Happy Birthday, Mommy!

Isabelle, Oliver and Daddy are thrilled to wish Mommy a super-extra-special happy birthday today! We are very happy to be having people over to celebrate it in fine form as well. Last year, we were lucky enough to have many friends and all of our family here as the weekend saw Matt and Rhiannon get married, an event that included a group of 300 singing Happy Birthday to Mommy. This weekend there was a slightly smaller group but just as much love as anyone could want in those singing voices. We think Mommy felt spoiled with all the attention and the fabulous gifts...special thank you to all of you that thought of her and called her on her big day. She means the world to the three of us and we are all in awe of all that she does for this family day in and day out. She is tirelessly devoted to making others happy and we love her with all of our hearts. Wherever you are, raise a Starbucks for Alyson and wish her an awesome year ahead. Happy birthday, Mom, we love you!

Pumpkin Prep

With Auntie Mer in town and a big crew coming Sunday night for a fall celebration, we have had a lot on the go. With furniture rearranged and bookcases built, the house was taking shape, thankfully with room for everyone to sit! We made a few trips downtown to Rideau for some last-second needs this week. Isabelle and Oliver are happy to tag along and have some fun of their own on the market, which of course has nothing to do with dinner at the Marchelino or other treats they may receive. We returned to a house adorned with orange and black decorations from floor to ceiling, including orange lights outside. Hallowe'en is serious business around here, as you can see! The weekend is looking awesome with Saunders Farm and the party on the agenda, but most of all because Meredith is here to join in the fun. It promises to be a great time, so much so that we keep forgetting that Hallowe'en is actually still more than a week away. Thank goodness there are only a handful of holidays each year that require decorations!

Not sure we'll be able to carve this one, dudes!

Oliver's favourite feature at the mall, the ramp for running!

Isabelle the posing princess

Mummified chocolate treats, ready to be consumed!

Shopping and crafts can wear a guy out!

Rain Man

After a couple of beautiful, crisp fall days over the weekend, we have been stuck with rainy weather all week long. Luckily, this is forecasted to subside in the next day or so, just in time for a very special visitor to join us. We can't wait to see Auntie Mer arrive Friday night for a fun-filled weekend of activities and get-togethers! We've been busy prepping for Hallowe'en and Meredith's arrival, this is such an awesome time of year to be i Ottawa. The fall colours are everywhere, some birthdays and a first anniversary to celebrate, it promises to be a ton of fun. Oliver, normally a bit put off by wet weather, has taken to enjoying the inclement conditions, must have something to do with his new Cars umbrella, an item he was so excited to put into action that it couldn't even wait until he got out of the car! No sign of snow yet, much to the disappointment of two little ones in our house. The adults? Not in quite the same state of anticipation!

Five Years for Olan!

Happy Fifth Birthday, Olan!  Your cousins and your aunt and uncle wish we could be there to celebrate with you on your big day! We hope you enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance surrounding your birthday, not to mention the presents and the cake! Isabelle and Oliver would have been thrilled to raise their cupcakes in a toast to you and in fact even ate some treats in your honour tonight! 

We can't believe it's been 5 years since you got here, it seems like only yesterday that the two sisters were pregnant together, wondering what life would be like when these little bundles arrived. Well now we know and you have turned into a sweet, smart and special guy and an awesome cousin. You have a tremendous imagination and are beyond inventive in everything you do. We are glad the science kit is a big hit and expect to hear about you causing many more interesting smells around the house. Olan the mad scientist strikes again! We are excited to see what the future brings for you. We are all looking forward to the upcoming year and hanging out with you at beaches and cottages and many other fun places!

We miss you and we love you, enjoy your party of creepy crawlers at the house this weekend. Make sure someone texts Gran to tell her when it's OK to come home!

