___________________________________________________
The flight back to Vancouver, Craig and I were definitely a bit worried. Logan being so active, pretty much just a bundle of energy. So we went with the "hope for the best, expect the worst" mentality and we got the best. Logan was absolutely amazing. Keeping him on Melbourne schedule was the best thing we did.
checking out Melbourne from the air
What service Logan got at the Sydney airport.
Little Tonka trucks, best airplane distraction.
Week 1 - Family farm fun before the big birthday bash
The first week back in Canada was crazy. We spent a few days in Chilliwack with Gramma (here is Logan enjoying their backyard)
And then we headed to visit Auntie Denise and Grampa on the farm. And boy, did Logan have a blast there.
Taking time to smell the flowers
What's life on a farm without a couple of great dogs. Logan really took to Freddie, the dachshund -- probably because they were the same size. Mocha, the big mushy dog was a bit intimidating.
Getting acquainted with the horses
Logan LOVED the quadrunner. He couldn't stop pointing at it ALL the time and saying "brmmm, brmmmm." There we several laps around the farm on this bad boy.
Auntie Denise and Logan playing with one of his favorite toys -- his John Deere tracker.-- Thanks Auntie D.
And how could we forget one of Logan's favorite past time -- Shoe play -- so many more shoes than back in Melbourne.
After the warm up on the quad runner and familiarization with the John Deere, it was time to pull out the big guns. A tour on the REAL SIZED TRACTOR!! yup, Logan loved it.
Some food exploration, corn on the cob and frozen yogurt. Mmmmmm
Last lap on the quad runner before heading to the airport for our return to Chilliwack.
Once back in Chilliwack it was Logan's 1st birthday crazy weekend. Saturday was our bday party with friends. About 30 adults/kids, good food, big cake, lots of presents for the little man. It was a big day for him.
Still enjoying that chilliwack corn.
Carmen with here little guy Jacob
Cake and presents
Boy buddies
Birthday party number 2, the family birthday party.
Introducing the birthday cake -- Leo the Lion.
Playing with MORE new toys -- he was so spoiled again!
Hanging out with Great Gramma and Gramma
And then out came Leo and Logan was in Heaven with this cake. Finger licking good the icing was, and then cramming a whole piece of cake in his mouth. It was seriously a hilarious moment.
Hanging out with Nana
The Novotny's
The Nitschke's
Week 2 - Time for friends and fun.
After the birthday weekend, it was time to relax a bit and catch up with some friends. Our first stop was a waterpark with Jen and her little ones Liam and Sarah. What started out as a beautiful day turned into a crazy thunderstorm and pouring rain. But we got a couple of good hours. The cutest part was Liam helping Logan walk to the waterpark -- what a sweetie.
Believe it or not, it's POURING rain here and these kids are happy little clams.
Then while Craig stayed in Vancouver to work for a few days, Logan and I headed to Kelowna with Valerie and her youngest, Hannah to visit Pia and little Andreas.
A little swimming at Okanagan Lake
What's better than going wine touring with some great girls and our bubbies.
Playtime with Andreas
Still smiling on the long drive back to Chiliwack.
AHHH, almost standing!!!
Week 3 -- Vancouver Island.
We start the week by visiting Melissa in North Van for a night before heading to the ferry. Quite nice since she was house sitting this awesome place -- thanks Donald :) Logan loved the piano and Melissa even gave him some lessons before going solo :)
First stop on the island -- Lyle, Cindy, Colby and Carson. Just a day of hanging out and kids getting to know each other. The next day we headed to Shawnigan Lake for a little dip.
The Boys
A rare family shot.
Stop number 2 -- Valerie, Dean, Claire and Hannah. Two days of relaxation with the kids. A little hike, a visit to Westwood Lake. A wild night of circle rummy (too much scotch for the men) And then a great trip to Coombs for some yummy ice cream.
Stop 3 -- Courtney/Comox for Gordon & Phoebe's wedding-- I didn't have a lot of pics on my camera, but we did get a nice family shot -- don't we all clean up nice, or it looks like it. (there is a lot of dirt and food being worn by all of us in this picture.)
And back on the ferry -- it was such a beautiful day to take a ferry ride, we just spent our time outside doing laps on the deck :)
After the ferry we drove all the way back to Chilliwack and it was SO flippin hot that day. Gramma was so nice enough to get Loggie a little kiddy pool. We all spent our time trying to cool off in the water and enjoy some fresh yummy strawberries.
