Calgary Bound and Back - Part II

The first morning in Calgary, Thursday, we all slept in until 11:00 a.m. It felt so nice. The weather there was cold, but only a few degrees below zero. And there was hardly any snow on the ground. My Mom had coffee on and the kids played downstairs while Asha warmed up to her Grandma and I talked and talked and talked. It was a good morning.

The boys came home at 3:30 and were so happy to see their nephew and nieces. They all went downstairs and I didn't see them until supper. It was so good to be at my parents' place.

On Friday we had Christmas. My mom made a turkey with all the trimmings. We had the meal for supper and then afterwards, we opened presents. Joel got a Pirate toothbrush, a new Veggie Tales DVD and a book with CD. Kezia got a Mermaid toothbrush, a book, and a Little Peoples set. Asha loved her new blocks and her Uniqua (Backyardigans) doll. It was quite cute. And of course, my parents gave me a box of Almond Roca. I love that stuff!

On Saturday my parents had friends over for brunch. My Dad had married Rob and Arlene in'98, and I graduated from high school with them. It was nice to reconnect again. That afternoon, the kids went outside to the park to play. I think they aren't too accustomed to the cold because Kezia came home frozen like a popsicle. Joel said it was WAY too cold to stay outside (okay, it was only -7, that isn't that cold).

On Sunday we went to church and then in the afternoon my Grandma Buhler came over. Asha wasn't too sure who this Grandma was, so she wasn't happy about sitting on her lap. Thankfully I knew that we'd see Grandma again and so she'd have time to get to know her. My Mom made something amazing for supper and I again ate myself way too full. I don't know where my Mom gets all her great recipes. It was sure good to eat her cooking and then afterwards load all the dishes in the dishwasher.

On Monday my Mom and I went to Ikea. We dropped Joel and Kezia off in Smalland and did a bit of shopping. I was so proud of myself; I only spent $4 on a stacking set of plastic bowls. I didn't have much room in my luggage! I gave my two cents on a rug that my Mom was looking at and then we headed back to get the kids. On the way home, Joel complained that he was feeling gross. Oh no. He may have caught the boys' cold. So we go him home, he inhaled a bowl of apple sauce, threw up, and then headed straight to bed. I was sad to think that he would be sick; he'd miss out on valuable play time with his uncles. When he woke 3 hours later, he seemed much better. Thank you Lord!

On Tuesday, Asha, Kezia, and I went to visit my aunt and uncle, Henry and Sonja. Joel stayed home with my parents since he was still a bit sick and Sonja is slated for heart surgery on the 24th. We had a good visit with them. Sonja is the master of feeding her guests. It's always better to go to her house famished, or else you'll burst by the time you leave. She can never sit still unless you are eating, constantly eating. Kezia was in her glory. As soon as she finished her 4th cookie, Sonja was already up getting her an ice cream cone. Once she finished that, we went downstairs for a handful of jellybeans, chocolates and some taffy. Kezia started shoving the goodies into her pocket to save for later, but Sonja just kept dishing it out. Oh boy. I guess you're only young for such a short time. It was funny because throughout the visit, Kezia kept asking what Auntie and Uncle's names were, and I would tell her Henry and Sonja, "Ray and Lasagne?", No, Henry and Sonja...."Auntie Lasagne, can I have more candy?".

We got home and Joel was looking much better. He had a good time hanging out with my parents. My Dad was home since he was finished a house and not starting the next one until a day later. That evening Kezia played with Liam the entire time. She really took to her uncle and they had a marvelous time playing. Joel spent the evening playing video games with Markus and Randy. He was so excited he could actually play! And Asha spent the evening bouncing off my Mom's lap. It was like she was in a jolly jumper the way she just kept jumping and jumping and bouncing. She also loved to suck on Randy's hair and my Mom's neck. Mmmm....baby drool.

That evening we watched Hairspray. What a good movie! It was sure fun and I also enjoyed all the chewy candies, chips, and pop, that we munched on. There's definitely perks to being home at your parents. I always can count on good munchies.

On Wednesday evening I went to my Mom's cousin and his wife's place for supper. I was pleasantly surprised at the invitation. We had a nice meal and visit. Joel really took to Charles and had a great time with him.

On Thursday (had I already been in Calgary for a week?! Where did the time go?) I went to visit my friend Kendra and her two kids, Ethan and Abigail. It was good to see her. I had a chance to see her briefly at Sandi's wedding in Winnipeg the month before. But now we were able to have a longer visit. The kids played really well; Kezia and Ethan had a fun time together. And Kendra's husband Dave came home early, so I was able to see him too.

On Friday, my Mom, Dad, the three kids and I drove out to see a house that my Dad was working on. The drive was very nice, since there was more snow than in the city. The development was surrounded by tall pine trees and with the snow was like a winter wonderland. The house was gorgeous and for a slight moment I wished I had an extra 3400 sq. feet to live in. But then I reminded myself that more space = more mess to clean. So I'm still okay with our 600 sq. ft.

Then after we went to see the house, we drove out to see my Grandma. We had lunch there and Asha had warmed up enough to Great Grandma that she was happy to sit on her lap. We took some pictures, gave hugs and kisses, and headed back into the city to pick up the boys from school.

That evening, my Dad and I practiced music for church on Sunday. He had asked me if I would play piano for him while he sang and played guitar. It was so nice to practice with him. It was like old times in La Crete. And it had been ages since I've had the opportunity to serve with music in church. I miss it. After all the kids were in bed, we watched Amazing Grace. It's a powerful movie and I would recommend it highly.

On Saturday, the weather got cold and it started to snow. In the morning I walked to the drug store up the hill to get a few things. It was so nice to walk with the snowflakes falling onto my face; although my cheeks were quite cold by the time I got back. I miss the snow.

After lunch we all packed up and headed to the pool. Joel and Kezia had an amazing time playing in the water with all the boys. My mom stayed up on the deck and took care of Asha. Asha spent the first hour looking at all the kids playing in the wave pool and the second hour chewing on an assortment of things and drooling on my Mom. I was proud of myself that I bobbed in the water for 2.5 hours with Joel and Kezia. But I chickened out on the water slide, so my Dad took Joel about a dozen times. When we got home, we had soup for supper and had a nice quiet evening. I did some laundry and packed a bit. It was hard to believe that my trip was almost over.

The next morning I got the kids up, we got dressed and packed up all our stuff. I was so proud of all of us because we left for church 10 min. sooner than we planned. Talk about amazing! I played piano with my Dad and after church we made a bee line to the airport. We were hoping to have lunch together, but there wasn't enough time for me to postpone my check in time. Plus, once you check in for an international flight, you need to go through customs right away. So I got my luggage tagged and said goodbye to my family. It felt a bit weird leaving, I should be heading to Winnipeg to go home? I should be going with Carl? I got teary eyed thinking about leaving. The visit went by way too quickly. I told Randy that we'd be back through Calgary in less than 5 months, and when you can say, "See you in 19 Saturdays" it doesn't seem that long.

Joel pushed the stroller, I pushed the luggage cart and Kezia pulled her purple bag. Off back to California; would our journey home be as smooth?