Parry Sound departure & extra pics

Jul18

Saturday. After not having a nap yesterday, G was in bed by 7:45pm and ready to roll at 7am. The water was calm and it looked to be a beautiful day as we got out of bed! G was so excited to have Daddy at the cottage! They spent time on the dock and walked all around. G showed him how we fish off the dock, the secret blueberries, how we water the plants, and (most importantly) the sandbox.

Then we packed up lunches and headed to the Cathcart islands. Jeff took the SeaDoo and the rest of us rode in the boat. There was food, some ant stomping/ shouting, some running on the rocks, a snake spotting, and a visit from a green frog.

(G yelling at the ants.)

Back at the cottage we had a quick visit from Karen Reed and her family, then nap (for most of the kids, plus one).

Ba made chicken over the fire pit for dinner (so good!) and we had another round of roasting marshmallows for dessert. G showed dada how it’s done. There was some swinging, some sliding, a quick bath in the sink, then bed.

Sunday. More rain. Boo. G and I got up and met everyone else (the early risers) in the big cottage. There were pancakes being made and playdough creatures coming to life on the table. At about 10:15am, Jeff and I decided that today was the day we’d head home (rather then leave in the Sun on Monday and rush home for work on Tuesday). We packed everything up and left within the hour. It’s always a sad day when you leave the cottage- especially when family is still there and you haven’t had time to say your farewells to everyone.

It’s been another year of laughs and fun, memories, and time spent together. A lot can change in a year, but let’s hope that next summer brings more of the same togetherness. The Underhills will be growing by one new family member (soon)… and how fun it will be to have another little one at the cottage next year.

Now that we’re safely home after a long drive and an overnight in Burlington, VT, it’s time to get back in our old routine and baby prep… after lots of errands and laundry!

Smoothie & breakfast at home after a nice bath and haircut.

Some other pictures of our Parry Sound adventures: (waking in town.)

(Sibling love.)

(Waking through the train station.)

(Underwater at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto.)

(G taking momma for a SeaDoo ride.)

(Momma & baby bump busy hydrating as kids play on the beach.)

(More swimming with cousins!)

…and Bears, Oh My.

Jul12

Monday. We had a rainy start to the day which meant time at our sandbox and playing in the water. G loves walking around the cottage and we’ve made it a daily activity to water plants with the garden hose. (This takes place regardless of recent rainfall and ‘watering the plants’ is a loose term we use for watering the grass, rocks, ferns, and even the ocassional passerby.) We all had lunch at the cottage then everyone, except Nana and Ba, zipped out to Palmaroy for some blueberry picking and swimming. There were only green blueberries last time we were there, but with all the rain and Sun, blueberries have popped! Even the little bushes around our cottage have produced a few small, toddler handfuls in the past couple of days. We’ve been sure to eat them up as quickly as they appear.

Palmaroy was a fun couple hours of blueberries (with two dedicated pickers and three determined eaters), some stick collecting, a centipede discovery, a catapillar sighting, and the rescue of a drowning dragonfly.

Nana and Ba met us at the island for a bite to eat; then we all left for home. G fell asleep in the boat (par for the course) and made a smooth transition into his Pack & Play for nap. Allie and I snuck out on the SeaDoo for a quick run in town. In route, we came across a momma bear swimming the channel (towards the rear side of our property) with her three cubs. I made a quick cell phone call from the SeaDoo to be sure someone was keeping a close eye on MY little sleeping bear cub. (Thanks Nana for sitting in the Little Cabin the entire time we were gone; it was nice to get back and find out that G was safely with his Nana, just incase Momma bear decided that our cottage smelled particularly attractive!)

With three dogs, three noisy children, and a timely trip to the dump to get rid of our trash today, the likelihood of seeing those bears again is slim. But we’ll be sure to keep eating up the wild blueberries, just incase.

Tuesday. Another trip to town. This time we went to drop books at the library and for their weekly activity. Today happened to be a Home Depot sponsored project: building a bug house. G did a great job with his hammering skills and everyone made awesome little bug homes. (The participating adults may have deserved a bumper sticker on the way out. Something that read: ‘I survived the noise & chaos of 25+ children using hammers on plastic tables’ would have been appropriate.)

The day improved as we headed back to the cottage. We spent time at our beach, walked around outside, did some bug hunting, and took a quick ride in Aunty Marion’s paddle boat before dinner.
Only two more days before Daddy arrives! We’re hoping he shows up with yellow squeezies. They’ve been requested quite frequently but we’ve run out! Dad will be impressed with how G’s sentences are getting longer and with his expanding vocabulary. I’m also fairly certain that he’s grown since we left on June 18th; he eats constantly and sleeps like a log. Today he had his first taste of strawberry milk… mmmm. He didn’t request more, but he did drink the whole thing.

Wednesday. Up and at ‘um! Today was the day we left Parry Sound and headed to Toronto. Uncle Randy flew out at 5pm, and then tomorrow Daddy flies in. Nana, Aunty Allie, cousins, G, and I will be staying the night and exploring the aquarium while we wait for Daddy (Jeff). It was a long car ride to the airport, but things got exciting once we checked into our hotel and started hitting the town. A trip to the indoor playground quickly turned into a nap in the car, a shopping trip to Whole Foods, dinner at Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill, and a whole lot of fun at the Chapter’s bookstore. We returned to the hotel with a few new animal toys, a whole lot of laughs, and a few wired and giggly cousins. Nothing says bedtime like three silly toddlers at a hotel sleepover. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s fun!

