And The Rest of Our Trip

Well we are back home now after our trip up north.  The flight home went ok - but definitely not as laid back and relaxing as the trip on the way up.  We had an early flight back so we had to wake up insanely early.  I booked it that way on purpose thinking the kids are usually in happier/easier going moods in the morning since they are fresh.  But it is rough waking up that early - when its pitch black outside (and freezing). 

Anyway...things went ok - just a lot more work heading home - mainly b/c in Toronto, when you check in, you then have to go to customs & security which means you are on your own the whole way.  Not an easy task when you have a luggage cart loaded down & piled up way above my head (4 suitcases, 2 large carseat travel bags, carry on duffel bag and a laptop) and also have to keep track of 2 little ones.  Luckily Brooklynn knew she needed to help me out and did her job perfectly once again!  We also scored when the lady at the door to customs took pity on me and snuck me up to the front (bypassing the long lines) and got me right up without having to wait so we got right through.  That easily saved us a good 45 mins or more with not having to wait in line. 

The flight was also a lot more full on the way home so we had to stay in our own seats with Cannon on my lap the whole way home.  He didn't too bad considering...but it was a constant job to keep him happy & entertained.  We hit some pretty bad storms too when we got closer to Houston so the flight was also anything but fun and ended up circling around the aiport for an extra 30 mins in the storms b/c of the backlog from earlier delays.  Of course both kids fell asleep literally 5 mins before we landed - go figure!  Needless to say, I was very happy to finally land and let the kids move! 

The rest of our trip up there was really nice & relaxing.  We really didn't do much - only went shopping here and there and visited a little with friends and family.  It was exactly what I needed.  The last month before we went there it felt like our lives were moving in high speed - we were so busy all the time, that it was nice to just spend a day (or two) in our pjs all day and just play.

 Brooklynn thought it was the funniest thing ever for Cannon to ride around in one of her doll strollers...apparently so did Cannon :)  He looked like a giant baby..hahaha

 Running around the kitchen..they were both cracking up and squealing - they were having so much fun

 Such a happy boy!!

Everything was fine until Cannon decided it was time to pull his big sister's hair....so then she got up to leave

And poor Cannon was not happy anymore :(

We also finally got snow too - yay!!!  We really thought we were going to miss out b/c it just wasn't happening...but luckily 3 days before we left and then the day before we left...it snowed and it was perfect!  Brooklynn had a blast even though it was really cold.  I didn't even bother bringing Cannon outside b/c he HATED the cold anytime we went out - he would scream from the second we got outside until we finally got inside - definitely not a fan.  Seeing how excited Brooklynn got when it started snowing made me view the snow in a completely different light - it was so much fun.  Living up there for over 11 years, I never stopped to see how beautiful it really was.  Of course, its easy for me to say now that I live in Texas - I don't have to worry about shoveling my driveway, brushing & scraping all the ice & snow from my car or doing the daily commute in it to & from work.  I got to enjoy it just like a kid would...and it was great!

 The view from my Mom's balcony

 One of my favorite things about snow has always been the pink sky at night.  It is so pretty and is a definite sign of snow on the way.  This pic doesn't show the true color although it does show how light the sky is when it normally is pitch black - its so light its almost like daylight...its really neat.

 This pic almost shows what the pink sky looks like - still doesn't do it justice!

 When it started snowing, it was getting pretty late, so we just let Brooklynn play out on the balcony...there wasn't much by this point anyway..but she still thought it was the neatest thing ever!

 Peeking in Uncle Michael's window...

 Cannon enjoying the snow from the comforts of the warm indoors - smart kid :)

The next morning we got all bundled up and headed out.  Getting dressed to go play outside in the snow is a job within its self...especially when you have to dress a kid too - ha!

Almost ready...

Finally...30 mins later...and ready to go!!!

 

 Trying to make a snow angel - the snow wasn't too deep that day yet so you can see the grass below

 Trying to sled down the hill - we definitely needed another helping hand to give her a push down the snow

 Wipe out!!!

 We finally gave up and walked back to Grandma's place to just play and try to build a snowman

 But unfortunately, it wasn't the right 'snow man making snow' - it was too light & fluffy...we needed the wet & heavy snow...oh well..maybe next time!

 Miss Rosy Cheeks when we got back inside and started peeling off our layers....

So anyway...that was our trip - lots of fun, lots of relaxation...and just enough snow :)  Now we are back to reality with school, work, housework, etc....fun fun!