Santa came to town!

Today was the day...Santa Claus parade day. We took J for the first time when she was 2 1/2 and we took her again last year. She's been talking about the parade since some time in September, so we knew we pretty much had to go again this year.

We woke up to disgusting rain that turned to sun and then back to rain. It was grey, but not raining when we left the house and miraculously the rain held off until after we got home again.

Our preferred spot is at the very end of the parade route - the last block is best. We got there just as the parade was starting at the other end of town and had our pick of sidewalk spaces.

We packed a fleece blanket backed with waterproof backing to sit on and at the last minute I threw in a second fleece blanket and I'm glad I did. It was a bit of a cold wait for J - we were dressed for the rain, but the wind was blowing so she stayed cozy cuddled next to us, wrapped in a double layer of blanket. Of course, once the parade started she was nice and warm from jumping up and down and dancing around.

J got a foam Rudolph nose that she decided worked better on Daddy (her nose is a tad bit small for it now...maybe next Christmas it will stay on!)

J liked the miniature horses, but she thought they were super stinky (they didn't really smell bad, just like wet horse)

This is J's favourite "float" and it has been every year since we started going to the parade. We actually saw this bus on the street the other day - it was stopped at the bus stop and we got to walk by it, which was soooooo exciting! Maybe one day we'll get to ride on it...who knows!

And the man we were all there to see - St. Nicholas! J was pretty excited to see him; she wants to be his elf one year though. She was a bit upset that she didn't get to talk to him today. But she will have that chance before Christmas for sure!

Santa Claus Parade

Last year we went to the Santa Claus Parade for the first time. We had a great time, so we decided to make it part of our annual traditions. We invited some friends and walked across the bridge into downtown. We aimed for the last block as we did last year, but the parade had a new route this year and the last block was further north and still very much in downtown than it was last year. We ended up finding a good spot at the end of the route and much to the girls' delight, right by "Santa Claus."

J and I actually ended up on Global News (on Mike McCardell's segment) because of Santa. This gentleman was super good natured and well aware that his appearance caused a bit of a stir this time of year. He told me left his chair at home because he didn't dare sit down at the parade with all those kids around. J was thrilled to be sitting close to him and she and her little buddy fought over who got to sit closest to Santa!

Miss I and Miss J look pretty innocent, right? HA! It's all an act...

J got a hug from this tree. She was so excited! I thought I got a picture of it, but apparently, all I took a picture of was the ground and some feet.

J loved this airplane...it reminded her of the airplane at the Giants games. The handlers could make the balloon do some amazing things!

Once this "special bus" came along, J probably would have been content to go home. She got to sit next to Santa and the "special bus came back!" She loved it last year too....she really wants to go for a ride on this bus, but told me it's just for grown ups....

J checking out the gingermanbread. Yes, you read that right. At our house we make gingermanbreads, not gingerbread men.

The parade guest of honour.

After the parade we went for an early dinner with Miss I and her family. The girls were happy to sit for this picture together. Miss I and her family are moving to Alberta in a few weeks and the girls are going to miss each other. There were tears last night at bedtime because J was sad her friend is leaving.

Goodbye Miss I. We'll miss you.

And with the parade over and done with, our house is officially in full Christmas mode...

Bring on Christmas!

I was a little Grinch-y on Friday. But I'm over that now.

I had a weekend meeting that I thought was going to be long and tedious and it turned out it was very productive, we had a nice time visiting, and we were extremely efficient.

I wanted to make gingerbread for the meeting, but even though the dough is made and in the freezer, the prospect of rolling, cutting, and baking just didn't appeal, so instead I made the Mars Bar Squares that Melynda posted on Friday. Apparently they were delicious

We decided on Saturday that our goal was to be finished by noon on Sunday. Alex and I figured that gave us just enough time to get downtown for the Santa Claus Parade. I've never been to the parade before even though I've lived here every single year it's happened (mostly because this meeting is an annual event and we're never done until early afternoon). Imagine how happy we all were when we were done by 10:30. And even with clean up and some post-meeting visiting, I was home by 11:00 (okay, so we live four blocks away, but still!)

I was surprised to find our house empty when I got there. Alex had taken J to the park we I left for the meeting and it was a bit chilly so I thought they would be home by then. Turns out they went Christmas shopping and then J fell asleep. So Alex decided to take advantage and keep looking!

We walked downtown with a goal of getting a spot in the last block of the parade. We haven't ever done something like this with J before and we wanted an easy escape route if necessary and something closer to home.

We managed to snag a great spot right by a tree. Unfortunately Alex had to stand, but he was okay with that.


Before the parade even started, J had managed to acquire a candy cane from the Ballet BC people. Her first of MANY as the afternoon progressed.


J was quite happy to wait quietly for the parade to start - there were so many people to watch (it probably helped that she woke up on the walk over so she was still a bit drowsy when we first got there)


The motorcycle drill team opened the parade and after that, for most of the rest of the parade, J kept asking when the motorcyclepolicecars were coming back.


There was a lot of this "Look at THAT!" happening...


...particularly for the firetruck that had a puppy in it and firemen giving out more candy canes.



This was one of our favourite floats...and J was apparently a favourite of the people handing out treats - two of them stopped to give her chocolate. And not just one or two. I have a little stash that is bigger than the supply Santa usually leaves! Too bad I can't have chocolate...Purdy's is one of my favourites.


These girls looked so cold in their evening gowns....Too bad they didn't think to wear winter shrugs/shawls and long gloves.


After the dancers and tumblers came by J wanted to join the parade and "DO IT TOO!" I guess we'll be looking into toddler dance or gym classes the next time the community centre puts out their guide.


As we drove in this morning, J wanted to know where the other buses' Rudolphs were. I'm sure she was a bit confused because when we got home last night, we Skyped with my parents and my dad showed her his car...all dressed up in Rudolph gear too.


One of J's favourite things to do right now is watch the Sound of Music - songs only. And in Do-Re-Mi Maria and the kids go in a horse-drawn carriage. Guess who always asks when she gets to do that? And guess who wanted to go get in the one in the parade, because, obviously, it was time for her ride! She particularly loved the ponies. There were lots of horses, but the ponies were her favourites.


And then Santa came. Followed by the hoards of people who had been watching for blocks and figured they should follow the parade to the end.

I would definitely sit at the end of the parade route again. We missed out on lots of the handouts, but that meant less stuff to drag home and less sugar for J. And, considering we were, oh, ten metres from the end of the parade, J got lots and lots of candy.

That's when I realized I was freezing...we had a few things to do, so we bundled J up and headed to the mall. WHAT? Were we nuts? We exchanged the one thing we needed to exchange and decided to do everything else some other time and headed back across the bridge for dinner.

And now, now I'm totally ready for Christmas! I kind of wish it would snow too!