I Think The Ohio Heat Got To Him

For the 4th of July weekend, Jay went to Ohio to visit with his Dad, Ricki and his brothers, Kris and Kraig. He had a great time and Dennis and Ricki enjoyed having just the boys visit. While he was there, he did a little needed shopping. Now Jay is not one to like to shop and it is hard for him to tolerate shopping, but everyone was going to the outlets and he needed some new summer things. He called to ask my advice on which stores he should go to for the things he needed and he also asked if there was anything that Arabella or I needed (very unlike him). I let him know to check out Carter's for some winter or next summer things for Arabella and the only thing that I wanted/needed was another bathing suit cover-up. I was pretty detailed in what I was looking for and besides I wanted one like the one I already have, just in another color. Pretty easy, right?? Well, when he called later that day, he told me about his purchase for himself and Arabella, and he told me that he found a cover-up for me, but he didn't really like the colors. Oh well. Not the end of the world. So when he got home on Thursday night, I was just looking forward to the new sneakers that I ordered and had sent to his Dad's house (call me crazy but I was able to get them at Dick's online for $70 and the same sneakers here were $150, crazy!!) and when I saw the Nike bag, I was very excited. But when he handed it to me, he said that I had to guess what it was, not sneakers, that was for sure. I thought it was a purse, but no way would he get me a new purse. He jokes about putting all of my bags or at least some of them on eBay. I was shocked when I opened the bag to see Coach tissue paper, what they heck had gotten into him. Seriously, he actually went into the Coach outlet. Now for sure I thought he was joking. But when I opened it, this is what I saw...



Holy Crap!! I can't believe it, the last time he bought me a bag, we were in NYC and he said he would never buy me one again. I just love it!! It is perfect and I have been thinking about getting a cross body bag for a while, but have been putting it off. I love that I can wear it across my body and it frees up my arms for when Arabella and I are out running errands, and it has more space, which is nice now that I am trying to not have to carry a diaper bag with me everywhere. The handles also fit on my shoulder in case I want to carry it that way too. Thanks Jay for such a wonderful surprise, you did good! So maybe the heat in Ohio did get to you or maybe like Mike thinks this could be Jay's way to easy me into the idea of him getting another project car...

Pretty Toes

I have been wanting to paint Arabella's toes for at least a year and would always have second thoughts about doing so because of all the chemicals and junk that is in regular nail polish. All that changed when I found Piggy Paint http://www.piggypaint.com/ Piggy Paint is a line of natural, non-toxic, and Eco-friendly nail polish and remover. The water-based formula is virtually odorless and the finish is pretty durable. What makes Arabella love Piggy Paint is the fun colors - who can resist names like Ice Cream Dream, Mac-n-Cheese Please, Twinkle Toes, Clouds of Candy, Forever Fancy and Angel Kisses. Another fun part of Piggy Paint is that you need to dry it using the blow dryer (not required, but recommended) - this helps it to cure quicker due to the water content. Yesterday when we painted her toes she wanted to help me and that is fine by me as it works on her fine motor skills and hand eye coordination!





She loves her Ice Cream Dream toes and they are so adorable for Summer!

Traditions

I have been blessed with wonderful friends. A few of my friends are more like family than friends. And I have 2 amazing best friends, Jonna and Lori, who are more like the older sisters that I never had. They stand with me through thick and thin, we laugh at the same things, with just a look we can read each other's minds, and they would drop anything to be there for me (and vice versa). They even treat Arabella like they would treat their own child. I am so lucky! With the bonds of friendship come traditions and with Lori in town for the past 2 1/2 weeks, we were able to partake in our favorite things that we have come to bond over. Whenever we can, we have homemade margaritas and sit by the fire pit. Even in the middle of summer, although it was too hot on Monday night, we spend time around the fire. Lori and I had so much fun making and enjoying the fresh margaritas, roasting marshmallow's, listening to some great music and talking and giggling about whatever came to mind while sitting by the fire. Sometimes we even get a little too silly for our own good, like when we were doing gymnastics the other night! We had so much fun and that is what friendship is all about!

First batch of margaritas - just ice, watermelon and tequila.

Sometimes when we run out of wood (and your darling husband won't drive you to buy more), we have to sacrifice reading material.

Sorry Cameron and Danielle.

And so the silliness begins. Lori does a somersault while I do cart wheels!

Lori also enjoyed playing with Arabella's new umbrella!






The perfect margarita - just fresh strawberries, watermelon, tequila and a little ice.

Yum, perfectly roasted marshmallow's!

I am so thankful for my friends and the bonds that tie us together! Without you my life wouldn't be the same. Thank you!

