Long Weekend Shenanigans

We found a "new" spot in Point Pleasant Park!

Seeing as the past weekend was our four-day Easter Break, this post is almost entirely a mini-chronicle of our long weekend adventures.  We stayed put (having just had a big "away" adventure over March break), and I think everyone would whole-heartedly agree that it was a lot of fun.

Before I get into that, however, let my post these three relatively random shots from the week leading up to Easter Break.  The first is from last Saturday, when Clark and the kids went to down to meet Melany and the Coat Guard Ship, who had just returned from rescuing a stranded glider.  Naturally, the kids were keen to help.

Towing the glider to safety.  Linden even managed to score a hard hat for the exercise.

These second and third shots are from a day of school last week when Juniper decided to loan Linden one of her frilly, lacy fashion vests so that they could be twins.  He readily agreed, and happily rocked that vest all day long. He smugly confided when he got home that he had been stopped more than once by teachers who complimented him on his fashion sense.

Fashion forward, in matching vests

After school that day, Juniper hosted a tea party on the front stoop. Mint tea with options of milk and sugar, with mini rice cakes to snack on. Liam was the only one truly interested in partaking.

And now, to the main event.  Clark and I had not hammered out any specific plans for the weekend, other than trying to get outside as much as possible, and carrying out all the regular Easter morning traditions.  It was just as well, as Juniper had (naturally) created an agenda for the whole family.  Friday was to be - wait for it - health and fitness day.  Other than eating healthily (ie, limiting sugar and having a nice array of vegetables throughout the day), Juniper had detailed an entire morning agenda, down to timed breaks, that included a workout routine for her and Linden.  

First up?  Calesthetics, of course.

Here, they take turns coaching each other through sit-ups.

Second (after a 10-minute water break), was the stretching/yoga portion of the morning.  They each got to lead the other person in their own poses, and then had free-time to individually work out whatever kinks they wanted.

Mutli-tasking stretch

Boat pose

Some otherwise unknown pose I shall dub the Linden Special

Third up (after water break #2): meditation! How cool is that? For the record, neither clark nor I had any input or intervention during this whole thing.  Now, to be fair, most of the "meditation" time was spent with Juniper telling Linden, in a super-annoyed tone, to sit still and be quiet.  But there were moments, such as the one below, where there was at least a little bit of sustained stillness.

 

Ohmmmmm

After indoor fitness, the next activity on the agenda was a romp in the park.  Linden was especially keen for this portion, as it involved biking there, and then undertaking a number of monkey-bar related "training" exercises, combined with using the "adult" work-out equipment that they have at the park closest to our house.  

Ready to go!

Though it was with big smiles and eager spirits that Clark and the kids set off for the park, they returned post-haste, due to miserable weather.  It was very chilly and windy, which, when combined with a steady, persistent nasty misty rain, made everyone cold and crabby.  Clark spent the first 10 minutes of their return home just trying to warm up his frozen fingers, and Juniper decided the  day-long sugar ban would have to be lifted for hot chocolate.  Then... fitness day devolved into trying-to-stave-off-cabin-fever day.  But it was pretty golden while it lasted!

The kids spent the rest of the day playing and reading (and annoying each other), I think I had a bit of a nap (as I am wont to do more and more these days as I get bigger and more exhausted), and Clark took the opportunity to continue working on Linden's soon-to-be new bedroom.  We are changing the tiny little downstairs office space into a bedroom (so as to use Linden's current room as a nursery), which means: 

a) getting a Captain's Bed to maximize space efficiency - a project that took awhile to assemble, but is currently in place and ready to go.

b) Putting up a new wall and door, as the room was previously just open to the hall.  This, of course, is a much more involved project, which Clark has rather heroically been teaching himself how to do and then tackling on his own. Though this is a relatively uninspired picture, here you can see the progress he has made so far: the wall has been framed and dry-walled, and the pocket door has been put in place.  Pretty impressive, eh?  It is now in the process of being spackled, and then everything will get a fresh coat of paint, and then we can move Linden in!

