Monday, August 3, 2009 - Halifax Natal Day

This morning we had a relaxing sleep in until 9am when we got up. After getting ready we headed over to Cec and Adele Murphy’s (Alana’s parents) to visit with them. We hadn’t been there since they had put in their pool, and it was overcast so we didn’t go in, but it was beautiful to look at so we sat outside and enjoyed iced cappuccinos.

We had our lunch at the Chicken Burger in Bedford which is quite a “tradition”. We all had cheeseburgers, onion rings and chocolate milkshakes. Next we headed into the Natural History Museum where we were quite entertained. We saw lots of live animals such as a tortoise which Bella got to pet, snakes, frogs and bees. We got to dig for fossils and build a salt molecule, plus lots of other things.

Upon leaving the museum we drove over to the Fairview Cemetery to visit Dean’s father’s grave. It was our first time having Becca there so that was special. And then we played hide and seek with the headstones because, although it is a solemn place, Dean Sr. was such a special man that we want the girls to think fondly of their late grandfather.

For dinner we had a lovely spaghetti casserole with salad and then Dean, Bella and Dianne headed out to Melville Heights for Dianne’s concert and Bella sang along with her during a special part. She was a very good girl, but was exhausted and dozed a little in Dean’s arms after her part. They came home and we all had dessert before heading into bed.

Sunday, August 2, 2009 - Trenton

Today was a big driving day. We had to wake Becca up at 9am (the bathroom is working great!) so that we could all be in the car by 10am. After rearranging car seats so Dianne could fit back there with the girls, getting gas and a Starbucks treat, we were off to Trenton to visit Dean’s Aunt Ella MacDonald and cousin Karin Mouris. It’s about an hour and a half drive from Halifax and unfortunately Becca got the sun in her eyes and then wouldn’t go back to sleep and kept fussing.

We arrived around noon and had a great cool lunch of ham and potato salad etc. Bella was getting a bit rambunctious so she went for a few walks outside with Dean and Dianne to burn off some energy. We took pictures, drew pictures, looked at pictures, and then it was time to head back home so we all piled into the car. Dean did a great job driving while the rest of us caught a nap. Upon arriving back to the apartment we went into the pool too cool off and refresh from our naps.

Bella had her infamous “mac and cheese” however the rest of us were treated to a feast of scallops. I couldn’t believe it. Dianne paid about $15 for the scallops and we would have paid at least $50 for back in Calgary. We waited until Becca went to bed so that we could really enjoy them. We had also picked up a nice Merlot at the local wine store and we enjoyed that.

Dean and I both headed to bed early to enjoy our books. Since Becca has been sleeping in the bathroom, it has been really easy for us to read and not worry about waking her up.

Saturday, August 1, 2009 - Beaver Bank and Halifax Waterfront

We had a great sleep and woke up around 9am. We said goodbye to Truro around 10am and followed Mom and Dad into visit my Grandparents , Bill and Edna Matthews, in Beaver Bank. We arrived in time for lunch which consisted of chicken pot pie (in which my grandmother forgot the sauce and the chicken), a macaroni casserole, homemade biscuits and some more of that great port! Dad took Isabella for a walk in the woods and taught her about the different trees and she came back with leaves and was able to tell us which tree they came from. Becca entertained everyone left behind just by being her cute self.

After the walk we packed up and went to visit my aunt and uncle (Bonnie and Barry Matthews). We didn’t stay there too long, and my dad took me and Dean for a drive around the subdivision showing us which land still belonged to our family and what the developers were doing with the other land. It was very interesting and we even drove down a “Rebecca Drive”.

After this we packed up, said goodbye to Mom and Dad and headed into Halifax. We ran a few errands along the way, but still ended up in time to hit the pool. We got the girls settled and Becca into bed and then we left Dianne home with them and Dean and I went out to dinner.

We drove down to the waterfront and went for a nice walk. Next we headed into Salty’s Upstairs for our 8pm dinner reservation. Dean had seafood chowder, pan seared scallops and baked Atlantic salmon. I had seafood chowder, oyster on the half shell and a seafood Quattro (salmon, haddock, shrimp and scallops) and it was all fabulous. We started with Grey Goose Martinis, and then shared a lovely bottle of Bordeaux. We topped off the meal by splitting some Nova Scotia Apple Crisp. Just as we were paying the bill, fireworks started outside! We were able to get a great spot and watched a nice show. It wasn’t nearly as good as the Canada Day show we saw in Ganges Harbour, but it was still nice.

After the fireworks we walked over to the Casino. I tried my luck (unsuccessfully) at the slots while Dean played for hours at the roulette table. He also was unsuccessful but we had lots of fun. We got home around 1am and went straight to bed.

Friday, July 31, 2009 - Clam Harbour Beach

Today was Beach Day! We woke to an overcast day, but it wasn’t raining so nothing was going to keep us from going. Mom packed us a few snacks and beach toys and towels and then we stopped at Subway to grab sandwiches for the bulk of our lunch. Unfortunately Dad was scheduled to take some people on a fossil tour of Joggins, so he wasn’t able to come with us. We needed to take two cars to fit us all and fortunately I lucked out and got to be the passenger in Mom’s car while Dean followed in our rental with the girls. It was a great time for Mom and I to just relax and chat, and Dean had a pretty good drive too – well, except for when Isabella threw up.

