Happy Weekend

Just a few photos from this weekend. Grayson has tried some peas and loved them. We went to Geoff's jiu jitsu tournament in Scarborough. Geoff did a great job as always and fought his heart out. It's always awesome to see him compete. I love seeing all the hard work he puts into his training be put to the test in competition.

We had dinner out at Capina's in Georgetown, which is our favourite restaurant here in our little town. Amazing Italian food and the owner, Claudio, always plays the perfect host. Tonight he let us try some caribou sausages. So delicious!

The snow has begun to fall outside and it means that soon we'll have to get ourselves into the festive season. Well, Geoff should get into the festive season. I'm almost completely done my Christmas shopping so I can avoid lines and angry people as we near December 25th. :)

Happy weekend everyone!

Deerhurst Weekend

 This weekend we took the kids out to Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville. My aunt and uncle own a condo out there and they had offered for us to use it one weekend.

I had never been to Deerhurst (but stayed nearby) and loved the idea of having a little fall getaway somewhere beautiful.

Friday afternoon we took Mira and Grayson three hours north to Huntsville. Mira fell in love with our "hotel suite" as she continuously called it, making it sound like we were staying in a palatial manor. The condo was perfect for our little family of four. We were able to eat our breakfasts and lunches in our condo and save some money to treat ourselves to a super nice dinner at the restaurant in the resort. Ah the food....most amazing, delicious food I have had in a long time. Escargot, venison, creme brulee (a favourite of Geoff's), lamb meatballs...oh I could go on and on about the food. 

The first night, we explored the vast resort and saw all that it had to offer. Wall climbing, stores, pool and an arcade/games room were the highlights for Mira. The first thing we did Saturday morning was go for a swim in the resort's indoor pool. She called the "kiddy" pool the "kitten pool" for some reason (I think that she thought I called it a "kitty" pool). We took Grayson for his first swim and he seemed to enjoy it. 

I took full advantage of the hot tub they had :)
We never did make it to the spa, which had been on our list of things to do. We each wanted to get a massage and take advantage of some pampering. However, as any parent will tell you, sometimes you just can't pull yourself away from the fun you are having with the kids.

After some swimming and hot tubbing, we went into Huntsville to do some shopping. Geoff and I are looking for a nice rustic dining room table and we've been having a hard time finding one. We figured that the one place we were likely to find it would be Muskoka. We were right! We found some gems!

We enjoyed a beer (and hot chocolate) in an adorable pub right on the water. It was the most cozy pub I have seen. We warmed up and took in the stunning sights of the still water, sunshine and the Christmas decorations while Grayson took a nap on the pub seat next to me.

After our shopping trip, we went for our second dinner at Eclipse and made plans to take Mira horseback riding the next morning-as a surprise. A surprise it was!! We took her to the Deerhurst Stables where, for $25, she got a full riding lesson! She got to brush and tack up the pony and then got a full lesson in the sand ring. She felt like such a young lady and it was well worth the trip out to the farm.

What a great weekend we had together this weekend. Family weekends mean so much to me. Although Grayson is still little, I love doing things that create memories for my children. I want them to experience things more than I want them to have fancy things. Experiences and good memories are way more valuable.

Closing to an Opening

Our house now officially belongs to someone else. Our house closed today and although we'll still get 3 months to enjoy it (we've arranged to rent it from the new owner until our new place closes), there is a part of me that is sad to see my little house move on to someone new.

Our builder is making great strides with our new place. We are excited to see the progress being made. Every week we take a trip to the site to see how much they have done and we get another jolt of adrenaline and excitement :) I can't wait to host our first party !! 

It'll be the start of a new era. Our Weavers Mill era. The era that begins with a house that Geoff and I chose together. It's not him moving into my place or vice versa, it's a home that we have chosen together, as partners. That's a pretty cool feeling. We can make it "ours". That will be the fun part- especially since its a new build and nobody else has ever lived in it before.

Date Night + 1

 This week Geoff had his week of vacation. We spent the majority of the week getting stuff done around the house. We did all of the usual things that a domesticated family does. Costco. Groceries. Cleaning. *YAWN* (except Costco-that place excites me!)

So, we opted to take a night and wander over to the Niagara region for the night. We spent the most beautiful October afternoon I think we've ever had (it was 20 degrees and sunny) in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was Grayson's first trip to the Niagara region (except when he was fetus).

 We sauntered through the stores that line the main drag of NOTL, sipping Starbucks and enjoying homemade date squares and macademia nut cookies.

We then made our way along the stunning Niagara parkway, following the meandering waterway, towards Niagara Falls. The leaves were all golden, red and orange. Stunning colours. The sun was radiating through the trees and made them all that more colourful.

Once in Niagara Falls, we took to the sidewalks and took in the cheesy, tacky sights that Niagara Falls has to offer. The stores that sell the el-cheapo tourist t-shirts and snow globes.

We stayed in the Hilton hotel, which is a place we have stayed before and LOVED. It's directly across from the U.S side of the falls and we had a room on the 23rd floor so we had amazing views.

Grayson sat, wide-eyed, in his stroller. He was in awe of the giant statues of crazy creatures and the noises coming from the fun houses and haunted mansions.

