Dan and I took 2 days off work before the long weekend. We wanted to do some day trips without battling huge weekend crowds. So, Thursday we went to the Toronto Islands. At Centreville, we weren't expecting Noah to go on any rides by himself. First of all, we weren't even sure if he was allowed to. (He is only 22 months.) However, most of the rides' only requirement is that the child be under 4 and a half feet. Still, in France, which was only 2 months ago, Noah was very anxious about going on rides. We were surprised when he decided he wanted to go on the Bumblebee ride all by himself! We thought for sure, he would scream in terror once the ride started, but no! Here he is, sitting beside an older child, on the ride.
From there he continued the trend, by riding the firetrucks and the boats by himself.
He also liked other rides that we all went on together, like the train and the swans. Here he is waiting in line to go on the swans, or as he calls them "kaak boa" (quack boats). I guess they look a lot like ducks to him.
He has always been fascinated, yet slightly terrified of the merry-go-round. He calls it "aya". I have NO idea why. Neither carousel nor merry-go-round sound like "aya". We went on the carousel 3 times that day. The first 2 times he was great. The 3rd time, something spooked him, and he was uncertain. Dan went on with him that last time, and said he was holding on to the pole on the pony for dear life! You never know what emotion you are going to get, from one moment to the next, with toddlers, do you?
Later on, he enjoyed seeing the animals at the little farm. We also went through the maze. Noah was understandably a little puzzled by the maze. He did not see the point of the dead ends, or appreciate the challenge, but it was a nice little hike anyway!
If you are ever at the Toronto Islands, you have got to try dining at the Rectory Cafe. It is quite a ways from Centreville, but the food and outdoor atmosphere make it well worth the walk. If you are walking towards the beach, away from Centreville, turn left when you get to the beach. The path you are on will eventually turn into the boardwalk. It is about a 20 minute walk on the boardwalk, with a nice view of the lake. You will find it on your left hand side. Don't mistake one of the houses for the restaurant. You should immediately see all the tables and chairs outside. It is now a tradition for us to go there every year for dinner, after a day on the islands.
We took a late ferry home from Ward's Island. Here was our view while waiting for the ferry.
Day 2 - the Toronto Zoo with Noah's cousins Kacey and Mackenzie, his aunt and uncle Krista and Scott, brother Jacob, and Dan and me. We all had a fabulous time. Noah got plenty of attention from everyone. It was so nice for him to spend some time with his cousins. Here he is on the pony ride.
He definitely got more out of the zoo than he did last year. His favourite animal now is the zebra, which he calls the "booba". Here are some pictures of our day. I really LOVE the picture of everyone on the zoo truck!
FYI - kids under 3 are free at the zoo. For adults it is $23.00, but if you have a CAA membership like we do, you can get a 10% discount. For more information about the Toronto Zoo, visit their website:
http://www.torontozoo.com/
For the long weekend, Dan, Noah and I went to a friend's cottage in Perth. Noah thoroughly enjoyed himself. He is really into boats, so it was great for him to float around on a kayak by the dock. He was really NOT into wearing the life jacket!
He seemed to enjoy the kayak more than our friend's bigger boat, probably because he had a better view!
He also had a great time running around on the deck of the cottage. He got his way much more than he ever would have at home. He got to go to bed later, and got to eat pretty much whatever he wanted, including cookies for breakfast! Funny what you will give in to to keep your baby peaceful for the sake of everyone!
We have had such a beautiful summer already, and we still have a month left!
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