Happy Halloween!

What a great Halloween!  I played Betty CreamCheese Homemaker this year and did some at-home decorating this year.  I had planned for some mommy daughter craft time and that lasted about 5 minutes, so most of what you see (up at the top there) was done my Andrew and me after midnight ;)

With the show starting previews TOMORROW (what?!?!), I was surprised when the cast invited all us mamas and kiddos to come trick or treat at the theatre on their dinner break.  I expected to go around to each dressing room and take a piece of candy, but they had gone ALL OUT!  Everyone was wearing some type of costume,  each dressing room was decked out in Halloween goodness and there was loads and loads of candy and toys (Lua nabbed playdough and a Mickey Mouse doll!).

Lua was given her awesome Sully costume by her uncle Buster and everyone thought she was cuter than cute.  She has been watching some of the Aladdin promo videos and is still a bit overwhelmed and starstruck when she meets everyone in person, so all of the ROAR-ing and TRICKORTREAT-ing we had practiced kind of took a back seat to fingers in mouth, but she warmed up after a little bit.  I'm sure by the end of our time here, she'll be ordering everyone around!

As for our everyday, we've been trucking right along!  It's hard to believe we've been here for two weeks and are going to be here until January.  I feel like I'm missing so much of my 'normal' life back home and yet, I'm glad for the change of scenery, the new friends and the three month 'vacation' I feel like I'm getting.

Lua continues to be a chatty Cathy (when she's not meeting Jasmine and Aladdin;) and is entering the phase of "no mama, i do it".  Everything from cracking eggs, to putting on socks and shoes, to playing at the playground, to swimming - she wants to do it all herself.  She misses her daddy a lot when he has to leave for work and insists on saying goodbye with hugs and kisses multiple times before she lets him out the door.  Some cute phrases lately:

"No, mama.  I'm good." (when I tell her we need to get her coat on)
"Come'on, Soph! Come'on Soph!"(asking to nurse in the middle of the night)
"Hold on.  I'll be riiiight back"
"Thank you/I love you SOOOOO Much!"
"Yer funny Dadda(Mamma)."
"Whater ya doin dehr?"
"Whole mouf? Whole mouf?"(EVERY SINGLE bite of food she picks up, she asks if she can put the whole thing in her mouth)

I guess that's all for now!  Happy Friday!

Hope everyone is having a fun and safe Halloween!!!

discovering this city.

Lu and I are trying to get outside as much as we can while the weather is still above freezing (not for much longer!) here in Toronto.  We haven't explored the subway system yet, but have an abundance of fun sights right near our "home"!

We are all quickly adjusting to this new life and home.  Can I say again that it was a good idea to splurge for the apartment with a pool? and a playroom? Ya.  This winter is going to be cake compared to our last winter in NYC.  Watch, I just wrote that and tomorrow Lu will hate the pool for some reason;)  The one thing I have to say that I miss compared to our old neighborhood is the lack of green and playground space.  I mean, I get it - we're living in the equivalent of Times Square, but that playground you see in those pictures up there?  I had to search and search to find it and it's a 30 minute walk away :(  Good thing it's going to snow in, like, 5 minutes!

Oh, Canada!

It is so so so fun to pack all your stuff into boxes to put into storage, while remembering to keep your winter stuff out, while trying to think about what you can travel with for three months, while remembering that you need to continue to live and eat and work for the next month.  Add to that a two year old and a husband who is in the thick of rehearsals and has 1 day off a week that just so happens to fall on football Sunday (obviously no working on THAT sacred day).  Oh, did I say fun? I meant

ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY WRETCHED.

So, that's where I've been the past month.  

My family came out last week to help me move everything (except 5 suitcases, the stroller and the carseat) into storage.  I don't know what we would have done without them.  They continue to be such a selfless presence in our lives (as have all our family) and I often wonder how Andrew and I got so lucky.  I'm betting it has something to do with the 23 pound wonder that is currently napping.  She has managed to take all of the moving in stride and is so excited to visit "Canada's house".  Ha :)

All of our hard work paid off, however, and we are in the nicest apartment, in the busiest neighborhood with some of the kindest folks.  I'm so happy to be spending the Holidays with my loves - hopefully some more loves will come visit! - and so grateful that we can afford (financially, emotionally, physically) to all be together.  Let the Canadian adventure begin!!

I haven't uploaded many pictures yet - we've only been here one and a half days - but here are a few pics so far!

last meal with some astoria friends and family 

such a cheesy lady

thank God for moms :)

all packed up! 

myles and dad goofing off after all the hard work was done

selfie at the airport :) 

ALADDIN! 

our building gets some pretty great light 

totally off topic, but i just picked up this candle for sale at Bed, Bath and Beyond (8.99, i think?).  i'm used to seeing really expensive candles, so when i happened upon this yummy thing on the clearance shelf, well, fugghettaboutid :)

You are two today.

One of my dad's (many) pet peeves is the inappropriate overuse of the word AWESOME.

I have to be honest and say that when you really think about the definition, then think about how many times today you've used the word to describe a sandwich - well - I have to sort of agree with him;)

However, tonight I'm going to go ahead and say that being Lua's mama is AWESOME.  It's hard not to be filled with awe when thinking about the past two years and the enormous, terrifying and beautiful responsibility that Andrew and I have been given.  

What an honor it is to be in your world, my sweet little Lu.  

You are hilarious, kind, smart and strong.  You love to dance and sing and RUN!  You are so interested in cars and motorcycles and dinosaurs and blocks and BUZZ LIGHTYEAR right now that I can't believe I ever wished for a boy.  You'd rather eat fruit than French fries.  You love your dada so so so much and he is so in love with you:) You two are loud and funny and I am so lucky to laugh every day at your antics!

Most of all, Lua D, you make being a mama so easy.  I love spending my days with you.  You are awesome.  Awesome!  You are so loved:)

                       

Part Two.

At the beginning of the month, I wrote about getting the heck out of NYC for a bit.  Our first trip this summer to Colorado did not disappoint.  After being in the mountains for a week, the city seemed to be moving even faster - the people, well, I don't even want to talk about our flight home :(.  Lucky for us, we didn't have to wait too long for trip #2: THE MIDWEST!

Beautiful as they may be, the mountains cannot compete (in my heart) with the prairie.  The tall grass and sweeping, calm sunsets...the thunderstorms with big, fat rain...the Platte River.  The Platte River.

I mean

It's hard not to love.  Also, now that we have an almost two year old in tow, it is SO SO SO nice to have a bunch of family around to keep an eye on her.  She is literally jumping down flights of stairs one minute and begging to be held the next, so I have never been more thankful to have lots of helping hands around to keep her occupied.

Right now, Andrew is busy choreographing ANYTHING GOES at my old stomping ground (he never stops) and I'm so excited to see the "final" product on Monday.  This weekend is supposed to be cooler (please! anything under 99 degrees!) and we hope to spend some more time with my middle brother Evan and his wife Emily (with whom Lua is OBSESSED).  On Wednesday, we leave Nebraska for a bit more of the Midwest - Wisconsin!  I'm glad that our adventures get to continue and that we will be surrounded by even more family :)  When we get back to the city, we have a month to pack up all our stuff, get it into storage and get ready for our biggest and final trip - CANADA!  More to come on that soon!  For now, I am trying to just slow down and enjoy the good life ;)

 

 

 

 

Hope you have a fun and safe Labor Day!