Parry Sound – road trip!

Aug1

Sun- day 1. Arrived in Party Sound around 11:30am. Waited for Aunty Allie, Grammie, & cousins to retrieve us after their trip to Walmart in downtown Parry Sound. (Unfortunately, this is one of the only consistent places in town to pick up necessities like diapers and baby wipes.) We made good time from our overnight stop in Mendon, NY. Graham slept all but about an hour in the car. He’s such a good little passenger! This was the second day of our long drive and it took us about 5 hours to reach Parry Sound (after logging 8 hours the day before). We drove through the boarder crossing at Niagra Falls in the early morning hours, then continued onward along the 407 toll road. Once at the cottage, we unpacked our stuff and ended the night with a paddle in Grampa’s new Weenona canoe. Grampa, Aunty Allie, cousins, and Graham & I paddled up to see Aunty Marion & Uncle Don. It was a great day! We settled into the Little Cabin, where we’ll be staying for the next two weeks, and fell fast asleep cuddled together in bed.

Mon- day 2. I have no cell service for some reason and spent almost an hour with US Cellular trying to fix the problem so we can keep in touch with ‘Dad’/ Jeff. It’s hard not to have a cell phone, but we’re not too sad about it. The screen-free time is nice, and almost unheard of when we’re home in real-time, normal life. Instead of texting and Facebook we look out the window at glissinging waters and green trees across the bay. We listen for loons and distant boats, or the echos of neighbors who are also enjoying their lake time.

After the fog lifted, Grammie & Aunty Allie left to take cousins, Wylder & Mabel, to the Toronto zoo. It’s WAY too soon for us to get back in the car. We’ll wait to hear about the fun they have… and maybe one day Graham will go to the zoo also. Instead, we took advantage of the quiet morning by taking a run with Grampa in town- up past Glen Burney Marina on Grampa’s new running route. Then Grampa took us fishing off the dock. Graham caught three sun fish and boy, did he love it! He held the pole, played with the reel, and splashed the water in the bucket where the fish were temporarily held hostage. After we were done, Grampa slowly tipped the bucket back into the lake and we watched our fish swim under the dock.

Tues- day 3. It was a relaxing lazy Party Sound day. The weather was perfect- sunny and warm. We took advantage by doing absolutely everything we wanted to do- nothing at all. We highlighted this with a midday nap in the hammock (Graham & I) and a little fun in the swing that Grampa has rigged up between two trees near the laundry building. That’s fun too! We swam with Grampa at the beach and Graham tried out one of the circular floaties. He was a little unsure about it at first (as were we) but he settled into the idea of ‘floating’ and played with toys on the mesh at the front, as his little legs dangled into the water below. Later in the day we went with Grampa to Glen Burney Marina to get Allie, Grammie & cousins after their trip to Toronto. Of course, we did another couple miles of running while we were there. (We can’t be totally lazy all day.) Graham snuggles down into his Ergo carrier while I (‘mom’) trot along with Grampa. We had a late dinner and time for beddies knowing that tomorrow brings lots of cousin fun.

Wed- day 4. Graham takes his first (SLOW and brief) Sea Doo ride with mom! We spent a long time at our beach with cousins. Graham is also getting very talkative! He’s responding to questions with long sentences of jibberish baby talk (but if you stretch your imagination, you can almost make out what he’s saying.) He’s the cutest.❤️

Thur- day 5. Graham spent some time with Grammie and cousins while I went into town with Grampa & Aunty Allie to run and get groceries. I was finally able to check email and get online to fix my phone. Cell service has mysteriously started working. Back at the cottage we went canoeing with Aunty Allie & cousins and spent some more time at the beach. Being at the beach and in the water is more & more enjoyable. Graham is getting more comfortable and gaining confidence. He loves to splash with both hands and climb the rocks. (Just as long as he’s not eating the rocks.)

Fri- day 6. Graham learned how to drink a smoothie from a real straw! (Thanks for the smoothie, Aunty Allie.) We took a boat trip to the dump with cousins, Aunty Allie, & Grampa. Graham played at the beach with everyone… climbed the rock, splashed, and played in the sandbox with Mabel.

Sat- day 7. Aunty Allie left to get dad and Uncle Jeff from the Toronto airport. Graham, Grampa, and I are responsible for the groceries and a quick run. We’re looking forward to what we’ve deemed, “Daddy Day”! Once back from our town trip we went next door to a dock party. All the neighbors were there. Graham got to meet a few other boys: Owen, Peter Fletcher’s grandson. Ryder (2) and Jackson (4) who are Sarah and Jay’s boys; (Sarah is Betty’s daughter.) Graham also got to meet the Reeds, Jim Brown, and Katie (Aunty Jen’s old Parry Sound friend) who hadn’t been to the cottage in almost 10 years. We did a bath in the kitchen sink (our second one since arriving).