Bye-bye Bella!!!!

Today, my mom and my niece went home. It was nice having them visit but in some ways I was nice to have the house back to myself (oh, with Colette too of course). We dropped Bella and mom off at the airport quite early this morning. On the way home from the airport, I received a phone call from Bella saying that she missed me already. It was very sweet. I miss her already too. So today's favourite thing is how sweet my niece is (and knowing that I am one of her favourite aunties).

Sleepover!

My niece wanted to have a sleep over in my room before she leaves so we decided to have one tonight. It was quite interesting even though we never got to the sleep part before she decided to go upstairs to sleep with Grandma. I learned that her mommy supposedly has a crush on the guy that sold them their dog (and the Jonas Brothers!). I also learned who Bella has a crush on (Bella calls them her Loveboys). I am not supposed to tell anyone else because I crossed my heart that I wouldn't. It was nice to hear what Bella had to say and see how she views the world. So today's favourite thing is talking with my niece.

Choo-choo!!

When we found out when my mom and Bella were coming to visit, Colette got me to book tickets for the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steamtrain. We figured Bella would enjoy a ride on the train so it would be something interesting to do. We were right. Bella bought herself a pink conductors hat and a model Steamtrain engine that she just couldn't get enough of. She was particularly fascinated with how the wheels on the toy moved the same way the wheels on the actual train did. We also got to see them turn the engine around on the turntable and tour the engine. I learned a lot about the different parts of the engine and the differences between the European engines and the North American engines. It was pretty interesting. It was about a 5 hour trip - an hour and a half there, two hours in Wakefield, and an hour and a half back. Also along the way, there were a number of musicians that performed in the various cars that Bella (and I) really enjoyed. You can find out more about it here.

Visits..

Yesterday, my mom and my niece came from Saskatchewan to visit Colette and I. It is really good to see them. They came to drive me to work today because I told Bella she could see where I work. She played at the playplace and seemed to enjoy herself. My coworkers seemed to get a kick out of meeting her. At one point when she was in the room with the play stuff in it, the Macarena started playing so she had to stop playing and dance. I got a kick out of it. Anyway, today's favourite thing is visits from my niece (and my mom).

"Do you have to be in Ottawa to [have a McJob]? Couldn't you get one here?"

A couple days ago, my sister talked to our 5 year old niece. Apparently, Bella really wanted to talk to me so Colette told her to phone me at noon yesterday. She didn't end up calling but it wasn't guaranteed that she would anyway. Today, I phoned home and for some reason, Bella was too shy to talk to me. She ended up talking to me through her mom. She asked me why I had to live here to get the type of job I have and why I couldn't do that back home. She also basically told me that if I move home, I could work at the Casino I worked at before and make more money than I am making now. While I was amazed that she thought about stuff like that, she was probably right about the casino. Eventually, I hang up because she wasn't talking to me and I didn't really have a whole lot to say to her mom. Two minutes later, she phoned back and actually spoke directly to me. She told me everything that happened to her in the last two months. It was very interesting. I love talking to my niece. Some days, she doesn't really feel like talking but when she talks it is very entertaining. I really do miss her though. Based on her disappointment that I am not back there with them, she misses me too.

Happy Birthday Bella!

Today-ish is my niece Bella's 5th birthday (She was born on February 29th). I can't believe she is already 5 years old. I remember the day she was born and how excited I was. I also remember going to see my sister in the hospital and ending up staying there for 4 hours to keep her company. For the first 3 years of her life, I pretty much saw her every day and took care of her quite a bit. Then I moved to Boston and then to Ottawa and I haven't seen her nearly as much. I miss her quite a bit. She's a smart little girl and doesn't let much get past her. She also uses ridiculously large words for a girl her age. Hopefully, she will get over her fear of flying and come to see me sometime soon. Anyway, Happy Birthday Bella!