so this is halloween

We woke up this morning to the first snowfall of the year. Fun in theory. Kate couldn't wait for Elliott to wake so we could go outside but once he was up - whewf - not that much fun after all.

So I try not to complain too much - at least on this blog - but today is sucking big time. I was awoken to Elliott's tears at 2am then again at 4am. He wouldn't be settled at 4 so that's when my day began. Kate joined us around 20 after 5. Currently Elliott's on his second nap of the day but Kate and I are operating on nearly empty. So back to my opening. When E woke from nap #1 we got dressed in snowsuits and headed out. Need I say more? Any mother knows exactly what I'm talking about. Snow pants! Boots! Mitts! Oh my! I started with Kate and as I was in the thick of it I looked over to see Elliott playing and spraying the germs of the toilet brush all over the bathroom. Super awesome.  Fast forward 7 minutes and we were outside. Mama had to stick close to Elliott because when he falls (and he did often) that poor little beached whale is stuck.  A boy who adores the out of doors hated the full getup. Long story short we were back in muddy and wet within 40 minutes and it's been a stream of tears and runny noses for the rest of the day. Did I mention it's only 20 after 2?

We did have a great time on the island this weekend though. The party was fun; Grammie's house for a sleep over was fun. Our stay was shortened however when a storm hit and we had to head home early.
So forgetful me - here's one of the only shots of the weekend (cute though!)...

And then this morning...

So, despite my rocky start I do wish a Happy Halloween to all our favourite ghouls and goblins. I was really looking forward to heading out with the whole family tonight but now I'm actually reconsidering.

And a special shout out to Aunty Candace and her sore nose. And to Papa and his sore heart.
Love you both very much. Aimee

chocolate breath

Halloween has officially begun with Kate's preschool party this morning.  She woke in a grumpy mood but when she saw her outfit for the day she lit up and was even super sweet to her brother.

When I picked her up after preschool this morning she actually had chocolate breath. It's strange when you no longer have control over your kids and their diets. Why not serve two year olds chocolate bars and juice before 11 am? Especially when you hand them over to their parents to deal with the sugar high and ensuing low. Like her Mother and possibly her Father she definitely loves sugar.

Here's our little Jessie this morning. Aaah I love it.

And here's a few more colourful shots from yesterday ...

 Look at this colourful critter. I absolutely love this shot.

We're off to the island for a little party at Aunty's. Poor Aunty Candace has to miss trick or treating due to a some nose surgery. Ouch. I bet she will look good and spooky to answer the door on Halloween night if she can stand being upright.

Have a spooky Halloween pre-weekend everyone! AJ, Jessie and a little Martian from Pizza Planet

spooky

The spirit of Halloween is definitely upon us. Kate has been in her costume for weeks already. I hid it away a few days ago to ensure there are still a couple of sparkles left on it for the final ghostly activities.

Kate got a spooky or should I say annoying card in the mail this week from Grandma Sherri and Grandpa George.  Thankfully it's almost worn out but there is a rumour one is still coming in the mail for Elliott. Super awesome. This video is really for my Mom and Dad. I didn't catch the first few plays so this kind of comes across as a disingenuous reenactment. Cheers guys.

Elliott has been dressing up too...

 He loves this cow headband and repeatedly asks for it on.

Here he is as a little bear. So sweet.

Well it's Saturday and we really don't have any plans. We'll likely just get out and enjoy the beautiful Fall weather. You?

