Pre-School Glee

Oliver and Isabelle have been in a musical mood of late. The past couple of nights each of them have asked to put on the coffee table so they can dance and sing along to Top 40 tunes like Enrique Iglesias, Justin Bieber and Taio Cruz. Isabelle grabs her Dollarama Princess microphone, as does Oliver (luckily we have two!) and they are thrilled to rock out with their parents. This will only get funnier as they eventually learn the words to a few songs. Isabelle has come close to mastering Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer so perhaps their concert will be a holiday one. In any case, they're not quite at the level of other siblings like Michael and Janet Jackson, but give them some time. At least they have started young!

Always ready with a smile for the press

Oliver has the backup dance moves well in hand

Hey sis, when does the backup singer get to do a solo of his own?

You guys will let me sing with you, right?

It's About Time

Aside from a surprise snowfall a few weeks ago that disappeared almost as quickly as it came, we have spent several weeks under mostly cloudy and rainy conditions. But thankfully, someone told Mother Nature that we put up our Xmas decorations, because she blanketed us with some snow on Friday morning. Isabelle nearly hit her head on her chandelier after jumping for joy at the sight of the white stuff outside her window. She and Oliver were eager to head off to school so they could spend some time outside with their friends exploring the winter conditions. Sadly, this snowfall also like it isn't here to stay, with temperatures in the low single digits all over this week's forecast.  Soon it will be December, let's get the snow in gear! We have a big winter holiday season ahead and a canal to open, you know!

Checking out the snow or just waiting for Santa already?

One Month to Go!

The Christmas season is upon us, just have a look around our house! Decorations abound from top to bottom and the kids are super excited for what is everyone's favourite time of year. Isabelle has Santa Claus on her mind and has been very inquisitive about how he does his nightly rounds on Christmas Eve. She got home from school the other day to discover her room had received the festive treatment, complete with a mini-tree adorned with lights and decorations, her Rudolph towel, winter-themed PJs and Santa slippers . She shrieked with delight, "It's like Christmas in my room!". Oliver has been much more focused on the arrival of Thomas. We have a mini-track and a snowy Thomas that is made to go around the base of the tree. With no tree yet, it has been set up in his room and we wish anyone the best of luck if they want to move it! He LOVES it and spends much of his available time sitting in the middle of the track watching Thomas chug his way along the rails. About the only thing that can take him away is joining his sister to play with their new nativity scene. He loves the animals and Isabelle has been playing the tune to wake us every morning this week. It's going to be so much fun over the coming weeks watching these two enjoy the season together. All we need is some snow to make things complete. Happy holidays, yes indeed!

Having a laugh with their new holiday pals

Two different Christmas traditions converge

Still a few weeks before baby Jesus makes his appearance

You try getting him to stop long enough to put some clothes on!

Introducing Elgin!

Rhiannon and Matt have only been married a month but have already added a new member to the family!  They are proud to introduce Elgin, the cutest little golden retriever you have ever seen. They picked him up last week from the breeder and he has already had many visitors, all eager to come by and see the special little guy. Isabelle was thrilled to meet him while Oliver, usually a sucker for 4-legged creatures of all kinds, was a little standoffish, preferring to check out Elgin's water bowl than the dog itself. We are looking forward to many future visits with the canine cutie, including walks along the canal and maybe even some dogsitting adventures! We wish the newlyweds all the best with the grand-doggy, as Menna calls him. Apparently having a dog is good practice for having a baby, guys!

The proud parents

In Her Shoes

Oliver continues to learn from his big sister every chance he gets. This weekend he got a crash course in princess culture as they decided to play dress-up, Belle with her Snow White dress and Oliver rocking the Snow White shoes. The boy shuffles around in these things, making a tremendous racket as he travels from the front of the house to the back over and over again. Hopefully our poor neighbour didn't try to sleep in yesterday! Oliver certainly walks the walk, but someone should tell him royalty usually wears at least a shirt - and the pants don't look too regal either! Still a lot to learn there, lucky you are in good hands as the princess and fashion expert would never let you attend any ball without her stamp of approval. She has years of experience and can lend you a pair of shoes in any colour you need, although the little guy is starting to build a significant wardrobe of his own. In any case, heed her advice, dude, lots of big soirees to come in the holiday season!

