Day 1: Four Hours Late and Right on Schedule

June 2, 2026

Destination - Hotel Quebec in Quebec city

No better way to start the official first day of our month-long East Coast road trip than spending the first two hours packing from the moment we woke up at 7 a.m.

With three kids, we've officially lost another seat compared to our last big trip. Finley wasn't exactly around for that one. I sacrificed the 60 portion of the 60/40 split to the luggage gods while Lola's car seat occupied the remaining 40.

Once I masterfully Tetris-ed our "light" packing job into the van, I stood back and admired my work. I went into it convinced there was absolutely no chance everything would fit.

It fit.

The only casualty was access to Lola.

Speaking of Lola, we had to go get her since she had spent the night at Grandma and Papa Jay's.

As we pulled out of the driveway, Sophie wished me a happy Father's Day.

I had completely forgotten.

Wesley echoed the sentiment and immediately asked if there would be cake. He's still only two, but I respect his priorities.

At Grandma's house, Sophie went inside to reconnect Child #3 with Boob #1 and Boob #2 while I celebrated Father's Day by losing my cool with Lola, who was having a full-scale toddler meltdown while sitting completely naked on a toilet.

The cause remains unknown.

My leading theory is the Netflix she'd watched before we arrived.

We've noticed that even small amounts of TV seem to alter her brain chemistry. Patience decreases. Aggression increases. Whining gets bumped up several settings.

Not one of my finer parenting moments, but the reset button did eventually get pressed.

An hour later, we were finally ready to leave.

One thing we've learned about traveling with kids is that schedules are best treated as loose suggestions.

As we loaded everyone into the van, we reviewed what we'd forgotten to pack and immediately entered a new destination into the GPS.

Home.

Before heading to Quebec City, we needed to retrieve several critical items, including tuques and gloves. Because apparently we're vacationing in Canada.

Back home, we joked that the trip was over.

The kids were not amused.

Sophie headed upstairs for the forgotten clothing while I gathered drinks from the garage.

Then I spent the next thirty minutes standing outside beside a fully loaded vehicle with increasingly upset children while their mother remained mysteriously absent.

Eventually she emerged, looking like she'd completed a three-day expedition.

She even brought souvenirs.

With the van packed for the second time, we were finally ready to leave.

Only four hours behind schedule.

Perfect.

The silver lining was that we'd now arrive just in time for the hotel's 5 p.m. check-in.

Destination entered.

Off we go.

Except now we're hungry.

First ramen.

Then adventure.

We grabbed lunch from Isshin Ramen and parked at the LCBO on Isabella so we could eat our steaming bowls without risking third-degree facial burns while driving.

The kids happily slurped noodles, one of their favourite takeout meals.

At this rate, I figured we'd reach Quebec City sometime next week.

The first couple of hours actually went remarkably well.

Before leaving, Sophie had taken the kids to the dollar store so they could build screen-free travel kits. Colouring books, stickers, journals, random treasures of questionable value.

For the most part, they stayed busy.

Wesley, naturally, remained an outlier.

Sometimes he quietly played with his toys.

Other times he unleashed chaos using a collection of farm animals he'd insisted on bringing.

It was also naptime.

Since he's recently graduated to forward-facing, he's still fascinated by the fact that the world exists.

I'd hand him his pacifier and tell him to sleep.

He'd dramatically tilt his head, squint his eyes shut, then peek at me with a giant grin, fully convinced he'd fooled me.

Eventually he did fall asleep.

Not for very long, though.

In hindsight, he was simply preparing us for the rest of the trip.

A little past halfway, we stopped at Tim Hortons so Sophie could feed Finn.

Since it was Father's Day, I treated myself to a second Ice Capp.

At least that's how I justified it.

The moment we walked inside, Wesley spotted a sprinkle-covered donut.

Lola immediately supported his campaign.

We bought one for them to share.

Before I could even make a bet, Wesley ate only the top half.

The sprinkle half.

Of course.

Everyone took a quick bathroom break and we hit the road again.

The rest of the drive was mostly uneventful, apart from a section of highway where the sky turned black and we briefly discovered what driving through the ocean might feel like.

The kids earned some TV time from the van's entertainment system.

Twenty minutes before arriving, Finn started crying.

Not normal crying.

The kind of crying that makes you question every decision you've ever made while still trying to maintain your lane position.

Once we reached the hotel, Sophie took Finn while I checked us in.

I received a mild lecture because Sophie had booked the room for four people despite the fact that we are now five.

I mostly nodded and waited for the room keys.

Back at the van, which was parked in a five-minute loading zone that had already seen significantly more than five minutes, I loaded everything onto a trolley.

A woman watched me wrestle our belongings and asked if I was staying for a month.

Honestly, fair question.

Getting to our room turned out to be an adventure of its own.

The main elevators don't stop on the half floors where the rooms are located.

To get there, you have to climb a small flight of stairs.

Which is fantastic if you're not pushing a stroller and half your earthly possessions.

The solution was a tiny wheelchair lift that moves at roughly the speed of continental drift.

Eventually we made it.

Once settled, we threw on our bathing suits and headed to the pool.

The water was warm, a detail every parent will appreciate.

For the next hour we swam, splashed and attempted to enforce rules.

Wesley spent part of that time performing spread-eagle cannonballs into the hot tub.

Each jump created a small tsunami for everyone else inside.

I repeatedly informed him that jumping in the hot tub was not allowed.

He repeatedly informed me, through his actions, that he lives by a different set of laws.

In Wesley's world, we're all just NPCs.

Lola spotted the slushie stand and asked what it was.

"Drinks for kids."

"Can I have one?"

"Go ask how much."

She returned.

"Four dollars."

"Go convince your mother."

Five minutes later, both kids were sitting poolside with blue tongues.

Success!

Sophie ordered St-Hubert for supper while the kids continued their aquatic mayhem.

Later she took Lola and Wesley to the splash pad while Finn and I stayed behind.

That's when I heard the cry.

Lola had slipped and hit her head.

Not exactly the vacation memory we were hoping to create on Day 1.

The staff checked her out and, naturally, our food arrived at the exact same moment.

I handed Finn to Sophie, sprinted for the food, then returned to collect everyone.

Back in the room, I ran through my highly scientific concussion assessment.

Good news.

She seemed completely fine.

We ate supper while Sophie and I spent most of the meal trying to prevent Wesley from turning the hotel room into an obstacle course.

One injured child felt like enough for the day.

Kids operate under the assumption that every object is playground equipment.

My entire personality is built around preventing emergency room visits.

It's not a great combination.

Around this point, Sophie and I quietly wondered whether taking this trip had been a mistake.

Not three months ago during planning.

Ten hours into the actual trip.

We dreaded bedtime.

Five people.

One room.

One very energetic toddler.

Thankfully, bedtime ended up being surprisingly smooth.

I put Wesley into his portable crib.

He protested briefly, then spent a while singing to himself before finally surrendering to sleep.

I'm writing this now in complete darkness while lying beside Lola.

Day 1 gave us a delayed departure, a surprisingly smooth drive, a head injury scare, several parenting stress tests, and at least one moment where we questioned our life choices.

In other words, a successful family vacation day.

Tomorrow we do it all again.

Life is beautiful.