Anniversary Dinner

Jay and Lori actually pulled off a pretty big surprise for me.  Instead of coming into town on Tuesday, October 2nd, Lori flew in on our Anniversary, 2 days earlier.  I had a suspicion that something was up, but wasn't sure and didn't want to get my hopes up in case something wasn't.  I don't do well with disappointment.  But low and behold, at about 2:30 the front door bell rang and who was standing there but Arabella with Lori!  It was such a great surprise.  And because we had Auntie Lori here, Jay and I were able to enjoy a nice anniversary dinner at Restaurant Mozza.  It was so yummy and we had a great time!

She Loves Her Baby Brother

Arabella is so excited to be a big sister in January.  She often asks me what he is doing or saying.  It is the sweetest thing.  She talks to my stomach and even says goodnight to him.  It just melts my heart.  I would love to be able to bring her with me when I go for my ultrasounds, but you never know if I am going to be called right in or end up sitting there for who knows how long (just one of the joys of socialized medicine).  So instead, I usually end up bringing her home ultrasound photos of him (that we have to pay for...$5 for 1 photo or $10 for 3...highway robbery in my book...but again...that is socialized medicine).  (So far we have only paid $35 for this pregnancy which doesn't include the cost for the pictures...good deal in my book and the standard of care is right up there with the US.)  Often she wants to look at the pictures and will spend quite some time looking at them.  I just love it.  You can tell how much she loves him already.

And did I mention that she already has picked out his name...get ready...Pirate Boy!  No idea where that came from...but it is adorable.

Special Day at School

About once a month, I have Duty Day in Arabella's class at school.  She refers to it as her Special Day as she gets to do the weather, calendar and be in charge of the question of the day.  She was so excited when the day finally got here!  I am so lucky that I am able to go to school with her and particpate in her routine.  We had a great day in school and we learned about Thanksgiving, the Indians and Pilgrams and did a fun turkey craft.  She even played on the Mayflower!  Thank you for sharing your special day with me Arabella, I can't wait until next time when I get to learn all about Halloween later this month!

Grandpa Dennis & Grandma Ricki Visit

In September, Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Ricki joined us for a visit.  Arabella was very excited to have them come to town, as were Jay and I.  It has been a visit almost 3 years in the making.  We didn't do too much as the weather was not too cooperative and Arabella had school.  But we were able to spend a very nice week with them which is all that matters.  Jay got some cooking lessons from his Dad...

Arabella spent time reading with Grandpa Dennis...

And on the nicest day of their visit, we took them to a great park on the Lakeshore in Pointe Claire.  It was sunny and windy, but it was still great to spend the morning outside enjoying the crisp fall weather.

The visit went by way too fast.  But that is what happens when you are having fun!  We enjoyed having Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Ricki for a visit and hope that they can come back soon!

Chef in the Making

Arabella has been into helping me cook and bake.  She helped make tomato sauce from scratch:

And we made delicious apple sauce from all the apples we picked!  It didn't last long and it was so good, that we need to make another batch!

September Birthday Parties

It seems like September just flew by.  We were very busy with school and getting into the swing of things.  Arabella was invited to two birthday parties - her friend Cristina and a new friend from school, Meredith. 

Cristina's 5th Birthday Party was at Quinn Farm.  It was an apple picking party and it was so much fun.  The party took place in the loft of a barn.  The kids enjoyed crafts and then a wagon ride to the orchard to pick a bag full of apples.  They loved it!  After the apple picking, we went back to the barn for some yummy food and cupcakes.  Before we left, we went to check out the animals and play a little bit outside.  Arabella had so much fun celebrating with Cristina and it was a great place to host a party!

Meredith's Birthday Party was Cat in the Hat themed and each child was given a t-shirt and Cat in the Hat hat to wear to the party.  It was at an indoor play gym and the kids had a great time running around and playing games!

Apple Picking Field Trip

It seems like forever ago that we went apple picking with Arabella's preschool class!  It was back towards the middle of September - over a month ago - and the apples we picked have long been eaten.  We had the perfect weather for picking the apples - sunny and warm.  Arabella loved the animals at the farm and had a fun time with her classmates learning about apples and how they grow.

Arabella was so excited to pick the apples and the trees were full of fruit.  We picked two large bags and ate a few apples right off the tree!  They were so good!

I am so glad I was able to join Arabella on this field trip.  We had so much fun!