We arrived at a foggy Clam Harbour Beach at noon and had our lunch up at the picnic tables before we headed down to the water. The water was quite cold at first but it didn’t stop us from going in. I sat Becca on the sand so that sometimes she was out of the water, however the larger waves would make it out to her. She liked splashing in the water and picking up (eating) sand, but she didn’t like it when a cold wave would sneak up and get her. I carried her out to jump in the waves with us but she didn’t really like that either. Becca spent most of her time in the shallow water while Isabella, Dean and I spent a lot of time out in the waves. Mom spent a lot of time with Becca on shore, but she was so fussy that I had to cut my water play short and join them.

We enjoyed some more snacks of cookies and cheesies and Bella has lots of fun digging holes and burying us in the sand. Around 2:30 we started the long process of packing up and trying to get the majority of sand off of the girls. After doing as good a job as we could we piled back into the cars and headed off to Heritage Village which was on the way home. This is a little area with actual relocated buildings from the 1940’s like a schoolhouse, church, house, barn etc. It was really fun to walk around and see how life was back then. Before we left we got some treats at the gift shop for the drive back. We headed back to our cars and were home in Truro by about 5pm.

Dad was already home and waiting for us and then he went out and got us some gorgeous 2 lb lobsters. We got Becca into bed and Bella set up in the TV room with the Garfield movie while the adults headed into the air conditioned apartment end of the house and had a feast. We watched the movie “Burn After Reading” and it was quite enjoyable. The lobster was delicious and we also enjoyed some of my grandfather’s homemade port. We were all in bed fairly early and I enjoyed reading some of my book.

Thursday, July 30, 2009 - Visiting Family

This morning we got to sleep in, as having Becca sleep in the bathroom worked and she slept in until 9am. We had a light breakfast and then got in the car to head back out to Truro for another visit. We arrived just in time for lunch which was a yummy salad and quiche. Mom and Dad had other visitors also with small children so it was a nice family style lunch. After lunch we headed into Middle Musquoboit to visit my Grandmother Pearl Higgins at her nursing home. It was a special family fun day so there were games and prizes and treats.

When we first arrived I surprised to see how great my Grandmother looked. She looked younger and more energetic than last summer when I saw her. She knew who I was, but she had some trouble remembering Dean. We went out to the back yard and went for a walk. Then we enjoyed some ice cream treats and Bella won a prize in the sucker pull game. Dean and I joined in the water balloon toss, and we almost won when Dean dropped our balloon and we ended up coming in second. After about an hour we all packed up and took my Grandmother out to see my Uncle Clary’s headstone. He passed away in June of 2008 and this was our first time seeing the headstone. It was pouring rain, but Dean and I braved the wet and went out to see it and my grandfather’s headstone, while everyone else waiting in the cars.

We said goodbye to everyone and headed back to Truro. Mom and Dad arrived shortly after us due to all of our wrong turns and taking all the back roads. We got the girls dinner and then got ready to head out to dinner. We went out with my cousin Kelly and her husband Glenn. They brought their daughter Olivia (5) over to my Mom and Dad’s for a “sleepover” while we were out. We headed out to a restaurant called Frank and Gino’s and had lots of cocktails! Except for Glenn who was driving (thanks Glenn!). Dinner was great and we got to chat lots. My fish and chips were disappointing, but the company was great! We headed back to Mom and Dad’s around 9:30 to find the girls calm and colouring. We visited a bit longer but then they went home and we all went to bed.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 - York Redoubt and The Dingle

We awoke very early this morning, around 6am, thanks to Becca’s short sleep. She didn’t sleep very long in the morning due to the sun coming in the bedroom. I got up with her and Dean had a shower. He then took Becca and walked over to Starbuck’s (yay! back to civilization).Shortly after Dean got home Dianne and Bella got up.

We started out our day by heading out to breakfast at Smitty’s and then came home and swam in the pool. We had a light lunch of soup and crackers and then we headed out to York Redoubt. We had a lot of fun walking on the paths and checking out the buildings and cannons. After about an hour we left and drove over the Sir Sanford Flemming Park (The Dingle) where Dean and I had our wedding pictures taken. Dean and Bella played on the playground while Becca and I sat by the water. Next we all climbed the stairs up to the very top of the Dingle Tower. It was kind of scary, but we all made it up and down safely. We continued to walk around the tower and Bella played in the water for a bit. On our way back to Dianne’s we stopped at Dairy Queen to have a nice cool treat.

We hit the pool again before dinner and got all cooled off before a chicken casserole. We had another quiet night in and Dianne and Isabella spent a lot of time at the piano. We decided to set up Rebecca in the bathroom with her bed, so that the sun wouldn’t wake her up. After we put Becca to bed, Dean and I headed down to the pool for some relaxation without kids! It was an early evening into bed.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - into Halifax

This morning we got up and had a leisurely morning. After lunch we headed into Halifax. Our first task was to hit the pool. Bella had a blast and did great with her arm floaties on, while Rebecca had a lot of fun while I held her.

We had a nice dinner of Beef Bourgugnon at Dianne’s and had great chats catching up. Rebecca went into bed in our bedroom and Bella was sharing a room with her Nanny. It was very hot and humid but we got the ceiling fan going and that helped a little.