Graham’s First Vacation

Graham’s First Vacation February 12, 2016

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 12:15 pm

On Tuesday, our little family took off for an adventure. It was the perfect time to take a trip. I had hit a wall and I needed fun. I wanted to run away. I find that getting out of the country helps with that feeling. This marks our 4th trip to BC in the last two years. Who knew that it would become “our” spot. But BC is our spot. The place I daydream about on hard days. A lot of people think it’s because my favorite television show is filmed there. However, I have decided that is only a fun perk. There is a riverwalk in Steveston Village that we catch at sunset and it makes me so happy. It’s beautiful. It’s friendly and feels safe. The first two visits Owen hasn’t walking so we took stroller walks. The last two visits Owen has walked/ran the boardwalk with toddler wonder. The world is so exciting to him. His point of view and enthusiasm make me smile. This time, I got to walk the boardwalk with Graham in the baby carrier. It was a special moment to me – walking with my family in one of my favorite places. It doesn’t get any better!

We made it into Canada mid-afternoon on Tuesday. We checked into the hotel and got upgraded to a suite which was perfect. We had a small kitchen, living space and a bedroom. This meant that the toddler and baby wouldn’t have to share a room. Graham slept great in the living space and I got to bunk with the toddler. At first I thought Owen might sleep with Daddy since they were roommate on our last family vacation, but in the end Owen wanted to sleep with Mommy. Luckily, he slept by me and didn’t use me like a stuff animal.

Once we got settled into the hotel, we took off for Steveston Village. Jeremy and I went to Wave’s Coffee House which is a favorite of ours. We got drinks and a Nanaimo bar for later. We took our family walk, went to Costco, had dinner at A&W and went back to the hotel to play in the pool. This was Graham’s first swimming experience. Since he was with me, it was a short experience. The pool wasn’t super warm so I went to soak my feet in the hot tub. Graham got wrapped up in towels and joined me in watching Jeremy and Owen splash about.

Wednesday, we had breakfast at the hotel. We took off to explore a few shops. We always stop and buy candy bars. We had lunch at our favorite place in Vancouver. They have the best fish and chips. Jeremy and I talk about them year around. After lunch, we took off for Langley. This was a fun adventure because Jeremy wanted to avoid a confusing toll bridge we’ve taken during past trips. Avoiding the bridge gave us new territory to look at and gave the boys a chance to take a nap while we traveled. Our purpose in heading to Langley was find where they were filming Once Upon a Time that day. We discovered the filming location, but it was off the road on a big property, so we had to settle for driving by a few times. We made a stop in Langley to let Owen run out some energy at a McDonald’s play place. I was proud of Owen for conquering his fear of the slide. It took him a long time to go down, but he finally had a break through and loved it! The fun of eating in Canada is to get things you can only get there. Jeremy enjoyed some poutine at McDonald’s and I had a blueberry maple pie. I love that there is a maple everywhere! Dinner was Boston’s Pizza. We took a walk around Canadian Tire and then got a doughnut at Tim Horton’s for dessert. Jeremy and Owen went back down to the pool that night and Graham and I spent some time in the hotel room unwinding from the busy day.

Thursday was our travel day home. We went back to Steveston for one last stop at Waves. We got more Nanaimo bars and I got a fantastic coconut lemon bar. Yum! Once we made it back into the USA, Jeremy had a few stops he wanted to make. We hung out at Sky Nursery and looked at plants. We stopped at Costco Business Center. Jeremy has a few things he likes that he can only buy there. Owen loves Costco and this Costco is different then the one we have Olympia, so it’s fun to explore and see what things they offer.

We made it home with enough time to do a couple loads of laundry and unpack. It was a fun trip. Graham was an excellent traveler and sleeper. It was nice to do something out of the norm and escape real life for a while. I love my husband. I am so thankful he has an adventurous spirit. I will think back fondly on this trip for a long time. What a perfect first vacation for our little family of four!