Arabella & Santa

When we were in Boston, we went to the South Shore Plaza on Black Friday. I know you are probably thinking we were crazy to go to the mall, but actually it wasn't too bad. Arabella spotted Santa and as soon as she did, we had to go see him. She was so excited and it was such a difference from last year's visit. There wasn't anyone else is line, so we basically walked right up and it was our turn. That certainly made things easier. She was a little shy, but excited to sit next to him and tell him what she would like him to bring. I love how excited she is about Christmas! It is magical!

Caught You!

Last night, after her bath, I caught Arabella and Jay raiding the cabinet and sneaking some organic cheese puffs! It was too funny seeing them sitting on the floor in the kitchen polishing off the bag together!

Winter Sky

I love this picture that I took on the ferry ride to Boston last week. It was the perfect winter sky, and sure enough, it snowed later that day. Just beautiful!

Thanksgiving in the States

Last week, Arabella and I drove to Boston to spend Thanksgiving with Uncle Mike, Uncle Jeff, Macy & Rocco. We wanted Dad/Jay to join us, but he had to work and was in Nova Scotia. We had a great day for driving and part of our journey included taking the ferry across Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh to Grand Isle, Vermont. (It was fun for Arabella, was a nice break in the driving for me and actually cuts a little time off of our trip!)
The GPS view - it looks silly to see your car in the middle of the water!
Arabella enjoyed her movies along the drive and on the ferry ride.
The view from our spot on the ferry.

Our drive was uneventful, except for the traffic once we got to Boston....it was backed up for a while. Good thing for the DVD player!

Arabella was so excited once we arrived - she couldn't wait to see Uncle Mike, Uncle Jeff and the dogs! She had so much fun walking Macy & Rocco, giving them treats, playing Barbies and airport with Uncle Mike and goofing around singing Lady Gaga with Uncle Jeff!



We had a fun and yummy Thanksgiving Day. Uncle Mike and I cooked, while Arabella and Uncle Jeff watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everything was so delicious and we enjoyed everything. I even made my first pumpkin pie!


My first pumpkin pie!
Uncle Mike's perfect turkey!
After dinner we took a walk and the sunset was beautiful! All the Christmas decorations we starting to appear too!

Uncle Mike and I went and stood in line at Target on Thanksgiving night to score some great Black Friday deals...we were in line at 9:30, pretty close to the front of the line, so we got everything we wanted and were home by 2 am! We had fun hanging out and doing some shopping. Jack, Arabella's Elf on the Shelf joined us at Uncle Mike's house too! Arabella had a lot of fun with Macy & Rocco and even got to go with Uncle Mike when he too Rocco to the vet.






Our drive home was good, the sunset was beautiful!

And the only hang-up on the drive was our wait at Customs at the Border...we waited almost an hour to get through! I Had never seen the lines this long!
We had so much fun over Thanksgiving and it was hard to leave! Thank you Uncle Mike & Uncle Jeff!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Today, Arabella and I decided that we would start some of our Christmas decorating. She was so excited to help me put up the "fake" Christmas tree in the dining room. It looks so pretty and we had a fun time decorating. I decided to go with a theme on this tree - I used the pretty deep red, deep green and brown ornaments with brown velvet ribbon and it looks so beautiful! Arabella was careful when she was unwrapping the ornaments and was so happy to be helping me.

The Holidays Have Arrived In Montreal

It is official...Christmas has arrived in Montreal! I have noticed since a few days after Halloween that the Christmas lights were starting to go up in our neighborhood. (I supposed the warm weather helps get people to put up their outdoor decorations earlier than they would if it was colder out.) I have been debating on when to bring up the Christmas decorations and with Jack's arrival and the burning of my Be Jolly candle, I am starting to get in the mood for Christmas. I know, I know, back in the States they haven't even had Thanksgiving...but here, there is nothing to fill the space between Halloween and Thanksgiving so Christmas seems to start earlier. All I can think is that my poor Arabella will be so confused when we do end up back in the States...her holidays will be all off! Anyway, this morning, we bundled up and met the Blais/Bergeron's for some (early) holiday fun in Montreal! It was the annual Santa Parade and we had so much fun! We had great front row seats and Arabella and Allyson loved the music and dancers and floats. We even had good weather - not too sunny, but not windy or too cold - perfect for a parade. It was nice to spend the morning in the fresh air and now I am in the holiday mood and could do with a little snow! I may even do a little decorating tomorrow and I think Arabella would be in the mood to help since she asked if we could decorate! I just love how excited she is about Christmas, it truly is the most wonderful and magical time of year!












They were so excited to see Santa!

Thursday's Thoughts

Hearing: Arabella reading her stories to herself when she should be napping.

Tasting: Warm water with a little lemon juice...warms me up and keeps me hydrated.

Seeing: Barren trees and a early Winter sky, and dare I say wet snow flakes in between the light rain drops.

Smelling: The new Be Jolly Yankee Candle that is burning. Not too festive, but just festive enough to get me in the Holiday mood.


Feeling: Sore muscles - I started my training routine on Sunday with a killer Bikram yoga class and have been up every morning this week at 5:30 to hit the treadmill.