Today was Anissa's school Halloween party, and though she has a fuzzy bunny outfit for trick-or-treating she wore her Little Red Riding Hood costume (recycled from a party at Lala's when she was only 1) to avoid overheating indoors. Parents were invited to the party, and when I got there Anissa was parked at the snack table - and there she stayed for almost the entire hour and a half! She sat happily nibbling on the goodies, taking it all in, and I could not entice her for all the candy in the world to try out any of the Halloweeny-type games and crafts. I couldn't believe it. Who can resist taking bites out of donuts dangling from strings, tossing bean bags into a giant pumpkin, fishing for ghosts and goblins? Only my daughter, apparently. She finally did get off her chair, though, to join in the performance of a story with the teacher. They had been practicing it for weeks, and Anissa took her role as the dog very seriously.



Now for a retroactive update:
Fall is in the air, and we've been keeping busy with plenty of play-dates, dance class, school and the ongoing unpacking process (yes, still!). Anissa even went for her very first haircut at a beauty salon. The very same little girl that I have to chase around the house every morning in a futile attempt to sneak in a quick brush sat perfectly still the entire time she was in the chair, and didn't make a peep when the hairdresser tugged on her tresses to make a half French braid.



The highlight, though, of these past few weeks was a weekend visit from Mama Jo to celebrate Aid (the end of Ramadan). In true Tunisian fashion, Anissa got a gorgeous outfit to wear and cash to spend on an outing to the mall. She picked out a unicorn at the Teddy Bear Factory and outfitted her with a ballerina outfit. Since Aid is all about the kids, Anissa got to pick where we ate lunch (McDonalds) and rode on the kiddy rides at the mall to her heart's content.

I have some very sweet pictures of the weekend that Jo sent me, but for some reason I can't upload them to my blog! I'll try again tomorrow...

Aid Mabrouk everyone!

We took a whirlwind trip to Montreal last weekend, and managed to squeeze a whole lot into a few days: family time with Mama Jo, Aziz, Eolie and cousin Kais, Zacho's birthday party, dinner with Rym and cutey Zayd (we finally met after knowing each other only through our blogs), shopping and brunch out with a gang of friends. As always, the end of the weekend came much much too fast. Anissa seemed to be as enamored with the beautiful city of Montreal as we are, and for the first time really noticed the view from Mama Jo's balcony. She gazed at the "mountain", Parc La Fontaine, and downtown, and kept asking, "Member when we used to live here?" Ah, oui, ma cherie, je me souviens!

And now, this week, Memere and Pepere are in town. The weather has been gorgeous, and we spent yesterday at Topsfield Country Fair, the oldest fair in North America. It was massive. Anissa pet bunnies and goats, watched a puppet show, rode a pony and the carousel, and took in The RCMP Musical ride with Memere and Pepere while I escaped the allergy-provoking horse arena to watch Chubby Checker perform live. It was an action-packed day!

Today, after Anissa's morning at school, we took it a little easier and went for a hike at the nearby Sandy Point Discovery Center.

Anissa has been giving me a serious run for the money this past week and a half. I've been battling non-stop defiance when it comes to just about everything: getting dressed, eating, getting out of the house, holding my hand to cross the street, etc etc ETC!!!! I should have known what was to come when she warned me last Monday, on the way to the grocery store, that she was in "a mood" (which surprised me since that is my usual way of telling Mehdi, thinking she didn't understand, that she was being difficult). I'm exhausted. But thankfully those trying moments are always interspersed with sweet, funny moments that make me want to scoop her up and smother her in kisses. Her constant dialogue with her baby brother/sister (aka. my ever-expanding belly), for example, is so adorable it keeps me smiling. She tells the baby things like, "Don't worry, little baby, everything is going to be OK. There's nothing in the whole world that's scarey. I will take care of you, " and, "Don't be scared, baby! Monsters can't come into our house, because we don't give them keys."

Yesterday I decided to bring her along to my midwife's appointment. I told her only what a midwife does, and that we would be listening to the baby's heartbeat. Just before we went into the waiting room, she put her two hands on my belly and whispered, "It's OK, baby, don't worry. You're just going to have a little check-up."

Today, though, she displayed an obvious attachment for all round bellies. While I was browsing in a maternity store, she went from headless mannequin to mannequin, clutching the belly, and talking to each "baby" in turn. I tried to explain that there weren't any real babies in those bellies, but she only shot me dirty look and kept on making the rounds. Goof ball.

We've been having all kinds of New England type fun lately, and I have photos to share but no brain power to write anything intelligible. So I'll let the pics do most of the talking...

We spent last weekend hanging out at Newmarket's one and only yearly event, the Heritage Festival. It was fabulous: kayak rides, giant puppet shows, kiddy crafts and face painting, and plenty of tasty treats. Anissa joined Mehdi on a kayak ride on the river, where they saw ducks, geese, herons, and what he claims was a stork. (Who am I to question him? I am no water fowl expert.)



Anissa sat very patiently as an artist from the local Buddhist colony transformed her into a rabbit. By the time we sat down to take in a French-Canadian folk performance, she was one sleepy little bunny.



And today, Anissa had her first field trip with her preschool class. Parents were invited to go apple picking with the group at a local orchard, so of course I joined the fun on this perfectly chilly fall day.