"Santa! I Miss Him!"

Isabelle said this yesterday morning when we reminded her that the Santa Claus parade was coming up this weekend. No need to miss him anymore, Belle, he is back and ready for the holiday season. She even spotted him twice today, once in the Rideau Centre when she saw him heading to his chair (he stopped to wave to her and give her a candy cane, which she ate immediately!), then again tonight in a more formal setting, the Santa Claus parade under the lights at Parliament Hill. Of course, the weather always gets cold the weekend Santa comes to town, and this year was no exception. A wicked north wind was blowing, but it didn't dampen the spirits of Isabelle, Oliver, Logan, Kaitlyn and Brooklyn, who braved the temperatures, sampled candy canes and waited patiently for the jolly old elf to make his appearance. Oliver was slow to warm up to the action (no pun intended), but once he saw horses and fire engines, he realized this was actually a pretty good time. Aside from Santa himself, he seemed most excited to see the Sens mascot, not because he loves hockey, but because it was a lion, which gave Oliver the chance to show off his "roar" sound effect. Finally, Saint Nick was coming down the street, waving to all his adoring fans, and these kids were no exception. They were beyond thrilled to see him, and Isabelle was so sure he looked right at her! She's doing her best to stay on the Nice List, thank heavens for Santa's help during those times when she starts to stray!

Check it out, I snagged a candy cane!

Hooray for Canada Post, the answer to all your holiday shipping needs!

Waiting for the star of the show. Brooklyn thinks she sees him!

The man of the hour

Worn out from all the excitement

A Tearful Goodbye

We spent last weekend in Barrie saying goodbye to Aunt Anita, who left us all unexpectedly shortly after Halloween. She was a fantastic person, full of life and the driving force behind a family that we love and admire, one that we have always held as a prime example of what great families are all about. If our kids grow up to be anything close to what Grayson and Natasha have become, we can be proud of what we have accomplished as parents. The love story her and Lawrence share is one for the ages and we're beyond saddened that it's unable to continue. We have so many fond memories of her, especially from Six Mile Lake and also the great parties they hosted at their home, including a fabulous afternoon we spent there last summer with Isabelle, Oliver and Olan tearing around the yard having a super time, exactly as she would want them to. She was a true joy in everyone's life and we will miss her always.

Perfect Pictures

One of the photographers that took pictures of Isabelle at the National War Memorial got in touch with us this week. Jean took some beautiful shots and shared all the files with us. He also asked if he could put her picture on his Facebook page. He has undertaken a project where he posts one picture a day, often highlighting recent events. He posted a few pictures of the veterans and wanted to show how children also take in the ceremony each year. He posted a great picture of Isabelle and some of his other photos are truly amazing. Check them all out here!

Cover Girl

We woke up the day after Remembrance Day wondering if the shot the photographer took of our little girl at the War Memorial was going to make its way into the paper. We called up Le Droit's website to see if we could at least see it in their online gallery. Then halfway down the page we couldn't believe our eyes! There was the front page, and there was Isabelle! Amazing! Maybe we're a little bit biased, but it's a perfect picture of a darling little girl leaving a poppy for her Great Grandpa on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We couldn't be prouder of her. It sure is a nice feeling to buy a paper and tell the clerk that it's your daughter on the front page. And if you were looking for a copy in our neighbourhood, sorry you couldn't find one, we have them all!

