Halloween Kids Fun Day

Today we spent the afternoon at Silver Spur Ranch for the Halloween Kids Fun Day in support of Team Rocco Tatangelo and A.L.S. This is a great event for such a deserving local family!

Our Halloween costumes this year...

 Mystery Inc.!

Biggest Boy, being a huge Scooby Doo fan, decided our costumes...I am Velma, Daddy is Shaggy, Biggest Boy is Freddie, Middle Child is Daphne and Littlest Boy is perhaps the cutest Scooby ever!

We enjoyed a BBQ lunch... 

 

pony rides & painting pumpkins... 

a ride in a fire truck... 

and just hangin' in the pumpkin patch!

And while Daddy makes a great Shaggy, I also think he could pass for Kody Brown (reality tv star from TLC's Sister Wives)...

What do you think?!?

Pumpkin Perfection!

We carved our Halloween pumpkins tonight.

First the kids drew original faces....

or in Littlest Boy's case...random, abstract art

then Middle Child scooped them out...with her little assistant.

Daddy did the carving...

PUMPKIN PERFECTION!

If you are wondering what Littlest Boy's pumpkin is...it is a cross. When we left school on Wednesday Biggest Boy's teacher asked us if we wanted to take the class pumpkin home, of course the kids said yes! Our Christian school, however, does not celebrate Halloween so we are thinking if you carve a cross instead of a scary face into a pumpkin it does not actually count as a Halloween activity!

I picked pumpkin stands up at Target (my favourite store) last year...ironically the "cross pumpkin" is

sitting on a skeleton's body... I think the Princess one is adorable and very befitting our royal Highness.

You can click the picture to see them up close...

Paper Pal Al gave the kids these Halloween bags, filled to the brim with goodies...super cute...and she says she isn't crafty!

Littlest Boy and Middle Child having a ball before bed...my heart is full and happy looking at this picture!

Sibling PDA

When I opened the car door this morning, I saw this heartwarming PDA (public display of affection, for those in the know)...so I quickly snapped a pic with my iphone...

In case you missed it...they are holding hands!

Despite all of the sleepless nights, tantrums and general chaos that ensues with three children... this reminds me why being a mother is such a blessing and the best thing I ever did with my life!!

Littlest Boy and Middle Child have developed quite a bond now that he is less baby and more little person. They often play together and their giggles reverberate throughout the house.

Biggest Boy is in the picture too, although with the DS in hand he is oblivious to even having siblings!

Social Butterfly

Today was a PD day at school (as is tomorrow) and Middle Child declared it was time to see Vania's new baby. Who is Vania you ask? Vania is perhaps the best dental receptionist EVER and also an amazing, kind and generous woman whom we are all missing terribly at the office. This baby was a long time in the making and he could not have been born into a better family! Check out this little cutie! He is three weeks today...
BTY- Her due date was 10.10.10. but he came into the world a few days early...could not wait to meet his Mother I guess!

This is Vania and her little man. Can you believe she had a baby three weeks ago?!? This girl looks fantastic!

Now that I no longer have a baby (insert sigh), I really enjoyed snuggling him. It is easy to forget how small newborns are...

From Vania's house we went to the Pediatrician's office for vaccinations. Unfortunately we had a very long wait in the waiting room (two hours!!). Biggest Boy never noticed...too mesmerized with his DS. Middle Child passed the time by introducing herself to everyone. Two hours later (thanks to Middle Child) I knew everyone's name and everything there is to possibly know about them...she truly is a social butterfly! It is frightening AND fascinating at the same time.

The waiting room was standing room only except for these little monkeys who sat on the floor and were glued to the television. Baba...how dirty do you think a Pediatrician's waiting room floor is?? Should have brought hand sanitizer.

I told the kids they were getting vaccines and never used the word needle or shot. So when the Dr. approached them with the needles...they all WAILED!!

Suckers make everything better though...just ask Littlest Boy.

Tooooo!

My baby turned two yesterday....

I guess this officially means he is no longer my baby, sigh!

I feel the above needs some clarification...

• Lattes are bottles of warm milk...not hot coffee!
• Picking "yuckies" does not mean picking his nose...it is when he pulls at his knit blanket (aka asi) to get wisps of wool and then rolls these wisps between his fingers to make little fluffy balls.

Middle Child used to make yuckies too, (must be a strange genetic defect) only she used her doll's long brown wool hair and left little trails of brown balls around the house that looked like spiders.

Here is her now bald doll next to one with hair!

If you ask Littlest Boy how old he is he answers, "Toooo" and puts two fingers up, one from each hand. Toooo cute!! See for yourself....

