Billy Elliot

Isabelle isn't the only one playing dressup around here these days. Look out for the newfound fashion plate Oliver! The Ballerina Boy himself!

Riding In Style

Look out Lance Armstrong, Isabelle has her own big girl's bike now! Last year for her birthday, Gran and Grandpa promised Isabelle a brand new bike, but given that the fall and winter were on the horizon at the time, it didn't make sense to look for one then. Well, spring has more than sprung here in Ottawa, so we ventured out to some specialty shops (to avoid the inevitable Disney Princess bikes that are in abundance at department stores) and found exactly what we were looking for. Isabelle chose a beautiful Diamondback kids cruiser (is anyone shocked that it's pink?), complete with sweet fenders and a super comfy seat. Of course, she dressed it up with streamers and a new helmet (princess-themed naturally) and was so excited that she even started riding it in the parking lot! She has taken a few trips down the street and is picking things up quickly, even braking although she doesn't really like to slow down. She seems to think that riding on the sidewalk means she doesn't need to know how to brake, not sure where she picked this up! We have no doubt she will become quite the avid cyclist and showoff in the coming weeks and months. She loves her new wheels and sends many thanks to Gran and Grandpa for such a rocking gift! See you on the streets!

Getting some tips from Mommy


Coolest cyclist in the city

Happy Birthday, Easton!

Sending our best of birthday wishes out to Winnipeg as little Easton turns one today! Our friends Shawn and Lindie must be thrilled to celebrate their little guy's special day. Happy birthday, bud! We hope you had a wicked birthday party full of friends, family, presents and of course, cake! All the best to you as you start year #2, dude! Oliver would love to get together and watch Yo Gabba Gabba with you sometime!

Back With My Buds

Lost in all the fun we had with family in Florida the past couple of weeks was that Isabelle was away from her best buds Logan and Brooklyn. Even though she is no longer at Tupper every morning, we have made a conscious effort to make sure these pals spend time together as much as is possible in the lives of three busy families, so this weekend was all about getting back together with them. Saturday afternoon we linked up with Logan at Brewer Park to scale the play structures and zip back and forth on the swings. Logan loved his Florida gifts and sported his new Superman chain with plenty of pride. He and Isabelle ripped around the slides and walkways while Oliver did his best to keep up. The boy just loves the slide and will go down as many times as you will take him! Then today Brooklyn and Logan came by the house for a nice walk through the tulips, an afternoon snack and a trip to the park at the top of the street. They all have a great time together, holding hands and chasing each other up and down the play structure. Brooklyn was amazed to see the princess autographs we picked up for her and sported her new Cinderella t-shirt with a big smile. The crew always takes a long time to say good bye but hopefully they will be back together again soon! Nothing better than having great friends to come home to.

No soccer today. Just running around with reckless abandon. So basically the same thing as soccer without the ball.


Wild Man Logan


Brewer Park Rookie of the Year


The Tulip Team in full force


Brothers (and sisters) in arms

Stars On Ice!

Saturday nights in Canada are often reserved for hockey, but not tonight for Mommy and Isabelle, who headed up the street to the Civic Centre to check out Stars on Ice! The lineup included many Olympic medalists, including some of the stars from Vancouver like the golden dance team of Virtue and Moir and the bravest of the bronze medalists Joannie Rochette! Other highlights included Sale and Pelletier and the big showman Kurt Browning, who showed off some amazing moves performed on hockey skates. Isabelle and Mom loved the show, especially when upgrading from their unexpected obstructed view seats to the first row. Pays off to have the security guards think you are the cutest thing ever! So cool to be so close to the action and Isabelle adored the music, the artistry and of course, the fabulous outfits! She has been going on about the "sparkly" look of Joannie, even though she did wonder where her "friend" was, "why is she skating by herself?". All in all, a super girls night out at the rink, and it meant a lot for Isabelle to get to see something that her Mom holds dear to her heart. What a night!

A special treat yesterday at Sears, meeting Jamie Sale and David Pelletier!


Popcorn is the best!


Showtime!


Hey, I saw those guys yesterday!


A figure skating fan is born

Tulip Time!

A little break from the Florida pics as we sift through the many shots of cousins (thanks, Meg!), searching for the best ones to show how much fun the three of them had together. Today, however, we celebrate the early arrival of the tulips here in Ottawa! Just around the corner from our place, many of the Tulip Festival's prize performers are already showing off their colours. Clearly they were more than happy to pop up and enjoy the early spring that all of us have been experiencing. Isabelle and Oliver hopped in the wagon and started this year's tulip peeping in style. Lucky little kids have this beautiful scenery at the tip of their driveway and can spend every night of the week tiptoeing through the tulips if they wish, and they will. Isabelle is an old hand and happily showed her little brother around. Oliver loved being out and about, staggering through the uneven grass, chasing several puppies and reveling in the attention from the other tulip visitors. We all look forward to seeing the rest of the tulips arrive in the coming weeks, and Oliver and Isabelle will be right there to welcome them with open arms!

