Starting Fresh

So, I have re-organized my living room yet again.  I used to have it kind of closed off, to keep the room all on its own.  I don't have any before pictures, and for those of you who have seen my other pics, it will look very similar to how it was when Jenni was just brand new.  I just wanted to open up the space again for Jenni so that she could have more space to roam.  So, here are some pictures of what my living room looks like now.  Yes, toys and all.

Also, I wanted to include some cute pictures of Jenni from yesterday when I let her have a chocolate covered doughnut.  It was really cute!  Please note her hand.

Vacation over?

I am really struggling with getting the last few entries of my vacation onto my blog because I think that once it is all written out as memories then it will truly be over in my brain.  I am just not quite ready for that.  I still want to be on Nova Scotia time, and still talk to or e-mail Alice like 4 times a day, and just stay in that mind space.  I did so well in the NS mind space.  But, back to reality I am not sure how I am going to do.  Life is life here, and as busy as I am, I wish I had more of a close friend base.  I only have a very small amount of friends that I am REALLY super close with, and one of them is 2 hours away, one is 18 hours away (driving) one is busy, a lot, one has checked out of life, and my newest one is very far away.  I do have some close friends that I can get together with and gab, but it is just not the same.  Life with children, or life with a job, or just life in general usually get in the way of a solid foundation to build on, to get THAT kind of relationship.  Not that I am not happy here, and I know that once winter sets in there will be a lot more play dates and a lot more coffee/tea times because going to the park and chillin are just not an option anymore.  It seems that once winter hits life can just slow down a little and those friends that you want to have that closeness with have the time to visit, and frankly...so do I!

Winter is also my time to do more baking.  If the oven is on in the summer it usually bakes my house too, and makes it slightly unbearable.  In the winter, to have the oven on is such a blessing because then your house gets just that much warmer, and smells that much yummier, and you get something out of it that is more than just a stupidly high bill at the end of the month.  I do really desperately want to take better care of my house.  I have this huge living space that is really useful, but I feel like I don't know what to do with it because I have so much junk.  I think my today project will be to de-clutter.  I may even take pictures.  Oooh...Ahhh...That gives me an idea!  ...

So, it is now September and it is the time of small group and ladies Bible studies.  I usually go to a bible study at the church that I attend, and I am still doing that, but it is VERY academic.  So, today I tried another Ladies Group called MAPS.  It is at another church, and almost everyone there is a young mom.  It is so cool to see that many young mothers in one room.  There were at least 10 kids in the room with the moms, and then another 15-20 in the toddler room, and then there was another room upstairs for all the kids that were older than 3.  It was intense!  There were so many kids, and never have I been in a group that big where we are ALL in the same basic head space.  Moms with infants, moms with toddlers, moms with older kids, moms with twins, moms with more than just 2 kids...it was AWESOME!!!!  I definitely want to go back.  I have been invited over and over again to this group since I have had Jenni, but I never actually got my butt out the door to have that time of fellowship.  I even met some more moms that I have never really met or spent time with.  So, maybe my search for more close friends in three hills is being successful!  Let's hope so...I really want more close friends.

So, in all these Bible studies and such, I should be learning something, yes?  Yes!  So, today at MAPS we are going through the book "The Five Love Languages of Children".  I really loved the book for adults, and so this is going to be great insight for me as Jenni gets older and to really be able to show her that I love her without her having to beg me for attention...especially when we have another baby.  Also, in the Bethel ladies group I was really brought to a place where I realized that none of us have to be perfect.  We are "cracked pots" and God can use each one of us cracked pots to fulfill His purpose!  How cool is that?  I suck at life because I am a human and I sin, and it doesn't really matter, because I will allow God to use me, and He will...for good...regardless of how misshapen I am, or broken.  I am a vessel for God and His purpose no matter what!  That is encouraging, and it also helps me as a mom because it should help me teach Jenni that.  I have never done well with a "do what I say, not what I do" mentality, and I never wanted to teach that way with my kids...so if I want to teach something to my daughter, I need to put it into practice first.  Each day is a learning curve, some steeper than others, and I just have to put my best foot forward and rely of the fact that God has solid ground there for me to step on.  What a revelation, eh?

