Heather Camlot

 

The kids and I headed to Quebec for two weeks to visit my parents at their cottage in the Laurentians. We always have such a blast going there, but this year seemed even more special.

First off, Alexandre was quite reflective. One morning, my mother found him sitting in a chair by the window and staring out at the lake. When he saw her, he said, “The lake is really beautiful, isn’t it?” Alexandre is not even six years old, but he spoke like a worldly young man.

Second, Alexandre and Juliana played quite well together. And as they were the only kids around most of the time, I’m glad they got along. They spent hours swimming in the lake, doing arts and crafts, eating outdoors in “their” tent, playing with our neighbor’s dog, and generally acting like best friends. It was really nice to see.

Third, my nephew celebrated his first birthday, and oh were the kids happy to see him and be there for the party. It had been about four months since their last encounter and Justin has changed dramatically. He’s no longer a baby -- he crawls, he stands, he eats real food and most importantly to Alexandre, he laughs at his silliness. I’m not sure who was more enthralled by whom. (Juliana enjoyed playing with Justin as well, but at one point she said she wished he was still a baby. He’s almost as big as her, so I don’t blame her!)

Finally, we got to visit with friends and family we hadn’t seen in a while. My grandmother came to the cottage for a couple of days and got to spend time with her three great-grandchildren. I can’t imagine how that must have made her feel. Same for my parents, who I know, even after two weeks of ups and downs with Alexandre and Juliana, wouldn’t trade that time for anything in the world.

Heading to the Laurentians is always a summer highlight for us. And I can only believe that from here on in, it’s going to get better and better.