I have tried writing this blog post a bunch of times but it always seemed too….wordy. Yeah I know, how can it be too wordy, it’s all words. It just can. So here I am snuggled under a blanket on the sofa with my pot of tea, a sandwich, my laptop, and a goal. WRITE ABOUT THE BIRTHDAY SURPRISE.
Birthday month, as I am calling it this year, was full of surprises, and will continue to have surprises right up to the end. The big one though was that we took our munchkins to Labrador for a week to visit my parents. 
Yup, that’s me, back in the Big Land and loving it!
***Mom and dad aren’t too keen on having an online presence so no specifics and no pics of them but I will say that they are amazing, generous, loving people and I couldn’t have asked for any better parents.***
The surprise was a surprise right through to the end and there were even some things we didn’t plan (like a delay and a night at the Hilton). The kids didn’t even know we were going to the airport, and when we did get there they had no idea where we were going. It wasn’t until the stopover we had and a plane change that they realized our final destination. I’m so glad they are still young enough to be surprised and excited like that. They were expecting to go to The Discovery Centre and were happy enough with that for the day.
Mom had planned one of her amazing brunches and the house was filled with family and friends on the day we arrived. Talk inevitably turned to our animals and it’s funny how everyone had the same comment…I am the last person they expected to become a farmer. No one is more surprised than me! I love sharing our experiences, especially all the funny things that happen with the kids and animals. I didn’t think too many people actually followed my Facebook posts or read too much of the blog but apparently lots of people do. Yay!!!!! I even had an old friend say to me “You’re my hero!” That was the best. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and find out everything that’s been going on in the few years since we’ve all seen each other.
The week was kind of hectic since mom and dad had so many unexpected things come up but we still managed to do quite a bit. The munchkins were super excited to be able to play in the snow. It was the first chance to try out their new snowsuits for the year since we don’t have any snow here yet. And Poppy even took them on the skidoo for a little while.
Another thing we do every time we head to Labrador is to take pictures by one of the big trucks used in the mines in the area. Some people can’t believe how big they are when we tell them and the kids still get a kick out of being able to stand in the center of the tires. We didn’t get a picture in front of the town sign that my dad made but hopefully we’ll get a chance to do that in the summer.
One of the coolest things was that I got crunchy snow on my birthday. I don’t get that much around here. It’s dry cristally snow and the sound it makes when you walk on it is a cross between a crunch and a squeek. THE BEST. I could have spent ages in the driveway dancing around on it like a fool…except for the cold. Brrrrr. I forgot what it was like to get a cold headache just from going outside.
Oh and we got to show the kids where their grade 1 teacher had her first teaching job. Funny how some people from your present are connected to your past. Mrs. L was so excited to see a picture of the kids in front of her old school. In fact, when I told her about the trip I think she was more excited than I was about it.
I didn’t get to see as many people as I would have liked, but I will plan that better the next time so if I missed you, it’s ok to give me a hard time about it. It’ll make me work harder next time. It was still great to see all the people we did and I even got a quick chat with an old highschool friend at the airport the morning we were leaving.
Before I sign off, we need to say a special thank you to our duck sitter who made this whole trip possible. Pepps, you’re the best. She kept our feathered babies well fed and watered while we were away.
Have a beautiful day and if you can, buy a chicken, you’ll love it. I just got an email about some new feather babies I get to bring home today so stay tuned for a post about that.
Ducks 'n' stuff 