A catch-up

I keep meaning to blog about our day, but then I remember I have to blog about Cuba, and the rest of our BC trip, and about driving to BC and back with two children. Suffice it to say that driving there (in one go, overnight) was a trip, and no one slept as much as I thought they would, but the road conditions were amazing and Eleanor kept waking up to make random small talk ('Dad, did you walk to work today? Are those trees so bald? Is this the dark?') and then going back to sleep.

The drive home we made in two days, because it was winterier and sleetier and slushier and terrifying. The girls were as good as a six-month-old and almost-three-year-old can be expected to be, which is to say that at one point, everyone in the car was either crying or laughing at the two who were crying because what can you do, really.

We ate a lot of burgers in those two days. I never want to see a burger again.

Cuba was a thing. The food was mediocre except where it was amazing (like, everything at breakfast would be borderline terrible and then there'd be a Fresh Donut Lady, which is how I ended up eating six donuts and an egg every morning).

We left Eleanor with Papa and Gigi, did I not mention that. OMG. I haven't been away from her since we left her for a weekend and went to a wedding, more than two years ago. It was terrifying and I missed her every second and whenever we walked by the amazing children's pool I'd have a pang and then some two-year-old would be throwing down at the water slide, or a kid at lunch would try to eat an entire sausage at once and have to spit it out, and I'd be like, Ah right.

Geneva was less easy than I expected one child to be, mostly I think because Joel and I are super boring and she missed her sister. Plus it took her the entire week to be like, Oh, ok, this is a pool and it is like a large bath and I enjoy it. Eleanor would have been killing it in that pool. BUT Eleanor would also have been talking my ear off without ceasing, and it was nice to sit and chat with my husband without constantly being asked what that man over there was doing.

It was also nice to spend time with Geneva, who often gets relegated to the exersaucer or the floor because she's just this placid baby thing who can't talk and demand our attention. Joel and I both agree that we like her IMMENSELY more now than we did a few weeks ago. That grinning thing she does now certainly doesn't hurt.

We spend an action-packed two days in Chilliwack, meeting the newest cousins

building a castle

going to the library and sitting in the hand-chairs. 'Hazel, we are being grabbed.'

We had Early Christmas and I'm going to end up saying this every Christmas but every Christmas is the best one, because Eleanor is bigger and better and more interactive and more excited and I could watch that child open presents all day.

Also, we have Geneva now who, as previously mentioned, is great.

We missed all that hideous Christmas In November by being out of the country, or driving between provinces, or kissing new baby faces

so it was nice to come home to Almost December and be able to set up our tree and get a bit festive. It gave us something to help ease us back into our snow-riddled Saskatoon life. And because it's not a trip if no one gets sick, we brought home head colds and I picked up something gastric that I don't want to talk about and which has kept me on crackers and ginger ale for a few days. It's minus a million degrees out right now (-30 with windchill) but we have some extremely seasonal shit planned for this weekend, and I am elated.

One more for the road, though.

Cuban lessons

You guys. Geneva grew like three sizes while we were in Cuba (I speak metaphorically, of course, referring to her intellectual development, but also literally, because she was up like five times a night and I can't in good conscience let her cry herself back down when we are SHARING WALLS WITH PEOPLE so when we get her weighed on Friday she'd better have gained at least two pounds from all these nighttime feeds is what I'm saying). She learned about:

Munching her toes

Pineapple

Sitting up

Fancy drinks

Coconut drinks

Sleeping just like right here or whatever

Papaya

Pools

Oceans

Sands

Strangers and how much she LIKES them.

Geneva's always been really starey (much like Eleanor was at her age), but with all the staff and guests coo-chooing at her, somehow the penny dropped and now she does this GRIN at people that spans her WHOLE FACE and it's amazing.

Geneva sticks her tongue out with delight.

Geneva sticks her tongue out with delight at this poolside. 

At this cucumber. 

At this pool. 

At this beach. 

At this high-chair-sitting. 

At this FLYING. 

 

At Cuba, on the whole. 

Cousinabalism

Cousins are always trying to TASTE each other. 

ALWAYS. 

LONG DISTANCE TASTE ATTEMPT. 

But then sometimes it looks like they're telling adorable baby secrets. 

Ugh, stop being so adorable, you two. 

 

So defiant. 

We call this a Vancouver Picnic

It's raining outside. 

But we have this picnic basket. 

And a Papa. 

There are so many things you can do

with a Papa and a picnic basket when it is raining. 

Rude bird rudes again

Remember when the Genny Wren had her tongue out all the time? And couldn't stop making spitties, like it was her JOB? She stopped doing that entirely because she realized she could make dolphin sounds and you can only really do one thing with your mouth at a time. Anyway, the tongue is back, with a vengeance.

This is my tongue. 

This also is my tongue. 

This is my tongue and also my hand is FASCINATING. 

My good gracious. 

A handful of piggies.

This little piggy went trick-or-treating. 

This little piggy was a huge hit with the neighbors. 

This little piggy got a ridiculous amount of candy in a single block of houses. 

This little piggy spent an hour that night organizing her candy, and reorganizing. 

This little piggy VERY CAREFULLY selected candy from the cauldron to give to the trick-or-treaters (I can't believe I didn't get a picture of this happening. She was so meticulous. Also, I forgot to tell Joel to give out candy generously [I like to buy enough candy to give it out with both hands. It makes me feel beneficent] so when I got back with the girls, we still had like four-fifths of a cauldron full of candy). 

This little piggy woke up in the morning and organized her candy again. 

This little piggy got to pick ONE TREAT to eat after her breakfast. 

This little piggy spent literally like half the day putting her candy bars in a line, putting like with like. 

This little piggy doesn't care that she missed out on candy because YAMS. 

GIVE US THIS HUMAN FOOD INTO OUR MOUTH.