Busy Bees

We've had ourselves a busy summer so far -- we took a day trip to the African Lion Safari and then the boys and I were off to the Herr cottage for a holiday. Unfortunately it was rainy and cold, not all that typical for the first week of July up north, but we survived and had ourselves as much fun as possible despite the rain that NEVER let up! But we had gorgeous weather for our Safari day...

Now of course our original plans got skewed when the drive shaft on my truck decided it wanted to go. Knock on wood, we've been lucky with our truck for the most part, considering it gets 200+ kms/day with me commuting to work. But with impeccable timing, we were out a vehicle with plans to go on this trip. Thankfully we were able to take my in-laws' vehicle, although it meant they didn't end up coming with us. So we picked up Greg from work at Toyota and off we went to the safari. The boys were super excited, Isaiah in particular, as for days we'd been counting down the sleeps until he got to see the animals. We went on the boat cruise first, to see the monkeys and the birds, before heading out on the safari tour. Here we are waiting for our bus:

The boys were captivated, despite the thick glass separating them from the animals, and well behaved, save for a few shrieks of excitement. Greg and I sat on opposite sides so that they could move around the bus depending on which side the best view was from.

Isaiah really enjoyed the lions and the monkeys, even though he claims his favourite was the elephants (which unfortunately he missed because he fell asleep).

The animals were most definitely used to the traffic - as they hardly noticed the cars moving around them and the people gawking at them. I'm glad we took the bus through, actually, as the baboons were notorious for riding 4 or 5 on top certain cars, and knowing our luck they would have chosen ours!

Anyhow, after we toured the different areas of the reserve, we had a picnic lunch and headed into the water park splash pad. It took a little convincing on both their parts to get wet, Braylon more so than Isaiah, but eventually they took to the wading pools, sprinklers and jets, and Isaiah even tried out the slide! I was worried he would want to head into the bigger part of the water park, as he tends to think he's much older (and in fact was tall enough), but he seemed content to play in the baby/toddler area. Here they are goofing around:

The boys then had a nap, so Greg and I caught the elephant show, for which Braylon saw the tail end. The elephants were all very talented - shooting hoops, painting, and doing gymnastic tricks. All in all, it was a great trip - and having never been to African Lion Safari, I was quite impressed myself.

Then the boys and I were off for our annual trip to the Herr cottage in Haliburton, a trek I've made solo with the boys before, though it's a long one. There never really is an ideal time to leave, as the boys aren't going to sleep comfortably in car seats were I to leave late at night, and I wasn't about to expect them to be well behaved for the 5.5 hour drive. So we did our best, and they weren't too bad.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the forecast was not in the least bit appealing. It rained, and I mean rained, every single day, save for a few hours on Canada Day and then the day before we left. It was hard on the boys to be cooped up, especially in a cottage -- though had it been warmer, the black flies and mosquitoes might have eaten them alive outside anyhow. We did manage to get out for a full day of sunshine on the boat -- swimming and playing with the beach toys on the lake, touring before lunch, and back to the boat launch for an afternoon swim before heading back in to the cottage. So the boys got to exert some energy outside!

And so we've been home for only two days now -- which have passed equally fast with appointments on Tuesday and an eye exam this morning for me. The rest of the summer is by no means planned out, but I'm certain we'll find ourselves keeping just as busy! We'll be sure to keep you posted!