Let It Snow

This morning, I woke up to a blizzard outside my window.

I love watching it snow so this was wonderful for me, but not so wonderful for Andrew who was in a rush to get to his placement on time. So I ran outside in my PJs to help him brush off his car one last time. And later on, the boys wanted to help my dad shovel snow so I ran out (still in my PJs) to help them one last time.

Throughout our entire visit, there has been a constant supply of snow.

This is our first time back in the winter since we left for Australia three years ago. I was excited for the boys to enjoy a bit of the white stuff and do some true Canadian winter activites, especially for Caleb since he'd never seen or played in the snow before. I wanted to see everything covered in white, not just a light dusting but a real covering.

So I prayed for snow. I prayed for lots and lots of snow, and boy did we get it.

So many people we talked with told me that we picked the "wrong" year to come back - the past two years there was barely any snow and all of a sudden, this year it's been snowing non-stop. They complained of how cold it's been and how much shovelling they've had to do this year compared to the years before. They sympathized with us, saying it must be unbearable for us to be here instead of in the warm Australian weather.

I didn't tell them we wanted this. And I definitely didn't tell them I prayed for all this snow.

But I did, and boy am I glad we all got to play in the snow again. It's been such a treat.

For the Love of Outdoor Skating

Growing up, my parents used to take us to a pond to go skating in the winters. It was cold and sometimes you could see patches that were a little wetter than it should be but it was fun and it was free. That's basically where we learned to skate.

Then, when Nathan started going to Montessori and Andrew had a couple hours off from work, we'd go to a nearby outdoor rink to skate. Those were our winter lunch dates.

While planning this visit, we knew skating would be high on our to-do list but when my sister told me that there was a skating trail not too far from where my parents lived, I knew I had to take the boys there.

Skating outdoors is one of my favourite Canadian winter activities. There's just nothing else like it.

Magic Carpet Ride

It seems like no matter where you go, there’s just no avoiding extreme weather anymore. In Brisbane, we faced flooding and superstorms, and here in Toronto, we’re dealing with ice storms, freezing rain and effects of a polar vortex.

It was painfully cold outside, but my dad offered to take the boys tobogganing down the hill in front of the Central Library.

Luckily, we managed to get a few runs in the snow and freezing rain hit. For about 15 minutes, the boys raced down the hill and despite sliding off their magic carpets just about every time, the boys had a blast. For 15 minutes, their laughter warmed us up enough to forget about the numbing cold that I’m pretty sure only I felt. 

It was so worth it.

Lacing Up Those Skates

We spent the first day of 2014 watching the Winter Classic with the boys from the comfort of our living room. I cannot believe people sat in the wind and snow to watch that hockey game. It's a good thing we didn't go because even in our living room, the boys wanted to be tucked under a blanket, and they lost interest very quickly.

We were hoping that the boys would be inspired enough to go skating because one of the things on our to do list for this trip was to take the boys skating a couple times to make use of our skates.

Andrew and I were hoping to take advantage of the free outdoor skating rinks they usually have each year but it was absolutely freezing outside so we opted to go for a free Tim Horton skate instead.

Unfortunately, that meant it was super busy so we figured the safest place for Caleb would be right in the middle of the rink.

Nathan managed to go a few circles but the ice here was much slipperier than the ice in Brisbane so he fell a few times. Thank goodness Andrew decided to put snow pants on the boys! Nathan stayed in good spirits, as did Caleb who spent a majority of the first half of our skate flat on the ice. He thought it was funny but for his own safety and warmth, we had to keep picking him up.

For the remainder of the skate, Nathan decided he wanted to be with Caleb and that worked out well. After I gave Caleb a little pep talk, he agreed to stay upright on the ice but he didn't want Andrew or I to hold on to him. 

Instead, he wanted to be with his brother.

Caleb's First Time Tobagganing

Caleb was so excited for a chance to play in the snow yesterday. He's much better with the whole idea of getting bundled up this time around.

Snow ninja!

And man, our friend Tom is such a star for bringing all four kids out by himself. Darrelyn and I ended up staying in to bake treats for everyone so this is the best shot of my little guy.

Tom said at one point, Caleb was walking up the hill and got stuck in waist-deep snow and he just looked up at Tom wondering what was going to happen next. Hah!

First Red Cup

We spent the afternoon with our university friends and as always, we ended up at Chapters/Starbucks. Nathan ended up reading the entire time we were there. I think he got through 14 books! Caleb sat at the table with us and after seeing us all with our festive Starbucks cup, wanted one for himself.

So our friend Alison got him one - filled with whipped cream and toffee bits. Boy, he was excited!

Toronto Christmas Markets

The Distillery District is one of my favourite places to walk through so when I found out they were going to have the Christmas Markets there this year, and we'd arrive just in time to check it out, I put it on my list of things to do while in Toronto.

All the different businesses had their own little hut, it was so cute! And of course, there was the giant Christmas tree right in the centre of the square. We arrived with barely an hour left but it was absolutely freezing out so I don't think I would have lasted much beyond that anyway.



We still managed to grab a bowl of Mini Wheats in steamed milk - so warm and yummy. I could go for a big bowl right now!

There were a couple of these antique shops for us to duck in to. Don't you just love the exposed brick and old wood doors?

And the brick and cobblestone walkways outside are so gorgeous, too.

Goodnight, Christmas Markets.

Hello, Snow!