Birthday Weekend - Redux

The Boy Child turned 10 yesterday. To celebrate, we had a 'do over'.

Last year at this time, we took our little family for an out-of-character trip to the big city of Toronto. We had intentions of spending the night at a fun hotel (pool with waterside) and then spending the next day at the zoo before heading home.

But the night of our arrival, disaster struck in the form of a kidney infection for The Boy. He and I spent the night before his 9th birthday on the cold bathroom floor of the hotel room, trying to let Mr. B and The Girl get a bit of sleep. We tried the zoo in the morning - rented a wagon for The Boy - but we only got to see the sting rays and the smelly rhino before we had to leave.

Once we returned home, the emails flew furiously and we soon had a surgery date to have The Boy's kidney repaired. It was a long summer while he recovered. However, it was all well worth it as we have a New Boy. So this year, to celebrate his birthday, we planned the 'do over'. It was a celebration not only of a tenth birthday, but also a celebration for Mr. B and I as we reflected on our journey with our young man - how much he's overcome and how his life is so much more comfortable and improved.

We played Tourist Family in Toronto for the weekend. We drove there on Saturday, settled into the hotel and then spent the rest of the day in the pool. Sunday we introduced the kids to the subway. We visited the Hockey Hall of Fame and Gretzky's restaurant for lunch. Then on Monday, we spent the better part of the day at the zoo, having a much longer, thorough visit than last year.

It was a great trip for us. Perhaps such a trip wouldn't be a big deal for others, but for quiet home-bodies such as we are, it was way out of our box. We arrived home in good spirits with enough daylight to spend the evening playing with friends. Oh, we fit in a birthday dinner - requested by The Boy himself - of fish, rice pilaf and corn before heading to the bakery to order a cake.

Pictures to follow as the week goes on.