As February Closes

We woke up to beautiful snow this morning - the wet, heavy, huge snowflakes that make everything look so perfect! But since it is February 28th, it quickly changed to sleet, then a little rain, but then back to the beautiful snow.

After lunch, Auntie Lori, Arabella and I, went out to play in the snow and to talk a walk. We had a lot of fun building a snowman and enjoying the winter wonderland around us.
I couldn't believe that I was able to capture this picture of a snowflake in Arabella's hair! Just beautiful!



Arabella and Auntie Lori also had some fun this morning reading a few stories.

She also had fun wearing her dress-up shoes while she gave Teddy a ride in the cozy coupe!

And I grabbed this shot of Arabella yesterday as she was going out to play at the park with Jay. She looks like such a cute little snow bunny!

Sledding Time

Yesterday, was a beautiful, sunny yet cold day. Perfect sledding weather. We bundled up, loaded the sleds in the car and drove to Beaver Lake in Mont Royal. Arabella couldn't wait to get in the sled and go down the hill. It was so cute, how excited she got. And just listening to her laugh as we went down the hill was priceless. We all took turns going down with her and pulling her back up the hill. Now that was a workout and some of my muscles are sore. She even went down the hill a few times on her own just like a little dare devil. We all had a lot of fun sledding and playing in the snow. It was a perfect morning to be outside.

The Organization Continues

Behind these doors...

Was this mess....

And you might look at these pictures and the ones that I posted of Arabella's playroom yesterday and think that I am the must disorganized and messy person around. Or that my house is one big mess. But really, I am a super organized person, some might think that I am anal about organization. I think that my anal organization skills are a product of my work history. I had to be organized when I was working as a litigation paralegal - I would have at least 100 case files (sometimes more) in my office at any one time, and I would have to be able to find something at the drop of a hat. Throw in a few very active trial files and the insurance arbitration's that I worked on as well as the World Trade Center litigation and I had no choice. But I wouldn't have changed my job for anything. At my most recent job, this litigation experience helped when I was working on insurance product filings. I had filings that I had to make for 2 company's in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico. That is 102 files and again, I would need to find things at the drop of a hat or on the whim of the random Insurance Department who would call if they had questions or needed clarification on the filings. You would think that all this previous organization would carry over into my life now. And since I love how I feel when things are neat and in their place. I try and live by the mantra: "A place for everything and everything in its place"....but we all know that with a 2 1/2 year old, things get messy and instead of cleaning, I end up chasing her around and playing with her...which is a much better use of my time! However, sometimes things get out of hand and I need to spend some time getting things back in order. So yesterday, I worked on the above chaos. Arabella helped me empty out the arts & craft cabinet and I put Auntie Lori to work helping me sort buttons, pom poms and foam shapes by holiday/season/shape (see I told you I was anal...who, besides Martha Stewart, sorts and stores craft supplies like that???)
Auntie Lori sorting away.

Once everything was sorted and separated by type, I put everything in clear plastic storage containers so we can easily see the supplies. Now, when my budding artist wants to do a craft project, it will be easy to find what we need. I am so happy I/we took the time to do this yesterday. It looks so good, that I almost want to keep the cabinet doors open to admire the organization. Thanks Arabella and Auntie Lori for your help yesterday!

Taking Auntie to Ikea

In the midst of re-doing Arabella's playroom, I decided that we needed one more piece of the storage shelving that we purchased at Ikea. We had not thought about where we would put some books and some of her art supplies. So I decided that we needed to make a return trip to Ikea. And it was perfect since Auntie had never been before. Another bonus was that it was early in the week so it wouldn't be too busy, which is always a bonus when you go to Ikea. I don't know about you and if you have an Ikea near you, but if you go on the weekend, it is like suicide with how crazy and busy it gets. Sometimes you can't even find a parking space in the lot!
Arabella had fun showing Auntie all the furniture and they had fun trying things out. Arabella would run from "room to room" saying "Check this out, check this out", it was so cute. I was also surprised with how great she did in the store. We had to be there for at least 2 1/2 hours and we even had lunch in the restaurant. I was able to get the additional storage piece and shelving for her playroom, a few photo frames, a new floor lamp for my office (which is one of the next rooms that I am re-doing), a huge (and I mean huge) glass vase for the foyer. (This is one of things that I have been looking for forever and I love it!) For the most part, I love Ikea, sure there are things that I won't buy there and for basics like picture frames and storage and decorating items, it is great. Now, we couldn't buy a sofa or chair there since most of the furniture makes Jay look like a giant since the scale is so small, but otherwise it is nice having an Ikea just a few kilometers away. We had a great time and now Auntie Lori is hooked and will be making a trip to the Ikea in New Haven when she gets home.

