Rather than spend a pile of money and go someplace boring like Hawaii, Natalia decided
that she wanted to take Henry to the West Edmonton Mall in November. Not my first
choice, but Henry had a blast and it was pretty low-stress (until the shoppers
showed up...)
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We booked a Polynesian room, which had a volcano delivering water to a big tub. Henry thought it
was hilarious and loved jumping in and out of the tub, even with no water in it.
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These steering wheels were also a hit for Henry near the big Santa Maria ship.
Video of Henry at the steering wheels
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The mini-golf is outstanding value for a 2 year old (free) and they also allow a chaperone to go along for
the game. Henry loved 'playing golf', which really consisted of him carrying the ball to the hole,
tapping it in with either his foot, hand, or club, then yelling 'SCORE' and smashing his club on the
ground.
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Even though we didn't skate, Henry enjoyed watching the zamboni go around the ice.
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Going up and down the escalators was always worth a few minutes of entertainment for Henry.
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The best part of being at a mall during the day (weekday) is that there is no one there. Henry had
all kinds of space to run around and have fun and explore.
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The Sea Life Caverns are a bit of a sad zoo (just due to size), but since it was free with our hotel,
it was stellar. Henry got to see penguins, touch anemones, and he could have also touched a shark
had he been a bit less scared.
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Henry watching Daddy touch the anemones and thinking about touching them too.
Video of Henry playing with the penguins
World Waterpark
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This was the first slide that Henry went down and it may have wrecked him since it filled his nose
with water.
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Henry's going to sort out that I'm going to stick his head into just about all of these things.
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Me coming down the water slide with a raft.
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This is a little water area that Henry enjoyed playing in.
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A full day of water park action necessitates a granola bar and a lounger.
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Exhausted Henry crashed in the Polynesian Suite.
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This was Henry's first time sleeping in a 'Big Boy' bed.
Galaxyland
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Henry and I on the balloon ferris wheel.
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We also got passes to Galaxyland, which it turns out that Henry is free for. Natalia even got a free
chaperone pass too, meaning it only cost us a single voucher for me. Here's Henry and Mommy on the
softest ride in the park - the tea cups. I still have the ability to barf on these with enough spinning.
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There's an indoor playground as well in Galaxyland, which Henry loved. Here he is rocking out the
ball pit - "Daddy, come in with me and throw me."
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A happy day is a day that includes DQ for Henry.
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Henry and I went back on the teacups after lunch.
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We almost had a meltdown since the train wasn't running almost all day. It just opened in time for Henry
to get to enjoy it. Here are Henry and Natalia giving the train operator the thumbs up.
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Amazingly, Henry was tall enough for this ride. He definitely wasn't ready for it maturity-wise yet though
as can be seen in this video.
Video of Henry in a go-kart
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Henry thought it was amazing to learn about static electricity.
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Aunty Sus and Henry on Whyte Ave with Santa on a horse and buggy going by and capturing Henry's attention.
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Henry loving Fruit Loops at the Marriott downtown. A note that valet parking (or parking at the hotel)
was $30-$40 a day and I found a lot that I could park at for $16 for the weekend!
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We went to the Muttart (pronounced 'Mutt-TART') Conservatory since they had a Christmas display with
trains. Not surprisingly, Henry loved it.
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Henry and the train going around the display.
Grace doing Natalia's hair
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My friend Bud and I got to see the Flames beat up on the Ducks - 8-3 finish. We also snuck down
into the lower bowl for the third period to get a sweet view.
