St. Jacobs Sparkles is a great, annual event to kick-off the holiday season. The town decks itself out with Christmas cheer, lights, trees, carolers, and a trolley that's free to ride. We have been in the past and did the walk around, and this year we decided to go again with my mom. We decided to go only for a short while, to check out the toy store for the little one, Block 3 for my husband, the chocolate shop for me, and a great decor store we had been to last year, which I got a cute holiday decoration from. This way, we limited ourselves to what we wanted to see, so that we weren't out in the cold too long with a two year old. We also managed to time it perfectly for a ride on the trolley, the little one and I getting the front seat where we could see the horses in action (and she honestly yelled out "yeehaw" and "giddyup" a few times, the driver loving it). We had a wonderful time, and would suggest going next year.

Block Three Brewing Co. was giving out tours, so my husband and mom partook, while I kept the little one busy and entertained. They learned all about the brewing process, and he filled up his growler. We also got ourselves some chocolate covered blueberries, from Chocolates 'N More, our favs! We didn't end up buying anything from Toy Soup or Shade Tree, the decor store, but got some great ideas for future endeavours in our home. We love to visit St. Jacobs, and this was a great reason to get out there. Especially when the little one decided to dance with the lights at Home Hardware, that new disco kind of light that litters the ground with colour. She loved it, and loved talking and walking with the lights.

Saturday was the Waterloo Santa Claus Parade, put on by the Lions Club of Kitchener. We go every year, and were very excited to give Santa a letter from our little one, for the second year in a row. She also enjoyed candy that a gentleman in front of us was kind enough to pass back, from the people handing out on the route. We were also surprised to see our little one's favourite cartoon character of all time, Mater (from Disney's Cars), there. We had a blast. We came home after and put out a nice spread complete with cheese, meat, bread and crackers, then decorated our house while listening to Christmas music (Charlie Brown Christmas and A Very She and Him Christmas). It could not have been a more perfect day.

My husband and I both just celebrated our 30th birthday, so we decided to host a joint birthday party to make it easier on friends and family. Works well that our birthdays are only a month apart. 

We were quite excited to host, and a couple of our friends from Thunder bay were also able to come, so we could not wait. We went about making a plan of what we wanted the birthday to be like; including: food, decorations, timing, location, etc. We hosted at our house, I love being able to do that, and made it mid-day so everyone could come. Kids were also invited, and they had a great time watching movies in the basement together. Which was too cute, and I made sure to take photographs.

For my 30th birthday, my husband lined up our good friends to babysit the little one, and treated me to dinner at King Street Trio. 

We hadn't been since they moved from their University location, so we were eager to try it out. He called two weeks early to make a reservation and asked for the window seat, they told him they would do what they could. When we got there, window seat was taken and we were taken to a small table near the back, by the wall, which was wobbly.

My husband was a little displeased, having called so early to get the seat. But they fixed the table and all was right. I laughed it off, as it reminded me of an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a show we both enjoy. That was the only hiccup that night, as our server was excellent, our food was divine and we had a great time.

To start I got a Raspberry Martini and my husband got Stone Hammer beer.