Sasha and I flew to Ontario for her 2nd whirlwind journey visiting friends and family. I have been home 10 times now in my 11 years here in Vancouver...need my regular doses of the folks I left behind in geographical terms only. We were reunited with my mom, Sasha's Oma, after our first week was complete...
when we landed on the 17th, and got into our rental car for the 2+ weeks, it was 10:30pm and our first stop was Hamilton for a stay at the Kowalski home. Love hanging out with Sue-b-doo, Mike and the kids! Good quality time as it was a long weekend, and Sasha had a blast with little Sofia (though she couldn't pronounce the 'fia' part and therefore called her 'sofa') including her first bath time with a buddy - too cute! Our last night was the Victoria monday and Mike, in collaboration with a few other guys, put on a spectacular night of fireworks for us kids of all ages ;)
by Tuesday we were off. on our way to Toronto for quick lunch at Nany's with my Aunty too. Then a drive by one of my childhood neighbourhoods (off the danforth btwn Main and Woodbine where I did grade 2-6 at Gledhill, then a year at D.A. Morrison before my move to Burlington) while Sasha had her nap...and when she awoke we were in Bomanville for a stay with the Roberts clan. Angela was my 2nd friend in Burlington and has been one of my best ever since! Love to get our girls together!!
Also love card nights with Ang & Ian. No one makes me laugh to the point of tears like they do! :)
The next day, after an open gym play day at an Early Years learning centre with Angela and the girls, we were off again.
Time for a few days in Mississauga with the boomlights. My bestest friend is Tania and on Feb 29 her and Jeff welcomed another boy into their clan - Nathaniel! So exciting to meet him! (I was in Ontario when their 1st boy Zac was born) Sasha adored holding and reading to baby Nate...and for some reason enjoyed trying to stack things on his head! Went to my first warehouse toy sale, we had a walking trip around the small local lake, and most importantly had lots of simple hang out time with Tania and the boys.
While we were staying at Tania's, Sasha and I headed to Burlington for a bbq with Sasha's Niney (aka Linda), Papa Rob, Aunty Manda and Uncle Fraser. Another one of my homes away from home, and lots of fun. Sasha had us all boogeying on the patio...once she was done with her wagon rides and rearranging patio furniture :)
Back to Toronto for another visit with Nany...and for the first time in about 8-9 years our family was reunited. Here are the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of my Grandpa Herbert Petrich. It was a memorial weekend for us, and we all took a walk to the cemetary where a tree has been planted for him. Exactly what he wanted. A beautiful cemetary, a tree that will flower and produce berries for the birds, and in the lovely heritage church Sasha decided she needed to sit in every pew before we left (fortunately a small church, teehee)
One of those bittersweet gatherings, where we celebrated Uncle Rolly being with us (after his 10 week hospital experience last year, which Sasha and I visited during) and I was simply so happy to be able to hug him and shake my visual memories from last year away.
But along with that happiness, and the joy of having us all together, there was a lot of sadness at his sudden and recent loss of his love Donna. A ridiculously hard year for him, and I was glad we could all be there for a bit of support. In remembering Donna and Grandpa, I am still processing a bit of melancholy. Though I have been to over 30 funerals and memorials in my life now, these passings were the first of my immediate family and strike at a different chord within.
I'm thankful for the strength that came from having us all together again. And I love seeing Sasha and Cheyenne together - here they are the techno twins...glad she has big cousin to help show her all the tech savvy stuff ;)
Sasha is hilarious when she picks up a phone (in this pic she is actually pretending with an ipod)...she says "Oh Hi!" then "Ok, bye!"
For the last week we stayed with mom to help her get ready for her big move. A last stay in her Port Credit home of 17 years! With a teething toddler (Sasha has her final 4 back molars working their way slowly in) I actually wasn't too much help, except that we provided a good distraction now and then...a few good trips to the beautiful park down the street for walking, climbing, sliding and playing with waterfalls.
Throughout the final week we had a few more play dates including: an afternoon with Alli and Sheila in Burlington for lunch and fun with felines (see video below of Sasha tossing toys for crazy Maisy cat); a day at high park with Tania and Nate, where Sasha played at the new castle park (which Tania's sister helped build) and got to pet a baby llama; and another play day in Toronto to hang with Sivvy and Jade...we took a lot of turns running around in circles with the wagon for the girls - the whole time Sasha saying "faster faster faster"...gave me a much needed dose of cardio work out ;)
Our last saturday was the day for Mom's move to the Long Branch neighbourhood in Etobicoke. her new place is super, and has many benefits in and out. new kitchen and bathroom. view of the lake (though not as breathtaking as her view from the 15th floor overlooking Toronto skyline and lake...so we enjoyed the old view every night together for late night chats on her balcony and it is permantently etched in my mind now), great shopping and transit within minutes walking distance, and right across the street a nice park and a little beach area where the swans, geese, ducks, and other water birds come hang out. Happy mom found another place along the lakeshore area as she is most at home along this stretch. Long over due for some happiness Mom!!!!!!!! :)
on our last full day Sasha had a couple of visits with her great-grandparents. one more visit with Nany, where we captured this awesome pic of 4 generations together :)
Sasha had a great time watering all the flowers on the balcony with Oma. After lunch we hit the road again, dropping mom off on the way, and giving Sasha some nap time. When she awoke we were in Mississauga again for a visit with Nana and Grandpa (Agnes and Jack) who have been grandparents to me since I was 10, and became part of their Holland clan as well.
our final night we stayed at Tania's again. A good space for Sasha to burn herself out in the morning before our flight home later in the day. After a final dose of baby Nate, we hit the road to pick up mom in Toronto.
So when Sasha woke up we were at Oma's work. We did the tour again, and everyone Sasha met last year was stunned by how big she has become. she was quite shy for about 10 minutes, but by the time we got to mom's work area she was a complete cheeseball and totally had a blast. After Oma was done, and everyone had met her granddaughter, we were on the road one last time...final destination - airport!
When I'm home in Ontario I am always homesick for the folks I'm visiting. There is also a comfort that comes from spending time with people you've known forever, and being welcome in so many homes. even when those homes change. Sue and Tania will be in new homes next time I see them! Mom will be settled in her new home - yay. Positive new beginnings :)
I had really wanted to squeeze in a few more play dates with other people...but as you can see our time was plenty full without any major planning. I'm glad we didn't over do it this time out. It was a much needed laidback trip overall for us both ...even if there were more than a few moments where I nearly ripped my hair out, hehe (did I mention the teething??)
When I come back to my new home here in Vancouver, I am soooo happy to be here! I love my life on foot (delighted to return that rental car!) and am sooooo grateful for all the aspects of our life that make it easy to have a small eco-footprint. full of new appreciation for the variety of convenient and affordable ethical purchasing options we have here too!
in the week and a bit since we returned home, Sasha has been transitioning into her full time play days at mt. pleasant child care. Today is my first full work day to catch up on work for the documentary. time to get it done!!
Today is also our 8th wedding anniversary! Cheers babe :)
To end this update, here are a couple of appointments upcoming for Sasha this month:
June 17th - ultrasound and follow up with the urology specialist to see how her kidneys are doing.
June 24th - follow up with the eye doctor. likely he is going to recommend the day treatment surgery to correct the lazy eye muscle.
will keep y'all posted as usual.
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