She admires... from afar!

Annabelle was so excited to see Pere Noel that she ran right up to him and began saying Poupee and Zhu zhu pet. I thought wow.... not scared of him at all... let's get a picture taken... Well... it's one thing to happily recite the most wanted toys on your wish list.. it's another to actually want to stay on his lap. Sven and I ended up having to be both in the picture and she never once cracked a smile....That's ok Annabelle... I think that Santa has fond memories of your visit in any event!

Frosty?

Isn't there a story about a special snowman made of the first snow of the season?...Hmmm... perhaps we'll keep an eye on this rather nice fellow! Here is Yannik and friend Kate's creation....made of the first snow!

Anna attends her first Santa Clause Parade

What a magical experience for Anna... and with huge snowflakes falling...it was perfect! She waved at all the floats as they went by and immediately recognized the big red fellow. In short, a beautiful evening.

The First Time Ever We Saw Your Face

Petite Belle,
One year ago today, Papa, Maman and Yannik anxiously waited in a small office at the Baby House, holding our breathes until the nurse brought you in... the most beautiful little girl we had ever seen, sweet, delicate and shy. I had been so nervous until I looked up and met those gorgeous blue eyes of yours and my heart melted. It's a moment that we will never forget. I remember the first time I saw your Papa's smiling face, the first time Yannik opened his eyes... and the first time you looked up at me. The most cherished moments are the simplest ones. In lots of ways, it still feels like yesterday... yet a whole year as just flown by. You remain a pretty in pink little girl, just like the first time we saw you... but we like to think that there is now a sparkle in your eyes.

It's the first important anniversary to mark... with another one at Christmas. We've had so many unforgettable firsts this year little one, but the most cherished one remains... the first time ever we saw your face!

We love you Annabelle,
Papa, Maman et Yannik

Annabelle's first "school" picture

Only age two... but here is her first "school" picture, which was taken at daycare.

Anna's reaction when seeying Santa in the parade...on TV!

Toronto's Annual Santa Clause Parade was quite a hit.. Squeels of delight, clapping and dancing....boy... I can't wait to see her reaction when he passes right in front of our door!!! The New Maryland firemen host a charity drive with a small Santa parade that goes in every neighbourhood. Two years ago, Santa was so delighted with Yannik's reaction that he jumped off his float and came to our front door to say hello. It's so funny to see Annabelle react this way to Santa Clause... but I really do think that the orphanage made Christmas extra special for the children... Sadly, I wonder if this was one of Anna's only really special time and that is why she reacts so strongly to him. You can bet that we will make this Christmas special...but not because of Santa... new memories of family to enjoy!!!

How quickly a year "flies" by...

Remember this? A year ago today, we were leaving for Petro, nervous and excited... and just hoping for the best the second time around. I just looked at the old posts and had tears in my eyes, knowing how far we have come. For me, it also meant overcoming alot of fears....the most important one being a fear of flying!!! Having to make that journey to Kaz not once but twice had confirmed in my heart how much I was looking forward to embracing another little one in our family. Today, no flights planned...just attending Yannik's hockey practice, the FOUR of us!!! Taking pleasure in the little things.

Taking photographs of a 2 year old can be challenging!

The first snowfall had us in cheerful mood... so we began decorating the house and the kids looked so sweet that I thought it would be nice to have a photo session.... Well....Annabelle is being less cooperative than she used to be... and this was the result: One rather cute picture of both kids... but our def. favorite: tong out... telling us what she thinks of being photographed ;0)) We were laughing so hard. She is rather quite pleased with her picture! We went through a rascal phase with Yannik....looks like we are entering it with Anna!

First snowfall of the season....

