Nova Scotia–Part 2

 

Happy Friday! A short week that felt long? Is that even possible? I guess from getting things back in order after our amazing vacation, my week has felt a little hectic. So, I’m going to go back in my memory banks to vacation last week! My happy place!

On the Saturday of our vacation, we hung around the cottage for the most part. Back in May, my parents agreed to watch Sam for us while we went for a night out when in Nova Scotia! We decided Saturday was the perfect night! We put Sam down for his afternoon nap, got dressed and hit the road!

Picture update we got on our date!

My parents surprised us with a gift card taped to the inside of the car we were driving! The Keg, one of our favorites!

We were a little early for supper so decided to take in the sights and sounds of downtown Halifax! It was a warm and sunny day so there were TONS of people walking around! We looked around the gift shops, watched the ships and spotted Theodore the tugboat!

We were feeling kind of warm after our long walk so decided to head to a pub for a pre-dinner drink! This is one of my first full sized beers post baby! Yum!

We had an AMAZING supper at The Keg, as usual! We ate nice and slowed! We didn’t want to rush at all!

On our drive back to the cottage we were a little concerned that Sam may not be asleep yet (7 PM) so I stopped at the local Dairy Queen for dessert and parked at a bike path. We took our ice cream and went for a long walk! It was a gorgeous evening!

I won’t lie, after about 6 hours of being away from Sam, I was anxious to get back to see how things went! When we walked in the door everything was quiet! A good sign!

Sunday morning we made a big breakfast and waited for the ship builder to drop off the Bluenose! It is beautiful and the perfect piece for their mantle piece.

We lucked out with another amazing day! The sun was out and it was HOT! We wanted to make sure to let Sam stick his toes in the ocean for the first time! I grabbed my camera and we headed down to the water for the big moment!

He wasn’t all that impressed with the cold water and the sand in his toes! ha ha!

There is a bathtub at the cottage but it is hard to access because of stairs! All week Sam got to have kitchen sink baths instead! Sunday was his last one of the trip!

After Sam was in bed, cousins came over for our last night and supper! We were going to have steak and lobster! I have never eaten a whole lobster before and announced that it was something I wanted to do!

Well my cousin decided that if I was going to eat a lobster, I was also going to be responsible for cooking it too!

That was interesting….but in 20 minutes in a pot of boiling water, our supper was ready! We all sat down for a lesson on lobster cleaning! My goodness it takes a lot of work to get all the meat out! Ha ha!

Monday morning we woke up, packed and got dropped off at the air port! This was one of the first trips where I felt like I wasn’t ready to leave yet. We SO enjoyed our first family vacation and didn’t want it to end! The cottage is the perfect home away from home!

Even though our 2014 vacation is over, we are already talking about and planning for our return to the cottage next year!

Hope you have a great weekend!

xo

Nova Scotia– Part 1

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! We are currently shaking off the vacation cobwebs and trying to get back into our normal schedule! We had such an amazing vacation! We decided this year to pack up and fly to Nova Scotia this year to stay at my parents cottage for the week. This cottage is less then a year old and we have been watching as they have made decision after decision when it comes to the reno!

On Tuesday morning we were up before the sun (we even had to wake poor Sam up) to head to the airport! We have been worrying about flying with Sam. We didn’t want to be those people with the screaming baby on the plane!

Sam was tired from his early morning wake up call! I strapped him to me in a sling and right before we boarded he fell fast asleep and remained asleep for the majority of the flight!

My parents were there to pick us up at the airport and it was a short 30 minute drive back to the cottage to get our first glimpse. It was beautiful and we were so excited for the week ahead! After a quick supper together, we put Sam to bed and us adults sat around the fireplace to visit and have a couple of drinks!

The next morning we all slept in and then sat around sipping our coffees and watching the ocean. The best part about the cottage is the location! 20 minutes from Halifax, right on the ocean but on a “bay” so that it is calm water!

We were suppose to get up and get going on Wednesday morning to head to Peggy’s Cove but decided a day to lounge around was way better!

There was a surprise in store on Thursday for Ryan. He had to get up a little earlier and met a cousin of mine for a day of four wheeling on the trails around Nova Scotia.

