Sam and Max meet Nana and Opa

 

Opa, Nana, Dad, Max (up high), Mom and Sam at Niagara Falls

At long last Sam and Max have finally met my parents, their Opa and Nana, in person. After jumping through the hoops to get their passports we were able to plan this trip to Canada. Here are some photos and stories from the trip.

Max found my parents' still functional rotary phone

Max didn't dial the phone, but he liked hearing the dial tone.

Sam and Max sit on the stairs

Max and Sam play with a basket of toys while Mom enjoys a Tim Horton's coffee

This picture reminds me of my childhood. I spent many years playing in that very same spot, with likely the very same toys. It's lucky that Nana kept a few baskets of these toys around, because Sam and Max really enjoyed playing with them. Every morning we'd come downstairs and the boys would immediately wander to the toys and start playing.

Dinner at Swiss Chalet

No trip to Canada is complete without dinner at Swiss Chalet, a beloved Canadian family restaurant specializing in rotisserie chicken.

Max sits on Nana's lap and shares a laugh with Opa

Opa and Max look at Niagara Falls

We made a day trip to Niagara Falls, since it's only about an hour away from Hamilton. I'm not sure if the boys will remember this at all, but it was a nice opportunity to take some family photos, like the one at the start of this post.

Opa, Max, Nana and Sam

Sam makes a silly face while waiting for lunch

Max gets a shoulder ride from Dad while looking at the falls again

Mom and Max pose in front of the falls

Max and Dad also pose in front of the falls

Sam walks with Opa as we all head back to the car for the drive home

Max, Opa and Mom sit down at dinner

Opa, Mom, Lorena (the boys' nanny), Sam, Nana and Max enjoy dinner at home

Nana, Dad and Opa enjoy a glass of wine

All of these photos from home are full of nostalgia for me. This is where I grew up! This trip nicely coincided with Nana's 80th birthday. We gathered some extended family and had a wonderful big family dinner out. It was great visiting my cousins who I hadn't seen in person for 5~6 years, and my uncle and aunt who I hadn't seen for ~10 years. All these folks got to finally meet Sam and Max.

Breaking with tradition, in the below photo I'll label everyone by name, and explain their relation after.

Myself, Julie, Dave, Aunt Dorcus, Alison, Kate, Uncle Ted, my mom, my dad, Sam, Rob, Amanda, Max

Uncle Ted is my mom's older brother, married to Aunt Dorcus. Their older son, Rob, is married to Julie, and their younger son, Dave, is married to Alison. Rob and Julie have two children (not present), and Dave and Alison also have two children (only Kate present). I couldn't think of a simpler way of explaining all these relationships. Regardless, it was wonderful catching up with everyone, and Nana was surrounded by loving family on this special occasion.

Mom and Dad sneak off for coffee and a walk

Fall in Canada is beautiful

Max joins as Dad plays his childhood piano

Grandpa's brother, Great Uncle Dennis, happens to live in Toronto, which is about an hour away from Hamilton. We made another day trip up to Toronto so the boys could meet Great Uncle Dennis, his wife Great Aunt Toba, and their son Alexander. They had us all over for a lovely dinner.

Max, Great Uncle Dennis and Sam

Mom, Great Uncle Dennis, Max, Dad and Sam

Sam, Max and Toba read some books on the couch

Mom, Max, Alexander, Dad and Sam

And lastly (but not leastly), we all met up with my sister, Anita, at a park in Hamilton.

Aunt Anita, Max, Dad and Sam

As you may have gathered, our trip to Canada was full of gatherings of family and friends. Sam and Max met many relatives that they'd only ever seen in photos or videos. It felt very special to finally have Sam and Max meet my parents, their Nana and Opa, and I hope it is the first of many more meetings to come.