Where did these flowers come from? They weren't here when we left for Florida!?


You're not supposed to touch them. Ok Oliver?


Prince of the park


Flower child


Don't worry, bud. I've done this before. Stick with me, you'll get cool stuff like face painting and balloons when the festival arrives.

The Happiest Place on Earth

How can you sum up a day that you have been waiting for weeks, even months, to happen? As one of Isabelle's first Cinderella books used to say to her "Dreams really do come true", and for a little girl that adores all of the princesses, this was the day to find out that Cinderella definitely was not fibbing! She had the chance to meet all of her favourite heroines up close and personal. Today there was no need to ask Isabelle to smile for photos, each time she met one of her idols you could not wipe the genuine smile off her face no matter how hard you tried. We started the day listening to Belle tell her story to a small crowd, which allowed for some quality time with her afterwards. From there we hunted down Ariel in her grotto and then headed off to the princess room to meet the big three, fancy dresses and all. The look on Isabelle's face far exceeded the price of admission. Only Jasmine and Snow White escaped our net this time around, but Isabelle was far too high up on Cloud Nine to make this an issue. The afternoon allowed us to enjoy the parade down Main Street and get some shopping in, including a playset version of Cinderella Castle itself, the perfect keepsake for a budding princess. What a day for our little girl, one she will never forget. Good thing Orlando is so far away, otherwise we might have to go back every weekend! All in all, a true Disney delight.

On the tram, the Magic Kingdom awaits!


Riding the (mono)rails


One Belle meets another


Not exactly Beauty and the Beast!


Under the sea with The Little Mermaid


Oliver gets in on the princess action (check the Cinderella pose!)


Belle again, now in formal dress


Princesses posing


Princess Aurora, awake from her slumber


The only ride of the day: Cinderella's Carousel


Sunny skies and big smiles all around


Princesses parading down the castle steps


The hosts of the big party: MIckey and Minnie!


Snow White greets her adoring public


Sleeping Beauty...


...and a prince down for the count as well.


Until next time! See you soon, Cinderella!

Her Royal Highness

Isabelle's exploits as a princess have been reported numerous times on this site, but little did she know that her hours and hours of dressup were all just practice for the real thing! Yes, she was headed deep into Cinderella's castle to be done up in the salon home of all the princesses: the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! It goes without saying that this sold out spa is where dreams really do come true for little girls like Isabelle. She truly did get the royal treatment, waited on by two of Cinderella's hand-picked attendants who made her feel like the belle of the ball. Isabelle, acting like this happens to her every day, took it all in stride as they applied princess nail polish, adorned her with glitter makeup, and styled her hair with the Disney Diva look, complete with ponytail extensions and baby blue accessories throughout. They did a fabulous job and Isabelle looked the part with her Snow White dress, tiara, wand and bejeweled shoes, at least until she left the salon and decided she wanted to take the dress off! Ah, 3-year olds! She still was able to enjoy the rest of the look for a few days, god thing the condo had lots of mirrors. The key question: is there any way we ever go back to Disney again without doing this again? For things like this, Isabelle has a mind like a steel trap! Ah well, at least there will be lots to entertain little O while he waits!

The Pampered Princess


Sizing up the extensions


Cinderella really gets her hair done here?


Applying the "Pixie Dust"


The happiest princess in the park


Showing off for Gran and Grandpa

Marching Band Fan

Our day at Disney was so busy that we have to report it in instalments. Most can't fit a visit to the park in one day, how could we do it all in one post? Today we'll talk about the forgotten man in all the planning, Oliver. We knew Isabelle would have lots of attractions to see and princesses to meet, with poor little Oliver set to follow her from spot to spot, mostly wondering "what is this place?". Trooper that he is, he accompanied Isabelle on her morning escapades, riding in the stroller and even hopping out to do some shopping. Battling incoming teeth, Oliver then desperately needed a nap and with a not-so-comfy stroller, there was no place to go down. Isabelle and Mom headed off to her appointment, while Oliver and Dad went in search of silence. Finally the pooped prince conked out on his Dad's shoulder when they reached the monorail, which they then rode for the next hour to ensure a good sleep! Once back in action, Oliver had some lunch, unwillingly met Snow White (who called him Bashful), checked out the character-filled parade and then discovered something he really loved: a marching band! He was blown away, first staring at them like they had come from another planet, then clapping and smiling as they banged out their tunes. We knew he liked music but we didn't know it would stop him in his tracks like it did. It was fun to just watch him getting entranced by the drums and the horns, our happy guy was back. We were thrilled for him to get some enjoyment out of such a long and busy day. Next time we are here, Isabelle will have to be ready for her brother to dictate some of the agenda!

It took a group this big to get Oliver's undivided attention!


The best job in the band!


Big sister felt it was a little bit loud


A rare moment of rest in a super-packed day