Rewind (Part 2): Vancouver

We went up to Vancouver just as the June heatwave was peaking, so going up north was a welcome respite from the heat. We drove to the airport with David, who was also traveling up north, but while he flew into Seattle, we flew directly into Vancouver. The kids loved the integrated in-flight entertainment center, which kept them enthralled throughout most of the relatively short flight. We recently purchased a new luggage set, and Kai loved the 360° wheels which made it easy for him to help push the bag through the airport. Later when the kids got tired of walking through the airport, the rolling bag served as an impromptu stroller for Sora. Japadog had a stand at the airport, so we stopped for a quick lunch. The dog had a satisfying chew and the toppings were great.. but it was pricey, so Nik and I were happy to share one.

Our little helper

Whew! Finally out of customs and almost out of the airport

We took the Canada Line into town and ended up at our old haunt, Oakridge Centre. We ran into a snafu with our car seats (we didn't bring any), but fortunately Auntie Loretta lives close to the mall and she was able to ferry us over to her house, two by two, using Kaitlyn's car seat. The first day was decided low-key since without car seats, we couldn't go out. But the kids had a chance to acquaint themselves with their cousin Kaitlyn and later, Christine, Nathan, and Candace arrived, so we made do with take out at my Auntie's house.

"I tired," and this ledge is the perfect place to rest

Yogenfruz while we wait at the mall

By the next morning, David had arrived, bringing with him a much-needed rental car. We managed to solve the car seat crisis with relative ease after we found a local baby equipment rental company online. And with that, we set off to explore Vancouver. We first stopped in the downtown to grab some Japanese fried chicken and sandwiches to go. The kids couldn't wait, so they ate their chicken in the car and we finished our lunch at Stanley Park.

Strapped in and ready to go!

Sandwiches were ok, but the fried chicken was much better

After lunch, we headed over to the Vancouver Aquarium. I was impressed by all the exhibits that they packed into the aquarium: they even had monkeys! (Sora loved their shrieking and proceeded to imitate them) The highlights were undoubtedly the manta ray touch pool, sea otters, and the "meet a penguin" event, where the kids had an opportunity to see a penguin up close.

Sora found a froggie friend in the amphibian exhibit

Kai managed to touch a ray, though our little Sora's arms were too short!

Playful sea otters

The pair behind us was thoroughly amused by our attempt to take a family selfie

After our afternoon at the aquarium, we attempted to take the kids back to my Auntie's for a nap which was an utter failure. Though the kids fell asleep in the car, we tried to take them out of the car to have them nap in the house and after at least an hour of rolling around and "be quiet, Sora!", we eventually gave up (it's always so hard to figure out what will work with the kids!). After we threw in the towel, we decided to meet Christine and Kaitlyn at the club to play at the family fun area (Kai and Sora were particularly bold and ventured into the big kid inflatable) and then grabbed a quick dinner together.

When it comes to taking pictures of the cousins together, this is about as good as it gets 

The kids really bonded with Uncle David during this trip. They were constantly jockeying for his attention and chasing him around. The next day, we walked to a neighborhood playground with my Auntie; the kids had a wonderful time climbing and running around and Auntie Loretta was either impressed or frightened by Sora's fearlessness. After a morning of playing outside and a carbo-loaded lunch, we were grateful that the kids napped in the afternoon. Later, we met with Christine for dinner at White Spot, another old favorite.

Lil' daredevil

Ahh, White Spot

The next morning, we went to a nearby neighborhood church for service and then returned to my Auntie's for lunch (Daimo again.. we tend to stick with the tried and true whenever we visit Vancouver). After a few days of hanging out together, the cousins had finally gotten comfortable with one another just in time for us to go home. David dropped us off at the Oakridge and we killed time at the children's play area and the Lego store, while we waited to take the train back to the airport.

♫ Groovin' on a Sunday afternoon ♫

Finally! A decent picture of the cousins

Kai's Lego head totem pole: creative or disturbing?

The kids really enjoyed the train ride back to the airport, though I kept expecting one of them to fall over since they couldn't stop running around on the train. US customs took forever and Canadian customs seemed comparatively streamlined. Fortunately, I had had the foresight to grab some lunch to go and Sora fell asleep in the customs line. The flight home was uneventful and again the kids amused themselves by playing with the in-flight entertainment centers. Vancouver was a quick and family-oriented trip, but it was great to see family and have Kai, Sora, and Kaitlyn get to know one another. Hopefully we'll do it again soon!

Never miss a chance for a photo op, even while sleeping!

Angry face with the medium-sized airplane