While Ry was away, Mom, Sam and I went and looked around some adorable little shops in St.Margarets bay, grabbed a quick Chinese lunch and then went to visit a very important relative! My Aunt Lil is 93 years old and one of the last living siblings of my late maternal Grandmother. I was so excited to introduce Sam and have a visit with my sweet aunt!

My Aunt Lil had some yummy slush ready for us (a secret family drink recipe) and snacks! We all sat around chatting and hearing stories!

Aunt Lil showing Mom how to make the perfect slush!

When we got back, it was time for a nap but Sam was over tired and refusing to sleep. The only way I could get him to stay asleep was in my arms! So, we had a nap together!

That was one of my favourite spots! The chair was right in front of the fireplace yet you could see out the large french doors to the ocean!

Room shot

Friday morning we started getting ready a little quicker so that we could hit the road to visit Mahone Bay and Lunenburg!

Our first stop was Lunenburg and our first glimpse of the Bluenose II. This legendary ship was amazing to see in person! The craftsmanship was beautiful and after reading more of the history, I could see why it was the pride of Nova Scotia.

As fun as the trip was, we had a mission that day! My parents were in search of a replica Bluenose model for their mantle! We hit up every shop to search high and low! Don’t worry, we had fun doing it!  

We searched Lunenburg high and low but came up empty handed! So, we took the 10 minute drive to Mahone Bay to have lunch at one of Mom’s favourite eastern spots! They made the best seafood chowder I have EVER had! The view was killer as well!

We shopped EVERY store in search of a Bluenose model but couldn’t find one. Defeated we decided to turn around to head back to Lunenburg to buy one that suited the best. Just before Lunenburg, Dad spotted a small sign in a random laneway that said “Bluenose Model”. We stopped and discovered this treasure of a place! This guy was a retired RCMP officer and built Bluenose models as a hobby. It was beautiful and he had one for sale that he agreed to drive to the cottage that coming Sunday!

We were all tired after our big day and just snacked on munchies for supper and played cards for the rest of the evening! Our evening ritual….Sam goes to bed, the games came out! Yahtzee, Dominoes, Euchre and etc!

Stay tuned for part 2…

xo

Sam’s First Camping Trip

 

Happy Monday everyone! I hope that you all had a great weekend! Let me tell you, we had an AMAZING weekend.

On Thursday my little family of 3 packed up and headed down south to Massena, N.Y!

We were invited down by friends to join them for the weekend in their camper for a weekend of relaxing, campfires, outdoor games and golf for the boys!

We started out on Thursday night by watching a 25 minute fourth of July firework show! It was amazing and I just couldn’t believe how long it went on for!

The boys woke up with the birds at 6 to go golfing while Sam and the girls slept in till 8:30 on Friday morning! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the clock flashing 8:30! I can’t remember the last time I slept till that late! Being that it was the fourth of July, I dressed Sam in something patriotic!

Once the guys got home we would have lunch, visit, play camp games (latter ball, washers, cards and etc.) for the remainder of the afternoon! Sam would either nap/sleep in his stroller or playpen in the camper! We had brought a monitor with us so we could put him in the camper and be free to do stuff outside without having to worry about him!

Not that we ever did worry, this little guy was SPOILED with lots of snuggles! Ryan joked on our way home that he wasn’t sure that he held him for more then 10 minutes all weekend!

 

This was my kind of camping! Air conditioner, electricity and normal bathrooms! The campsite itself was beautiful. Awesome park for kids, walking paths, pool and it was so clean! I loved the little train in the park and I can see Sam climbing all over it in future years!

 

We were very close to the town centre and would get supper ingredients every night. Ryan and I ventured one afternoon into the town to see if we could find some new sandals for Sam (he has grown out of my favourites! Boo!). Well, sandals for Sam turned into two other outfits for him, 2 pairs of shorts for Daddy, 2 new shirts for Mommy and one future birthday gift…thank you TJ Maxx! Ha ha!

It was a great weekend away from home. We felt like we were far away but really only 2 1/2 hours from home. I guess because we were in a different country we felt like we were so far away! It was Sam’s first overnight trip somewhere else besides home and I packed WAY too much! Even being outside of his normal surroundings, Sam was very good and thankfully didn’t wake up too much at night!

