Spiderman is our family's superhero. Why you may ask? Here are a few reasons off the top of my head...
* A stuffed version of Spiderman keeps Clara safe at night.
* Spiderman's likeness on Marc's T-shirt lights up Leo's eyes and begins a series of grunts and points in the direction of Marc's chest.
* His theme song helped Clara fall asleep for many months (along with Twinkle twinkle little star)
* He has sent Clara both a birthday card and an email.
* His larger than life depiction in an outdoor mural on Rue Marie Anne adds to the fun of a walk to the pool or La Tomate.
* Marc's Spiderman tuque has been the envy of both his children and many a stranger.

Yes, I am surrounded by obsessed Spiderman fans. It is weird but also very cute.

With one more official family Christmas celebration left to go, Clara and Leo are nearing the end of their holiday sugar high.

Christmas with kids has got to be one of the most fun experiences a parent gets to enjoy. Hearing Clara's feet padding down the hallway on Christmas morning and then running back to the bedroom at high speed squealing "Santa came, Santa came and he left lots of presents" was the first of oh so many memorable moments. Leo, ignoring all of his gifts in favour of his old ones was also pretty amusing - Clara especially appreciated it as she became his gift opener. Oh yes, and Leo dropping to his knees and crawling and barking after the remote controlled cars as they were zooming down the hallway was also pretty side-splittingly funny as well!

Of course, both kids were spoiled with beautiful and thoughtful Christmas presents from all the people who love them. I'm still overjoyed when Clara talks about Christmas gifts as a message of love: "Papa T and Cathy gave me this book because they love me." I don't even dare hazard a guess as to what the "favorite" gifts were this year because they all seem to have a place in Clara and Leo's hearts - from the mountains of playdough, to the cars, and the books that will make bedtime fun. They have more than enough new toys to stimulate them (and hopefully keep 'em relatively quiet!) for the rest of the winter.

I however, do have a favorite gift this year and believe it or not, it is NOT the totally amazing new digital camera Marc surprised me with. It is a new title... AUNTIE Laurel! Yippeeee, Patricia and Ashley annouced that they are expecting a baby at the end of July. I'm so excited and feel so full of love for this new member of our family already I just can't stand it.

How can next Christmas possibly be more fun than this... I'll let you all know in 12 months :)

I was playing around with the collage feature on Picasa this afternoon and came up with this...


These are some of my favorite pictures of Leo, they were taken this August I think. When I get a chance I'm gonna go back and do something similar with pictures of Clara... it is so fun!

How do you keep a 3 year old happy at Chirstmas time? Put Jingle Bells on the stereo and set it to repeat! We've been listening for 20 minutes straight.

The Christmas season has begun... this weekend we hosted our annual Open House, but not before a wicked snowstorm made its impact on Montreal.


On Friday, Montreal saw 41cm of lovely white snow fall, it was impressive. I took Clara and Leo out before the streets had been plowed. First we just made "standing up snow angels" by leaning against the banks made by the little sidewalk plow. Then we took the sled out and tried to walk around the neighborhood, it was pretty much impossible to get through the mountains of snow without tipping Clara and Leo out of the sled. Clara loved it all, Leo was less than impressed especially when the snow was falling directly into his face.

Last night Clara and Leo were great hosts. They let Marc and I have real, actual conversations!! It was amazing, both kids were able to entertain themselves (or more likely entertain their guests) and had lots of fun. Leo was quite amazing, he was up until after 11pm with only a total of 30 minutes sleep during the day. Thank goodness for cookies.

Today Marc and Clara went out back and built a toboggan run. It should be lots of fun this winter... Clara seemed to like eating the snow more than the sledding though!

Being proactive can really pay off. This morning at the Carrefour Christmas party Clara saw all the teachers and support staff in costume and decided she wanted to be dressed up too. She somehow got it into her head that Isabelle was the person to talk to, and repeatedly asked Marc and I where she was. When she finally located Isabelle, Clara asked if she could have a costume too. Isabelle went to check out what she could find and came back with a pair of reindeer antlers on a hairband - Clara was pleased as punch and the envy of several preschoolers.

Are they cute or what??

Today was Clara's last day of preschool before the Christmas break. We prepared gifts for Emanuelle, Alexandra, and Melissa and Clara was really excited to give them out this morning. On our snowy walk to the Carrefour I asked Clara why she wanted to give the gifts to her teachers. Her reply was simple and warmed my heart "I love them and I want to make them happy."

Clara: Are you proud of me for sitting on Santa's lap?
Me: Sure, but I don't think you sat on his lap...
Clara: Okay, I stood beside him, are you proud of me?
Me: Of course I am.
Clara: Okay, me too.

Sitting beside Clara in her dark bedroom this evening I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. Before I give up her answer I'll tell you about her day. She went to a concert with her class, made a secret bricolage (that she really won't tell me anything about!), came home, watched Dora the Explorer and ate pizza for dinner. And what was Clara's favorite part of the day? "When you and Leo came to pick me up after school" Man, I love my daughter :)

Leo likes climbing on things...