So, that being said, I should start on my project for the day, and I will keep you posted on the lessons that I learn day by day!

 

Just to leave you with a thought...when I got home from NS I was majorly bummed out about Alberta.  I wanted to go back to NS and never return, and the second morning at home this was the gorgeous "painting" by God that I woke up to.  God is good and He knows my heart, my desires, and also, what is best for me!

Pottery, Halifax and History's Pants - Days 8-10

I should probably start by letting you all know that I have had a decent first week back at home.  I did some babysitting on my first day back (which was crazy) saw my family (Sean's side) and I started a new job at the local IGA.  It was cool, but the girl who was training me was used to training teenage girls who are apparently really stupid...either that or I just catch on really quick.  Either way, I have another shift tomorrow and I am excited to learn how to close.  But, back to my trip to Nova Scotia...


Day 8 -
I woke up around 9:15 or so and was putzing around the house.  I had offered to make dinner for everyone, so I made my friend Samm's famous Lasagna.  It has all the "good stuff" in it...you know...peppers, mushrooms, onions...etc...Well, I went upstairs to ask Alice a question and, low and behold, she was gone!  Apparently she had gone to drive Emily to work and so I just snooped, found what I was looking for and started doing my thing.  Alice returned around 9:45 or so and started to play with Jenni, and I heard, "Oh NO!  That's not good!"
"What?"  I ask calmly.  I thought that Jenni had eaten a rock or a bug or something.  No big...
"There's a flea on Jenni's head."
"Oh, we should probably vacuum!"
So started the deep clean of the main floor of the house.  We stripped mine and Jenni's beds and washed everything and Alice vacuumed all the main floor including the beds and the living furniture.
Before we knew it, it was time for Jenni to down for a nap and that was in the middle of the cleaning.
Once the house was spotless, Alice went to get Emily from work.  We had planned to go paint pottery after Jenni got up from her nap, so by the time the girls came back we were ready to be off to Wolfville.
We got to the pottery painting place called "The ClayGround" and got to pick our pieces.  Alice picked a dog bowl for Scuba, Emily picked an Elephant piggy bank, and I picked a princess, a butterfly, a flower and a ladybug.  Apparently you have to put 3 coats of paint on your piece so it isn't streaky, so my 4 little projects were WAY out of my league!  However I refused to admit that until much later in the afternoon and I returned the ladybug.  I would have returned the flower too, but I let Jenni paint it already. (Most of the paint ended up in her mouth...good thing it was non-toxic paint).  Alice helped me finish the flower.  Other than that one stint of painting for Jenni I am sure she was very bored, but between Emily and the lady who worked at the shop they kept her busy.  :o)
We got home around 6:30 (basically 5 hours after we left) and had dinner.  Aunty Brenda had invited me to choir practice and so at 7:00 we went down the hill from the house, to the church.  It was in interesting experience partly because it was an Anglican Church Choir, and partly because the conductor was rather strange.  To start, he had plug holes in his ears and a tongue ring - not that I'm judging, he was just very conservative, so I wasn't expecting it.  Also, he did NOT respect his choir members and so his choir members did not respect him either.  He would say something to a inexperienced choir (that even a professional choir would find hard to understand) and expect them to understand and be perfect right away.  I personally did not agree with his choral conducting techniques, but whatever...I'm not a member of his choir, I was just a guest.
Alice and Uncle Al were on "baby duty" while we were at choir and it was bath night.  Alice's report to me when we got home was really funny because she admitted that they didn't really know what to do...but whatever...it turned out great!  They didn't break her, so I was happy.  I'm easy like that.  :o)


