Canada trip (part 3; the end)

So, this will bring an end to my posting about our trip back to Canada for Christmas (from which we got home over 4 weeks ago!).

We spent a lot of times with our dear friends, the deGraafs.

Uncle Steve took the 4 kids to a Canucks game (Sam didn’t get a jersey, but a hoodie).

Joel’s favourite gift.

My dad turned 78.

The kids played laser tag.

With the deGraafs.

We visited Auntie Gayle (my best friend’s sister) who did daycare for the kids since Sam was 10 months old (except the school year 1999-2000) . . . Mattias used to call her “my udder Mudder” (other Mother).

I enjoyed Starbucks with the Coffee Club . . . we worked together for years, and were at my last school together, too.

The view from the backdoor of my childhood home (the apartment blocking the view is new).

The kids went wall-climbing.

Sofia and Joel.

We celebrated Mattias and Joel’s birthdays a little early. My dad made a chocolate cake. Joel had 11 candles on one side.

Mattias had an arrangement to represent 14 on the other side. I have no idea what Sam is doing . . .

In the evening we went to deGraafs where the kids got an ice cream cake and we got a “Happy Travelling” lemoncello cheesecake!

And Joel got tied to a bed.

It snowed throughout the night before the day we were to leave.

My dad’s dog, Taco.

My dad used to carry his first grandson around on his shoulders . . .

About halfway home . . . on the bus changing terminals at Heathrow . . . looking a little haggard . . .

Driving home from Helsinki . . .  a little cramped in the van with all the baggage . . . .

And so the trip ended . . . arriving home at about 4 am, sleeping for a couple hours and then off to work/school by 8.

That’s all for now.

Barb