Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ecomuseum
On Monday, Arabella and I met some other mom's and tot's Wee Wiggles at the Ecomuseum. It was a great outing and so close to our house which was nice since we were meeting at 9:45 in the morning. It was the perfect day to be outside, a little chilly in the morning but it warmed up nicely. The Ecomuseum is a private, non-profit, educational wildlife park where you can observe animals and birds in their natural habitats. There were deer, caribou, owls, fox, coyote, bears, porcupines and other animals that all the kids went crazy for. Once we walked the whole site, we had a picnic lunch outside and then the kids ran around and had so much fun they wore themselves out! Arabella enjoyed it so much, we will definitely be going back!
Thursday's Thoughts
Hearing: Lady Gaga's Poker Face play over and over in my head - Arabella is in love with the song (I know, I know, not the best choice of music for a 2 year old), but I just can't resist when she asks for it or the pleading is too much and I just give in.
Tasting: Asparagus and Sweet Basil soup.
Seeing: Clouds and an overcast sky, a sure sign that Fall has arrived.
Smelling: A Mexican spiced pumpkin candle from World Market.
Feeling: Tired but knowing I need to workout while Arabella is napping since I missed my 5:30 am workout this morning.
Tasting: Asparagus and Sweet Basil soup.
Seeing: Clouds and an overcast sky, a sure sign that Fall has arrived.
Smelling: A Mexican spiced pumpkin candle from World Market.
Feeling: Tired but knowing I need to workout while Arabella is napping since I missed my 5:30 am workout this morning.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Laughter Brightens A Rainy Day
This morning while I was cleaning up the camera's memory stick, I came across this video of Arabella and Grammie playing. I love how you can hear them both laughing, it brightened up this rainy morning!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Future Ice Princess
One of the things that Arabella loved to do last winter was watch the older kids play hockey at the rink in the neighborhood park. She also loved to watch it on TV. When we received the town newsletter with all of the programs that they offer, I asked her if she wanted to do skating lessons and she said yes. So when we were in Connecticut, I made a trip to Play It Again Sports and got her the necessary equipment so that she could start skating lessons. She was so excited to try on the ice skates in the store and was even more excited to show Jay all of her equipment when we got home. Her lessons start in 2 weeks and I will be taking the class with her which may prove comical since I have not been on ice skates in almost 10 years! Hopefully her enthusiasm for the sport carries through her lessons. Stay tuned.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Tall Ships
Yesterday, we headed to Old Montreal to see the tall ships that were docked in the Port. I read about it online and thought that it would be fun to take Arabella to see them and the weather was perfect. I also read that it was free to get on the ships, but no such luck. There was a fee involved, not sure how much since the line was over an hour long to purchase your tickets and then you had to wait in line for another hour just to get on the ships. So instead, we looked at them from afar and walked around enjoying the late Summer (yes, it is still Summer) weather. Arabella even had a caramel apple and then we enjoyed a nice lunch outside. It was the perfect recipe for fun!
This picture is of the masts in the distance, I was surprised at how tall they were and I thought it looked pretty cool to see them towering over the trees.
Sorry for not having more pictures, I forgot to charge the camera battery again...I promise I will work on not letting the battery run out!
This picture is of the masts in the distance, I was surprised at how tall they were and I thought it looked pretty cool to see them towering over the trees. Sorry for not having more pictures, I forgot to charge the camera battery again...I promise I will work on not letting the battery run out!
Fun For Arabella And Me
One of my saving graces here in Montreal has been the Wee Wiggles! It is a fabulous group of moms who are locals as well as expats like me. We always have so much fun when we get together with the Wee Wiggles and last week was no different. The fun started on Thursday night for me when I joined a group of moms to do some beading. Now I am so not creative when it comes to making jewelry, but I figured it would be a fun time to just get out and socialize over some sangria with other adults! So while Jay took Arabella out to dinner, I headed to Bijoux Melly Belle Beads in Vaudreuil-Dorion, which is off the island to try and make a bracelet. I never thought it would be so hard to pick out beads - there we hundreds to choose from and I just could make up my mind. I finally settled on neutral grays, deep blues and black and I just love what I came up with. There is also a tiny pink Swarovski crystal at the very end - just a little finishing touch.