Day 9 -
This was our day in Halifax.  Alice, Jenni and I planned to leave at 10:00am, and we actually did really well.  We listened to some Adventures in Odyssey that morning...and it was Alice's first real encounter with them.  She enjoyed listening to them...I think, anyway.  We stopped in Windsor, NS for some coffee at Tim's and then we got to Halifax.  Jenni fell asleep shortly after we left Windsor, but it was not a very good nap for her.  We got off of the 101 and on to the 102 and then Alice was supposed to direct me (sorta) to the Home Depot parking lot.  So, we missed our turn, and then I took the next one, then I exited off of that road to turn around.  I finally got into the Costco parking lot, got back going the right direction, turned off of that road, and back on to the 102 going north, got onto the right exit and got to Home Depot.  Alice was baffled.  She is kind of directionally challenged, and so she thought for sure we were lost, but even though I felt like I was going the wrong way (directionally wise, like North and South) I followed the signs and got us to where we needed to be.
We met up with Josh (which was part of the whole reason we went to Halifax in the first place) and we went into town to go to some comic book store.  Once we were parked, I called my friend Marissa from high school and we met up with her.
We went for lunch in downtown Halifax.  We went to this place...Moose something, or something Moose, and they were JERKS!!!  I looked through the menu and they didn't have a grilled cheese sandwich, but they did have the ability to make it.  So, I asked the waitress if she could ask the kitchen and they said no.  They had just gotten a big order on the patio, and they didn't want to do it.  So, I said that Jenni could have some of what I was eating, and she said, "So, you're going elsewhere then??"  I was so miffed that we just got up and we left.  We went next door to a place called the Foggy Goggle, and it was really good.  I enjoyed my time at lunch.
After our really yummy lunch, we went down to the harbor and did some sight seeing.  We went right down on the water floating on a dock.  Theodore the tugboat was there too.  Oh childhood memories.  I left Jenni with Josh and Alice so I could check out some of the shops without having to worry about Jenni getting her little hands into everything.  When I returned from my shopping adventure I was informed that Josh and Alice had tried to "convince people to trade Jenni for a goat".  That was pretty ridiculous, but then Marissa started to look at us kind of funny, and then said, "Oh, Goat.  I thought you said that you were trying to convince people Jenni was a boat."  And we all had a good laugh!  Jenni is a very convincing boat!

I really wanted a picture of and/or with a lighthouse and there was one just off the harbor of Halifax.  I took some pictures of it, and then I wanted to do the really touristy thing and have a picture of me holding the lighthouse.  There was this really creepy guy who tried to get into my picture with me, and everyone thought that he was touching my bum, but he was actually 3 or so feet away.  It was really awkward and creepy for me, but Josh, Alice and Marissa were busting a gut laughing at my misfortune...and apparently snapping a picture.
Marissa had to get back home because she had homework to do, so we drove back to Josh's house.  We just ended up chatting, and we didn't get to watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.  Lol!  That was what we had planned to do before we left for home, but Jenni had not gotten a real nap throughout the day, so she was getting grouchy.  After lots of visiting we had to get a move on.
We left about 7:30 and it was dark.  Finding our way out of the city was a little scary because it was also raining and foggy, so I just had to trust that I knew which way I was supposed to be going and follow the road signs.  About 10 minutes outside of the city I had to pee, but I didn't want to get off the highway to get to a bathroom.  We were going to stop in Windsor at Tims again, but it was raining so hard and there were big, BIG puddles on the road that I didn't want to stop for anything.  I just wanted to get home.  I just focused on driving, and on being calm so I didn't freak out Alice.  Luckily Jenni was asleep before we left the city, so she wasn't being noisy
We got home, and promptly put Jenni to bed, and then Alice and I got to talking.  We were just sitting in the great room chatting, and then all of a sudden it was 1:30 in the morning.  After I went to bed Jenni got up every hour just for a snuggle or to get warm (because she would kick off the covers).  So my night was not awesome!


Day 10 - 
This day we were planning on going to meet Grammy and Grampy (G & G) in Berwick after Grampy's dialysis.  We left the house around 12:00 and headed there.  We got there and then headed to a BEAUTIFUL park to have our picnic lunch!  

