side of the conversation 'what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?  Owen had a football cake and I am going to have a firetruck cake.  Maybe we can make you a hockey cake?'  I suggested that maybe Grandma would appreciate something a bit more girly so Josh decided she would like a flower cake.  It's funny how a child's perspective on a birthday cake is quite different than an adult's.  As adults, we dream of things such as luscious chocolate cakes or yummy cheesecakes but for children, it's all about what the cake looks like.  So, suffice to say, Josh and I made a trip to the Bulk Barn (to rent a cake pan) and Grandma got a lovely flower birthday cake!  Although we didn't get to celebrate her birthday with all the family, we still enjoyed having a special little birthday celebration with her here.

My mom and I were excited to make it down to New York for a day of shopping.

 Yes, it was only to Niagara Falls, NY and we only went to the outlets and Target, but for us, it still counted as a true New York shopping trip (although, maybe we should have bought handbags at the Coach outlet?).

We also went to the Royal Ontario Museum (thank you library for the free pass!) where Josh loved seeing the dinosaurs. 

We got to enjoy the nice weather with a walk and a great time playing at the park. 

Grandma and Josh had a good game of tag.

Of all the things we did, I think the boys enjoyed their snugglefests with Grandma each morning the most.

Josh thought it would be nice for us to have a mother-daughter picture so he offered to take one of us.  He was very confident that he knew how to take a picture (although he's never taken one before) and we must say, we were quite impressed with his photography skills!

Thanks for brightening up our March with your visit, Grandma!