Anyway, the evening was so much fun and I just love the women that I have come to know through the Wee Wiggles. We have a great time every time we get together and I look forward to our outings with and without the kids!
Speaking of having fun with the kids, Arabella and I go to a Mom and Tots Group on Friday morning and most of the same moms belong to this group as well. It is a lot of fun since the kids get a chance to run around and play and we get to chat over coffee! Either way, it is a win-win for all of us! Last Friday, after the group, Arabella and I headed to Laura and Allyson's house for some lunch and more playtime for Arabella and Allyson. Our friends Christoper and June were also there for a little while and the kids had fun enjoying lunch together before Christoper and Jun had to leave. After lunch, Arabella and Allyson ran around and were like two peas in a pod. They are so similar, they are just a month apart in age and have so much fun! They both have teddys and didgys that they seem to have to take everywhere with them. It was so nice to see Arabella having such a fun time playing and sharing! It was a great morning for all of us and we look forward to having more fun with Laura, Allyson and the other moms and tots!
Anyway, the evening was so much fun and I just love the women that I have come to know through the Wee Wiggles. We have a great time every time we get together and I look forward to our outings with and without the kids!
Speaking of having fun with the kids, Arabella and I go to a Mom and Tots Group on Friday morning and most of the same moms belong to this group as well. It is a lot of fun since the kids get a chance to run around and play and we get to chat over coffee! Either way, it is a win-win for all of us! Last Friday, after the group, Arabella and I headed to Laura and Allyson's house for some lunch and more playtime for Arabella and Allyson. Our friends Christoper and June were also there for a little while and the kids had fun enjoying lunch together before Christoper and Jun had to leave. After lunch, Arabella and Allyson ran around and were like two peas in a pod. They are so similar, they are just a month apart in age and have so much fun! They both have teddys and didgys that they seem to have to take everywhere with them. It was so nice to see Arabella having such a fun time playing and sharing! It was a great morning for all of us and we look forward to having more fun with Laura, Allyson and the other moms and tots!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Westbrook
Over Labor Day weekend, Dad, Arabella and I spent a day going to visit the Aunts at the Beach House. We packed up early and headed down to the beach with Dad's boat. We took the back roads through Middletown, Durham, Madison and a few other towns, which was nice since it was a perfect sunny day. Arabella ended up falling asleep on the way and it was a good thing since all she wanted to do was play on the beach when we got there. We ended up putting the boat in at Pier 76 and taking it around the point to the beach house. Arabella was amazed by the "singing bridge" and liked when we went underneath it. There was a lot of boat traffic through the marina and Arabella loved seeing all the sailboats. jet skis and power boats. She even wanted to help Dad/Grampy drive the boat! The ride was a little bouncy, but Arabella didn't seem to mind and she smiled the whole ride. It was so nice to be out on the water and in Long Island Sound again.
When we arrived, Aunt Moona met us on the beach. Arabella ran right to her, it was like she had been going to this beach forever. She knew exactly where to go. We had a nice lunch and spent time visiting with Aunt Moona, Aunt Rose and Cliff. After lunch, Aunt Moona took Arabella to play on Moona Beach, our family's private beach. Growing up, we used to call it the sand box since it was just one big "box" of sand. We spent countless hours on Moona Beach never having to worry if the tide was going to wash away our castles. I forgot to bring Arabella's sand toys but she had fun anyway (and I forgot to charge my camera battery so some of the pics are not the greatest since I had to take them with my cell phone). She also played on the sand bars. She loved it! We made dribble castles and searched for hermit crabs. She also found a few dead crabs and would insist on picking them up and showing them to us, no matter how bad they smelled! After a fun filled beach day, we had to say goodbye to the Aunts and promised that we would be back to spend a few days next Summer at the beach. We took the boat back to the marina and then headed to Lenny & Joe's for some yummy seafood!! It was the perfect way to spend Labor Day.
