CANADA

Steve and I were able to go on a business trip/ 2nd honeymoon back in October! It really was great to get away since I have NEVER been away from my children a single night since Sarah was born. The best part was for months in advance I dreamed about how wonderful it would be to not get up with Tyler during the night and be able to sleep in (yes Tyler still wakes up during the night-not all nights though). And it was wonderful! Steve had a conference to attend in Toronto, but his schedule was quite flexible. Each night Steve was wined (we held off on this one!) and dined by companies pushing their products. Unfortunately they are not allowed to pay for spouses meals (something to do with ethics?)...which equaled a hefty dinner bill one night-over $100.00 for my meal alone-YIKES! At least we had great dining experiences! We were able to get away one night and eat at the big, famous CN Tower. The tower which is 100 and something stories high has a part that turns and so while you dine, you rotate and get a beautiful view of Lake Ontario and the city. It takes about an hour to rotate once. It was fun. It was just fun to be Steve and me for a few days.

So when Steve was gone, I did activities with the Women's Alliance (which was really fun), read books, shopped, tried out my bartering skills in Chinatown, and most of all enjoyed myself! The Women's Alliance had a health walk every morning and then a breakfast afterwards. They also had a real fancy lunch with a fashion show one day. It was some of the best food I have ever had! Steve and I were also able to meet up with his Aunt Hedy and Uncle Chris, who are serving a mission there (Uncle Chris is a Mission President). It was fun to visit with them and hear about their experience. We also got to visit one of the chapels in their area (they were in the city that day), one that President Monson used to walk the halls of. We just love them and were so happy to be able to meet up with them. Steve and I also rented a car and drove around the Lake to see Niagara Falls. It was quite cold, but we loved it and it was beautiful.

Grandma with the Ducks (Grandma Dryden) held down the fort back at home for us. We flew her out from California to watch the kids and she was amazing with them! She was up with Tyler during the night as he came down with a bad cold, put Kate back to bed (or made room for her) when she wandered to the bedroom in the middle of the night, sewed Halloween Barbie clothes for the girls, made Halloween sugar cookies, was cooped up for days due to never ending rain, took the dog out to go the bathroom multiple times a day, drove the kids to their various destination and activities each day, and went home exhausted! But she was AMAZING and we love her for that! The first thing Grandma said to me when I returned was she had a greater appreciation for what I do each day and she longed for the energy young mothers have! And then she got a full nights rest without having to be bothered by the children and the dog before she headed home the next day. Thanks Grandma! We love you so much!

Dining at the CN Tower.

The Fairmont Hotel we stayed at. It was beautiful! This is a view from the CN Tower.

Chinatown had LOTS of markets like this.

More of Chinatown.

Niagra. Love it!

Best Friends!

Another shot at a picture together and Niagra.

CN Tower we ate at.

A boat on the Lake where we walked each morning.