After our lunch we followed G & G to Annapolis Royal, and to Port Royal, the french habitation.  It was very cool.  Usually, most people go in and out of there in just half hour or so, but we were in there for more than an hour and a half.  We went into all the rooms and we really got into the history...like...you know...wearing the clothes that were on display (*cough* Alice!)...and trading Jenni for an Axe over the shop counter.  Technically I don't think we were supposed to touch anything, but it was there, and we were curious...so we touched...we touched almost everything!  It was really fun!!!!  We got to act really silly and have lots of laughs...and then at the end or our fun we got a picture  of our adventure.
After the habitation we went to Annapolis Royal to get pictures with a lighthouse.  It was a tiny, tiny lighthouse, but it was still awesome...and old!  After our little side adventure, we went to a little diner for supper.  Jenni even got so sit right by Grampy.  It was such a wonderful 

day to spend with family!!!!!!!!!!! 

Days 7 & 8 - At the farm...and More!

Day 7 - 

The day started with Tara making bread fresh, and doing chores in the barn.  The amount of work that her and the kids do is INTENSE!  Tara also home school's the two older kids for middle school.  The woman really reminds me of "Super Mom".  Not that she tries to be that way, she just is!

Before lunch we managed to get out to the barn to meet the animals.  I wore Jenni in the Snuggli so that Jenni would be safe and also so that she wouldn't get into anything gross.  We met Mikayla's sheep "Hunny Bunny" and her goats "Muffin" and "Salt".  We also met the most hilarious sheep ever, Billy (named for the one and only Billy Coles of BCP), who had the most ridiculous "Bah".  He didn't sound like a normal sheep, oh no! His "Bah" almost sounded like a belch.  It was so funny!  I laughed every time I heard him.  We also met a whole slew of other animals not excluding chickens, turkeys, rabbits, cats, a dog named "Xander", and a big white cow named "Roxie"...and so much more!  After the barn Tara took the baby for me, and we went on a bit of a hike up over the property.

After lunch Jenni went down, so the kids and I played a very fun game for Xbox Kinect.  It was "gym" credit apparently because it was hard work.  Lots of fun though.

Around 3:00 the little kids got home from school and I helped all 4 kids with their animal presentation for the 4H exhibition that weekend.  It was cool!  However, Jenni was able to run around free, and she found a goat turd but thought it was a rock.  Incase you forgot, Jenni really likes to eat rocks.  Luckily I was fast enough to stop her.  No goat poop in her mouth...thank heaven!  That would have been REALLY GROSS!!!!

Tara made a delicious supper and then it was time for the 4H girls to come clean some sheep for the sheering competition.  Those girls were nothing like I thought they would be.  Usually 13/14 year old girls are all "Ew dirt, Yuck mud, Gross poop!"  These girls were all, "It's poop, big deal.  I'm wearing rubber boots"  So, after I put Jenni to bed I brought the monitor out and I too got my hands dirty.  Yes, that's right.  I helped clean sheep...including sheep bum!  Granted, it was REALLY gross, but I can still say that I did it.  :o)

The girls left just before dark and we went inside.  I helped Andrew and Tara make a coat-thing for Hunny Bunny and then went to bed early.  Apparently the fresh air tuckered me out too.

Day 8 - 

I woke up early-ish and got to relax for the morning.  Jenni crawled around the house, and the animals stayed outside...apparently Jenni is entering her "Elmira Stage".  Jenni went down for an early nap because she was grouchy and I got to read a book.  Tara and the kids were outside while Hunny Bunny was getting beautified for competition.  I apparently fell asleep because I woke up to Jenni giggling.  Tara had gotten her up and given her some lunch and just let me sleep.  I was apparently very, VERY tired.

Once Jenni was fed she went back into the snuggli and we went for a giant hike around Andrew and Tara's property.  It is so gorgeous!  We were gone for more than an hour just exploring.  In one field there was a big white bull (cow) and Jenni was convinced that it was a "Bah".  I had an argument with my 1-year-old that went something like this - 

"Bah"

"No Honey.  That's a cow.  Moo"

"Bah, bah"

"No Honey, Moo"

"Bah, bah"   ...etc...