The first snow of the season can put anyone in a great mood...Too bad the joy and wonder doesn't last till March ;0)

Annabelle's take on Christmas decorating

Ok.. let's see... First I decorate Maman, then my belly... and then, yes....cannot forget Papa!! Annabelle discovered our stash of Christmas labels and thinks everyone would be prettier if decorated... Perhaps she is on to something ;0)

The Petro gal knows her stuff

I found this hat at a local discount store and just couldn't stop laughing... Sven thought it reminded him of Petro and at $4 we thought it would be fun. When I got home and showed it to Anna and said... so, what does this remind you of?... do you think I can pull it off? She immediately burst out laughing and said "Nooooooooo" and then thought it was the funniest thing. We all roared when Sven said "well, Annabelle, you know the real fur from the fake don't you!" and she just burst out laughing with him again! In any event.. I will still proudly wear my $4 hat to keep me warm... but...here is a reminder of the beautiful one in Petro... I agree with Anna... there REALLY is no comparison is there! As I am taking out our winter gear for the season ahead, I am nostalgic of those beautiful Petro hats....but certainly not of that bitter cold!

Coucou...

A skateboard for two!

Matryoshka fabric

The search is over!!!Thank you for your tips everyone. I finally found a beautiful matryoshka fabric on E-Bay appropriately called ADOPTION GIRL!!! With a title like that... it was calling out to me. I think it will be beautiful with her new print. There is a ton of fabric and decals on both Etsy and E-Bay. It was my first experience with both sites ... oh no... Poor Sven... new worlds to discover ;0))

Getting into the mood for Christmas!

Santa arrived at the shopping centre today...with Shrek... A bit odd...but we nonetheless ventured out to see what the fuss was about. She couldn't care less for the big green guy...but boy was she excited to see Santa. She exclaimed ho ho ho! I was amazed! That memory still lingers from the Christmas pageant at the baby house. I do wonder what else she remembers. When I show her pictures of our time in Kazakhstan, she never shows any reaction.... It was interesting to see that she does still remember some stuff.

In any event, the line up was way too long today, but I promised both kids that we would be returning list in hand very soon. After all.. the big guy is here for a while! More importantly, we picked up our Christmas Angel and Yannik and I shopped for a special little boy... hopefully we will make his Christmas a little brighter. As for Yannik, we told him to keep his list short... we already received our Christmas present and she keeps on giving and giving!

Our nod to Petro

A year ago, we were frantically getting prepared to travel to the land of fur... Petro's residents wored it so beautifully...hats, coats, boots and yes, dresses! I couldn't pass this latest Kijiji buy.. It seemed well "fitting" for Annabelle to have a taste of fur....fake fur that is ;0) She certainly pulls it off.. The women of Petro had such a great style... they made everything look beautiful and effortless... Annabelle is a Petro gal after all and I hope that she will always remain a Petro gal at heart!

Then....while out Christmas shopping... we found this amazing print for Anna's room. It was just too perfect. We are really trying to mix both worlds so that she can appreciate her roots once a bit older. But let's face it, I want her little girl's room to be fun and whimsical...just like her! (I would love to find some Babushka fabric... if anyone knows where to find some, could you please e-mail us.)

Dancing the night away!

Dancing the night away at the Oborn house! I had been eyeing this cute little guy for a while.. but at $100 just couldn't justify it! Ah, patience... a 90% off sale and he came home with me. He dances to Michael Jackson's Thriller... well.. who can resist Michael Jackson.. not even Annabelle. She has found herself a new dancing partner. Everyone got into the action. A family of goofs.. that we are... but we also have loads of fun!

A Man and his Castle

These Crazy Forts were such a big hit that we ended purchasing another one... Perhaps Yannik will be an engineer like his Dad...he really impressed us. He made this one all by himself... a castle for his baby sister...Creative and kind!

Some good old R&R

Everyone needs some R&R in a while...especially after having received your first flu shot. Annabelle was really out of sorts all weekend...the flu shot seems to have really affected her. She is grumpy and when she is not...she wants to rest. She couldn't even make it through a car ride home.. hence, the interesting sleeping attire!

Speaking of sleeping, the engineers in the family (Sven and Yannik) built an igloo with Crazy Forts and now both Annabelle and Yannik plan on camping out in the living room tonight. As for Mom.. she plans on more traditional sleeping accomodations...but I can't wait to see how long they will last ;0)