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.