Better late than never: Canadapalooza 2011!

I must apologize for my blogging hiatus, but in an effort to outsmart Blogger and finally get my photos uploaded & displaying in the correct order I attempted this particular post more times than I care to share. It seems they've made some changes and uploading photos backwards no longer works. So after seemingly endless hours of cutting and pasting, I present for your viewing pleasure: Canadapalooza 2011!

The 3 hour time difference affected some of us more than others...

...oh, who am I kidding? I was just as bad. Neither of us ever actually made the adjustment, truth be told. No matter what I tried, Teagan wouldn't go to bed before 10:00 (the equivalent of her 7:00 bedtime in Vegas) and wouldn't wake up before 10:00 the next morning (typically rising & shining at 7:00 Vegas time).

She did a lot more shining after rising than I did. You can take my word for it...there will be no photo.

I don't know what Nicola's excuse was here, since she's been on EST since the day she was born.

Mum & Dad were kind enough to sponsor a trip to Canada's Wonderland, an awesome theme park that I haven't had the pleasure of visiting since my teenage years. THAT long ago. Charlie Brown was there to greet us. Trying...to...resist...typing it...so...cliche...but I just can't help myself..."Good Grief!"

 

Any of you who knew me way back when in high school will know that it would have been a crime for me not to stop and take a photo with this handsome fella, having giving the performance of a lifetime as Snoopy in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown". You read that right, I portrayed a dog.

Mum was kind enough to watch the baby while I rode more rollercoasters in one day than I had in the past several years. I have a love/hate relationship with them, and end up half-smiling half-grimacing the whole time. Here's everyone making fun of me.

All smiles and no grimacing on the Spongebob Squarepants 4-D adventure.

I used to ride Swan Lake with MY mum when I was little and visiting Canada, so these pictures tug at my heartstrings a little.

Another time honoured tradition at Canada's Wonderland: strawberry funnelcake. (Just drooled on the keyboard)

We took a stroll at Lake Ontario, a beautiful body of water I never really appreciated until I moved to the desert. Didn't really appreciate my sister (or her apparent super-human strength) until I moved either.

You know us.

The Mummies and the Precious Babies. (For those of you who don't know, my youngest sister thought her name was Precious Baby for the longest time. She'd introduce herself to strangers at the grocery store as "Precious Baby". Mum claims not to have a favourite, but you have to admit that's pretty damning evidence...)

Teagan spent a lot of quality time with Grandad and even earned her very own remote control - an honour never before bestowed. Don't tell her he took the batteries out, though.

Since Chuck E. Cheese is practically the family business, Mum took us over for a few hours of fun and we let the kid be a kid. I think she liked it.

Nicola's the third Chuck E. Cheese employee in our family. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in high school, it was still in the works. Talk about a missed opportunity.

They may have been feeding eachother Cheerios at this point or conspiring to take over the world. It's hard to say - these two make quite the combination.

And just in case Teagan didn't love her GG (Grandma Gay) enough, the popsicle was introduced and the bonds of love were renewed.

She loves her even without all the sugar.


Loved seeing Grandma looking her radiant self again. For someone still undergoing rigorous treatments, she certainly is a vision, isn't she? If I could bottle her optimism and spunk, I'd be one rich gal.

We made ourselves at home at the Chinese buffet. Some of us may have gotten a little too comfortable.

Here's a view you don't see every day. We wanted to give the grandparents something to remember us by. What better than a faceprint and fingerprint smudges on the coffee table?

The proud grandparents took the wee one on a stroll around the block in the beautiful weather. At least I think it was beautiful - I went and took a nap!

I was able to be at the temple for my sister to receive her endowment which was really special. The Toronto Temple is a beautiful place.

I don't know many people that can make shower hats look good, but sisters sure do make them and wear them well! The blushing bride-to-be.

 

We may have a genius on our hands. Really, it's just Auntie Nicola getting creative with the bath toys.

 

So happy to see my good friend Sara and finally meet her little Logan. The next generation of awesome!

G-Pop tried to pass on some of his English football wisdom and technique, since by this age he was already a phenomenon, but alas it didn't take this time around. But she's got the uniform.

Six months changes a baby a lot and Teagan was 100 times more active this trip and just too busy to cuddle. A nasty case of laryngitis (right before the wedding) changed that. While of course I didn't want her to get sick, cuddliness was a nice side effect for GG & I.

I couldn't pass up an opportunity for another 4 generation photo. I will always cherish these.

 

 Teagan flew rather well and made lots of friends at the airport, smiling and waving at any one who would so much as glance at her. She has the royal wave mastered...now we just need to become millionaire "commoners" and enroll her in the same school as a prince...

 

I recognize that there's a whole lotta baby in this post, but that's what it's all about, right? Sorry this update took so long. I have plenty to update you on: Teagan's 1st birthday, our new house and Halloween, but the more blog-worthy things I have going on, the less time I have to blog. Oh, the irony. But check back soon!