Twas a beautiful day in the neighbourhood!

I tell you what!  Last week's 4 days of rain, really did a number on my energy and happiness!  Being cooped up inside, waiting for a break in the rain, even just for it to slow down so you can play for a half and hour without getting SOAKED in seconds, is not fun.  There were two days where the kids AND I were standing at the back door, just waiting and wondering if the rain would ever let up.

Today was AMAZING!  It was still slightly cold, but the sun was shining so BRIGHT, it was impossible to stay inside!  The kids didn't have the best naptime, and as it was so glorious out, I was happy to just put their suits back on and head back out!  It really made for a lot of fun today!

I took the kids to the park twice today, once for 2 hours in the morning (I did NOT think they'd last that long), and once for an hour in the afternoon.  When we got to the park in the morning, it was like they totally forgot what exists underneath all the snow!  We've gone to the park many times over the winter, but so much of it was unusable, as it was too icy, or too wet (puddles at the end of slides) or they just slipped everywhere.  They were SO happy!  I loved their giggles and their smiles and their endless courage to just climb up anything, throw themselves down the slide and cheer for each other at the bottom!  Cayenne would stand at the bottom, waiting for Cole and when he got down, she'd clap and giggle, it was so cute!

Here's the eye candy!  Enjoy and leave some love!

They grow up way too fast!

We spent the afternoon today with Kathryn, Gary and Brayden!  It was so nice to get together with such GREAT friends and catch up, laugh, eat fantastic food (delicious chicken fajitas) and go and see their new house!

Everytime we see them, Brayden has grown up SO much!  He's now an amazing crawler, is pulling himself up on everything and is cruising around on furniture!  I can't believe how much changes, and how quickly it does so!  He is by far the happiest baby I have EVER seen, and smiles more than any baby I could imagine!

He was eating lemons before we had lunch today (which I find hilarious, because I can't stand anything sour!) and his facial expression are my favourite, especially because he loves them!

Thanks guys for having us over!  We miss you so much and wish that we could do it more often than we do!  We are so blessed to have you in our lives and can't wait for so many more memories to share together!  It's hard to believe we'll be celebrating Brayden's 1st birthday in 3 weeks!!!!!!!  We love you Brayden!

Man shopping. MORE painful than women's shopping!

We spent 6.5 hours at the mall today.  Longer than any time I have EVER spent shopping for myself for sure.  I'd love to say it was to get myself a new spring wardrobe, or that I found clothes for the honeymoon, but it was a shopping trip to get Graham new clothes.

This could have been a quick and easy task, if he knew what he wanted.  What he knew he didn't want, was clothes that he usually goes with, as he looks at old pictures of himself and isn't happy with how he dressed.  So off we went on a mission, with the instructions that I was supposed to help him think outside the box.

It took me 6 stores and 3 hours before I started to break the mold from his "usual" style.  It wasn't easy and it came with a few unpleasant conversations in change rooms, but once he opened his mind up (and his wallet a little...heehee), he got some REALLY great clothes!  

2 pairs of jeans, 2 casual summer button down shirts, 3 t-shirts, 1 bathing suit and 4 pairs of boxers later, we finally left.  Our next mission will be shoes and maybe a casual jacket...and then we're done till the winter again.  Luckily with Graham, he likes to do a HUGE shop in each season and just be done with it.

Thanks Yorkdale Mall, it's been years since I have shopped at you, and you were even more beautiful than I remember.  Some of the shops are insanely expensive, but it has a good mix of everything else.  Maybe Kathryn and I can do some honeymoon/return to work girlie shopping there soon! 

Woodlot. A perfect restaurant for me.

Woodlot

Woodlot, a restaurant where everything is started, cooked, or finished in a wood burning stove.  A place that has a great bar (with only homemade sodas served, not Pepsi or Coke products).  A place that has a communal table where you can watch everyone cooking and all the food coming out.  A perfect place for two people that LOVE food, love watching food be cooked and LOVE oogling everyone else's choices!

There are a TON of reviews out for Woodlot, most of them good to REALLY great.  A few thrown in there where a dish is too rich, or too BIG or just not to the person taste, but still good.  Woodlot has only been open since November, and has huge buzz in the Toronto Life, the NOW magazine and in paper after paper.  I happened upon an article of the 10 best new places for reasonably priced food in Toronto a few months ago and that night, Graham and I went.  We couldn't have been happier at that moment.

I have been dying to go back ever since.  Graham loved all of my food choices so much when we went, that he knew he wanted to order the same thing when we came back again.  In Toronto, with so many choices, a meal has to be REALLY good for us to want to go back time and again.  I have been asking to go back at least once a month since the first time we went.