*Five minutes later*

"Bah, bah"

"Fine, whatever!  Think what you want!"

There were also these two giant German Shepherds that we met on our walk, and one of them already had a little too much fun with Xander (picked him up and threw him across the yard) so he got to hang out in Jared's arms instead of being on the ground.  They were huge dogs!!!!

So, we got back to the house just in time for the younger kids to get home.  Makenzie was so in love with Jenni, so she was happy that we were still at the house and was more than thrilled to play with Jenni for the next hour or so while I was getting everything together before Aunty Brenda got there to pick us up.  The kids played Duplo together, and it was really cute to watch!

It was so very sad to say goodbye to such amazing friends.  I didn't any pictures of Andrew, which is very sad, and I didn't actually get to see him that much.  He gets up really early to go to work and then has lots to do around the house and the farm when he gets home.  Luckily, I did get to say goodbye to him when he came to pick up Mikayla (she needed to get her new glasses).  It was very sad to leave them!!!!

Back at Aunty Brenda and Uncle Al's us girls (Emily, Alice and I) got ready for Open Mike (and Donna) night.  It is a really cool artsy gathering at a coffee shop in a town called Wolfville.  People sing, read poetry, play penny whistles and draw.  Alice asked (through Aunty Brenda, of course) me to sing before I even left Alberta so I prepared two Opera pieces (upon request) and a few more modern pieces.  There was a really cool local musician kid, Jesse Potter, who I sang Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" with.  It was pretty much awesome!  Grammy and Grampie even came all the way out to see me sing.  It was very special!  Alice was drawing people that night, but because of the "necklace incident" she had a pretty horrible cold.  Basically there was a lot of snot and "m's" that sounded like"b's".  It was actually a little bit funny except poor Alice was miserable, so it was a bit less funny.  You should ask her what lesson she learned about little girls with snotty noses and necklaces.  Let's hope it stuck!

We got back to the house around 11 and all of us crashed!  (Aunty Brenda took Jenni home much, much earlier than that, so it was just us older girls getting home that late!)  

Days 5 and 6 in Nova Scotia!

Let us continue on with our adventure.

Day 5 -

This day started out as any other day, only Aunty Brenda's mom (Vi-Anne) and dad (Ken) were at the house.  They are incredible, wonderful people.  For breakfast we went to the Legion in Kentville for their fundraiser breakfast.  It was only $5.00 per person.  I couldn't believe it.  And, you got a lot of food.  Jenni was the hit of the morning, and everyone wanted to see her.  Jenni aside, I was totally the youngest person that was in the room.  

The morning went by quickly.  Jenni went down for her regular nap, and I decided that I was going to help Aunty Brenda.  I offered to sprinkle the flea powder in the house.  So, I did Emily's room and the Attic.  I did have to go into New Minas to get 2 more cans of flea powder, and I went on my own and DIDN'T get lost!  Yay for me!  So, in total it took 4 cans of flea powder to cover Em's room, and the stairs up to the Attic, and the Attic itself.  Crazy!!!  After my stint of helping it was time to get ready to go to Grammy and Grampie's (G & G) house.  There were a whole bunch of people there, and they all were loving on Jenni and her cuteness.  Grammy went through a whole lot of trouble to baby-proof her home as well.  Their home is such a beautiful place to be, and as you are driving up the driveway there is a sign that says, "Honk if you are happy to be here!"  Needless to say, we Honked.  

As I am sure I mentioned before, Alice is rather afraid of small people, especially babies.  Jenni was going to have nothing of that, because she really rather liked Alice.  So, Jenni made her affection known throughout the vacation, but none quite as obvious as this day.  Jenni just loves showing people how much she loves them!  

Grammy is always really awesome about remembering birthdays and such, and after we had dinner, there was a package at my place, and a bag for Jenni.  G & G got Jenni a little barn with animals and letters, a couple of onesies, and Grammy made her a beautiful blanket.  I got a book of photography of all the wonderful places in Nova Scotia! 