Amazing Andrews

One of the toughest things about being in Ottawa is that both of our immediate families are not here with us. One is out West and one is out East. We are lucky to have so many ways to stay in touch with them and have had the chance to visit with them all this summer, which means a lot to us, but day to day we are usually on our own. Having the Andrews family nearby has been a godsend. We love being around them, truly enjoy their company and the kids just adore them. Never has there been a birthday or big event in our lives that they weren't a part of and we can't thank them enough for that. Always up for either a big party or just some quiet times with the kids, the Andrews clan continues to be there for us, and Thanksgiving was no exception. Everyone had a great time and the kids enjoyed all the attention they received. They even went to the trouble to plan games and crafts to make their afternoon complete. Wow. Nothing is better than holiday time with special people. We are excited to see them again in a couple of weeks when we host a big soiree with Auntie Mer in town. Who knows, we might be toasting the arrival of the first Andrews grandhild!

Trystan takes to the rink with his Godson

Isabelle talks Katya's ear off during dinner

Impromptu dance party in the family room

Playing ride 'em cowboy with Menna and Trystan. What a sight!

One thing about Menna. She is all-in with kids. You name it, she is game. Isabelle and Oliver understand this and they absolutely love it. For example, here goes Isabelle the makeup artist, hard at work!

A grandchild of their own is right around the corner...amazing!

Thanksgiving is Awesome!

What a great way to spend our Thanksgiving, up at the lakehouse with Ron and Menna and their extended family. A picturesque setting and amongst friends and family, we couldn't have asked for more. Isabelle and Oliver had many playmates, young and old, and Mom and Dad had some great people to catch up with. Everyone here is on baby watch, as Auntie Rhiannon is just over a week away from her due date. We are all so excited!

Of course, the dinner was an absolutely fantastic mix of veggies, stuffing, potatoes, cauliflower puree and the star of the show, the turkey himself. (When told earlier that day that we were going to have a turkey, Isabelle exclaimed, "We're getting a pet turkey!?"). We capped off the meal with a nice walk up the country road, jazzed up by a scavenger hunt organized by Katarzyna. We quickly replaced those burned calories with dessert before we got the kids in their PJs for the ride home. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday, it's all about food and family, and we enjoyed both in spades. Can't wait until next year!

Bobbling for apples, usually done without a hockey stick!

Isabelle and Oliver were saying "It's so easy, Trystan!"

Success times two!

 Craft time with Kitty-Kat

Oliver and Tori take a load off

The Gatineaus in the fall never disappoint

The hunt is on!

Star of the search party

Mommy lends a guiding hand

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

We Knew Him When...

This weekend we went where many Canadian parents of young kids go every Saturday morning: the local hockey rink! Budding superstar Logan has been lacing up the blades and playing hockey for a few weeks now and we got our chance to see him in action. Isabelle and Oliver are never upset to go see some hockey so they happily hopped in the van, but nor before Oliver grabbed his trusty mini-stick and ball, just in case he was needed as a last-minute substitution! It was great to see all the little Timbits shuffling around, with so much equipment they seemed to double in size. Logan was right in there, running drills and chasing loose pucks. He seemed to hope for some passes but we all know that no kid this age would pass to anyone! Nevertheless, this is step one of many for Logan to become the next Sidney Crosby (his hockey idol), or better yet just to have fun with his friends each and every week. His Dad Shawn has two paths planned out for him, rock star and NHL phenom. It's a good thing he has baby Kayla in the wings just in case those dreams don't work out! For now, Logan is earmarked to be on Hockey Night in Canada in 2025, and we will be his biggest fans!

Working on the snow plow stop

Always keeping an eye on his adoring fans

Isabelle and Oliver, toasty warm but ready to be called into action!

Hats Off!

It has been a busy week at Isabelle's school. We had a Meet the Teacher night on Tuesday, which was a great chance for Isabelle to give us a tour of her classroom. She was quite proud to be the one showing us where everything was, and her teacher had plenty of nice things to say about her, even that she was a good listener! Her French has been amazing since she started, every day she comes home with new words to teach her Mom and Dad. Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds and she is very excited to let us know how each day went.

The Meet the Teacher was for us, today was something for the kids: Crazy Hat Day! Isabelle and her Mom (mostly her Mom) slaved away at her unique creation and it was a big hit with all her teachers and classmates at Acorn and at school. She loved all the attention and was thrilled to share the story of how the hat was built during her circle time. It must have been quite the sight to see all these crazy-hatted kids walking to and from school today. We know Isabelle wouldn't have it any other way, she has never met a theme day she hasn't liked!

