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This is Category: The Inside Scoop
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It's amazing to me that we've been in Montreal long enough to experience the Children's Festival for a FOURTH time! Syd feels like a veteran there now. She knows what to expect and looks for her favorite tents, inflatables and craft areas. It was fun to see how much Myles loved it. Last year he only made it a few hours before falling asleep in the stroller and this year he went strong all day long! They had it all today...a zip line, bungie jumpers, outdoor ice skating sans ice (!) and our all-time favorite, the painted houses. They assembled cute play houses made out of cardboard and gave the kids free reign to paint them. The kids took a lot of pride in painting it. Once it was painted, they stayed in it a long time and did puppet shows with their new lion puppets.
The fourth time at the festival did NOT disappoint! In fact, it's getting more fun as the kids get older and it's days like this that reminds me how fast they are growing up! (A new photo album was added from today)
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I’ve received quite a few emails from friends over the years that complain that I always write about the family and what we’re up to…but I never write about me. So, this is for all you vocal friends that complain about my blog. This is one of my only updates on ME and only me!
I’m really enjoying the kids and not working right now. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s a full time job to keep 2 very active kids busy! In addition to the usual mommy duties, I volunteered last year at Sydney’s school, in the library on Mondays. It was the first time that I really thought that I might want to work in a school setting. I will volunteer there again this school year 1-2 days a week. Before I know it, Myles will be in Kindergarten and by then, I know I’ll be ready to get back to work, even if it’s just part time. For now, I’m going to soak up the fun/chaos with the kids!
I’m pretty proud to say that we have made a container garden on our back porch this summer and we’ve actually been able to eat some of it! We have lots of herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, etc. My neighbor and I are sharing the responsibilities as well as the veggies! She definitely has a green thumb...whereas my thumb is only yellow at best! ☺ I’m learning though.
Ever since watching the movie, Food Inc. I’ve changed my thinking about food and made big changes in our diet. We’ve always eaten healthy but we’re making a bigger emphasis on organics, eating even more veggies and finding other sources of protein besides meat. Don’t worry, (Dad!) we haven’t become vegetarians, but we’re definitely eating less meat. I’m thankful that Matt and the kids eat (& hardly complain) about my experiments with tofu and all sorts of bean soups! It’s actually been a fun challenge to come up with other recipes and be more creative when dinner time comes around.
I have such a great life, thanks to a positive outlook, amazing family and genuine friends. So, I hope that update on me is sufficient. If not, you owe me a call so we can really catch up. Puh-lease, I invite you to call me and complain! xoxoxo!
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Matt's mom just visited us from Arizona. It was her first time in Montreal so we had lots to show her. We did quite a bit of sight seeing but also enjoyed some relaxed time so the kids could enjoy being with their Grandma Rainey. We went to the Botanic Gardens, Mont Royal, an Impact game, swimming and Old Montreal.
It was a long trip from Arizona to Montreal. We are so appreciative that she made the trip!
Pics from her visit are already added in our photo album. :)
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Last time we went to Mont Tremblant, Syd was almost 2 and Myles was still in my belly. It was so fun to go back for another visit and let Myles experience it too. What a cute mountain town it is with so much charm. The Blues Fest was going on while we were there so there were stages everywhere and lots of music. They have a free gondola lift to get you from the bottom of the town to the top and we rode it a lot. The kids loved feeling like they were flying. We've had such hot weather lately. It was even hot up in the mountains. We cooled off by swimming in Mercier Lake. All in all, it was such fun! I just added our pictures to the photo album.
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We needed a weekend away so we took off for a quick trip down to Burlington Vermont for the weekend. We normally don't have a weekend off during the soccer season. Because of Matt's groin injury, he's not traveling with the team. His injury is such a bummer but despite that, it was also nice to have a quick getaway to keep his mind off of soccer and rest his groin.
If you ask the kids about the highlights of the trip, they'll tell you ALL about the hotel room. They loved that they had their own room, got to share a bed (the first time ever) and that there were 3 TV's in the hotel room. Believe me, it was far from 5 star but nice enough and we found it funny that it thrilled the kids so much!
We didn't have much of an agenda so we just enjoyed some time on Church Street, the waterfront and also hit some of my favorite US stores that I feel deprived of when I'm in Montreal! Another huge highlight was that we visited the Echo Lake Science Center. It was such an interactive and fun place for the kids. Myles loved touching the hermit crabs and Syd got a chance to try out her meteorologist skills and delivered quite a weather forecast for the camera! Watch out Kathy Sabine!
This is the only family picture we got while we were there. We ate at a delicious breakfast place called the Skinny Pancake down by the waterfront. The Nutella crepes for dessert were beyond good!
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| (59 Reads) |
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Here are 5 of the many reasons why Matt is a great Dad....
5. He still gets teary eyed when he talks about both of the kid's births.
4. When I'm ready to scold the kids for kicking the ball in the house, he beats me to it, cheers for them and shows them a new trick!
3. He is the eternal optimist. He starts each day yelling to the kids..."Today's gonna be a....." and waits for them to enthusiastically say, "....a GREAT day!!!!!"
2. By 8:00 pm he's already missing the kids and loves to mess with them while they are asleep. He moves them, fixes their blankets, kisses them, etc. Then we discuss our amazement about how big they are.
1. He puts our family first in everything he does and it shows.
 