Speaking of photography, we decided that considering we had a full 5 generations of people at G & G's we would take some pictures of those generations.  From Left to right Pauline (Grammy's Aunt), Jenni, Grampie.  Top row is Me, Alice, Uncle Al and Grammy.  The generations are as follows.  Aunty Pauline (1) G & G (2) Uncle Al (3) Alice and I (4) Jenni (5).  It is really cool, because it is usually pretty rare that you can get 5 generations in one picture without photo shop.  We did the figuring and Aunt Pauline is Jenni's Great, Great, Great Aunt.  Cool!!!!

Here are some more pics of that wonderful evening.

Jenni and her obligatory cuteness

Jenni and Alice chillin.

Jenni and Grampie.  He loves that little girl!

Jenni being mischievous 

Jenni lovin' on Grammy's sheep.
Apparently they have that in common

Grampie loves lighthouses, Grammy loves Sheep.
We thought we would get both in the picture.

Day 6 -
Sunday morning we went to church with G & G.  We went to this tiny little Anglican Church, and this day, no word of a lie, the minister was 100 years old.  (And even more amazing, he has only been married to his second wife for 5 years.  CRAZY!!)  He was wheeled out in his wheel chair and put at the pulpit, and he gave the service.  It was kind of cool, but it was such a tiny space, and I have such a busy girl, it didn't really work out all that well for Jenni.  I spent a lot of time outside walking around with her.
After the service we went to this beautiful beach to use the washroom of all things, and so I got some really awesome pics.  It is amazing how pretty a scene can be.  Kind of like my own special little painting from God.  Every now and again, I seriously think to myself, I live in a postcard.
After our pee break we went to a place called Grand Pre for lunch.  We went to this little diner there, and I met my biological half brother, Joshua, for the first time.  It was crazy, and a little frightening, because you think, 22 year old guy = douche bag.  I was so wrong.  He is a very nice guy and he had a bit of a hard time growing up because he is partially deaf.  Not that, that makes him any less of a person or anything, but more because it really puts life into perspective for him.  Anyhoo, we did really hit it off, and we are now friends.

After our lunch, we went back to Aunty Brenda and Uncle Al's house.  We got to chat and visit a little more and Alice, Josh and I went for a walk down to the grocery store to get some milk.  We all have so much in common.  Before they left we got some pretty good pictures, that oddly enough really show how much alike Josh and I look.  Can't deny those genes.

Alice and I on the porch at her house.

After dinner that night I had to say goodbye for the first time, and I went about an hour east to see Andrew and Tara Davison.  I was up kind of late chatting with them that evening, but I still had a few more days with them.  What a blessing!!!

Nova Scotia Days 2, 3, and 4

Here is more of my recollection of my trip to Nova Scotia!!

Day 2 - 

Wednesday morning I woke up at 10:30 am (7:30 am Alberta Time) because I was DETERMINED to get onto Nova Scotia time.  I had enough time to get up read my book for a while, shower and visit with Uncle Al (He worked the 1-10 shift that day) and laze around the house before Jenni even showed an inclination to wake up.  She finally was dragged out of bed around 12:30pm and then went down again around 2.  She was a tired girl, that's for sure.  I also was extremely addicted to Plants vs. Zombies at this point, so I didn't mind that there wasn't really much to do.  Emily, and Aunty Brenda were having fun looking after Jenni, so I just kind of chilled around the house (playing my game of course) while others looked after my precious girl.  Alice was still afraid of Jenni at this point (and by afraid I mean REALLY uncomfortable around her), so her and I visited a lot and continued to get to know each other.  By this point we were pretty much inseparable, and we were in all sense of the word insta-superbuds!

Grammy and Grampie were going to be coming for dinner that night, after Grampie's dialysis.  Grampie is 80 years old with only 1 semi functioning kidney that gets dialysis 3 times a week...most of the time in Berwick, but every now and again they have to go to Halifax.  Today was a Halifax day, so Grammy and Grampie (G & G) didn't get to the house until about 5:00ish.  The last time that I had seen G & G was when I was 9, so 17 years prior.  CRAZY!!!  I was a little nervous, but everything worked out really great.  

