However, I think that the most special one is the one she painted on their field trip. I also love that it is dated and has her handprint on it. Thank you so much for the very special gift and ornament Little Bean!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Special Christmas Ornaments & Artwork
Arabella was very busy at preschool this past month - she made some very special artwork and ornaments that now hang on our Christmas tree.
However, I think that the most special one is the one she painted on their field trip. I also love that it is dated and has her handprint on it. Thank you so much for the very special gift and ornament Little Bean!
However, I think that the most special one is the one she painted on their field trip. I also love that it is dated and has her handprint on it. Thank you so much for the very special gift and ornament Little Bean!
Sleigh Ride With Santa & Preschool Party
Arabella's preschool class did something very special on their last day before Christmas break. When I heard about it, I was so excited for her since Christmas is such a magical time of year - I knew she was going to be in awe. Not only did they have a party at school but before the party, we all met at Cap St. Jacques - a beautiful nature park in our area. It was a cold, clear and sunny morning so we bundled up in our cold weather wear and snow boots (even though there was not a drop of snow on the ground) and headed out to go for a "sleigh" ride. (It was really a tractor ride and snow would have made it that much more magical but it was still a ton of fun!) While we waited for the "sleigh" to pick us up, the kids enjoyed the animals in the barn...
Before long our sleigh arrived and the kids couldn't be more excited! Just look at this smile -
We took off on our ride and started to sing Christmas Carols and while singing Jingle Bells, look who we came across...
It was Santa!! Arabella and the rest of the kids were so amazed! He even got up on our sleigh and went for a ride with us. It was the cutest thing to see how they just lit up when they saw him.
We had a lot of fun singing songs and Santa made sure to talk to each child. It was a special morning and I am so happy and blessed to have been able to take part in it with Arabella.
At the end of the ride, the children persuaded Santa to come back to their school and join them at the party. It was so adorable and they were so excited when he said Yes! Before long, Santa arrived in the classroom!
The classroom was decorated with all of the Christmas artwork that the children did over the past month and they had decorated the Christmas tree with special ornaments that they made as well. It was so sweet to watch each child as they got to talk with Santa. He had a special gift and reindeer food for them to put out on Christmas eve.
It was a magical day and we loved every second of it!
Before long our sleigh arrived and the kids couldn't be more excited! Just look at this smile -
We took off on our ride and started to sing Christmas Carols and while singing Jingle Bells, look who we came across...
It was Santa!! Arabella and the rest of the kids were so amazed! He even got up on our sleigh and went for a ride with us. It was the cutest thing to see how they just lit up when they saw him.
We had a lot of fun singing songs and Santa made sure to talk to each child. It was a special morning and I am so happy and blessed to have been able to take part in it with Arabella.
At the end of the ride, the children persuaded Santa to come back to their school and join them at the party. It was so adorable and they were so excited when he said Yes! Before long, Santa arrived in the classroom!
The classroom was decorated with all of the Christmas artwork that the children did over the past month and they had decorated the Christmas tree with special ornaments that they made as well. It was so sweet to watch each child as they got to talk with Santa. He had a special gift and reindeer food for them to put out on Christmas eve.
It was a magical day and we loved every second of it!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Go Habs Go!!
Last week, Jay got to attend a Habs (for those of you not familiar with hockey - the Montreal Canadiens) game with Hewitt Cat. He tried to play it off as if it wasn't a big deal - when it put it on the calendar he wrote "Dinner @ Bell Center". But really who goes to dinner at the Bell Center?? Last time I checked and was at the Bell Center, all I saw was a little cafe and I knew he wasn't going to dinner there! Let me just say, I was a little jealous that he was first off going to a game - I have been wanting to go to one but it is impossible to get tickets and if you can get tickets they are so EXPENSIVE! In any event, he wasn't just going to watch the game - he was going for dinner in a BOX! Seriously - so jealous - he isn't even a hockey fan! Not only did he get to watch the game, but he also had anything he wanted to drink, lamb chops (amongst other really yummy choices) and a dessert cart with so many sweets it was insane! He had a great time and enjoyed himself - and I am happy that he got to go! Arabella and I can't be the ones always having fun!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Message from Jack
This morning when Arabella woke up and went to look for Jack she also found a surprise from him...a note on the bathroom mirror...
He found her paint (a/k/a mom's red lip gloss) and a paint brush and wrote her the special message. She was so excited!
He found her paint (a/k/a mom's red lip gloss) and a paint brush and wrote her the special message. She was so excited!
Has It Really Been 2 Years?!?!?!
Last Wednesday was our officially 2 year mark here in Montreal. It is hard to believe that 2 years have passed, seriously, time needs to slow down! I guess the old saying "Time flies when you are having fun" is true since we have been having more fun that I could have imagined!
I have to say that I feel really settled and comfortable here...much more than I did when we lived in Dublin/Columbus, Ohio. I'm not sure why, but I know that I really do enjoy being here in Canada. It is a great place to be raising Arabella and I love all the opportunities that we are able to take advantage of - she is learning French in preschool, is taking swim lessons at the same aquatic facility where they hosted the Canadian Summer National swim meet, and so much more. Arabella loves to play in the snow - although so far it is nonexistent this year - and I enjoy it too! We have great Summer weather and there are so many fun things to do in Montreal. Jay gets to travel and see some pretty amazing places. We miss him when he is gone, but appreciate him so much more when he gets home. And Arabella is so excited when he arrives home. His travel isn't easy on any of us, but I am so fortunate to have a wonderful group of friends here who I know I can count on if I need anything while he is traveling.
