We escaped the US of A at the start of July for our holiday weekend in Canada. Tim’s moral opposition to patriotism/nationalism and my firm abhorrence of expensive, large-scale fireworks shows make us a perfect match.
We kicked off the fun with a gas station picnic and a game of what Soren labeled “hopscotch.”
We spent our first evening getting settled in at the apartment (an awesome Airbnb find — stay there if you go!), playing at the beautiful Parc Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier around the corner, and gorging ourselves on poutine at La Banquise.
The next morning, our first priority (after a healthy breakfast at the apartment, of course!) was breakfast dessert. We swung by Boulangerie Les Co’Pains D’Abord on our way to to the Biodome.
Look at this face! He knows about the important things in life — pain au chocolat.
Hatching out of a giant egg at the Biodome.
Smoochin’ penguins. Soren is now well versed in the various animals we used to refer to simply as “penguins.” Puffins, macaroni penguins, rockhopper penguins, king penguins.
Our afternoon walk led us to more treats.
That evening we hung out at Parc La Fontaine, walked around the quartier des spectacles, took the Metro back to our neighborhood (obviously the highlight for Soren), and got our Mexican on at El Zaziummm. After dinner I was able to confirm one of my biggest fears — I have definitely developed an intolerance for avocados! And this is coming from someone who is completely skeptical of most food intolerances and allergies. I’m hoping it’s just a weird pregnancy thing and will go away soon.
The next morning we took off for Jean-Talon Market, but not before making a two-minute stop to pick up this bad boy (the machine, not the child) off the side of the road.
Just $2 (in Canadian dollars, no less!)? Don’t mind if I do.
During our market excursion, we feasted on croissants, breakfast sandwiches, peaches, plums, a spicy sausage sandwich, yogurt, smoked salmon bites, and ice cream.
We didn’t leave room for macarons.
Market entertainment.
That afternoon we walked through yet another park on our way to dinner.
Soren made friends with the sweet owner of the creperie. He brought Soren a lovely plate of fancy-cut fruit while we waited for our meal.
Then we were off to Juliette & Chocolat for dessert. Two sit-down restaurants in one night? Soren lives the life of a prince.
Dessert is served. I wish I could remember what each of these delicacies was. All I remember is magic.
Heaven.
Had to lick every last drop.
And then it was Sunday, and time to head home. But not without a stop first at the famous Fairmount Bagel, plus a failed attempt to go to French church (thanks for nothin’, mormon.org).
Montreal or midwest? We couldn’t believe how flat and never-ending the land was. Also, travel potty for the win! This awesome potty is one of my best motherhood purchases to date.
On our way home we swung by the King Arthur bakery and store in Vermont. King Arthur is always a good idea.
Manually grinding flour. Something I’d never have patience for. But isn’t the machine beautiful?
I forget why I took this picture — Soren must’ve said something funny. This kid has never met a grate he didn’t like.
The week we got back brought a long-awaited day for Soren — firefighter storytime at the library. He’d been talking about it for months, and the event did not disappoint. After firefighter Dwaine read a story and answered questions, we walked to the fire station next door (where we are frequent visitors) for a tour.
That weekend we got free tickets to the WGBH FunFest thanks to my new connection with Boston Moms Blog. With bounce houses, face painting, and unlimited ice cream, we were in heaven.
As far as Soren knows, Curious George is ONLY a character from a book. Don’t tell him there’s such a thing as Curious George on TV.
Tim’s parents (known in our home as Oma and Opa) came to town the next week. We played in town for a few days then spent a long weekend in the Berkshires. This time we found a perfect HomeAway win — we stayed at a cute cottage on an actual sheep farm!
The house just happened to be a few feet from the Appalachian Trail. Yes, Soren is missing his pants.
From Tim’s morning run up some mountain.
We hiked around Race Brook Falls one morning.
Always throwing rocks in water.
On Saturday we made it to a Boston Symphony Orchestra rehearsal at Tanglewood. “I hear violins!” Soren says.
Back at the sheep farm to say farewell to our fuzzy friends.
Our drive home was somewhat of a nightmare. The usually pleasant MassPike turned into a parking lot, and we sat in traffic for a few extra hours. We swung by Springfield before the worst of it to check out the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden.
It had rained earlier, so the sculptures were slippery. Soren took two or three big falls and let out plenty of tears. Tim was insistent that we not let him play on the sculptures anymore, but I wanted him to keep trying. And so did Soren.
Soren regularly refers to himself as “the gate master.” We have no idea where he came up with it.
Near the end of the month Soren’s six-week Rock-a-Baby music class wrapped up. I’ve been mostly successful at attempting to practice “slow parenting,” this summer, so we’ve kept our schedules free and clear from sports and lessons and organized classes. But I was assigned to write a review of Rock-a-Baby for a local parenting site, so we couldn’t pass up the offer of a free class. I snapped a few photos for the review, and I think they pretty well capture how much he loved the experience.
He also loved the chance to watch traffic on the Pike from our spot in the parking lot.
One day, during a rainy walk home from the library, I got all reminiscent about how my sisters and I used to devour our books on the drive home from the library, and my mom would complain that none of us would talk to her because we had our noses stuck in our books. Same goes for Soren today. Only he’s in a stroller.
I love when Soren asks me to request particular books from the library website. Here, we have “Little Blue Truck Leads the Way.”
That weekend we spent our Saturday afternoon downtown at the Figment art festival. It was the weirdest.
Thank you, Greenway, for providing hammocks for all.
And then we were off to my homeland for hangout time and beach prep in Virginia.
We spent our first day playing at Reagan’s and visiting the National Harbor.
I’ll be honest — I do not like this new location for the Awakening statue. Move it back!
High fives
Back in Ashburn, Soren lived for fun in the backyard. Clothing always optional (all the better for luring ticks). “It’s a wrecking ball!” he says of Grandmama’s tetherball game.
Next up is August and lots and lots of beachy fun.
Wow what a fun month! I am a little shocked that you don’t like fireworks (fireworks Ashley! 😉 but I’ll forgive you since your Canadian trip looked absolutely fantastic and I would have chosen that too 😉 Excited to hear what your August brought.