"Home" to BC with Jonathan - R

Right after celebrating Aaron's birthday at home in Halifax, Jonathan and I took a trip "home" to BC. We spent a week in the Lower Mainland, splitting our time between the Penrose and Martens families.

Jonathan was a happy little flyer . . . much to my relief
(and that of the other passengers too -  I am sure)

Nana and Papa (my parents) picked us up from the airport and we had dinner with my brother Gord and stayed at his place in West Vancouver that night. During the night, my sister Elena along with two friends drove down from Prince George . . . it was great to wake up in the morning and see them! We spent that next day at the Seattle Premium Outlets - Jonathan's first cross border trip was uneventful thanks to his passport and a letter from Aaron giving his consent.

That evening Jonathan and I moved into Grandma and Grandpa Martens' (Aaron's parents) basement guest suite. We had dinner that evening with Aaron's brother Chris and his girlfriend Deena, and then were joined by AJ (Aunt Janice) and Uncle Dennis for a wonderful dessert!

Jonathan coped well to the time change, adjusting his feeding and sleeping schedule quickly

It was wonderful to spend some time with AJ and Uncle Dennis, and to see them interact with Jonathan

The next day Jonathan and I spent the day with the Penrose family at the Vancouver Aquarium and Jonathan got to meet and hangout with his cousin Austin.

Uncle Gord gets in some quality time with Jonathan

Jonathan was enthralled with the fish and sea life

It was great to get him right up close to the glass where he could look and "touch"

Jonathan had a great time with Austin, gumming on his fingers
and gaining a few feet in height every time Austin picked him up!

All in all it was a wonderful day which Jonathan really seemed to enjoy!

That evening, we celebrated a belated birthday for Deena and prepared for the Open House to meet Jonathan the next day.

Deena and Chris with the Martens' traditional blackforest birthday cake trifle . . . mmmm

On Sunday, the Martens' opened up their home to family and friends so that we could catch up and they could all meet little Jonathan. Though we missed a few who were working, sick or otherwise occupied, it was wonderful to spend some time with all those able to make it!

It was nice to see Erin (a friend from days as a rugby trainer) and her son Austin.

After the excitement of the Open House it was nice to relax at Gord's the next day and spend some time with Nana and Papa.

Nana and Papa enjoyed having some quality time with Jonathan and we are thankful they were able to make it down to the Lower Mainland for our visit!

Aunt Pat was able to make it out to Langley for the Open House, but most of the rest of her family could not - so she had Jonathan and I over for a gourmet dinner the next evening! It was wonderful to catch up with PJ (as well as her children Isaiah and Elena) and Deb and Joel in addition to Aunt Pat and John over the lovely meal. That evening, we also discovered that Jonathan's first tooth had come in . . . and he hardly even fussed at all!

Jonathan got to see a bit of White Rock too, as Grandma Martens and I took him for a stroll along the boardwalk there the next day. It was a bit windy though, and the tide was out so we didn't get to dip our toes in the Pacific - that will have to wait for the next trip!

Jonathan makes good use of the bouncer that at one point a long time ago
Aaron used as well!

We spent a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa Martens house . . .
but somehow I didn't get a single picture with either of them!

I got some more shopping in on our last full day, and had a great sushi dinner with Gord and Austin. 

Jonathan and his cousin Austin hanging out at Uncle Gord's after a dinner of all-you-can-eat sushi

Then it was back to Langley to pack up for our early morning departure back home. The flight home was another great flight for Jonathan . . . despite the fact that his second tooth erupted at 30,000 feet somewhere over Manitoba!

As we fly into Halifax, out the window we could see that autumn had arrived!

It was a wonderful visit - though too short as always. However, it was great to be back home and fill Aaron in on all of our travel stories! I am grateful for all the help Jonathan and I received while travelling, from flight attendants getting us settled, to strangers helping us with our bags . . . but it made me even more grateful for a loving husband and eager father to share parenting with, I just don't know how single parents do it!

Cheers,
Racheal