Happy Holidays

 I'm pleased to say that I'm entirely prepared for Christmas and we still have 10 days to go! We are hosting a little holiday shindig next weekend so we have made a few little homemade gifts and prepared some takeaway treats for our guests. Homemade gifts are the way to go...They're generally cheaper and I feel like they're a little more special than store-bought items. We have baked, stitched, sewn, canned and more and I'm very happy with how things have turned out. Autumn has been particularly "helpful" this Christmas with the gift-prep. She has even "helped" with some of the wrapping...mostly by un-wrapping things. Hehehe. It's amazing how much more meaningful this time of year is now that we have a little person around to be excited for...I may have said this last year as well, but it's true! I don't think I've loved Christmas time this much since I was a little Santa-believer. Every day, Autumn asks for her little Advent treat and gets excited when we plug in the tree..."WOWEEE!" she says. Children truly give meaning to this time of year.

Yesterday, we checked out the Toronto Christmas Market at the Distillery District with my girlfriend, Minnie and her little girl, Lara...Or Yaya as Autumn calls her. It was great. For those of you in Toronto who have some spare time this weekend, it ends tomorrow and it's super kid-friendly and very fun...Amazing food vendors (think artisan grilled cheese, fresh fritters and a kiosk devoted entirely to bacon...if you're into that sort of thing;-)), pony rides, a little choo choo train, carousel, Christmas carolers and a ferris wheel. I took Squish on the carousel and she was a little skeptical but humoured me with the odd "WEE!!!"despite looking slightly terrified. Honestly, I was too...haha! I remember those things moving way slower! I've turned into a huge chicken in my old age! The ponies were great, super cute and very friendly. Charlie the pony gave Autumn's fingers a big lick and let her pat his nose. She was very upset to leave the ponies and gave a teary-eyed wave and a "BYE BYE NEIGH". Maybe next year she'll be ready for a pony-ride. Anyway, the market closes for good tomorrow at 9pm so your time is running out to check it out!

Anyway, here are a few little photos from last weekend of a visit that Autumn and I paid to my Nana and Papa in Burlington. We had a nice lunch and a good visit. They are such an amazing and inspirational couple. If you ever need a little reminder of what love is all about, you should pay them a visit. <3 <3 <3

Much holiday love to you all!