Gold Canada Gold!

Make that 14 golds, Canada! Most ever by one country in an Olympic Winter Games! Awesome news for all of Canada and especially four very proud Canadians in Ottawa, each of whom has cheered our nation's athletes vigorously over the past two spectacular weeks. Whether it was Alexandre Bilodeau putting us on the gold medal board on Valentine's Day, Jon Montgomery showing us how true Canadians celebrate victory or Sidney Crosby (Isabelle's fav) capping off the Games with a golden goal, we were all inspired by our athletes and by how the country supported them. Thanks to all of you for showing the world what Canada is capable of! Special thanks to Auntie Madeline for sending Isabelle a Vancouver 2010 cowbell direct from Whistler. Isabelle was so proud to bring it to school, grasping it tightly in her signature Olympic mittens. The school was swept up in the excitement too, staging their own events and bestowing triple gold on Isabelle for Most Goals, Furthest to Shoot the Puck, and Fastest to get Dressed, clearly preparing her for many more podium visits in her future. What a treat to witness such a successful Games, both in our athlete performances and in Vancouver/Whistler's stellar job as the host. Congrats Canada, we are so proud of you!

Puddle Jumpin'

Tons of wet snow and rain has been falling in Ottawa over the past week. Combine this with above zero temperatures and guess what that has produced? Lots and lots of one of Isabelle's favourite things to play in, puddles! It is quite obvious that if this event were added to a future Olympics, Isabelle would be a medal favourite. Oliver loved watching her just as much as she loved jumping and running through the puddles. He laughed and laughed with every splish and splash. Isabelle even added to the fun by grabbing a stick and pretending she was fishing in every puddle. She was oh so thrilled to finally snag something, a Tim Horton's bag! With no canal left, we have to continue to look for things to keep us busy. Hopefully the melt will continue and the puddles will just get bigger and bigger. Adults try to avoid getting wet in these kinds of conditions, kids must think we're the crazy ones!

So I can just get as wet and dirty as I want?!


Her biggest fan laughs it up


Running and splashing to her heart's content


Ice fisherman in training


I did it! I caught something, Daddy!

Allez Les Bleus!

There are many things that Isabelle loves and she is able to merge two of them every Sunday. Her love of sports and clothing collide at soccer class every week, where no fashion conscious player would be caught wearing anything but authentic Adidas team clothing. She was thrilled to receive a package a few weeks back with a brand new French national team kit to wear every week. Dressed for success and all kidding aside, she loves her weekly class, especially the fun games that they play, like Caterpillar, Red Light Green Light and everyone's favourite, What Time is It, Mr Wolf? Her eyes and mouth open so wide when she is being chased around the gym, it's hilarious. If only she was as excited when they actually start playing soccer! But that will come with time we hope, especially since she is set to join the Glebe soccer league come summer!

Thanks, Auntie Mer and Auntie Dave!

What a great weekend we had with Auntie Meredith and, as Isabelle enjoys calling him, Auntie Dave. It was so fun to have them here not only for a visit, but also to share in Oliver's big celebration. We're happy Mer had a chance to reconnect with and introduce Dave to her Ottawa pals, plus bring back some memories of her formative years in the city, including a reacquaintance with the Rideau Canal. She and Dave got to test out both the Beaver Tail hut and some long blades too. They were both such a super help with Oliver's big day, and both he and Isabelle adored having them around. Isabelle went to bed the night they were arriving, then woke up in the middle of the night half asleep, asking if Auntie Mer was here! Oliver loved practicing "walking" with Mer, and it worked! He took a few steps on his own just minutes before they left! Yahoo! We enjoyed hosting them and hope they had a great time, at least enough so that we will see them again soon!

Speed demon on the long blades


Making the canal a family affair


Buried in balloons


Practice makes perfect!


Piggyback princess


Bedtime story from Auntie


We miss you guys!

Happy First Birthday, Oliver!

A year ago today was one that we will never forget as it gave us our wonderful little boy Oliver. As we look back on what was truly one of the best days of our life, we also got the chance to celebrate the great little guy's first birthday with family and friends. Thanks to the timing of his special day, every year Oliver will get the opportunity to have a day that takes advantage of Winterlude and the Rideau Canal. Today was just the first of many. As lucky as we were to have friends from Ottawa in town to fete Oliver, we also were blessed with Meredith and Dave making the trip from Halifax (wicked sign, Mer!) and Aunt Leslie here from New Jersey with Liam and Sarah. Thanks to everyone who sent gifts and cards or called to wish Oliver well on his big day. He is always such a happy guy and all the love you give him just made him more so. What can we say about Oliver? A big smile, a warm heart, an infectious laugh, a good soul and above all else, so much love for his sister, his parents and all of his family. We wish all of you could be here to experience him each and every day. One year old today. Wow. Amazing.