We were sad to be heading home and back to reality on Sunday but it was a great first trip away as a family! We are so lucky to have such great friends to open their arms (and camper doors) to us and our 3 month old!

Nothing says summer like a fun weekend outdoors!

How was your weekend?

xo

Nova Scotia– Part 2

 

Happy Friday everyone! So glad this week is over. But, when am I not? I thought I’d finish up our trip to Nova Scotia for you today.

Ryan and I arrived in Halifax pretty early and we were worried about where to park. We decided to drive up to the hotel to see if they would let us check in early. Thankfully, our room was ready so we got to park and settle in!

We decided to walk the harbour and take in some of the sights of Halifax before grabbing lunch! It was such a flurry of activity and it was so beautiful walking around the water.

I saw this familiar character!

We also stopped and listened to this young man play his fiddle! He was so good!

We were pretty hungry so we stopped for lunch at a little pub along the water! Of course we got a table outside on the patio! It was too beautiful to be stuck inside!

After lunch, we headed a short walk down the harbour to the Alexander Keith’s Brewery for a tour! We had heard good things about this tour and wanted to check it out!

The tour was awesome!! I had been on other brewery tours before but what made this one stand out from the rest was the historical re-enactment. Everyone was in historical clothes and everything was set in early Halifax when the brewery was opened.

I love history so I loved hearing all about that time era and my husband loves beer….so it was a win-win! ha ha!

After a couple free samples, we were full from lunch and feeling good so we headed back to our room for a little afternoon nap – I love being on holidays, I love naps!

We woke up and got ready for supper. But, this wasn’t just any ordinary meal. We were going to be FINALLY surprising Mom. We had been keeping this trip a complete surprise from her for the longest time! It was a relief that I didn’t have to hide anything from her anymore!

Ryan and I arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes early. We had planned it with Dad that the reservations were for 7:30. We settled in with our backs to the door. I could see through a picture hanging on the wall when they arrived. I could see them walking closer and closer to our table. Right before they were seated, Ryan and I turned around.

Mom let out a HUGE scream. I think we scared her half to death (and everyone sitting in the restaurant as well). It was a great surprise and I was so glad not to be hiding anything from her anymore!

Lobster for supper….yum!

The next morning we met for breakfast and then hit the road to St.Margaret’s Bay where my mom’s family originates. There, they knew there was going to be a party/family reunion.

What she didn’t know, was there was another special guest who was going to be there! As a surprise, we had arranged to have Mom’s sister, Debbie fly down to meet up with everyone for the party! The two sister’s hadn’t been in the Nova Scotia, in the presence of all their family, since they were little girls. It was a great surprise and again my mother let our a HUGE scream when she saw Auntie Debbie standing in the kitchen! 

After relaxing for a bit, everyone got changed so the party could get started! After my mom’s mother died, her father (and his new wife) packed up the kids and they moved around. She had lost contact with a lot of her Mother’s family and so they were never present when my parents got married. 35 years later, they were able to renew their vows in the presence of family who never got to witness it. It was even officiated by a first cousin, Bev. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place as they exchanged rings and said “I do”, again.

There was lots of family around and there was a HUGE feast! Most of this family I was meeting for the first time. But, I felt so at home. They were all so loving and welcoming. Ryan and I are already talking about wanting to go back for another visit. I miss having them around and sometimes I wonder what my childhood would have been like if they were closer. They are all such wonderful people who have a strong belief in family. I am so lucky to know them all now.

The band got started that night and the party was rocking! It was so much fun. It felt like a wedding reception!

My cousin Heather and her fiancé Brian, had put SO much work into their property to get ready for this party! Not to mention Heather’s daughter gave up her room for Ryan and I. We can’t thank them enough for such hospitality. 

My mom’s first cousins!

The kids!

It was nice to drive around Nova Scotia and show Ryan around. We got to see lots of different places. But, we both agreed WHEN we go back, we will be heading straight to St. Margaret’s Bay where we are welcomed with open arms from family! It’s where we felt so at home and where we look forward to future summer vacations! Meeting and seeing all the family was the icing on the cake of a perfect trip!

Happy Friday! 

xo