Tonight, we were SO happy to show up and find that there were 2 seats left at the communal table in front of the kitchen and wood burning stove, and the waitress remembered sitting us there and how much we enjoyed our meal, back in December!  Man, she's good.  PERFECT!  It's where we ate last time and it's exactly where we wanted to be again.  What's better than seeing all the yummy food come out of the kitchen and watching the chefs put every last finishing touch on each dish right in front of your eyes.  That and since we ordered before everyone else at the table, they all watched out food come out and were dying to know what we ordered, as we were so excited about it when it came.

Tonight we opted to share, so that we could have room for dessert and not feel so full, we were sick. :)  It was a perfect choice.  They start you off with this red fife bread, which is perfectly fluffy in the centre and nice and crusty on the outside, a great move by baking it in the wood burning stove.  They hand churn and delicious whipped butter that as a butter HATER, I SLATHER on, as it's just so creamy and yummy.

We then ordered the main I had last time...the pork cooked in cider with caramelized apples, panchetta and sage.

I forgot to take a picture, but here's a link to one!

Pork with caramelized apples

We then had the potato gratin, made with an aged gruyere cheese, which again, was so heavenly and cheesy.  We were taken aback at first by how small the side seemed to be, but it was perfectly split by the two of us.

Lastly, we finished with what is the most incredible dessert I have ever tasted in my life (and I am a creme brulee ADDICT)!  It is just every bit of anything you'd ever want.  A delicious lemon tart.  Not just any lemon tart, but a shortcrust cookie pastry shell, with a blueberry coulis lemon tart, topped with a marshmellow topping, blowtorched and served warm.  Now the great part about this dessert is not just the perfect balance of buttery crust, sweet blueberries and tart lemon, but the WOW factor when you crack through the marshmellow to the crust and the coulis starts oozing out!

I love this dessert so much that I HAD to make a comment to the waitress or the chef, or both, or I don't know anyone!  Everyone on our table was oohing and ahhing over it and I was happy to tell them how incredible it is!

Our waitress brought the bill and I asked to borrow her pen.  I wrote a little note on the back that said...

"That lemon tart... THANKYOU!!!!!" underlined 5 times.  The waitress brought it to the chef and he looked over, while I mouthed Thank you so much!  He shouted over and asked if I had room for another one, to which I replied "Trust me, I already considered ordering one, and if I had more room, I'd squeeze in another, it was incredible".  He came out, took the note and posted it on the aluminum frame at the entrance to the kitchen.  I almost wished I signed it :)  He looked so proud and I felt so honoured that a simple compliment, can make a professional chefs day, as much as it can make my meal!

I went to the bathroom, Graham got our coats and when I came out, the waitress handed me a box with a lemon tart to go!  She said the chef wanted me to have it for a late night snack or a naughty breakfast in the morning!  If my night wasn't already made, this did me in!  I left so thrilled and so giddy, Graham just kept laughing at me!

and the chef!

No one in the kitchen is over 30.  They are precise and work really well together.  The wait staff, bar staff and kitchen staff are all really friendly and make your dining experience even more enjoyable.

So....GO!  Now!  Drive from wherever.  Well, maybe don't go now, they'd be closing soon...but seriously go here and seriously enjoy it.  Order a few dishes and share, because you will want to try as much of the menu as possible!

Seating charts...

Much of my free time when the kids were sleeping or trying to sleep today, consisted of doing/working out/making a seating chart for the wedding.

I'd love to know if any Bride actually enjoyed this part of their wedding! Ha! From working out numbers, to who goes where and why and how to fit 1 more or 1 less person here and there...it just wasn't the most fun task, although there are KILLER fun tables that I am jealous I won't be sitting at!

Sometimes I am SO extremely thankful that we are having a smaller wedding, as it didn't seem so bad doing 12 tables!

Let's hope people are happy, have fun and feel comfy mingling with those around them!
Lee-Anne

I wish I was as excited about snow as I was when I was little!

With 36 days until the wedding, a wedding which is supposed to be outdoors, I am feeling COMPLETELY different about snow than usual.  Not that I particularly LIKE snow... actually, I have this thing about snow...