All prepped to hit the canal


A chance to see the Olympic torch! Go Canada!


A fun afternoon of skating in honour of Little O's birthday!


Can you tell me how to get, how to get to...


What is this birthday stuff?


Hmmmm, this looks interesting...


A little assistance from Mommy


Ahhhh, that hit the spot!


From birthday bash to birthday bath

Flower Child

We are proud to report that Isabelle makes her wedding party debut this fall! She was beyond thrilled and deeply honoured to accept the invitation to be a flower girl at the October 23rd nuptials of Auntie Rhiannon and Uncle Matt (good choice on the date!). For a little girl already infatuated with dressing up, weddings and brides, this is a golden opportunity to enjoy all 3 at once! She even had the chance to test some dresses that Rhiannon brought over for sizing purposes. We certainly didn't have to ask her twice to try them on and it was all we could do to get her to take them off!

The great news is that accompanying her down the aisle will be none other than Olan! What a great couple they will make, let's just hope they don't steal the show from the happy couple themselves! Thanks for the honour, Rhiannon and Matt, she and Olan will do you (and their parents) proud!

All You Need is Love

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you all had a super day filled with lots of time with your loved one (or loved ones!). Oliver's first Valentine's Day was the last of the holidays remaining for him to experience; he was happy to sport the required red and open his many cards. Thanks to everyone who thought of him and Isabelle, your cards and gifts weren't necessary but were also greatly appreciated. Already Valentine-savvy from her school party Friday, Isabelle checked out her many cards and quickly dug into her Purdy's chocolate from Auntie Tep, with more in reserve courtesy her Grandmaman. It is a special day for us, with lots of love to be shared with each other. Too many people say this is a made-up holiday designed to sell cards, flowers and chocolate. It truly doesn't matter if that's true. Is there something wrong with a day set aside to tell people how much you love them? And to top that off, one that involves chocolate?

Sweetheart set for school


Best-dressed bus rider ever!


Catching up on some Valentine's ZZZZZZs

Princess of the Powder

We are clearly bitten by the Olympic bug here in Ottawa, as we kicked off a sports-filled weekend with Isabelle's inaugural trip to the slopes! Her and Logan piled in the van and headed up to Edelweiss for a one hour private lesson with an instructor. Our van got its first big test with a full load of 4 adults and 3 car seats and passed with flying colours. All riders were comfy and even enjoyed a screening of Shrek along the way! Once we arrived, we get the munchkins suited up with skis and boots and they headed off to meet their instructors. A little weirded out by the magic carpet lift at first but soon they got the hang of it and were listening intently to what their instructors had to say. A few trips down the hill and an understanding of the very basics and the foundation was set for the next time up. In news that would be no major surprise to any skier, Isabelle quite enjoyed the lodge portion of the day, relaxing with her boots on and eating french fries and pizza, who could ask for more? We headed back to Ottawa with plans to return for another lesson soon and hopefully one day see her waiting for the big chair lift!

Magic Carpet Ride!


I'm not going to fall like that guy did!


What are these big boards on my feet?


Thanks for a great lesson Rachel!


Family day on the slopes. Next year, it's Oliver's turn!

Treats Galore!

Early February is clearly a time for treats around here, and Isabelle is only too happy to take part in any way she can! She has such a hard time deciding what to have for dessert every night, so much so that she still has half of her Christmas stocking stuff just waiting to be eaten!

First off was Super Bowl Sunday, which meant party time at Uncle Phil's to watch the big game. Mommy had a great idea for a healthier dessert for the running crowd in attendance, and Isabelle was thrilled to be pitching in. A wicked combination of milk chocolate and strawberries with a splash of white chocolate for the final touch and voila, football strawberries! They looked and tasted amazing and were a huge hit at the party, with most people even asking where they were purchased!? It goes without saying that not all the strawberries made it to the party or even into the chocolate; they mysteriously ended up in a 3-year old's tummy...

A whole tray just waiting to be enjoyed


How did they taste? Touchdown!