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We just got the best news via Skype from Matt's brother Nate and his girl friend Celene! They got engaged on their vacation in Lake Powell. We are so thrilled for both of them. They are the perfect match and we are excited to call Celene a sister & aunt (for the kids)! The proposal was so sweet and so "them!" Nate got down on one knee, in a canoe on Lake Powell. They are both just beaming and so excited! We couldn't be happier for them!
This is my only picture that I have of Celene, taken at our house in January. Send me one of you both Nate!
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So many Italian recipes, so little time! Yesterday both Cynthia and I took over Tina's house to learn how to make her amazing lasagna. She makes it much different than I have ever made it and now that Matt has tried it, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to make it the "easy way" ever again! Homemade sauce with homemade canned tomatoes with homemade noodles...do you see the pattern? YES, authentic and homemade lasagna! It's to die for! Matt said it is the BEST lasagna he's EVER had...and that is saying a lot, considering his team knows all the best Italian restaurants in every city he plays in!
Don't get me wrong, I love Tina to death but she's NO Martha Stewart. She was seriously on fast forward and on DO mode....rather than "cooking show explain mode!" We had to slow her down 100 times to giggle and ask more questions! Also, our intentions were to learn how to make lasagna and lasagna alone. During the course of the day, she found out that we have never made polenta before so on the side, we made 3 dishes of polenta casserole for each of our families. We also had some left over ingredients from the lasagna so she taught us how to make cannelloni too! No kidding, I left her house with a week's worth of prepared meals...not to mention the extra peppers from her garden and canned tomatoes that she sent home with us.
Believe it or not, we also fit in a power walk to the grocery store and to the sushi restaurant in her neighborhood for lunch....while the sauce was cooking. What a fun day. Grazie molto Tina!!!!
 
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Mother's Day was a good one filled with happy kids, cute school gifts, a pancake breakfast, a wonderful dinner out and some snow that I worked hard NOT to notice! :)
We've been wanting to try out a well-known Mexican restaurant in Old Montreal, Casa De Matéo. I figured Mother's Day was a good excuse to try it. It wasn't quite like the Mexican food you can get in Colorado, Texas or Arizona but it was really good! Also, we stopped by another little taste of home...Starbucks! I haven't visited a Starbucks since January in Denver. There are only a few in Montreal, and none of them are anywhere near us. Needless to say, I savored every sip of my Grande Extra Hot Chai Latte!! Is that so "American" of me or what?
I'm one lucky mom with an amazing family. Matt and the kids made the day so special for me. We loved talking/skyping with our moms too. Happy Mother's Day to all!
 
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Ahhhh the signs of spring are all around us. When most people think of spring, they think of the buds on the trees and the tulips bursting from the ground. In Montreal, I’m happy to say that those things are happening but there are also some unique signs that also mark the end of winter here. Most notably, all of the Tempos (temporary garage tents) are put away until November and the Bixis (Bike Taxi’s) are available to rent on every corner again! Also, the home opener for the Impact is this weekend and we’ll have a 60 degree day to enjoy it!
So long Winter! We’re so happy to see you Spring!!!!
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