G & G went NUTZO over my precious little girl.  Jenni really liked them, and they really LOVED her.  Grampie immediately started to look better once that little girl was within arms reach.  So Cute!!!!

Dinner was amazing (although I don't really remember what we ate) because Aunty Brenda is a wonderful cook.  Maybe we had Kabob's that night...oh I don't remember.  It was yummy though, because everything that I ate was yummy!!!  Also, one thing that I am not really used to, is that there is dessert almost every night.  That was a treat that my hips REALLY didn't need, but it was so yummy, and as Alice reminded me, when you are on vacation, calories don't count.  I wish!

Jenni being her tired, jet-lagged, not normal self, was so tired, and really ready for bed, so she went down early.  I think just after 8 ish. (that is 5:00 AB time).  She slept clear through the night, but I was not smart enough to go to bed at a decent hour.  Oh no...I think I was up until 11:30 talking with Alice, and because I wasn't really paying attention I had regular tea with dessert (CAFINE) and so even though I was in my bed decently enough, I think I read until 1 am.  Stupid.  Oh well, that is what vacation is for.  When I did sleep though, it was great.

Day 3 - 

Jenni woke up at 9:00 this morning (6 am AB time).  This was a pretty good thing for her because that meant that she was on her way to being on NS time.  I came out of my room, rather groggily, and Aunty Brenda took my baby from me, asked me what to give her for breakie and told me to go have a shower.  Not that I really smelled bad or anything, but I just needed a serious wake up call, and what better than a nice hot shower for that.  It was really awesome that I was able to not worry about Jenni.  I knew that she was in good hands, so I was worry free.  Yay for me!  

On this day, I was still slightly addicted to Plants vs. Zombies, so I did spend a lot of time goofing off on the computer.  The good thing is though, that I did not play this game at all after this day.  I thought to myself, "self, what are you doing playing video games on your awesome Nova Scotian vacation.  STOP IT!"  So, that is what I did.  I did happen to finish the game, but I did not play any more after this day.

Anyhoo.  After Jenni went down for her nap Alice, and I went into town (Aunty Brenda was on baby duty).  Uncle Al was working the 9-6 shift at Home Depot and Emily was working the 9-1 shift at Michaels.  Emily got a ride into work with Uncle Al, but had no way of getting home.  So, Alice and I went to go pick up Emily from work, and to get some stuff for Aunty Brenda and for Scuba.  

We had to go to Michaels to get a refund on a class that Aunty Brenda was going to take, but it clashed with something else on her schedule (I think Choir) and we also had to pick up some "storage solutions" from Home Depot.  We did that, and then we got Em, and then we went to a pet shop to get some flea powder and a flea comb for Scuba.  Oh yes, I haven't told you about this yet.  The people who were staying with Brenda and Al brought their cat with them.  Well, this cat had some little friends (fleas) with it, and those friends decided that the house was a GREAT place to live.  So, unfortunately there was a flea infestation in the GIANT house that Brenda and Al live in.  Sucky!  And, having a dog, of course they got on him as well.  So, after much searching, we got what we needed, plus a little more, and we headed home.  

G & G were at the house to visit, and the light in Grampie's eyes had returned.  Jenni was up from her nap and was joyfully playing with G & G.  She would tease Grampie, because she would walk right towards him, and then just before she got to him, she would turn and go in a different direction.  Grampie thought it was funny, so it was all good.  Jenni also learned that playing with Scuba was a fun thing to do.  She loved to play ball with him, and he would be VERY gentle with her.  It was really great, and super fun to watch.  

*Side note* You will see in some of the pictures that Jenni is playing with Scuba's tennis ball.  I, being the lax mom that I am, didn't care that she was chewing on the ball, or anything like that.  BUT...Aunty Brenda cleaned out this Ketchup bottle, and it had a little bit of water and a tiny bit of residue in it, and I almost threw up when Jenni put that in her mouth.  What a dork I am.  I am fine with a slobbery dog ball, but not a clean ketchup bottle.  CRAZY!!!!