Using Her Feet

It is hard to tell if Arabella is right or left handed, she seems to use both hands equally. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that she is left handed since Jay is, or maybe she will be ambidextrous. The other day she was coloring in her playroom and when I went to check on her, I found her drawing with her feet. It was the funniest thing. She was so focused on keeping the pen between her toes and she was actually doing a great job. I must be part of the exploring and learning that she is doing now days, I just hope that when it comes time for preschool in the Fall, she doesn't take off her shoes and use her feet to write and color in class!

Playroom Re-do

I have been putting off cleaning and organizing Arabella's playroom for way too long. It took me 2 days, off and on, to complete. It was a total mess and needed to be brought under control. I had not gone through her toys since we moved and so there were toys that were broken, missing pieces and things she had outgrown. This was what I was up against:


I took everything out and cleaned the room from top to bottom. We purchased a few storage units from Ikea and I put them together by myself...I actually did a pretty good job and it didn't take too long! I am so thrilled with how they look in the room and how they pull everything together. Arabella had fun checking out the new room design and I think that she likes the new bins. They make it easier to find things and she can now help more with cleaning up her toys and books. After a few days of hard work, I am happy this project is complete and that I can now check another item off the to-do list! Now if it will only stay this organized...

February Fun

Since Auntie Lori is here, we have been having a ton of fun!

Arabella has also enjoyed taking Auntie to her art class yesterday. She had a great time making a dinosaur and even let Auntie help her. She has also been working on her scissor skills and she really does enjoy her art class.



Today, Arabella took Auntie to her Petite Gym class. She did excellent today and she was really focused and listened to her instructor great! She also concentrated really hard on the balance beam and did a great job on the bars as well.




And just for fun, while we were out and about today, we came across these huge snow and ice piles in a parking lot. It is funny that they are just hanging out in the middle of the parking lot. They look like icebergs out of water!

Silly Girl

Arabella and Auntie Lori have been having a lot of fun hanging out and playing. The other day they were talking about different animals and when Auntie Lori asked Arabella what sounds different animals make this is what she had to say:

I am not sure why she says that Jay and I say "Time Out"...sure she does get time outs, but it is not like she is always in time out and that is the only thing we say to her. Nevertheless, this is still a cute and classic video!

He Cleans

I think one of Jay's favorite things about our current house is that the garage is heated and there is a drain in the middle of the floor. The drain is perfect for when the snow, slush and ice melts off the car or for when Jay washes the salt off the car in the garage, which he does at least once a week. Having the garage heated is nice since when it is really cold out the car is a little bit warm and it is nice for Jay since he can now he can work on the cars in the middle of the winter when it is freezing out and he can be comfortable. Since the garage is really his domain, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he likes to keep it clean

Yes, he is vacuuming the garage. Now if only I could get him to vacuum the inside of the house!

Ice Bridge

What we did yesterday goes against everything I was told not to do when I was young. We were always told to not play on the ice, so why on earth would I want to drive over it? Maybe it was partly for the adrenaline rush and the thought that we were doing something that is just not normal or just because we were feeling a bit crazy, we bundled up and set out for the short ride to Hudson to take the ice bridge to Oka. In the warmer months, there is ferry service between the two towns, but as soon as the weather turns cold and the Lake of Two Mountains freeze, they open up the ice bridge which is a 2 kilometer drive over the water between Hudson and Oka. The ice has to be at least 35 centimeters thick for it to be safe to drive on and the vehicle cannot weigh more than 7000 pounds. I was the one driving and as we handed over the $6 fee to cross the frozen lake, I was nervous. But once we were under way, it was fun. We stopped in the middle and got out to take some pictures and check out the ice fishing that was going on. Arabella enjoyed dancing on the ice and even thought it was really windy and cold, but we still had a fun time.
Arabella, Lori and I on the ice! Ice fishing Lori and I braving the wind! Jay, Arabella and I trying to stay warm. After the ride across the bridge, we drove around Oka and stumbled upon the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac and it's store. They had a wonderful selection of chocolates, pastries, and cheeses among other food items. We purchased some chocolate, a raspberry tart, some Oka cheese (made at the Abbey) and Arabella enjoyed a chocolate croissant!

Enjoy this quick little video of part of our ride across the Ice Bridge!