It was a little hard for me to be back at the beach. I spent every Summer, for the whole Summer, for 25 years, at this beach just like my father had growing up. We would arrive the week after school let out and not go home until a few days before school started. It is hard to believe that I haven't been back for almost 10 years. I crawled on the sand bars, learned to float on my back in the water, made sea weed soup and went crabbing, had mud fights on the sand bars with my friends, jet skied with my boyfriend, got hurt on the jet ski and learned my lesson, took walks to Salt Island at low tide, enjoyed bon fires and fireworks and grew to love the beach and all its treasures. I/we spent countless hours sitting on the beach, never thinking at we would grow up or that the Summer would end. I never realized how lucky we were to spend our Summers there and now that we don't it makes me miss it so much. I planned my life there, what I was going to be and do. I never realized how much the beach played an important part in my life and how things were "supposed" to be until I went back. I always thought that my children would be able to spend their Summers at the beach, our beach, like my brother and I did. I was so happy that I was able to bring Arabella to that same place. And I know that the love of the beach and ocean has been passed on to her. Like it is in my blood, it is in hers. I couldn't drag her away from the beach and I didn't want to. We could have stayed until the sun went down and we both would have been happy. I made friends and memories at this beach that will be with me until the end. I know that I am happiest when I am on the beach and I think that it is because I grew up there. The sea calms me, the smell of the salt air refreshes me and feeling sand between my toes - well there is nothing else like it.
When we arrived, Aunt Moona met us on the beach. Arabella ran right to her, it was like she had been going to this beach forever. She knew exactly where to go. We had a nice lunch and spent time visiting with Aunt Moona, Aunt Rose and Cliff. After lunch, Aunt Moona took Arabella to play on Moona Beach, our family's private beach. Growing up, we used to call it the sand box since it was just one big "box" of sand. We spent countless hours on Moona Beach never having to worry if the tide was going to wash away our castles. I forgot to bring Arabella's sand toys but she had fun anyway (and I forgot to charge my camera battery so some of the pics are not the greatest since I had to take them with my cell phone). She also played on the sand bars. She loved it! We made dribble castles and searched for hermit crabs. She also found a few dead crabs and would insist on picking them up and showing them to us, no matter how bad they smelled! After a fun filled beach day, we had to say goodbye to the Aunts and promised that we would be back to spend a few days next Summer at the beach. We took the boat back to the marina and then headed to Lenny & Joe's for some yummy seafood!! It was the perfect way to spend Labor Day.
It was a little hard for me to be back at the beach. I spent every Summer, for the whole Summer, for 25 years, at this beach just like my father had growing up. We would arrive the week after school let out and not go home until a few days before school started. It is hard to believe that I haven't been back for almost 10 years. I crawled on the sand bars, learned to float on my back in the water, made sea weed soup and went crabbing, had mud fights on the sand bars with my friends, jet skied with my boyfriend, got hurt on the jet ski and learned my lesson, took walks to Salt Island at low tide, enjoyed bon fires and fireworks and grew to love the beach and all its treasures. I/we spent countless hours sitting on the beach, never thinking at we would grow up or that the Summer would end. I never realized how lucky we were to spend our Summers there and now that we don't it makes me miss it so much. I planned my life there, what I was going to be and do. I never realized how much the beach played an important part in my life and how things were "supposed" to be until I went back. I always thought that my children would be able to spend their Summers at the beach, our beach, like my brother and I did. I was so happy that I was able to bring Arabella to that same place. And I know that the love of the beach and ocean has been passed on to her. Like it is in my blood, it is in hers. I couldn't drag her away from the beach and I didn't want to. We could have stayed until the sun went down and we both would have been happy. I made friends and memories at this beach that will be with me until the end. I know that I am happiest when I am on the beach and I think that it is because I grew up there. The sea calms me, the smell of the salt air refreshes me and feeling sand between my toes - well there is nothing else like it.
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