Weekend Getaway

Winter just seems to be dragging on this year in Calgary. Here it is on March 27th and it looks like a winter wonderland out my front living room window. Thank God Jamie had the fabulous idea of arranging a family weekend getaway to help break up this long winter. He happened to choose one of my all time favourite places too - Canmore, Alberta!

On Friday afternoon we packed up the Santa Fe and headed to the Rockies. Jamie had booked two nights at a newly built condominium complex called StoneRidge Mountain Resort. What a beautiful place! It had a lovely kitchen with granite countertops, a stone fireplace, a huge master bedroom with an equally huge en-suite, a gas bbq, a heated out-door pool and of course a magnificent view of the mountains off the balcony. I wish my house was a nice as this condo!

We got in a bit late on Friday evening so I put Brandon in the tub while Jamie ran to get a few supplies. Brandon went down at his usual time (7:30pm) and Jamie and I settled in to enjoy the huge TV and fireplace with a glass of wine.

Brandon got us up early the next morning and after some breakfast we checked out the pool. It was a big hit with Brandon! It was snowing softly but the pool was warm so we swam around for 20 minutes and then jumped into the hot tub. Heaven!

After fun in the pool we headed out for lunch to a wonderful restaurant called the Iron Goat. This place will a "must visit" in the summer as their patio boasts some of the most amazing mountain views I've ever seen in the valley.

When lunch was done it was time for a nap. Brandon slept for two hours before we were able to get him up for a stroll along Canmore's main avenue. It started to snow quite a bit so it was back to the condo for a tasty bbq steak dinner and more fun in the pool. All this pool time made Brandon sleepy so he retired early for the night and slept in until 7:20am.

In the morning it was time to pack up and head back to Calgary (but not before checking out the show suite to see if could add a Canmore condo to our list of assets. Yeah right - maybe when we win the lottery).

I have to say our little weekend getaway was a much needed break. Jamie and I are feeling happy and well rested as is our little boy. Here's a few pics from our weekend retreat :)

16 Months Old!

At 23.5 lbs Brandon sure feels heavy when I pick him up now. He was sick one night last week. We're not sure if it was due to teething or something else but Jamie and I took turns rocking and walking Brandon back to sleep. Both of us commented on how big he is now and how much harder it is to walk him around - at least compared to when we used to do it 12 months ago.

Brandon continues to make us smile every day. He's such a happy boy. He's always laughing or screaming his excitement over something. He loves playing with mega blocks, running around with his walker (though he's an excellent walker on his own), reading his books and watching "Bob the Builder".

Our weather is finally getting nice enough that we can start putting him outside. I think he's going to love it. A whole new world for him to explore! I can't wait to go for evening walks and take him to the park.

We still get to catch up with our play group from time-to-time. Last weekend we enjoyed brunch with our friends. Brandon is fairly social and he seemed to have fun, hanging out with his little friends. I thought it was interesting to see he's a bit smaller than his friends. He seems to be just as advanced as they are though - trying to talk and running around exploring everything new. Get-togethers with all those toddlers is really chaotic but still lots of fun.

Brandon had a mysterious rash for about the past 3 weeks. It was diagnosed as a "chemical dermatitis". It never seemed to bother him but he was covered in it. Much to my relief, it finally cleared up a few days ago. Brandon is now back to his beautiful self :)

Growing Fast

Brandon is almost 16 months old and though physically his appearance changes weekly (more hair and more teeth) it's his mental progression that astounds me. Brandon has become very curious about the world around him. He's interested in everything - calculators, hair dryers, shoes, old paper wrappers, anything. If he can get his hands on it, he will study it. Lately he's taken to bringing his new found treasure to me or Jamie and asking "What's this?" (yes, a sentence!!!) He's happy with whatever answer you give him and then he toddles off to find the next object. He can do this for hours.

And though he's not talking much - at least not much that we can understand - he certainly understands a lot of things. You can say "Brandon go get your milk" or "Brandon go get your book" and off he goes only to return moments later with the requested item. You can ask "Brandon do you want a snack?" and he'll sign back the word for "eat" or sometimes he'll even say "Yes". Last weekend he surprised the heck out of me when we were in the storage room together. He spotted my bike and he pointed at it and said "What's this?" I replied "That's mommy's bicycle honey". And then he said "Nice" before turning and walking away. I couldn't believe it! Where on earth did he learn to say "Nice".

The answer is at the day home of course. He spends his days with two very chatty four year olds who have taught him all kinds of things. He can dance and clap and tell you that a dog says "whoof, whoof". He can finger-paint, turn on the light switch and even scream like a girl. Every day he says or does something new and it always makes me smile. I like to think that his boundless energy and never-ending curiosity will keep me young or at the very least, young-at-heart :)