On the heels of Super Bowl snacks, we received a package from Isabelle and Oliver's Uncle Andrew and Auntie Lena in Toronto, such generous friends of ours who always think of the little ones. In addition to gifts, an intriguing box in the envelope called out to us and it was exactly what we hoped: sugar cookies from master cookie artist Lena! She started this as a hobby and has become such a star that she turned it into her own business! Isabelle dug in immediately and we all agreed these were truly awesome cookies. So if you're in the GTA, send Lena some business for your next event! As for Isabelle, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, will she have enough treats to last her until then? Hmmmm, I wonder!?

Two sweet hearts for two sweethearts


Clearly the cookie received Isabelle's seal of approval!

Tweeting Toddler

Isabelle is destined to be the new sweetheart of social media. She is the newest member of Twitter, so keep an eye on her account as we will be posting some of her instant classic quotes as they happen. Click on the link below and bookmark her page to follow along as she keeps us all in stitches with her daily comments.

Come see for yourself!

You're Going to Hollywood!

A budding star songstress is in our midst. Isabelle caught a rerun episode of American Idol several weeks ago and was quite intrigued by the audition format. So much so that it has become not only one of her new favourite shows, but one of her new favourite games too. She likes to says "You be the guys who ask me to sing", and then happily answers any questions about where she is from and what she will sing before launching into her audition. The songs are truly works of art and have her parents in stitches, especially as she goes into falsetto and closes her eyes for the full effect. Thankfully we were able to get one of her recent performances of her original song "Birdies Up in the Sky" on video, for Daddy and guest judge Oliver. Look out world, we may have found the next American Idol! Enjoy!

Go 67s Go!

Sunday afternoons in the Glebe are never short of things to do. Inside or out, the neighbourhood has no shortage of things to pass the time, even for a budding sports fan! Most Sundays in the winter you can head off to Lansdowne and see our junior hockey team, the 67s in action, not to mention the bonus that kids 4 and under get in free! Logan and Isabelle, fresh off their soccer practice, were more than eager to sign up for a few hours of fun (and of course, food) at the local rink. With Logan's Leafs hat and Isabelle's Habs shirt, there was no mistaking them for anything but hockey fans. They were thrilled to cheer on their new favourite team, with Isabelle instructing Logan at the top of her lungs, "We came to see the black team, not the white team!". Many kernels of popcorn, a free water bottle and a couple of facepaintings later, the two buds watched as the 67s comeback attempt fell short and they lost to Guelph 5-4. No disappointed kids though, as they clearly had a great time. Isabelle wasn't more than 50 feet outside the door when she asked to go back again next week. We will surely be back, but who knows when? WIth Winterlude on and family on the way, we surely won't be bored!

Popcorn pals


Keep the food coming...poutine and pizza!


A great afternoon with friends


The 67s' newest fans having fun

All Aboard!

Over the past couple of weeks we have been revisiting one of Isabelle's favourite old haunts, Chapters and the beloved choo-choo table. It goes without saying that Oliver has also become a huge fan, especially since Thomas and Friends are situated at the perfect height for him to hang on and grab whatever colourful engine is near! He loves to hang with the big kids, watching their every move and learning new skills all the while. It's so fun to see him process new information and put it into action. Big sister Isabelle is obsessed with reading as many books as possible each time we visit. Today she was ecstatic to find a Super Reader book in the proverbial haystack of books! Try getting her out of there!

The new makeover that the kid's department has undergone has only furthered the appeal of our trips. What was once a lone choo-choo table amongst all the great books has evolved into a site for any kid's sore eyes. Easels, play kitchens, colouring tables, story time, even a giant tea cup to curl up in with a favourite book. And these are just the free things, if you actually want to spend some money (which is often the case!), the toy section is filled with wicked educational toys. Isabelle and Oliver were quite content to pass the time checking out the books, the trains and all the other kids. Need to put a smile on their face? Not usually a problem with these two but if we are ever stuck, we definitely know where to go!

The Stairclimber

Life is getting vertical around here as little Oliver is really becoming adventurous. In simple terms, the boy no longer enjoys being contained to just one floor. He quickly graduated from climbing up on Isabelle's pink chair to an option that gives him many more vantage points. He's been interested in the stairs for a few weeks but only recently figured out the mechanics of pushing him up to the next step. Within mere minutes of gaining that skill, he scaled the entire staircase and was soon patrolling the upper portion of the house. Good thing he has two hyper-protective parents spotting him at every step, because who knows where he is headed next. He stops every few steps to peer over his shoulder, checking if anyone has their eye on him. The poor dude sure will be heartbroken to see the baby gate make its first appearance. Did Marco Polo's parents prevent him from spreading his wings and exploring the world? I think not!