"It's only useful if you can do something with it" (ski, snowboard, skidoo, make snowmen, toboggan etc).  I feel like I am getting "too old for snow" some days/years, although the kids have really helped to make it so much more fun this winter, than the last few.  One thing I loved about living in England was the fact that there was minimal snow while I was living there, although that usually meant more rain.  I am a BIG fan of rain and playing in the rain, so it never really bothered me.  I think that's mostly because rain meant that it really wasn't THAT cold. One thing that I was made fun of for a long time after coming home, was the fact that rain or snow, I use an umbrella.  It makes sense, really, which most people agree with after trying it.

Back on topic.  I remember being little and LOVING snow.  I remember a few years of trick-or-treating and wearing a pink snowsuit underneath my costume.  I remember breaking my arm due to trying to cram too many of us church group kids on one plastic red toboggan and then going over a "jump", and I remember Dad always being there with us outside to go tobaggonning, no matter HOW COLD IT WAS.  Those days were the best, when we'd come home and Mom and the other ladies from church would have soup/hot chocolate for all of us to warm up with.

Today, as it's been snowing ALL morning, the kids and I went to play outside, as it looked TOO tempting.  Unfortunately, this snow was VERY wet, and we were soaked in no time and if I was cold, they had to be cold too.  We packed up inside and watched the snow fall from the back door.  Cole was so cute, as he stood there shouting over and over again in a very nasally cute almost 2 year old voice...

"SNOW!  SNOW!  SNOW!  OOK!  SNOW!" which in his voice, snow, sounds like, "fno", which makes it all that much cuter!

Sometimes we have so much fun, it takes too much effort to stay awake!

I LOVE when the sun comes out to play, and although it's cold, it makes it easier to walk, play and have fun outside, when the sun is at least beaming on your back or face!

Today, the kids and I spent most of our time that they were awake and not eating, outside!  I took them for a walk this morning and then to Chapter's for storytime, and I barely made it down the street, before this happened:

They are SOOOO cute when they are asleep!  Not that they're not soooo cute when awake, but they just look precious when all snuggly and sleepy!

Here comes the sun!

Ignore the fact that it's negative whatever outside, the SUN IS SHINING!

It's been a LONG winter and I am counting down the days till the sun stays for months!!!

Come on spring AND summer!!!

Lee-Anne

Window Shopping...in aisles that my sister would have LOVED!

I usually don't shop or even window shop on a Sunday, but as our weekends are so ridiculously full with wedding stuff and moving stuff, I woke up in a bit of a panic thinking how many "little" things needed to get done.  "Little" things that required searching for the perfect THIS or the perfect THAT.  "Little" things take me time, as I always want them to be just right, which takes too much time. 

Today, Graham helped me and helped keep me on track, by coming along to remind me that we still had time if I got frustrated and that I always make something work.

In the end, we found everything that we wanted and will be going back this week to pick it all up and check these "little" things off of our list.

While we were at Warehouse Club (which THANK GOODNESS I didn't know existed before today), I walked into a childhood heaven, I was like a true kid in a CANDY STORE!  I got so reminiscent and wished at some moments, that I had my sister there, as she would have understood my excitement a lot more than Graham would have :)  There were other things in the store that were more important than this, but this is all that I want to remember/dream of tonight! 

Jenny, you would have been in HEAVEN!

GREAT day out with MOM!

Today, was a day of cross bording shopping to check off as many things off my to-do list for the wedding as possible, and save as much money as possible in the meantime!  I am excited to say, that the majority of it was EXTREMELY successful, finding some ridiculously good deals!

I had so much fun with Mom, and I am so appreciative of everything she and Dad do and have done to help us with the wedding!  They have been a large part of why everything is coming together and why I feel confident that anything I might miss, or feel is overwhelming, they will help me keep my feet firmly on the ground.

Thanks Mom for a fun day!

Our day started off at Hobby Lobby.  I try to only go there once a year or so, as everytime I go, I want to buy the whole store, and most of it happens to be 50% off when I do go.  SO DANGEROUS!  I was on a mission to find planters for the wedding, that weren't in the $100 range and was proud to walk away after a HUGE sale, paying $25!  I got many of the small, tedious things I needed for the wedding as well, so YAY!

We then ventured off to Target, where I was in search of a bathing suit for the honeymoon (a task I hate in the summer, let alone after a long winter, where you are as white as a ghost).  I happened to find one that I LOVE, which felt like a miracle and really put the summer in my step!

We then had lunch at the Cheesecake factory!  One of my absolute FAVOURITE places to eat, although I am ALWAYS too full to eat the cheesecake, they have a pretty killer menu with HUGE portions.  I am a big fan of eating appetizers for meals, and this place has some great ones!  Mom and I shared the fried mac and cheese (delicious), the fried zucchini, the crab cake balls and a beet, apple, goat cheese and walnut salad plate.  It was Mom's first time there, and I think she really liked it!