After our walk, we headed to the Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse, which was in our hotel. It's an all-you-can-eat meat fest. It's delicious. Scrumptious. Mouth-watering. Whatever word you choose to describe it. We ate until we were stuffed. We had pork, lamb, grilled pineapple with brown sugar and cinnamon, salmon, chicken, chicken wrapped in bacon, ribs, etc etc. Oh it was amazing. 

 Feeling guilty about our gluttonous meal, we headed across the walkway to the stores in the same building as the casino. Of course getting into the casino with a 4 month old would a) be just plain wrong and b) impossible with security, but we enjoyed the shops and candy stores.

We slept wonderfully that night, full and filled up with meats and sweets. We fell asleep to the changing colours of the falls.

Friday morning we woke bright and early to make our way to the Henley rowing club to watch my littlest brother row in the provincial finals. My father, stepmother, Tucker (my parents dog), Geoff, Grayson and I watched in the increasingly cold weather. Our nice warm temperatures slowly slipped away and the true feel of fall arrived. That was our cue. After Drew's race, we packed up and headed home. Layered in our warm fall clothing and ready for our weekend :)

17 weeks (4 months)

Our little guy is just about 4 months old. For those of you who count in weeks, he's 17 weeks. Just changes I have seen in my little love bug. He is now rolling around, cooing and smiling at everyone and everything. He is in love with his big sister. His face lights up when he sees her.

He remains my chilled little guy who doesn't get too worked up about anything. His favourite hobby is grabbing his toes and trying to shove them in his mouth. He is on the verge of a full tilt belly laugh.

Our children are my sunshine. They are my everything. They bring me so much joy. We love watching every little change in our kids as they grow older. They are figuring out this world around them and I love it. Love every second of it.

I love you Grayson and Mira. You are my life. I love sharing my life with you and including you in the things that I love and I look forward to supporting you as you find the things that you love.

Thanksgiving Thanks

Thanksgiving weekend is here again. I love this weekend every year. It offers the best combination ever. Fantastic food, wonderful fall weather and scenery and my daughter's birthday.

 My precious first born Mira. My sensitive beautiful little soul. She thrives on the beauty in the little things that I tend to take for granted every day. She sees the beauty in everything.

She is a caring girl who offers me hugs when she somehow senses that I need it most. She is intuitive and to me, she seems to have this way about her that tells me she is wise beyond her years. For those who believe in reincarnation, she is an old soul.

Everyday she makes me proud. Every single morning she lights up my day with her smile and crazy morning hair.

Her humour is outstanding. Her perspective on things is entertaining and often times makes me stop and say "hmmm.Never thought of it that way". Pretty awesome from a 6 year old.

This year we celebrated by taking 13 kids and their parents to Lil Monkeys indoor play gym. The kids could run off all the of pent up energy while the adults sipped on free coffee and lounged in big comfy leather chairs and couches. It was fantastic.

After the party, we turned around to race home and prepare our turkey dinner. We shared the night with our much loved friends and family. Geoff's Thanksgiving turkey turned out just as great as last year's turkey. We enjoyed ham, squash, veggies....and of course pie :) What a great night. Love love love Thanksgiving.
It was also the last Thanksgiving in our little house.

Good progress is being made in our new place. Windows and doors are installed and shingles are being applied. Love seeing the creation of our new family home.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I know that some of our family and friends are going through some really tough times right now. I am thinking of them and wishing them a happy thanksgiving.

The Highs and Lows

The month of September was filled with highs and lows for us and our families.

Grayson and his "sophie"

This month found 2 of our parents in the hospital. Both will thankfully be okay, but scary regardless. Geoff's mom underwent surgery and my father fell from a 20 foot ladder and fractured several of his vertebrae. Luckily, everyone is going to be okay and they are both on the mend. Both sound like they are going stir crazy, but hopefully they will be up and about sooner than later.

Geoff fought in his jiu jitsu tournament and lost, but he lost to the guy who won his entire age bracket. So, as much as that's a low that he lost, he did well overall. There is a lot to learn from when competing and it makes you take a new fresh look at your training to figure out where you need to improve. It's all the cycle of learning and training to do better the next time around. 

Despite the awful news about our parents, etc, we have had some real highs to celebrate. My grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary! They invited the whole family out for a nice dinner and we walked down memory lane with pictures from their entire lives both together and in marriage. It was wonderful seeing all of my aunts and uncles, cousins, etc.

As well, we sold our house very quickly. We had our house up on the market for 2 days. We had one showing and that one showing produced a terrific offer. No more having to show the house and keep it perfectly clean for those last minute realtor phone calls. It's fantastic.

Date night with sushi 

Amongst other things this weekend, we enjoyed some date nights and family times. It was a busy busy month of September and October is shaping up to be just as busy! 

We have Thanksgiving weekend where we are hosting Thanksgiving dinner. We have Mira's 6th birthday party, a visit from my friend Vicky and her son Lincoln (from PA), another jiu jitsu tournament for Geoff, and a wedding.

So much to do and so much to look forward to. :) I'll take the lows with the highs. It's a part of life and it keeps us on our toes. We never learn anything from things being easy and perfect all the time do we?