eve-ning

Well, this is Leo in a picture. Sweet. Mischievous. Expressive eyebrows. Cuddly. Trouble.

Happy Birthday Eve to our just-about-three-year-old. He has grown and learned and done so much this year. One year ago, David and I were getting a worried about how little he spoke, communicating mostly through grunts and pointing. Turns out, he was using the first two years of his life to observe and formulate sentences and has now decided this would be the time to impart his knowledge. So we have all been learning life lessons from Leo this year as he shares his age-old wisdom and heartfelt musings. Things like, 

"Well that was nice adventure."

"I'm a good helper."

"This is a lovely day for a walk."

"Mommy you are graceful and pretty like a ballerina."

"Grammie I like your pretty pyjamas."

"Sleep tight. Don't let the bad guys kill you."

And tales that start with "And now I'm going to tell you a story. Once there was a ramble ramble ramble complicated details about Thomas the train and/or Paw Patrol with intricate but impossible story lines ramble ramble and that is the end of the my story. The end!"

So, this is Leo. He's my sidekick and he's excited to turn three. But not to use the potty - don't even get him started on that topic. 

costume parade

Here they are... Costumes 2021. From youngest to oldest we have...

Leo as Marshall from Paw Patrol

Jane as a Dalmatian

Clara as a fox

Annie as a mermaid

Henry as a baseball player

and Joe in the same costume he used last year, as Mimicu? Spelling on that? It's a Pokemon character.

This year we joined our cousins for some trick-or-treating in their (young and busy) neighbourhood. And while we were out enjoying the Halloween-y ambience, some kids were back at our house stealing all the candy out of our bin (our neighbour said she only had five kids come to her house, so we can only assume those same five kids emptied out our "please help yourself!" bin. Oh well. Enjoy the cavities, kids).  

takes guts

Time to gut the pumpkins and turn them into arts and crafts. It's a yucky/fun job but Annie was especially up to the task. After the pumpkins were gutted and carved, then it took our own guts to brave the spooky Halloween movie watching (the Muppets... that's about as spooky as it gets around here). Next up: the crew is excited to return to some trick-or-treating after last year's hiatus. Can't wait to replenish the candy cupboard. 

front row seat

This is all Leo could ever want... just a digger right there in front of him doing his work all this fun day long. Occasionally the guys would honk and wave at him, obviously making him feel like a rock star.  I would say it was "free entertainment" but it actually is costing us quite a bit of money. (Leo waived his fees as supervisor so we're not getting anything back on it.)

 

(Also, a patio. That's what this mess will become... a nice patio for our backyard.)

reunion, pt. ii

This is my crew picking me up at the train station after I was away from home for a work project. For the record, I wasn't gone as long as Leo makes it seem...

please buy our stuff

Garage sale today. Nobody bought Leo. 

reunion

The days are long without each other. 

 

produce

I grew a carrot.

trailblazers

Long weekend adventuring took us to an old-timey village on Friday.... 

and a hiking trail (today). No new roads were forged, but we did wear off some turkey.

 

giving thanks

Today we give thanks for long driveways and pretty lights and good food and the family that makes it come alive and the dishes we have to do later. Happy Thanksgiving. 

stair-gazing

Someone woke up from his nap too soon. 

champions

Henry's team made it to the Championship final today, and came out with the win! There were exciting plays and slides into home and close calls and I'm not a sports commentator so that's the best info you're going to get out of me but here's what I know - Henry beamed from start of game to finish. And then we went home and ate birthday cake with the Dhas cousins. So it was a very good day.