Snow Fun

When Arabella woke up from her nap this evening, I told her that I had a surprise for her. When I opened her curtains and showed her all the snow outside, she smiled, said "Beautiful" and then asked if we could go build snowmen! She had the most priceless expression of awe and wonder on her face, it was beautiful. So before dinner, we bundled up and made the trek outside to play for a little while. It was pretty cold and windy but Arabella had fun exploring and trying to make a snowman, unfortunately this is not the type of snow to make one. But we will try again. She even caught snow flakes on her tongue, one of my favorite things to do when I was little. She even played on her swing for a few minutes, it was so adorable. We only lasted about 10 minutes, but I am sure that tomorrow we will spend a lot of time out in the snow!

Happy Birthday Auntie Lori

While we were in Connecticut, we were lucky enough to be invited to Auntie Lori's "Surprise" Birthday party. Wayne made great pizza and we had yummy chocolate cake. We were very happy to be able to celebrate with Auntie Lori. Arabella even got to help blow out the candles on her Birthday cake! Happy Birthday Auntie Lori, we hope you have a year filled with fun, love and excitement!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!

OK, I know I have other blog postings to catch up on, but....I am very excited that it is finally SNOWING!!!! I know, I know, in about a month, I will be longing for Spring and warm weather and sunshine, but it is so beautiful out. I love the silence and quiet that comes along with the snow. And a fresh blanket of white on the ground sure does make it feel like Christmas. Especially since the decorating is done, the tree is up and we had our first ever Cookie Swap this morning. I can't wait for Arabella to get up from her nap so we can go play in the snow!!

Fun With Gabe & Emily

While in Connecticut, we spent an evening with Andi, Jose, Gabe and Emily. Arabella stayed up way past her bed time since the kids were having so much fun playing and since they don't get to see each other too often. Besides, Andi and I were having just as much fun talking and catching up. I knew I missed Andi, but I did not realize how much until I saw her. I am so thankful to have her as my friend and enjoyed the time we spent together. Arabella is still talking about all the fun she had with Gabe and Emily. We look forward to spending more time with them the next time we visit Connecticut.

Thanksgiving in Connecticut

Last week, Arabella and I made the road trip back to Connecticut to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. Jay stayed in Montreal since he doesn't get the US holidays off and to be able to catch up on work before he left to travel again. Arabella did great on the ride down and was even able to take a great snooze in the car!
Even before a turkey induced coma, Arabella took a great nap.

We enjoyed a great day and Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Margo & Uncle Bill's house. Dad, Aunt Rose, Aunt Moona and Cliff also spent the afternoon with us and enjoyed all the yummy food!




We even had my grandmother's yummy cheese ball, that I haven't had in at least 15 years!




Arabella helped to make whipped cream for dessert and she loved it!

We had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending the day with family, and for that we are very thankful!

Go For A Ride Dad

Since the weather has turned cold, Arabella has been enjoying some of her outdoor toys in the house. Her favorite one is her cozy coupe...she loved to make a big loop around the first floor and usually she has either Jay or I push her around. She loves it. However, a few weeks ago, she asked Jay to take a turn and she would push him. This is how it ended....

Jack The Elf

I love Christmas! I think most of my favorite memories are from the traditions that my family kept alive over the years. I have so many wonderful memories of making Christmas cookies with my mom and brother, the fruit cake my Poppy would always get from my Aunt Rose, the angel wings and pizzelles, Christmas Eve spent with the whole family at my Great Aunt's house, Christmas stockings, and planning Christmas morning with my brother. We always had a pact that no matter who woke up first, they had to wake the other one before heading down to see the loot that Santa brought. The list of memories and traditions goes on and on. So this year I decided to start a new holiday tradition with Arabella and so far she is loving it! The Elf on the Shelf arrived from Amazon at Auntie Lori's house before Thanksgiving. I couldn't wait to get to Connecticut for Thanksgiving and to start the tradition on Thanksgiving night when Arabella went to bed.

So who exactly is Jack The Elf? First, Arabella named him after we read the story behind his arrival and that is where he gains his magical powers. And even though Arabella is just now figuring out Santa and Christmas, we have started to tell her about being naughty and nice. And this is where Jack comes in. He is Santa's eyes and ears around the house. During the day, Jack "watches" Arabella and then reports her behavior back to Santa at the North Pole each night. By the time she wakes up the next morning, Jack has returned to a new "hiding" place in the house to watch over her again. Each day the cycle repeats with a few small rules - Arabella is not allowed to touch Jack since he has magical powers that if he is touched may disappear and then he wouldn't be able to return to the North Pole. Jack also can't talk to her, but she can talk with him and send messages to Santa. On Christmas Eve, Jack returns back to the North Pole for one final check in with Santa before he leaves the North Pole and then Jack won't reappear until the Christmas season the next year. One positive of having Jack around is all I have to do is say "Jack is watching" when she is acting up and she stops the behavior immediately...too bad jack can't stick around all year!

Jack made his appearance at Aunt Margo's house in Connecticut and even knew when we were leaving to come home. He ended up in car and Arabella was amazed that he knew to get in the car before we left! Yes, it was a little hard to have Jack staring at me for 6 hours while I drove but Arabella enjoyed it and it kept the magic alive.



Now each morning when Arabella gets up, she looks to see where Jack is hiding and as soon as she finds him she says "There he is!" I just love the surprise and wonder in her eyes when she spies where he has moved to - and it is that wonder that makes the Christmas season beautiful!

For more info go to: http://www.elfontheshelf.com/.