xoxo the gang

down

Elliott is working on mastering walking down our stairs. It's a little stressful because he does insist on walking. With that said, it's not as stressful as just hanging out with him these days. He's crazy or clumsy or maybe it's just that he's a boy. It's just that his head takes a beating and yesterday was the worst ever. The two kidlets were in the garden playing in the dirt when thump Elliott went head first into the house's brick siding. BLOOD. So much so, that Kate was screaming louder than Elliott. And anyone who knows me knows I'm not all that awesome in the face of injuries either. But I did kind of keep my cool. His eye was filled with blood, his face; it was tough to tell what exactly had been cut. Luckily it was only his forehead and after a clean up and bandage application we were off to MyGym. The only thing is, he banged his head several times while there and one of those times was totally my fault. My nerves were so raw by the end of our playtime that we had to stop by at the grocery store to buy a box of cookies that I self medicated with upon arrival home. It was that or alcohol and it was only 1:15. Good news though, we had such a trying morning that all three of us passed out in the afternoon. That's the first time in probably over a year that we have all managed to sleep at the same time during the day. As a result the kids were so sweet and friendly last night; we hardly recognized  Kate.

Back to Mr. Stairs - here he is...

We love how much Elliott is in love with all the Halloween decorations in the house. He literally gets that excited every time he sees them.

Have a great end of week. CAKE

sweet ride

On Saturday Cody took in our bikes for the end of year tune ups, while at his favourite bike shop he came upon this very aggressive tricycle. Lately we've noticed that Kate having trouble riding her trike because she's pretty much outgrown it - so Saturday afternoon Cody sent me and Kate to try out the possible upgrade.  The bike guys laughed at me because let's just say it was a lot of bike for a two year old. In fact it is intended as an adult toy. I bought it anyway. So while it was being serviced and sized down Kate actually came upon this two-wheeler (with training wheels). She literally jumped on it and was gone. Long story short the trike turned out to be too tall for Kate so we did a quick exchange and we now have a wheelin' two year old. It's official, she's in love. In love with her Little Mermaid Norco and its sidekick - speed. Not that you'll see any speed in this video.

Not one to be outdone by his sister - here's E.

Have a grand week y'all. We have some distances to cover.
 aj

thanks cousins

We had a great day in and out of doors yesterday with the cousins, Aunty, Uncle and Grammie. Unfortunately I didn't remember to break out the camera until pie time so that's how this year will be commemorated...

Today is another gorgeous day here and the kids and I have been making our usual rounds with one new addition. Kate received a big treat this weekend - a big girl bike - a two wheeler with training wheels. She's hooked! So we've been biking a lot since Saturday evening. Stay tuned for the video!

Happy Monday Thanksgiving. AJ

we're giving thanks

It's funny to see the word thanks in the header for this post. Recently the word has taken on new meaning or perhaps significance as Kate no longer says "thank you" rather it's "thanks". To me it's just another sign that she's growing up. I do prefer thank you but beggars can't be choosers and I'm thankful to get thanks. Out of the blue she's been saying"thanks for dinner Mama." I like that. I bet she says thank you for the whipping cream she's going to have tomorrow night.

Tomorrow we're celebrating Thanksgiving with Cody's Mom, Candace, Paul and the kids. I'm very thankful that they're coming. We had such a busy summer we really haven't seen them since June. The weather is divine and the colours magical. The best season of the year.

Speaking of this year, like most we have had our ups and downs but these are a few of the ups that I am especially thankful for: My sister's dramatic health improvement, Elliott being an early, good walker, Kate enjoying the early days of what I hope is a long school career, seeing my Calgary friends and family in a few weeks, Mexico with my Mom, Dad and Aunt for two weeks, the Grants, my husband who I love more and more deeply each passing week/month/year??? I can't commit to a daily increase. At this particular junction in my life I would say I'm most thankful for these moments...

They're not plentiful but they are beautiful. And just to clarify that is a hug not a chokehold.

Gobble, gobble everyone!
xoxo CAKE

grape fest

Yesterday was Grape Fest at Cornhill Nursery - so we braved the rain and headed out as a family. What a shame that it was raining because the festival is usually jam packed but it was pretty sparsely populated yesterday. We had a great time though. A lovely lunch, wine, cake, a band was playing outside, we had fresh pressed apple then grape juice and Kate was in her Heaven running around on her own through the trees in the rain.

It's another rainy day today here and it feels like a lazy one. Happy October everyone.
CAKE