Day 4 - 

This day was a very special day for me, because I got to see the Atlantic ocean for the very first time!  YAY ME!!!!  Oh was it ever pretty.  Pretty pretty pretty!  

So, Alice wanted to do some resume dropping off, and so about noonish we left for Chester.  Alice did get an interview, so we had to be home by 4:30 because the interview was at 5.  Uncle Al had the day off, but he still needed to go into work, so he wasn't able to come with us.  So, it was a GIRL'S DAY!!!  Emily was feeling totally run down from her shift the day before so she also stayed home and I do believe, she made dinner.  

Alice was starting to warm up to Jenni because she even held her for the first time.  Jenni loves jewelry, and Alice was wearing a necklace with the Main crest on it.  Jenni like this necklace and she put it in her mouth.  Jenni then put the necklace into Alice's mouth, and Alice thought this was quite amusing.  Unfortunately Alice didn't think "Jenni has a cold, this could be a bad idea.  I could get a cold too." And so started the runny nose of Alice.

Our hour and some-odd drive to Chester was good, a little eventful, but good.  See, I was driving, so I could know where I was going, and I needed to pass a vehicle, and the car didn't do what I wanted it to, and so we took a little longer to get past the car then we wanted to and it was just a little scary.  Not dangerous per-say but still scary.

Once in Chester we went to a wonderful bakery/cafe for lunch.  I was struggling to decide what to get and then learned, shortly, that I didn't have to decide.  I could get both things that I wanted and we would all share all the food.  I think we had 5 different things from the menu to share, and it was quite the dining experience.  Although, as for portion control...forget it!

Lunch over, we got dessert to go (did I mention that it was a bakery with yummy pastries...yeah...pastries) and we walked down to the water.  I got some pics of Jenni in her Norwegian sweater that Toril sent us, and then we walked over to this infused glass store.  Oh my goodness.  It was so gorgeous!  Completely unattainably expensive, but gorgeous none the less.  There was this really cool bowl where it looked like the ocean.  I would love to explain it more than that, but I can't because it was just that cool looking.  So picture a fused glass bowl that is at least 3 feet in diameter, and make it look like the ocean in your brain.  That is what it looked like.

We then HIKED back up to the car, and we got in the car to go to the beach.  It was this cute little beach in a place called Gold River (no, not the one of Vancouver Island).  It was so beautiful!!!  The water was even not freezing.  It was cold, but not ridiculously cold.  So, we went in.  Both Aunty Brenda and I are yoga junkies, and so we were doing some of our favorite poses in the water.  It was lots of fun, and apparently Alice had lots of fun taking pictures.  (Although, none of the ones with me doing poses ended up turning out.  Oh well...Aunty Brenda can look silly, and I will just pretend that I didn't)  Jenni full out sat in the Ocean, and so it was a good thing that I brought some extra clothes for her, and I removed her pants before I even let her venture out on the beach.  I know you are all thinking it, so I am just going to say it...I'm a smart mommy!

Alice had her interview, but did not get the job.  That was okay in my mind because that meant that she could hang out with me more while I was in NS.

When we got home Uncle Al came in the house shortly after we did, and Jenni went up to him and gave him the best snuggles EVER.  It was so cute to see her love on him because she didn't know him at all, really, but she knew that he was good people.  So cute!!!!!

After dinner we went to Perault's (sp??) for ice cream.  Holy cow!  These ice creams were HUGE!!!!  I got a baby cone and it was the size of a regular sized cone at any normal place that sells ice cream.  It was awesome...and really inexpensive.  Then we went to the lookoff at night (pretty view spot on the way to G & G's), and we went to visit G & G.  G & G have a beautiful property right off the Bay of Fundy.  It is so gorgeous there.  Grampie was a little sad that Jenni was at home in bed (with Emily) and not with us, but he was happy to see us.  

So, after a great day, we went back home and I sat downstairs and visited with Uncle Al for a very long time.  He is a really incredible man, who has really gone through a lot and come out way better off on the other side.  I am very lucky to have him as my uncle!

Pretty Nova Scotia Sunset on the way to G & G's