BACKGROUND INFO

• The term "yuckies" comes from Grandma who originally said to Middle Child, "Don't do that, it's yucky!".
• "Asi" (pronounced ah-see) is a word Biggest Boy invented to call his blue knit blanket when he was two. It stuck...Middle Child's pink blanket (crocheted by Aunty Rhian) is also called "Asi" as is Littlest Boy's. Littlest Boy has made up some words of his own too. For instance he has been calling cars "mmm-ba's" since he was 13 months. It took us a while to understand though...we finally clued in when he would see a car commercial on tv and joyfully squeal, "mmm-ba....mmm-ba". He also refers to a school bus as "mmm-bus". 

Vicki's Wedding

My cousin's best friend Vicki got married last weekend and we were invited to attend. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding. Vicki is also a friend and patient and it was great to see her so radiant and happy.

The Newlyweds!

The Bohay Crew all dressed up...

"Sashwrin" (Matron of Honour) and family...

The girls were very excited to welcome the wedding party into the reception and Littlest Boy decided to get comfortable (we found his shoes under the table and his socks in his pockets).

Middle Child made her way around to several of the tables. She is sitting in the chair (pink shoes) making new friends. Her M.O. is to approach a table and introduce herself, then ask if they want to see her dance moves. Really, how can anyone resist? 

On a side note, I have been trying to teach her "stranger danger". Her response (in an exaggerated tone),

"Oh, Mommy...they are only strangers until you talk to them and then they are your friends". What is a mother to do?!?

Middle Child's new best friend after she approached her at the Church and said, "I really love your dress. You look like a beautiful Princess!"

Notice they are holding hands...

Even cooler to the 4 year olds...they have rhyming names!

My gift to the happy couple...

programs (not pictured), menus and table numbers.

(While the final product looks nice, the process was not...these involved many an early morning and late night with my paper company accidentally supplying the wrong paper, several paper changes, ink issues, stapler issues, etc. I owe a big thank you to Sashwrin for all of her help and of course my paper pal Al's wonderful husband for taking toner cartridges out of his printer and giving them to me in the middle of the night...you guys rock!)

Ten. Ten. Ten.

Thanksgiving weekend we celebrated my birthday too. It was a special one this year (at least in my own mind) as it fell on ten ten ten ... October 10th, 2010. Growing up my father called me his "ten ten girl" but this year he can say I am his "ten ten TEN girl"!
The day was fairly unremarkable with most of it spent preparing, cooking and cleaning up the big turkey dinner....however I still managed to have a great day with the family and I received some of the best gifts ever!

My bosom buddy Kristie gave me an early gift at our reunion. Secretly, when I worked my design magic (to take her blog up a notch) I was hoping in turn I would be the recipient of one of her awesome quilts....and sure enough I was...yeah me!! Simply put, it is stunningly gorgeous and I LOVE IT! You can read about it here on her blog. As a fellow crafter, I can truly appreciate the time, effort (and loss of sleep) that goes into such a project, so thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

In Banff we had fun taking pictures with it...and while we were, a musician practicing for a wedding was serenading us....

One of my favorites...

That weekend I was determined to have everyone enjoy & admire it up close.
(Kristie is seen in the middle with PJ and Cam Wong Foo's lovely wife)

I especially love the flower inscription. It reads..."Friends are like bras: close to your heart, and there for support. Thank you for your unwavering friendship. I miss having you near! Let this quilt give you a warm hug when I cannot." Kristie, hopefully you do not mind me sharing this. Your words are sincerely heartwarming and I want you to know I cuddle up with my quilt nightly, usually with a cup of tea and I think of you. You are an amazing friend and I will say it again and again and again...you are an inspiration!

My Paper Pal Al also surprised me with a stunning handmade tote bag by Amy from Nana Co (my favourite Etsy seller). Paper Pal is a self professed non-crafter but she did design it, from our signature orange and fuscia to the paperdolls theme. It is awesome. Amy has done work for me in the past and I am always impressed with the quality and creativity of her work. She hand embroidered our paperdoll logo perfectly! Al knows me well to choose something so perfect. Also hand in hand (get it...paperdolls hand in hand!) she found a "paperdoll" necklace and had it engraved with 10.10.10. Alison, I have not known you long yet it feels like we have been friends forever. Thank you for making my birthday paperdoll perfect!

My husband too spoiled me with a Tiffany charm bracelet and two charms (see below). I hear many women complaining about how thoughtless their husband's can be when gift giving but mine is definitely not! I love the idea of a charm bracelet too because I will look forward to any new charms he chooses and their meanings. This year I received the cupcake charm...he says because paperdolls is working on cupcake toppers (I guess he IS paying attention) and also for my love of all things cake. I think the heart-I love you pendant is self explanatory. I am a lucky, lucky girl!

The kids and I.

My cousin also gifted me an evening out while she watches the kids - I can't wait to take her up on it!

Now that I am 36 I think I will stop counting, assuming of course...I still get cake!

Our Thanksgiving/Birthday dinner! 

Middle Child's Thanksgiving pumpkin. Notice the beet hair accessory.

She is definitely a girly girl!

In case you are wondering there are apricots for ears, cauliflower eyes and a nose made of broccoli!