December

They say that time flies when you're having fun so that would explain why with a blink of an eye, December is almost over! 
The month started with a visit from Grandma and Papa.  Since it was their first time to Toronto, the boys were eager to play tour guide and take them to all of their favourite places, including the zoo and Niagara Falls. 

Josh was also lucky enough to go with daddy and Papa to the Hockey Hall of Fame.  He was very proud that he was one of the big boys!

(Megan was all smiles for Grandma)

Mike and Owen both got iceskates for Christmas so now our family is set for the rink.  Owen was so excited to finally get his own skates.  He had been asking for 'my skates' for weeks. 





(the boys are all set for iceskating now, although they also look ready for an intense game of roller derby)

We were able to go with Grandma and Papa to the icerink so that the boys could show them their skating skills.

(Although Owen can't really stand on his skates yet, he insists on 'skating' around the entire rink, which makes for a sore back for Mike and I!)

(Josh is starting to get really good and can even go about 10-15 feet on his own)



(Mike and I got to do a few laps together.  We felt like we were in high school again!)

We were a bit anxious about Christmas this year as it was our first Christmas away from family.  We ended up having a wonderful day though, spending the afternoon with both old and new friends.  It was also a special Christmas this year as it was Megan's first Christmas!

 

A marvelous month

November started off with great excitement.  Two hours into the month, our baby girl was born!  Her arrival brought visits from family so November was jam packed with fun.  November was record setting warm so we got to enjoy lots of the outdoor activities with them. 

We had a wonderful week with Grandma and Grandpa. 

 I think Megan's favourite activity was snuggling on Grandpa's shoulder in the rocking chair - she was spoiled!

We had an early Christmas celebration while they were in town, complete with my mom's delicious apple pie!

(sweater set knit with love by Grandma)

(Josh is so proud of his new watch)

(Owen happily playing with his new truck)

We then had a lovely visit from Auntie Christy for a week.

The month ended with the arrival of Grandma H and so the fun time with visitors continues into December.

The newest love of our lives

Megan Corazon was born on November 1st at 2:04am, weighing 7lbs. 0 oz.  Yesterday was already her 1 week birthday and the first week with her has been wonderful.  We are all head over heals in love with her.  So far, she is a very happy, content baby.  She had her checkup on Monday and she already weighs 7lbs., 8.5oz!
Some of you have wondered where the name Corazon comes from.  It was the name of our friend 'Con', who passed away from cancer three years ago.  Corazon is Spanish for heart and it is our prayer that Megan's heart will be as big as Con's was.

Our family of five!

leaving the hospital

The boys are absolutely in love with their baby sister.

Uncle Dan was Megan's first out of town visitor.  She was even awake for him!  Look at that dark hair - you can sure tell these two are related.

The cow jumped over the moon

Trick or treating was a big success in our house this year. 

Aside from his aspirations to be a fireman, Josh also has his sights on being an astronaut when he grows up.  He is already planning his trip to the moon, but he is a bit nervous about going in a space shuttle alone so he has enlisted Mike and I to accompany him.  He is also planning a family road trip for us to drive to the NASA space station in Florida.  Needless to say, when I came across this astronaut costume, I knew it would be perfect for him.

For Owen, I am not sure that he will grow up to be a farmer (you never know though) but when I found this cow costume of my niece's, I knew he would look super adorable in it.  He has his 'moo' down pat.

 As soon as I put Owen's costume on, he said 'candy'. We expected it to be a lowkey event with going down one street, thinking Owen would tire out but he was right into it, saying trick or treat at every door.

(sampling his chocolate)

The boys had a wonderful time and we can't believe how much candy they scored!



(sorting through all of his loot!)

Center Island

We thought we would make it to Center Island a few times this summer.  However, we kept busy with so many other fun activities that we never made it there.  We were blessed with a beautiful September though so we were able to make the jaunt over there two weekends in a row!  Center Island reminds us of Stanley Park in that it is a beautiful park in the middle of the city.  What makes Center Island even better is that it is on Toronto Island, accessible by a foot passenger ferry, so it is a huge expansive park space with no cars!

(a refreshing request)

It boasts a playground, waterpark, beach, and petting zoo. 

It also has a cool little amusement park, 'Centreville'.

Part of the fun is definitely the ferry ride!