Ontario Post #1 {aka: Why I Haven't Blogged For Over a Week}

Thank goodness for travel points.

Our last 5 trips to Ontario have been made possible by these wonderful rewards.

Every time we're there we can't wait to accumulate enough points to go back.

It's not the landscape, the history or the bustling cities that draw us.

{Though we love all of the above.}

It's our heart.

As in our family's collective heart.

A part of it lives there with our grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles and cousins {of all varieties}.

The first stop on this particular trip was a city that's quickly becoming one of my favourites.

Our nation's capital, Ottawa.

We had one and a half short days but were able to get in some great visits.

He surprised us with a little ukelele demo.

So amazing that he plays right?

You want to know something more amazing? 

He doesn't.

Nope he's just picking it up now, at 95 {give or take a couple years}.

Cedric was impressed but not as impressed as he was with the bed.

I could almost hear his thoughts.

"Papa, where'd you get this sweet bed?  Mom, Mom did you see this thing?  It moves, no seriously you just push this button and the top raises.  This thing is genius.   Why didn't I think of this?  Is it a toy? Is it a bed? Nobody knows.  Dad, we gotta get one of these.  Can we please? Pleeeeeease?"

{Or something like that.}

After prying him away we picked up some groceries, to keep costs low, at the cutest grocery chain ever.

Then I sold the chicken and salads to the kids as a hotel picnic which was a huge success.

{Don't you just love the patterns on cheap hotel blankets?}

On day 2 we busted Papa out and went for lunch.

On the menu: some good male-bonding time.

It was a rainy Ottawa day so we settled for a driving tour with Papa as our guide.

In preparation for our flight we needed to expel some kiddo energy.

Our first choice of swimming was quashed since we just missed the public swim hours.

The park just outside did the trick though.

Next up, travelling...