Boxing Week Shopping

We actually spent an afternoon Boxing Day shopping (well, really late Boxing Week shopping at this point) at Square One and found that there weren't that many great deals to be had, and more importantly, there was nothing we really needed. Oh well, I guess that's a good thing, right? Philip insisted that we take a picture of him in front of PJ's Pet Shop though so here it is. Maybe next year we'll find more interesting items but I personally think that finding amazing deals throughout the year is definitely more my thing... hehe. :)

Philip & Arya's Holiday Playdate

Since Eban, Biba, and I are off for the holidays, we decided to hook up for dinner at their place so Philip and Arya could play together. This time I actually forgot to take pictures since I was so busy chatting away while the kids were busy playing upstairs in the playroom. Paul helped me out by taking some photos of them playing in her play tent. Philip and Arya are the best of buds and I hope they stay that way for a very long time! :)

A neXus Dinner at Southern Accent

After the ROM, Philip and I met up with Paul and some friends at Southern Accent for dinner. Again, it was a great opportunity for us to catch up with people we haven't seen in awhile like the Ng-Sartorios (and their adorable son Jupiter who's now two!), Wen (aka Blue Blue Satellite as Philip calls him) who came up from Ottawa for a visit, and Winston and his girlfriend Jessica. It also gave Paul an opportunity to experience Cajun cuisine again since he loves it and I'm not a fan of it myself. The holidays really are the perfect time to catch up with friends and family so this was yet another great get-together with great friends. Thanks for organizing it all, Wendell, and we hope everyone has a Happy New Year! :)

A Mayan Playdate at the ROM

With the hustle and bustle of Christmas done, I finally got some down time so Philip and I decided to head to the ROM. It was jam-packed that day and I soon realized it was because there was a Mayan exhibit and special events for the kids over the winter holidays. It turned out to be a bonus for us though because we got to see an Earth Ranger show, make a Mayan mask and rainstick, and colour many different Mayan colouring pages. I found it quite amusing that we headed to the museum just to colour for a couple of hours, but hey, it's the holidays and I was willing to do whatever Philip wanted (Philip LOVES colouring with a passion and is quite good at it actually, which reminds me that I'll have to post some of his artwork at some point). It was a great afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed spending a full day with Philip as I don't get to do it enough while I'm working. What a fun mommy and son playdate it turned out to be! :)

A Post-Christmas Dinner with Uncle Paul

Uncle Paul came over for a post-Christmas dinner and to catch up since it's been a long time since we've last seen him. He's quite the traveller now and is heading off to London, England again with his mom and girlfriend in a couple of weeks after many trips there and around Europe in the past year. We're so jealous! Unfortunately I wasn't feeling well that evening so I completely forgot to take any pictures of our dinner (shocking, I know!). So, in the absence of a recent photo, here is an old photo of Uncle Paul and Philip when he was only five months old. Merry belated Christmas to you and your family, Paul, and we wish you all the best in 2012! :)

A Chang Christmas Dinner

For the first time in many years, Joanna and Stan offered to host Christmas dinner so Paul and I gladly let them take over the reins. It was a huge occasion with the Duongs and Changs all under one roof and there was enough food to literally feed an army! Joanna and Stan went with steak and ham as the main courses rather than the usual turkey which we didn't mind at all since we just had turkey yesterday evening. I couldn't help but help out too since hosting seems to be in my blood so I provided the ham, some appetizers, and dessert, and also brought over a gingerbread decorating kit to keep the kids entertained. We followed up the festive feast with all the kids opening their presents, then a Skype hookup with the American Changs, and ended the evening with a Secret Santa exchange amongst the adults. All in all, it was truly a fantastic day where I could just kick back and relax (at least a little bit!) so, if they are willing, Joanna and Stan could definitely host again next year too! hehe. From Paul, Philip and I to all our family and friends: "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!!" :)