I was so looking forward to this little getaway! Our original purpose for the trip was for Chris and Connor to go to a Raptors game. Chris had told me back in January that this is what he wanted for his 40th birthday. He had never been to an NBA game before, and this was the perfect opportunity. Even though his birthday is still 2 weeks away, we decided this was the best game for them, ie. not on a school night. I got three tickets, so they could take Uncle Ben, too. The boys were both very excited, and I was, too. I needed a break from the mundane life of unpacking and organizing, and to be in a house without boxes everywhere for a few days. We picked the kids up at school and arrived at Lori and Ben's just in time for Janelle and I to switch places with Ben and send the boys on their way.
Lori and Janelle and I had a lovely little "girls night in". We chatted a bit while Janelle watched cartoons. Then we pulled out the games we had brought: Whoonu and Sequence, two of Janelle's favourites. By the end of the game of Sequence I could tell that Janelle was ready to call it a night, so we started the bedtime routine. After we got her snugly tucked in, Lori and I played some XBox Trivial Pursuit. It was really fun, especially for a trivia nerd like me. We had just finished our second game when the boys arrived home.
Connor was energized! The Raptors had lost by a buzzer-beater. Chris loved it! That's what makes a good game, right? But Connor was devastated! He had bonded with "his team", and (a little like his Papa) he's only happy when they're winning. He couldn't believe that they could be winning one second, and lose the whole game the next. Suffice it to say, there were tears before bed. But I knew the tears were as much from the late hour as the loss. In the morning he was still talking about how much fun they'd had. Unfortunately, the boys didn't take the camera into the Air Canada Centre, so I have nothing to show for that game except Connor's new Raptors hat.
In the morning we got up to a lovely breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and fruit prepared by Lori. She hadn't been planning on making a big breakfast until Janelle mentioned the night before "I sure hope there are pancakes in the morning!" It's amazing the power a 6-year-old can wield! It was great though, because we left the house with full tummies, on our way to discover the big city. The kids had been talking about the CN Tower for days, and it did not disappoint. They were in awe! We bought the tickets for the "Total Experience", which included a motion simulator ride, and Connor just kept saying "I want to go up the tower NOW!" They were pretty amazed by it all, and they were extremely patient despite LOTS of waiting in line. We were there on a clear day, so the view was incredible.
We spent several hours there, making sure we really did have the "Total Experience". By the time we came out and grabbed a bite to eat, it was time to head back to Burlington for the big birthday party. Lori had planned a party for all the March and April birthdays in their circle of friends: Chris, Ben and his twin brother Pat, and herself included. By the time we got home, people were already arriving. It was a lovely evening. I had met many of the people before, but there were some new faces, and everyone was very welcoming to us. Connor and Janelle got to blow out the candles on the cake (despite the fact that neither of their birthdays fall in March or April), and learned a new game: Rock Band. That was a huge hit! I think we all got a turn with that one, and Connor has decided that we need an XBox (which is not going to happen anytime soon!) We all stayed up WAY too late, but most of us slept late in the morning (not Connor and Janelle, of course).
The next day we had another leisurely breakfast, this time of cereal and toast, much more managable, and played some more "Rock Band". We headed out around 2 p.m. and made a stop at one of the great shopping institutions of the world: IKEA. Chris had never been there before and was predictably underwhelmed. He did admit that many of the housewares are pretty good deals, but as a lover of fine furnishings, was not at all impressed with the furniture that IKEA had to offer. Still, we were able to spend a couple of hours there, and a tidy sum of money, before we began the journey back to London.
Just under an hour and a half later we were home. Ready to begin another week in our new abode. And I was re-energized about my new purpose in life: unpacking boxes!
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