Staying Cool Or At Least Trying To

Yesterday was the second day in a row when our temperatures here in Montreal and southwestern Quebec were over 30 degrees Celsius. What that means is that we were in the mid to upper 90's and with the humidity and UV index it has been unbearable out. Not to mention, I have been having some bad hair days thanks to all this humidity. I would never have guessed it would get so hot and humid here, after all it is Canada and when I think of Canada I think of snow! Not that I am complaining since I love summer and the heat (and before I know it we will be wearing sweaters again and having the dreaded "S" word in our forecast. For those of you interested you can click here to check out our weather forecast. http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/qc-147_metric_e.html

Since we have been having such warm weather we are in the midst of a heat wave. Canada considers a heat wave to be three straight days of temperatures averaging more than 33C (or 91.4 F) during the day and not dropping below 20C (68 F) at night. Environment Canada has issued heat and humidity warnings for the Montreal region, where the UV index was estimated at 11 on Tuesday. I had no idea that UV index went that high, I thought it stopped at 10! Environment Canada has stated that such an extreme sunburn-danger reading is "very rare in Canada" and more typical of the tropics or southern United States. (To read more on about our weather please go to: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/07/06/quebec-heat-wave.html#ixzz0sznr58ld) So in an effort to keep cool, we have been spending a lot of time at the pool and then when we have had enough of that we have been hanging out inside. Arabella and I ventured out to the patio last night around 7:30 to check on the garden and flowers and it was still unbearable, it was in the upper 80's, so we only managed to stay a few minutes. On Monday we spent 2 1/2 hours at the club where Arabella had her swim class and then played in the baby pool. She just loves to be in the water. It is nice because we can actually walk to the pool and as soon as she has enough we just hop in the stroller and walk home. And usually by the time we get to the house, she is almost asleep in the stroller. One good thing about the heat and spending so much time in the pool is that she has been taking great naps and sleeping in a little more in the morning! And yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the pool with some friends from Wee Wiggles in Hudson . It was nice to be around other moms and kids that we know and to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the club. Arabella and her new friend Allyson are so cute together, they are both obsessed with their didgy's (Arabella's nickname for her pacifier) and their Teddy Bears. I wish I hand my camera yesterday to capture some pictures since they looked just like two peas in a pod, it was way to adorable! This morning we will head back to the pool for swim lessons and to try and beat the heat! Have a great day and stay cool!

Happy 4th of July

The 4th of July has to be one of my favorite holidays. I love BBQ's, going to the beach, warm weather, and of course the fireworks. Some of my favorite Summer memories surround Summers spent on the beach in Westbrook with family and friends and a good 4th of July celebration weekend. There is something to be said about sitting on the beach at night watching the fireworks explode over the water - it is beautiful and awe inspiring. Oh, how I miss the beach, the friendships and the thought that we will be young fprever and thinking Summer will never end. Sitting here thinking about 4th of July's past conjures up memories of Summer's past and it makes me a little emotional. I guess I miss my family as they celebrate America's Independence and being in a different country that sees today as just an ordinary Sunday is a little bit different and difficult.

With the above being said, Arabella, Auntie Lori and I had a great day and celebrated in our own way. We spent the early afternoon at L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal. Arabella had to walk up all of the steps to the top and boy, was it a workout. Afterwards we walked through a garden that had statues depicting the Stations of the Cross, the gardens were beautiful and calming. And there was even pool and fountain where Arabella enjoyed throwing pennies. Afterwards, instead of going to the packed pool, we filled Arabella's pool in the backyard so we could play and relax to enjoy the rest of the day. We even had a little cookout.



















Lori and I will celebrate America and the half way point of Summer more after Arabella goes to bed with margaritas and a fire outside. Maybe we will even roast marshmallows! I hope that everyone has a safe and fun Independence Day! Happy 4th of July!!

Canada Day

July 1st is Canada Day here and it is celebrated much like the 4th of July in the States. There are BBQ's, fireworks, sales and an extra day off of work. One striking difference here is many of the stores are closed so you have to wait until July 2nd to hit any sales! We decided to take the train into Montreal to enjoy the festivities taking place at the Old Port. Arabella loved riding the train and Metro again, she just thinks it is so much fun. It is a more relaxing way to get into the city and in the end the cost is about equal to driving (when you factor in the cost of parking, gas and your time).

It still boggles my mind that at the local train stations you have to walk over the tracks, yes, right over the tracks to get to the platform to wait for the train. I guess there must be something in my litigation brain that throws up red flags about how you could get sued over something like this.

This was also Lori's first time riding the Metro, or any subway for that matter!



There was a lot going on down by the Quays of the Old Port. We watched Yoga in the Park, and Arabella and I even tried a few of the moves. They had concerts, a bouncy house carnival for kids, face painting, motor cross demonstrations, ski jumping demonstrations. And of course there are the restaurants and shops to check out. We had lunch outside in a cafe and enjoyed sangria and Arabella had her favorite, olives, cucumbers and feta cheese.






















Arabella is such a Habs and hockey fan that she wanted her picture taken outside the Bell Center. It is so cute to see her so happy and excited when she saw the hockey player statues, even though when you get close with her she freaks out!

We had a great day even if it was a little on the cool side. We wanted to go and see the fireworks on Beaconsfield, but by the time we got home, we were all so tired that we couldn't walk one more step. Happy Canada Day, Canada!

French 101

Arabella has been talking up a storm lately and tonight was no different. I was able to get her saying some French words. It was too adorable!