Putting in the door jams

The next day (Saturday) was sunny and dry, so we headed out nice and early for a day of adventuring.  First up was a trip to the Halifax Library for a community video and talk about the Water Protectors working to stop Alton Gas from damaging waterways in Nova Scotia.  We had a lovely few hours there, learning about this important issue, then enjoying the library itself for awhile (if you have never been, the new Main Halifax Library is truly a sight to behold), which included extended lego play, a super-yummy lunch at the cafe, and Juniper finding a book she's been trying to take out for months.

Then, after some time at the Halifax Farmer's Market, we made our way to Point Pleasant Park for a hike.  This was especially enjoyable, as we stumbled across a tucked-away portion of the park we'd never been to before (?!), which was full of big erratic boulders and mini-cliffs, which, if you were not aware, is perfect training ground for would-be "forest ninjas".  Linden is in charge of this specialized ninja program, and he and Juniper had unlimited access to a pretty sweet training ground. 

It was all very fun while it lasted, but was cut short when both kids realized they needed to poop RIGHT AWAY.  So... it was back to the market (with its nice washrooms), and then home to relax before supper. Even this was exciting, though, as we were ordering Subway (the kids' choice) and watching a movie and then having ice cream for dessert, all in celebration of good report cards. Linden loudly proclaimed multiple times throughout the day that the whole day was SO MUCH FUN.  As he exclaimed, "I LOVE Easter Break!"

Linden way off in the distance: follow the (ninja training) leader!

Resting on one of the many rocks, no doubt talking strategy and technique

Many may not be aware, but forest ninjas must also work on their nature sketching/journalling skills

The fierce ninja trainer

The next day (Sunday) was, of course, Easter proper. The morning got off to a surprisingly slow start, as Juniper slept in until 8:00 am! This might sound relaxing, but rest assured that Clark and I had a mighty challenging hour or so wherein we tried desperately to keep Linden occupied (ie, "snuggling" in bed with us) while we waited for Juniper to wake up.  Anyway, when she finally arose, the adventures began.  First up? Checking out their new Easter swag, searching for eggs, and enjoying some breakfast waffles.

New stuff!

Spoils of the Easter Egg hunt

I believe this is truly the most enjoyable part of the Easter morning for Juniper: sorting the eggs by type and colour, and then distributing them into four equal piles.  This says something about her personality, I reckon.

I almost didn't include this super stellar shot, but it shows waffle breakfast, complete with our lovely neighbour Liam, who happened to ring the doorbell just in time to get in on some waffle action.

The rest of the day was also filled with various fun activities, which included painting on some brand-new Easter canvasses (Linden: "Whoa, these canvases are huge!  Way bigger and nicer than anything you'd get us!"), followed by yet ANOTHER Easter egg hunt, this one hosted by Ruth and crew across the street, and involved outdoor hunting. 

Creating some works of art

There's something so pretty and satisfying about an outdoor egg hunt!

The whole crew: Linden, Juniper, Zoë, Liam, and little Ruby. Is it possible to have everyone look at the camera at the same time?  Clearly not.

Finally, after all was said and done, we finally cracked open a game we have been wanting to try out ever since my sister Faye gave it to us for Christmas: Ticket to Ride. Oh my goodness, it was SO MUCH FUN.  Everyone LOVED it, even the very first time playing (I won that first game, in case anyone was wondering).  Though Linden was on Clark's team that first time around, we played again the next day, and he was on his own, and did wonderfully. In fact, neither kid could stop talking about it - I think it has already become a family favourite. 

Mid-game

And finally, we rounded off the weekend with yet another hiking adventure, on the kids' request, actually. On Sunday evening, Juniper said "Hey, can we go on a hike tomorrow?" Ummmm, yes please!  They got to choose where to go, so we ended up doing the nice long loop around Heritage Trail (in Cole Harbour).  Naturally, there was more ninja training, which kept spirits high through basically the whole adventure. 

Bundled up and posing on a stump

Running through the "rock and root course". Speeds were high, agility was tested, and though there were a few falls, there were no injuries or tears. Phew!

And here we are, back to the regular routine. But it is officially April, and I am officially in my third trimester, and the week is beginning with some lovely, crisp sunshiny spring weather.  And, most importantly, I think everyone feels refreshed and ready to take on the season with gusto.  

See you next time!