cousin walk

 Complete with hot chocolate and birthday cheer. 

crafternoon

Good news for anyone wanting some homemade Christmas crafts from us this year... they are a-comin'. You will not be disappointed.  

book it

Christmas books came out today. I organized them all on the shelf. They helpfully laid them all out on the floor. 

snow: a tale of two children

One of these kids was so happy to see snow. One thinks this whole experience is garbage. 

fun for all

Pro tip: When your husband heads out onto the roof to hang Christmas lights, hand him the spray bottle and rags and have him clean the windows while he's out there. 

Further the fun in this activity by placing your kids at the open window to spot your husband, ensuring his safety, providing them entertainment, and also handling quality control of the window-washing. You are going to tick off a lot of boxes with this activity. 

big boy bed

Leo was tired of his crib. Or we were tired of him not wanting to be in his crib. So we pulled out the big boy bed, and he is so very pleased. Is he sleeping better? Um... maybe not. But it's a lot nicer to just lay down beside him in his bed in the middle of the night then try to get him to sleep by leaning over the rails of the crib. 

Sweet dreams, Mr. Leo. 

golden hours

The light and the leaves and the weather are making some gorgeous fall days in our backyard. 

lee-lo

Also know as Little Lee, Lowly, Little Loo, and, sometimes, Leo. 

You are our one-in-a-million. A superstar fellow with a whole bunch of fans. You can do no wrong among them (even though sometimes you really do) and you will always have a buddy to run with or run to. 

And now you are TWO! Happy Birthday, dear Leo! We are so happy to celebrate you and all that you do and play and, maybe, one day, will say. We love how you point to the sky the minute you hear a plane. We love how you drop to your knees and climb up our legs with a sweet little "a-roo!" when you pretend to be a puppy. We love your big smoochy lips. We love your squawks of "all duh!" from your room when you are finished with your nap. We love how you hide behind your hands when you're a little bit frightened. We love how you lay down on the floor to play cars and trucks. We love how you aggressively colour with your tongue peeking out of your mouth. We love how you stomp one foot and flail your arms when you're disappointed. We love how you run to the door when the kids get home from school. We love how you help yourself to snacks (that's not really true... I don't actually love that). We love how excited you are to do anything with the big kids. We love how you pick out your favourite books and bring them to us with hopeful eyebrows and a humongous grin. We love how you shout, "Bon Pahl," when you point to a picture of St. John Paul II. We love how you find comfort in poking your own belly button. We love how you love to honk everyone's noses.

In summary, we love everything about you. 

Your day was filled with Church and napping and playing with new toys. It was a day like most days, just how you like them. You enjoyed birthday doughnuts and your noodles and cucumbers for supper (even if Grammie thought that was a funny meal to have). The day was about you and all your favourite things. We love you, Leo, and here's to you! Here's to two!