The Livin' is Easy

      The first week of summer was a busy one. My carnivore husband convinced me to check out Ottawa's Ribfest. I grew up in our nation's capital, but I had never been before. Huge crowds of people waited patiently in long lines along Sparks Street to try ribs, pulled pork sandwiches and barbequed chicken from different award winning vendors. Mike and I split an Uncle Sam's combo which included a little bit of everything. The meat, covered in tasty barbeque sauce, melted in your mouth. Everything was delicious, but the chicken was my favourite.

 

 More highlights from our week:

 

     I discovered a great (and free) activity for moms and their babies to do on a hot summer's day in the city. Ottawa has wading pools in different neighborhoods and Henry and I decided to check out the one in our community. The pool was clean, there was plenty of shade and the lifeguards on duty were very friendly.

 

     We took Henry to the Valleyview Animal Farm. 

For $16 our family got a tour of the farm on a tractor ride, access to the animals and front row seats to a puppet show. Henry laughed at the goats, but was most impressed by this guy...

Alpaca

     My friends and I gathered at a park for a late night picnic because a super moon was set to make an appearance in the sky. We kicked off our sandals, sat on a picnic blanket and popped a bottle of champagne. We were ready for the show, but a thunderstorm quickly rolled through and spoiled our plans. We had to run for cover, but made it under a gazebo before the downpour. Candles were lit and our spread of different cheeses, meats and bread were placed on a picnic table. We never did see the super moon, but it was just as romantic to watch the lightning brighten up the black sky. 

     We packed up our small Toyota Corolla with pretty much all of our belongings and drove up to the cottage for our first family vacation. Henry is only six months old, but I was determined to introduce him to our summer traditions and make new memories.

Henry was so proud to have a chair just like his dad.

      Henry went swimming in the lake for the first time and this former lifeguard is proud to say I have a water baby on my hands! He sat in his new inflatable boat and had the biggest grin on his face as he kicked his chubby legs with all his might.

Our first family vacation was wonderful. We spent most of our time in the water or paddle boarding across the lake. When it rained, we were prepared with puzzles and board games. Our holiday ended with a big Canada Day celebration. We got into the spirit by wearing red and white, decorating our picnic table with Canadian flags and serving homemade white cake with fresh local strawberries for dessert.

Happy 146th Birthday Canada!

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My new friends at lulu&coco have offered to give away a gift bag of beautiful baby items worth over $60 to one lucky commenter from this post! Owner, Denise Carvellas, designs and makes all of the outfits/accessories using only high-quality fabrics that are pre-washed and pre-dried to ensure the fit is correct. The lulu&coco clothing collection ranges from new-born to 6 years old, but custom design is available for any special occasion. A winner will be selected next week.

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And Congratulations to the winner of the Kaleidoscope Kids' Books contest, Commenter #4 (chosen through random.org), Karine Botchar:

Oh Henry, you are WAYYY too cute !! I need to get to the market and get me some fresh produce and fruits !! Thanks for the reminder !!

Karine, email your contact info to alyssa_delle_palme@hotmail.com and those books will be on their way!

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What was the best part of your first week of summer? I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. 

Happy Canada Day!!!