A Day of Remembrance

 One of the best days of the year to be in the nation's capital, Remembrance Day holds a special place in all of our hearts. We attend the ceremony downtown every year, with thoughts of Great-Grandpa Jack and the late Uncle Roy always on our minds. We thank them for their dedicated service and for fighting for the freedom of theirs and future generations like Isabelle and Oliver. A beautiful sunny day made for a great ceremony and all the streets around the War Memorial were packed with proud Canadians wishing to pay their respects to the fallen and surviving veterans. In fact this was the first year that Canada does not have a surviving veteran from the First World War. Isabelle was the perfect red-clad patriot today, as quiet and patient as you will ever find a 4-year old. Without a good vantage point to see what was going on, she was happy to be there nonetheless, and paid her annual visit to the memorial after the proceedings ended. She visited the many wreaths and the Tomb and on our way out, she stopped for a photo in front of the cenotaph. Soon her Dad was joined by multiple other photographers wanting to take her picture. The paparazzi wouldn't let her go and she was loving the attention. One of the photographers even got a shot of her leaving her poppy and mentioned that it may be in tomorrow's local French newspaper. Surely Dad will need to buy a few dozen copies of that! It was a fabulous day, one to remember how just many people have made sacrifices for us. We love and appreciate you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The Veterans Parade gets smaller year after year, but the crowds to honour them get larger

All manner of service men and women came to honour our forces

The traditional leaving of the poppy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Red is the colour of the day

Remembrance Day waning in popularity?  Not in Ottawa!

Meeting up with old pals was the order of the day, for veterans and for little ones too!

Happy 5th Birthday, Emilia!

Hope you have a wicked birthday, Emilia, we wish you an upcoming year full of fun and happiness. Big sister to two little siblings now and a great example for both of them. We know you are a big help to your Mom and Dad every day and we wish you weren't so far away. If only BC and Ontario were beside each other, Isabelle would love to go to some dance classes with her cousin! Enjoy your special day and all the attention you deserve. Have an awesome birthday!

Party All the Time

Isabelle and Oliver had a party-filled weekend, packed with excitement, energy and, of course, cake. Saturday Oliver attended his first birthday party as a solo boy, thrilled to party with his toddler room buddy Jack as he hit the ripe old age of 2. Once he discovered he was at a place full of play structures and obstacle courses, he was off to the races. He hasn't been to many of these places in his young life, but will surely go again, especially once we saw how much fun he had with his daycare buds! The next day was Isabelle's turn to celebrate the big #4 with birthday girl Carol at another indoor playland. She ran around willy-nilly from the moment she arrived, then Daddy set up a race between her and Logan: start at the bottom, zip up to the top, first one to make their way over to the slides and down wins. She beat Logan 5x in a row and was chuffed about it. Logan wasn't. Luckily the tears subsided and they banded together to pal around during dinner and cake. No parties on the horizon for now. Good thing, because the kids might not be partied out but the parents are!

Impromptu dance party staged by the girls

Zipping down the slide to win the duel with Logan

A dejected Logan takes second place begrudgingly

Not too happy to be on the losing end of the battle

No hard feelings. Worked it out over a piece of cake!

Trampolining toddler having a blast

Loving the slide into the ball pit. Had to do it over and over again.

Bad hair day or just a disheveled partygoer?

Cool, Jack! I like your Thomas the Train cake!

Oliver thrilled to snag Thomas. Birthday boy not so thrilled.

Bathtime Buds

Isabelle and Oliver have been having a grand old time in the bath as of late. They make each other laugh so much with their hijinks. Both of them find the actual washing of their body and their hair part to be such a chore. Stop interrupting our fun, Mom and Dad!

For some reason, both of them have always been interested in drinking the water in the tub. Ask them if they're thirsty before they go in and they will both say no. Put them in the tub and they start drinking. Solution? Bring your water bottles in the bath with you!

The boy loves his big sister so much. No one can make him laugh like she does. We can't wait to see how their friendship grows in the coming years. Surely they will have their disagreements but you can already see how much they mean to each other. In a week where we have seen the importance of family above everything, it warms our heart to see them so close.