Honestly, the next person I heard go on and on about their awesome "staycation" was going to get an earful from me (not really - I'm all talk). But seriously. I know times are tough and that's what we can all afford right now, but I don't want to keep pretending that I'd rather explore my own backyard than head to Hawaii for a week or two.

But then Little Boy decided he REALLY wanted to start acting TWO and Sweet Baby Girl decided that night time sleep is WAAAAY over-rated and when I was just about ready to make a cardboard sign that read "Two Free Kids" and park them in a wagon on the sidewalk outside of our house with the freshly painted sign, Wonderful Husband decided to take a couple of vacation days off from work and help me get these kids under control. (I think that was code for "prevent wife from having a mental breakdown").  Neither one of us wanted to take these two crazies to visit the grandparents like we had previously planned (to many variables!!) and so our "staycation" was born.

6 days later...I'm so all over it. Lo and behold, our kids turned back into sweet little angels the first day Wonderful Husband stayed home. We used day one as an opportunity to head up to Richmond B.C. to Watermania. If you haven't heard about this AWESOME waterpark (really it's Richmond's Community Pool) it has a little gym with a waterslide and sprayers perfect for toddlers. The wave pool goes on and off every 20 minutes, and there's floaties, noodles, and innertubes to enjoy. There's also a kid friendly hot tub to relax in. Little Boy had the time of his life for 2 hours and Sweet Baby Girl floated around with me in her cutie infant swim suit for a full hour. Best part? $11 Canadian for the whole fam. Boo-ya!

Next up? Flying kites and picnic dinner down at Zuanich. A lovely evening with take out pizza (really - could I get any lazier??) and kite flying for LB. Zuanich is never too crowded and there's a great playstructure and don't even get me started on the docks. Oh, what fun can be had walking up and down the docks with LB.

We also managed to fit in the Farmer's Market (successfully with no breakdowns! I know - you must envy that experience - it's the first time in 2 years), blackberry picking, gardening at our house and various playdates.

But perhaps the best day of all was yesterday. We headed up to Mt. Baker (Husband has been wanting to do this for a long time with me shouting "NO! Naptimes, meltdowns and feedings!" but yesterday I obliged) so of course, it turned out to be the best day ever. We drove up to Twin Lakes - perfection because Twin Lakes is normally the kind of altitude and place that can only be reached by backpacking and some serious hiking. LB ran around and explored for a couple of hours while Husband and I held SBG and took turns staring, open mouthed at the beauty that surrounded us. We ate lunch lakeside and then hopped back in the car and drove to Artist's Point. From there we took a 1 mile hike (2 1/2 year old LB walked/ran the entire way!!) and again, gaped at the beauty. Can I tell you how much I love Artist's Point? Tons of trails to choose from - all perfectly kept up and suitable for walking toddlers, and I swear, some of them could even handle a jogging stroller.

*AND* since yesterday was our ninth anniversary, we capped it off with a glass of wine and a toast to ourselves after kiddo's bedtimes. :)