Hangin' With Dad

The last couple of weekends have provided some extra time to hang out with the boys. On Saturday the 10th, Shelby was busy in the morning, so I took the kids for some geocaching and then we went to a park in Aldergrove. Basically we did a bit of what I like to do and what they like to do. It was a rare sunny Saturday in November and wasn't too cold either, so we had a little picnic lunch in the park too. I tried to get the kids to smile on cue which is what I like them to do, but is not usually what they like to do(and if they do its almost too much!). Here are a few from that day.

The last weekend Shelby went on a shopping trip with friends, which gave her a much needed break from the kids, so this means spending quality time with dad. The plan: keep them busy with various activities.
On Friday we went to the 'Thomas store' which we adults would refer to as the Art Knapps in Surrey. I guess you are supposed to buy stuff there, but the kids just like playing with the trains so that's what we did. We then went for a walk with Keisha in the nearby Serpentine Bird sanctuary and yes there was a cache to find as well. For dinner, I asked the kids what they wanted, Kyle wanted pizza and Aaron wanted McDonalds. Not really an easy compromise, so we went for pizza on Friday and McDonalds for lunch on Saturday.

On Saturday morning the weather was not looking great, but we decided to go to the zoo anyway. The zoo didn't quite go as well as planned, but we did get a free train ride(their debit machine wasn't working and I had to use another ATM and for my effort they gave us a free train ride.) Having a free train was good because Kyle did not like the train AT.ALL! Well first I asked where they wanted to sit and Kyle wanted to sit at the front of the train, but every time the train passed a pedestrian walkway, (and there were a lot of them!) the conductor would blow the train whistle and he cried/screamed. Basically he ended up curling into me fearing the next train whistle(poor guy!) I did ask him after the train ride if he enjoyed it and he said he did.(Go figure!)
After the train ride it was raining and cold, so walking around the zoo didn't last long. We did get to see some animals like the tiger, giraffe, rhino, monkeys and the cute little lemurs peering out of their house hoping the rain would stop.
With it being cold we ended up in the vivarium where the reptile are kept.

I managed to convince Kyle to kiss the snake, although Aaron wouldn't go anywhere near it.

Later in the evening Kyle and Aaron got to hang out with their friends Madi and Lexi at 'Go Bananas' It was a good way for them to release all their energy, so they would sleep in for dad the next day.

So that was my time spent with the boys. We did clean up the house on Sunday before Shelby came home from her shopping trip. The boys did try to help a bit, as well. Unfortunately a clean house never lasts as long as you hope it does.