After a stop at the Walden Galleria, where I again, happened to luck out with 2 skirts for the honeymoon, we headed off to Wal-Mart to try to accomplish the fun stuff for our wedding that is happening in the evening.  This was unsuccessful, but everyone has to have some luck that doesn't work out for them right?  I still stocked up on some of our favourites and got a few bits and pieces that I had gone back to get 3 times previously and they didn't have, so I guess it wasn't a complete fail.

Overall, a great day with Mom and 75% of the list I had/wanted to get accomplished completed.

Thanks again Mom!!!!

Fire trucks, and sirens and lights... OH MY!

Yesterday afternoon I called the Fire Department nearest the Cayenne's house to see if we could book a tour/truck visit.  I know that this is common for schools to do, or home care providers with 5+ children, but I thought I would give it my best shot!  I found out that I needed to email them and they would get back to me ASAP.  They emailed me promptly saying that they were happy to do this for us tomorrow (today) as long as there weren't any fire calls.  We could head over there after 9am, and they'd be happy to do it, we just had to be prepared that they could get called out at any time.

I bundled up the kids, although almost not needed, as it was gorgeous out this morning!  By the time we got to the Station, they were BOTH fast asleep, which was strange, as they are one afternoon nappers now, unless we have a busy morning and they fall asleep in the stroller around 11. When the fireman came out to greet us, they both shot up, and were interested to see where we were!  They gave them "junior firefighter" stickers, and opened the big red doors for us to come in!

I had known that they would let the kids sit in the front seat and honk the horn, as well as put the lights on for them and let them play in the back of the truck.  What we were most surprised with, was that one firefighter, John, got in the truck, put on the loud speaker and annouced a "call" and the PUT THE SIREN AND LIGHTS ON! 

The kids were very intimidated when we arrived and were looking around the station, but they warmed up when we played in the truck, got to sit in the seat and then heard the sirens!  They wouldn't let me put them down for more than 2 seconds, but it was fun!  There were many, "What's dats?" and "Wow's" by the time we left.  They got a call right as we were finishing, so they put on their uniforms and got in the truck, full sirens blaring.  When they pulled away, the kids were blowing kisses and waving like CRAZY!

How fun!  I would have loved to get more photos, but they wouldn't let me put them down, and it was all too exciting to be able to hold two kids, play in the truck and snap a whole bunch of photos on my own!  I'd love to see them go again in a year when they are walking and talking in full sentences, and see how much they'd enjoy it!

An Honest Ed's date night!

How I have never taken Graham here, is beyond me!  It's like a cheap man's heaven, full of tat and the occasional GREAT find.

We found some HILARIOUS things that really made for a lot of fun!  No trip to Honest Ed's is complete without a picture in the circus mirror!

Graham found the most STYLISH jacket, while I found the one thing I never thought I would see again...SPLASH PANTS.  Now, they would have been true splash pants if they had elastic bottoms, but seriously, I had NO idea these still exist!  Look how giddy Graham is!

I saw THIS when we were walking through the cosmetic section and just about died laughing!  If only it said SWAP A%* and I would have had to call my friend Kristin immediately.  I had to look closely at what it was, but seriously???  Who makes this stuff?

Lastly, Graham got REALLY excited when we saw PEZ. I still see them around, but haven't in a long time, and Graham hadn't had it since he was little.  Needless to say, he had to buy one, sadly, it's just not the same PEZ as when we were growing up.  I love how he chose WALL-E!

What a really fun date!  If you haven't ever been here before, GO and take everyone you know with you!  It's just way too much fun to not share in the hilarity and good finds with those you love!

We can now legally get married!!!

Today, Graham filed the paperwork for our marriage license!  We are now officially 6 weeks away from getting married!  It's crazy how fast time in flying by!  We are 28 days away from moving, 33 days away from our first guest flying in to stay with us, and then many more countdowns after that! 

Having a marriage license really makes it feel so real to me, how quickly our big day is coming!  It's hard to believe that when we got engaged last April, time would fly by this quickly!  Things are exciting, stressful, thrilling, joyful and everyday is something new in order to prepare for what people keep referring it to be "the biggest day of our lives" (until someone has a child and that somehow THAT becomes "the biggest day of your life").

WHOO HOO!  It's SOOOO close now!

I wish my mom could have come over!

I spent my day here. Sick, drinking gingerale, cuddled under a blanket shivering and having cuddles with good old dilla!

Tired and drained today.
Lee-Anne