What is this -- first steps...YEAH!!! Logan took first steps before Craig went on his Melbourne - Soeul - Rome tour. So lucky and so happy he didn't miss this moment :)
Great Gramma, Loggie and Craig.
Week 4 - Craig goes leave Canada leaving me and Loggie in Vancouver to adventure by ourselves! Being a tourist in my own city!
Logan takes the driver's seat from here on in :)
We decide to go to explore Granville Island. On our walk there how could we pass up this swing area? Now is that a view or what? If I could fit my butt in the swing, I would have enjoyed that just as much as he did :)
Then we visited Erin for lunch -- little cheeky Logan trying to distract Erin with his cuteness before grabbing a fry!
The weekend arrived and we did one of our biggest excursions, hiking to Garabaldi Lake -- This hike was over 7 hours and Logan was amazing. Barley a complaint from him until almost the end, but why would he, it was a gorgeous hike and we even spotted and owl in the wild -- pretty awesome. Thanks to Christine for helping me carry the little man that day.
Week 5 - A tourist in my own city - part II
Another beautiful day and I was a tourist in my old city. Colleen, Logan and I went on a walk from downtown to Stanley Park and along the way, we had to hit the Olympic Cauldron. The Olympics may be over, but it was still pretty cool. Thanks Colleen for a fun day. My feet still hurt from walking so much that day :)
Continuing the tourist trail, Logan and I hit the Olympic Villiage, they have some very interesting stuff there. First the huge, public lawn chairs. Very strange, but Logan really loved playing on them, they were like huge slides. I wonder how utilized they are.
But this was one of my favorite things -- the huge sparrow. A little freaky, but kind of cool at the same time. I love the picture of Logan posing at the talons.
Auntie Gabriela, Logan and I did a trip to the old stomping ground (Naramata)to take care of some family stuff. It was a great weekend. Lots of fun in the sun, beach time, wining, dining and just plain old catching up. It was great having some sister time. I don't have many pic because Gabriela's camera is far superior to mine, so I didn't pull out much, but there are a couple of good ones.
Then back to Vancouver for one last night with Tini -- Thanks Tini for having us for those 10 days, it was great staying with you and thank you for all of your help (and the one night of babysitting so I could go see Lady Gaga!) You rock, and Logan loved staying with you as well, as he was so comfortable with you by the end, he just started to walk all over you!!! Hahaha.
Week 6 - Nana's
Then it was off to Surrey. I was so sick of packing all of our stuff, I had things randomly in bags instead of packed neatly away in luggage. Thank goodness Nana's apartment complex has a couple of random shopping carts (hmmmm....) Logan definitely had the best seat in the house!
Nana had to work one day there so we took the opportunity to visit Jen and her family. Again, we had some crappy weather, so we just stayed inside. The kids got to play and Jen and I got to gossip over coffee, the best of both worlds really.
What's more fun than barnyard animals? I know, not much. This was a great day where Logan, Nana and I joined Jen, Liam and Sarah at Maplewood Farms in North Van. And this was the day that Logan really started walking. I think it's because he wanted to be like the big kids (aka, Liam and Sarah) because once they started chasing those ducks, he all of a sudden wasn't that far behind.
A great walk on White Rock Beach -- there is no stopping this kid now.
Ah, Logan and his best friend -- Soofie
A couple of randoms from Nana's place. The first one is with Norman, what used to be our Norfolk Island Pine that was almost dead before Nana rescued him. He's HUGE!!! Twice the size as Logan. It's hard for me to believe.
These stacking blocks are great, although I don't know who had more fun, me building them up, or Logan knocking them down.
A great shot of Nana, Logan and me on our last day before heading home to Melboure. Thanks mom for a fantastic visit, great food and spoiling your grandson! He and I loved it! See you soon.
And that was the end of our 6 1/2 week trip back to Vancouver. Logan was AMAZING on the flight home, although I was a little concerned during the first hour, when he screamed! But after that, he settled in and slept for most of the flight. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful little boy. For a 12 month old to be moved from place and lived completely unsettled, without routine for almost 7 weeks, he adapted amazingly. You are my world little man!
