Back in November...

We had a really great trip up to Canada!  (I had to get this post done before we leave for Canada again in another week and a half!) This time we flew, which is definitely an adventure with a 17 month old.  It was Gavin's first airplane ride, and I think by the end of it he finally started to realize that the tiny "arpas" in the sky that he's obsessed with, are the same things that we few on.

Okay...so I couldn't resist!  Gavin loved playing with this pink vanity and Nanny M and Papa's house.

When we were little my Dad would always give us "monte monte caballo" rides.  We'd sit on his feet, leaning against his shins, as he bounced us up and down as if on a horse singing, "Monte, monte caballo!  Caballo se llama Ducky. Ducky's legs go up and down little ______ he/she...flies....OFF!" as he'd flip us up over his shoulders.  Gavin was finally old enough to really enjoy "monte monte caballo" rides, and each time he was flipped off over my Dad's shoulders he'd run right back around and hop back on for another ride.

Jared and I got to meet our nephew, and although Gavin was a little unsure about sharing his toys with Isaiah at first, they soon warmed up to each other as well.

There was lots of story reading, puzzles, and kisses...

And of course we couldn't go home without a trip to the Southland Leisure Centre.  I'm sure ever one in the place found it quite comical to see eight adults hanging out in the kiddie pool.  But those two little ones were almost just as entertaining as any of the water slides or the wave pool.  But with so many adults around we were able to sneak off to some slides and the hot tub.

Gavin was obsessed with this little wooden chair at Nanny M and Papa's house.  In the mornings he'd pull it out and sit and watch the news with Papa, or just push it all around the front room until he needed to sit down for a break.

When we were up in Calgary this past summer my Aunt and Uncle were on a trip to Hawaii, so they hadn't seen Gavin since last Christmas when he was only six months old.  It was fun to see my cousins again as well as Aunt Joan and Uncle Kavin.  They brought play-do over for Gavin, which he enjoyed, but he kept trying to eat it so I think we'll hold off on the play-do until he's a little older.

Although it put Jared on everyone's bad list, he was really hoping to see some Canadian snow.  He's only been there in the summer time, and wanted a chance to experience some Canadian coldness.  Although it wasn't much he did get his wish, and Gavin had fun with the snow too.

I was starting to feel a bit sick, so I stayed and rested while Jared went with Heather, Trevor, and my parents out to Elbow Falls.  I'm always impressed by the beauty of the mountains and parks when we go back to Canada for a visit.  I never really thought much of it or appreciated how beautiful it is, until we moved away and I wasn't surrounded by it all the time.

We left just before Jared's 29th Birthday, so we celebrated with family before leaving.

Our last night there Gavin was quite the entertainer.  He put on quite the show and just soaked up all the attention as we laughed at this little cutie (which only increased his silliness to get us to laugh more).

I love Gavin's expression in this picture.  Gavin kept trying to climb up onto the chair, and my Uncle Kavin was holding it so it wouldn't fall over as he climbed up...which didn't go over well with Gavin.  If Gavin noticed Uncle Kavin touching "his" chair with even just one finger, he'd give him this look and push his finger away.  He wanted no help from nobody!

Although we had a great time while in Calgary, the trip home was another story.  Gavin got sick and had a pretty nasty diaper rash right before leaving to head home, and lets just say diaper rash + diarrhea + all day on planes/in airports = one sad baby and lots of annoyed people on an airplane!  The next few days this is what our front room looked like as we tried to let Gavin's bottom dry out enough to heal.