Halloween Hijinx

This is not our usual Halloween photo shoot. This year there have been no costumed strolls to the Tot Lot for some cute pictures on the slide and swings. And chances are....it's not going to happen. Why? Well, let me explain:

* Sarah has chosen to be Strawberry Shortcake this Halloween. Her outfit is a bright pink tutu skirt, a strawberry tank top and ill-fitting "fancy shoes" that she insists on wearing even if they give her blisters in 10 minutes. In other words, she is wearing the same thing she does every other day, with one exception: "The Wig". We found a true Strawberry Shortcake wig, and she was thrilled with it....for less than 10 minutes. Turns out, Sarah is just as fussy about itchy wigs as she is about bunchy socks. So she will be trick-or-treating as....Strawberry Shortcake disguised as Sarah.
Here is the only picture I have of her before she discovered the wig itches:

I'm not sure where the real Strawberry Shortcake hails from, but it's certainly nowhere local. There is a rainfall warning in effect tonight, so picture this costume UNDERNEATH her rain jacket, rain pants and rain boots. Minus the wig. It's gonna be LEGENDARY!

* Liam wanted to be a Lego brick for Halloween, but fortunately we checked the weather report before we invested too much time in our cardboard creation. Nothing worse than a soggy Lego. So he has happily returned to the Police costume for the second year running, although this year's model is new and improved. He will be on the lookout for bad guys.....

*.....IF he makes it that far. Turns out, Liam has a case of CROUP and was in the hospital until 2am last night. (This morning?) He's exhausted. (I'm exhausted.) He's cranky. (I'm cranky.) He feels terrible. AND he is exhibiting the hyperactive side-effects of the steroid treatment they gave him at the hospital. Throw in a few Halloween candies, and Superstorm Sandy will have nothing on him! He is currently upstairs "trying" to take a nap. "Trying" means he is crying, screaming and yelling "MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM????? MOM! MOM! MOM! MOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM?!?!?!?!" and arguing that a nap is not necessary. I beg to differ.

But we're getting ready anyway. The pumpkin is carved. The seeds are roasted. We've been building our sugar tolerance for some time now. And by "we" I mean "me". Here is Sarah sorting the candies before putting them in the bowl for tonight. Notice the uneven distribution of Coffee Crisps? Yeah. That's not a coincidence....

Happy Halloween....may next year be a little less spooky! :)

Where Is The Love?

A couple weeks ago we did some camping at Nairn Falls and Joffre Lakes. I'm guessing the pictures are pretty self-explanatory from that description!
So there's Lake #1:

Here's Liam, all rarin' to go....

Group shot.....

And no, we are not in jail. Just trying to coax Sarah into a picture in front of Nairn Falls. Can't you just FEEL the love from her in these photos? Oh yes, she is all over the hiking. Alllllll over it. ;)

Drop Your Weapons!

Liam asked me to take this photo and submit it to "The Lego People". He is sure that this close-up of "The Criminals" being surrounded by all means of Police vehicles will earn him a job on a Master Builder team.

Now, does anyone have a contact with "The Lego People"?

Backpack Boys

This weekend Liam and Matt headed out on their first backcountry camping experience. We decided Sarah just wasn't ready for this kind of trip, so us girls stayed behind and followed Sarah's whims wherever they took us. Namely, to the library, a couple viewings of The Princess and The Frog, and out for fish and chips.

We sent the guys off early in the morning. Liam was especially psyched. Matt may have been having second thoughts...

 They headed for the hills (literally), and before long they were at the Garibaldi Lake trailhead, north of Squamish. Look out, this boy has a baggie full of trail mix and he's ready to hike!

 

 

And hike they did! Somewhere along their 12km climb (7 1/2 miles for my old school readers!) Drill Sargent Matt Daddy allowed a break and Liam made a friend. I received this video from them just before they went out of cell range, and I may have watched it 20x in a row. Come on, how cute is he?!

 

Finally (or about five hours later) they made it to the lake, where they found that Liam had become somewhat of a celebrity among fellow hikers. The ranger stationed to the area had to see the Wonder Boy Hiker for himself, and shook Liam's hand. This hike was no small feat...for small feet! :)  Special mention should also go to Matt for carrying a 50lb pack all the way. Liam's pack may look large...but contains an ultra light sleeping bag. And a gluten free bagel. But come to think of it, those gluten free bagels are pretty dense.....

Anyways, here is the Lake!

 

They set up the tent, made some dinner, washed dishes, and then Liam begged to go to bed. (So THAT is all it takes!)

In the tent, all-important headlamp in place!

They were back at it, bright and early this next morning. Take down the tent...

 

Oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast in the hut! 

 

Pose for another picture....

 

 

 And back down the hill. Done, at last!

Liam was BEAMING with pride when he walked through the door that night. Matt was LIMPING in pain when he hobbled through the door that night. :)  Good job guys. 