Never one to be left out, Oliver was also very willing to be a part of the festivities. He certainly plays the role of jester quite well, he is always making us laugh!

October Arrives...

...and with it the cool temperatures! The mercury dipped this week as if it knew that the calendar page turned over, leaving us scrambling to find the hats and mitts for the mornings! After such a busy September, we actually stayed relatively close to home for a few days, happy to take some wagon rides along the lake while we await the arrival of the fall colours. Mom and Dad even had a rare date night to see as movie as Caitlin paid a visit to see her old pals Oliver and Isabelle. It was nice to get some quiet time together, with the added benefit that the kids love having their old nanny come take care of them. Oliver knows the drill though, he is NEVER asleep when we get home, in fact this time he was happily zooming his cars around as we caught up with Caitlin before she left. The boy loves to stay up if you let him...good thing it wasn't a school night!

It was so much easier pulling them when they were small!

Oliver loves his Shake N Go cars and especially his Cars backpack. He keeps all his cars in there and this is the first place he goes every day when he gets home from school. Lightning, Chick Hicks and their buddies are always underfoot (or under the couch). The little clown seems to have found a secondary use for the backpack as well!

In case you were wondering where he was (or he was wondering where he was!), he peeked out from time to time. He was loving this game, as long as he avoided walking into the walls!

Logan's Birthday Bash

Although his birthday was officially a few days ago, we doubt you could convince Logan of that fact because the big party had yet to happen. That day finally came this past Sunday as Logan and his best pals met up for a round of glow-in-the-dark mini putt at The Putting Edge. Surely he will have some future birthdays on the links with his buddies, but they are unlikely to be anything like this. A wild group of 4 and 5 year olds stickhandling golf balls under blacklight before loading up on pizza and sugar. Well, maybe it won't be that different when he grows up, except the holes will be longer and the beverages more front and centre!

Everyone had an awesome time, especially Oliver, who took to golf like he has been doing it for years. Maybe because it's so similar to the hockey stick and ball he has been lugging around our house for the past week! Somebody should probably tell him that in actual golf, they don't let you pick up the ball, walk to the hole and place it two inches away from the hole. If they did, Oliver would be on the PGA Tour. Nevertheless, he loved playing this and was so distraught on the final hole when the ball disappeared into the hole and never came out!

Oliver on his way to the first tee, clutching his trusty putter and ball. He listened intently to the instructions but just like he does at home, he went on and did his own thing anyway. He was very patient, waiting his turn on every hole. Good practice for all the waiting he will do if he ever takes up real golf!

Best-dressed girl on the links. She also took to the sport and in typical Isabelle fashion, she announced on her way home that she wanted her birthday party there next year. Isabelle plans about 30 birthday parties a year, it changes every time she goes to an event. Luckily she is still the age where she forgets all her plans and follows her parent's suggestions!

Mommy and the birthday boy smile big for the camera. It's so nice to have been a big part of the little dude's life since the day he was born. The friendship he has with Isabelle and now Oliver is unmatched with anyone else we know. We look forward to many more years of watching these 3 run rampant and it will be so much fun. He's a great guy and our friendship with his Mom and Dad just keeps growing. Baby Kayla will have so many people to take care of her!

Oliver finishes up his round. To no one's surprise, he was suitably attired in one of his many golf shirts. We chose white for the best effect under the blacklight. Little did we know that it would also help us find him quickly, that dude zipped all over that course! Surely we will be back again soon, we have to practice so we can take on those wicked courses in Orlando next spring!

Logan and his happy crew of partygoers. Shortly after we got this picture (and it took awhile to get it!), we headed over for pizza and cake, followed by gifts. There might have been golf but seriously, that was just a formality until we got to the important stuff, right?

We wrapped up an awesome afternoon with a trip through the arcade, where tokens just seem to disappear magically. We were lucky to amass enough tickets to cash in at the store and get some tiny toys to bring back home. Oliver seemed to really like the air hockey table, which is another reason we will go back, because there is no way we are fitting one of those into our house! All in all, Logan had a great birthday and we all loved getting the chance to celebrate with him. For a brief 6 days, Isabelle was older than him, but now they are back on a level playing field!