Oughta be in Ottawa

We had a blast spending our Christmas break in Ottawa with my in-laws. All but one of Eric's siblings and their families came home to visit. He's the oldest of seven, so the house was packed to the brim with Zari's cousins (currently there are 14 and 2 more on the way). Ottawa had record-breaking snowfalls while we were there. Zari discovered the joys of eating snow. She figured out that it was most efficient to stick her head right into the snowbank, but licking the snow off her mittens was also a favorite activity. Or I should say, "favourite," as a nod to Canadian spelling. We took several days to drive out, visiting different family members on the way. Coming back home, though, we bit the bullet and did it all in one long day: just over 15 hours with stops.

Favorite memories of the trip:
~ Watching New Year's Eve fireworks from Victoria Island at 18:57 to celebrate Ottawa's being chosen the capitol of Canada in 1857 by Queen Victoria. Winter fireworks are definitely way more beautiful than summer ones. The explosions, coming from Parliament Hill and a railroad bridge, were mirrored in the river. The sky was overcast and we had a deep snow cover, so everything was very bright even though it was night.
~ Sledding off the deck in the backyard. The snow was so deep that we built a sledding hill in the back yard and sent the little kids down it.
- Ice skating at the local ice arena. I put Zari in the Fauxhawk (front carry). After a while she wanted out, so then Eric and I held her between us and pulled/pushed her along as she kicked her legs.

Here are some pictures from our time in Ottawa:

Zeke's new competition

Pink puffball

Christmas Eve pinata smashing and floor hockey

Zari's serious face

I made newborn size leather shoes for one SIL who just had twins
and another who's pregnant with her third.

Newspaper pirate

Playing in a "tent" with her cousins

Trying on Eric's ski boots