Journey to Ottawa: Part 4

On Sunday morning, Jackson had a little tummy time with his cousin Audrey.

Then the kids stayed behind with Rick, Grandma & Grandpa while the rest of us headed downtown to check out the outdoor market and the Winterlude Festival. The outdoor market was definitely smaller than it is in the summer, given the frigid temperatures, but we still picked up a few things. Wendy & I got some great jewelry in a store that was actually part of the indoor market. After a little shopping, we headed into a nearby pub to warm up with some yummy Boddington's and food. Aren't we a good looking crew? :-)

After lunch, we bundled up (well, Wendy & I bundled up big time while the others tried to appear brave & "warm") and walked over to the canal, one of the locations of the annual Winterlude festival. It had actually been closed a couple of days before because the temperature had gotten so high, but that certainly wasn't a problem the day we were there! It was lots of fun to literally "walk on water" as we walked down the canal. Many people were on ice skates...not me, as I wasn't in the mood to break any body parts! Here are Wendy & Matt enjoying the canal...

We checked out the ice sculptures...sadly, many of them had melted or broken in the warmer temps during the previous days, but it was still obvious that they'd been quite grand! Here we are all posing in front of the Winterlude sign, etched into ice.

After all that time outside, we were ready to get home and warm up! Back at the house, we rested awhile and hung out with the kids. Then, once we got Jackson and Violet down to sleep (Audrey goes to sleep a little later), we all left the kids with their Grandparents while we headed out for our MUST dinner in Ottawa...Golden Palace! Despite a change in ownership/management, it did not disappoint! After a great dinner, we stopped by another restaurant for dessert and drinks and a little more time together. By 10pm, though, we were all exhausted...we're getting old, you know?! :-)

Monday morning flew by as we hurried to get everything packed up. We managed to FINALLY find a quick moment while all the kids were awake & in a good mood to take a few family photos. I was getting worried we'd never get one in!

And one final shot to commemorate our wonderful trip to Ottawa...Daddy with Jackson in his cute snowsuit, ready to head to the airport.

It was a wonderful 5 days and we can't wait to go back...maybe this time in the summer, though! :-)