Today was another great day here in Ottawa. We took it easy this morning and didn’t do too much. It started lightly snowing which was nice to see.

In the afternoon we headed back to the canal for some more skating. Elliot was in the toboggan again, and Amy was in the stroller. It was snowing pretty heavily which was interesting to skate through, but hard to pull the toboggan through. Every once in a while I would hit a deeper patch of snow almost stopping me in my tracks. We skipped the beavertail for today since the lineups were so huge.

We took a side canal at one point and came a across a crowd of people. Once we got closer I realized it was a wedding in progress. Pretty cool venue for a wedding, and it was neat that it was snowing for them. Definitely unique.

Back at the house, while dinner was cooking, Sox’s brother in law started making maple taffy. You take a bunch of maple syrup ad start it boiling. When it gets to a certain temperature you pour it on snow and wrap it around a popsicle stick (or tongue depressor if you are around doctors). Mmm, tasty but very, very sweet.

Tomorrow we head home. What to do before we leave though. Another skate? Ice sculptures? Beavertail? Nothing and relax? Not sure, but I do know we need to return our rental and pack up.

Today I had my first beavertail. We had gone to Gatineau in Quebec to a park where they had set up a wonderful snow park. Slides maede out of ice, a snow maze, some snow sculptures, ice fishing, and more.

I took the three boys (Elliot, his cousin, and a friend of Elliot’s) down a couple slides. The four of us linked our arms as we went down. With my weight going down, I dragged the boys further and faster than many of the other kids were sliding. They liked that.

The park was overrun with school groups that were honestly quite misbehaved. The kids were running around with no supervision, pushing, shoving, cutting in line, and generally dampening our spirits a little. It was sunny though and the park was fun.

I kept eyeing the line for beavertails. Once our gang had regrouped someone mentioned a snack so we got in line. Mmmmm, so tasty. We had ours with cinnamon and sugar, but some of the other toppings sounded good too. I was tempted by the maple butter though.

Amy sure is enjoying the snow, but she does not like getting dressed up for it. She would rather be out there with no gloves and not hat. Today Sox took her out skating again in a different stroller. They had a great time and when they got back, Sox and Amy stayed outside in the snow a little longer.

Elliot also had been having a great time in the snow, and doesn’t mind dressing up. It helps that his cousin does all this with no problem.

Tomorrow we plan to go tobogganing, and I am having lunch with a friend that used to live in Victoria. A few more days still, then we fly home. That will be interesting.

Today we hit up a local children’s museum that was just across the border in Quebec. It was awesome. Elliot and his cousin ran around looking and playing with everything. Amy followed a bit, but she found her own favorite things to play on (like sitting in ann Austin Mini, or in the bus). Elliot’s favorite was the crane that he could operate and use to pick up mock cargo.

After nap time and just before dinner we headed back to the canal for some more skating. At first it was just going to be Sox, myself and Amy, but at the last moment Elliot decided he wanted to come too. Above is a shot of the Fox family on the ice. Still no Beavertail, though I did see a shack selling them! So close.

Elliot is having a great time with the snow. I think he really missed it this year at home. I am glad he is at least experiencing it here.

Yesterday we flew to Ottawa to visit some family. The flights with the kids were fine, and strangely enough, the kids didn’t sleep at all. Normally this might not be a problem, but by the time we landed it was 10pm Victoria time. Amy did this with no nap on the day, which, if you have young children, you could understand my apprehension.

Today was a fun day. There isn’t a lot of snow here in Ottawa, but there is some. It is also cold, but not very cold. The low for the week is around -5 which is perfect for getting outside and doing things.

Things like skating on the Rideau Canal.

I have never skated on anything but man made ice in a rink so this was a unique experience. It was a lot of fun, and we made sure that we skated into the wind at the start, and with the wind on the way back. It was also a nice and sunny day too. Absolutely perfect first day here. There will also be a Beavertail somewhere along the way.

Things planned for the rest of the week include museums, ice slides, ice sculptures, more skating, swimming (indoors), and maybe a playground or two.