I am trying to make this a wonderful experience for our family and Arabella in particular since our home in Montreal is the one she will remember when she gets older. It is sad to think that she has no memories at all of Ohio, but she was only 18 months old when we moved from Dublin.
I am thankful for the opportunity to be an American expat...it is teaching me so much and I don't even want to think about leaving and moving to someplace new. I want to enjoy this time. I love our home, Arabella's school, the friends we have made and Canada in general. At times it has been difficult, I'm not going to say it has all been smooth sailing, for instance, I still can't speak French and my lessons have been non-existent (we can't find a reliable tutor for me...) and I am learning more from my friends and Arabella! The weather was a little bit of an awakening, I never knew it could get as cold as it does...and all the snow....WOW! As for summer weather, who would have thought that it would be humid and get to be close to 100 degrees in the Summer in Canada...not me! The Autumn is beautiful and I love the Spring when all the snow is melting and the flowers are starting to bloom. There is so much more of this Country that I want to see...I am thinking of planning out some fun weekend trips for us this Summer (since you never know when they will decide they want to move us again). Hockey is like a religion and I still want to get to a Canadiens game at some point (Jay got to go last week so he can check that experience off of his Canada To-Do list!)
There are some things that I still am not used to - the services roads that run next to the Transcanada Highway still annoy the heck out of me and make no sense. I still can't get used to the "Eh" at the end of sentences...and haven't started saying it yet (thank goodness) but Jay says it every once in a while! And I still don not understand why they use so many stop signs...people never, ever make a complete stop at them...the joke is that when you see a stop sign it is just optional if you stop or not....and that is exactly what happens, people slow down and roll through. And don't get me started on the cost of food and dairy products!
I am thankful for the time that we have spent here and would love to stay in Canada for another 10 years...maybe it will happen...I am keeping my fingers crossed.
I have to say that I feel really settled and comfortable here...much more than I did when we lived in Dublin/Columbus, Ohio. I'm not sure why, but I know that I really do enjoy being here in Canada. It is a great place to be raising Arabella and I love all the opportunities that we are able to take advantage of - she is learning French in preschool, is taking swim lessons at the same aquatic facility where they hosted the Canadian Summer National swim meet, and so much more. Arabella loves to play in the snow - although so far it is nonexistent this year - and I enjoy it too! We have great Summer weather and there are so many fun things to do in Montreal. Jay gets to travel and see some pretty amazing places. We miss him when he is gone, but appreciate him so much more when he gets home. And Arabella is so excited when he arrives home. His travel isn't easy on any of us, but I am so fortunate to have a wonderful group of friends here who I know I can count on if I need anything while he is traveling.
I am trying to make this a wonderful experience for our family and Arabella in particular since our home in Montreal is the one she will remember when she gets older. It is sad to think that she has no memories at all of Ohio, but she was only 18 months old when we moved from Dublin.
I am thankful for the opportunity to be an American expat...it is teaching me so much and I don't even want to think about leaving and moving to someplace new. I want to enjoy this time. I love our home, Arabella's school, the friends we have made and Canada in general. At times it has been difficult, I'm not going to say it has all been smooth sailing, for instance, I still can't speak French and my lessons have been non-existent (we can't find a reliable tutor for me...) and I am learning more from my friends and Arabella! The weather was a little bit of an awakening, I never knew it could get as cold as it does...and all the snow....WOW! As for summer weather, who would have thought that it would be humid and get to be close to 100 degrees in the Summer in Canada...not me! The Autumn is beautiful and I love the Spring when all the snow is melting and the flowers are starting to bloom. There is so much more of this Country that I want to see...I am thinking of planning out some fun weekend trips for us this Summer (since you never know when they will decide they want to move us again). Hockey is like a religion and I still want to get to a Canadiens game at some point (Jay got to go last week so he can check that experience off of his Canada To-Do list!)
There are some things that I still am not used to - the services roads that run next to the Transcanada Highway still annoy the heck out of me and make no sense. I still can't get used to the "Eh" at the end of sentences...and haven't started saying it yet (thank goodness) but Jay says it every once in a while! And I still don not understand why they use so many stop signs...people never, ever make a complete stop at them...the joke is that when you see a stop sign it is just optional if you stop or not....and that is exactly what happens, people slow down and roll through. And don't get me started on the cost of food and dairy products!
I am thankful for the time that we have spent here and would love to stay in Canada for another 10 years...maybe it will happen...I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Casse Noisette a/k/a The Nutcracker
I decided this year that I would start a new tradition that Arabella and I could do each year at Christmas! Back in September, I purchased tickets for us to go to The Nutcracker at Place des Arts in Montreal. I was a little hesitant to buy tickets as it was $98 for just the 2 of us to go, but it is something that I remember doing with my Mom at Christmas and I thought Arabella would love it...and she did! She was so excited to get dressed up in her Christmas dress and to go see the ballerinas. We had seats in the mezzanine - first row, center - and they were perfect. Arabella had a birds eye view of what was going on and was mesmerized by the dancers on stage. It was a full length production - 2 hours with an intermission and even though we went right at nap time, Arabella did great. It was only the last 10 - 15 minutes where she started to get antsy. It was a beautiful production and Arabella already said she wants to go back next year!
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