And, if you were wondering, the fish and chips were AWESOME.

 

Chocolate Ice Cream

Enough said.

Post-Grad

Oh, I'm a bad mommy. I can't believe I didn't post pictures of such a proud day: Liam's Preschool Graduation!
There was a highly choreographed "Entrance" which included a parent rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and all the kids walked under a "tunnel" made by the parents' raised hands. (So begins the Moms' crying jag....) Liam, however, made a wrong turn and had to be retrieved from the other end of the playground and brought back into line. He tried so hard.

A few serious moments, and the teachers presented him with a folio of his artwork from the past 2 years. They had previously asked each student what they want to be when they grow up, where they will want to live, and who they want to live with. Liam answered, "A policeman AND a fireman, in our house with Mom, Dad and Sarah."

 Celebration time!

I'm wearing the scarf he made me for Mother's Day in my hair. Love that boy.

Once they had some juice and cookies, it was all over.....

 Next up: Sarah's turn!

The Original Bay Days?

We recently took the kids for a hike on the HBC Trail near Otter Lake.

The historic significance of this fur trade route (est. in 1849!) was lost on the kids....but the opportunity for a poser shot or two was not!

 

 

I think Mojo felt a connection to the past....

Running Of The Bulls (In A China Shop)

There are some days it's clear that your average trip to the playground or a walk around the block just isn't gonna cut it: there is way too much energy bottled up inside! Friday was one of those days, so we took to the empty high school track for a few laps. Sarah was ready to pack it in after 1 time around, but was content to cheer Liam on...and roll around on that curious soccer turf. And since the place was empty and had great visibility, Liam and I put in a few more rounds....in fact, Liam ran 2km before it started to rain and Sarah got chilly (ie. it was time to go!). Perhaps he will have a place at the Summer Olympics, 2028?

Five Year Plan

 

So I didn't make one of those when Liam was born. Our plan was a little more seat-of-our-pants-ish. We got a few hours of sleep in somewhere....figured out how to feed him so he wouldn't blow up. Perfected the Baby Straightjacket manoeuvre to outsmart eczema. And then somewhere along the way he started walking, talking, and becoming the funniest little (brainy!) kid I know.
I give you, Liam's 5th Birthday Interview:

Q: How old are you today?
Five.

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Chicken. 

Mom's Note: I am quite certain it's not. We had chicken for dinner the night before this interview, but chicken is a pretty neutral food. Gluten free pizza on the other hand - fine dining. Same goes for gluten free toast with (soy) peanut butter and honey, or butter and cinnamon/sugar. :)  For the record, peas and hot dogs are tantrum-worthy fare.

Q: What is your favorite colour?

A: Purple, red and blue, and orange.

Q: What is your favorite toy?
A: My police car.

Q: Which one?

A: My Lego police car. The dog transpile (sic) unit.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do?
A: Play police.

Mom's Note: This is definitely true. In fact, he plays police so much that a boy at preschool got tired of it and threw a block at his face. Cut his nose.

Q: Who is your best friend?
A: Colin.

Q: What school do you go to?
A: Friendly Forest.

Q: What is your favorite activity at school?
A: Playing outside.

Q: Who was your teacher this year?
A: Glenda.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Ride a police motorcycle.

Q: What was your favorite present you got this year?
A: The…my money. 

Mom's Note: He has big plans for his birthday money. But the big deal this birthday was the Lego Forest Police Station, complete with mailbox trap door and coffee mugs! (He can't tell anyone about this station without mentioning those two points, so I thought I better include them here!)

Q: If you had a lot of money, what would you do with it?

A: Buy a car.

Q: Why?

A: Because when I grow up I want to ride a car, too.

Q: What is your favorite book?
A: My favorite book….I like….Time For A Tale.

Mom's Note: Again, this was the bedtime story the night before.

Q: What is something you like about Mom?
A: You let me watch cartoons very early in the morning.

Mom's Note: Yep. Go ahead and judge. But until the coffee pot is fired up, I don't want to hear about Sibling Injustice. I just don't.

Q: What is something you like about Dad?:

A: Wrestling!

Q: What is something you like about Sarah?:

A: Playing.

Q: What do you like to play?

A: In her tent.

Q: What is something you like about yourself?:

A: Going to bed.
Mom's Note: Huh? This interview has just about reached 5 year old attention span limits!

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

A: Rescue Heroes and Wild Kratz.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about being 5?:

A: Going to Kindergarten!

Mom's Note: I like the enthusiasm, but I don't believe it for a second!

Miss Mommy

Sarah has her fair share of dolls. Soft ones, blinking ones, some with long, brushable hair. But for some reason, none have the same allure as this hard plastic, drawn-on baby that Liam picked out at the flea market when his little sister was just a few weeks old. When "baby" and Sarah were just about the same size, this particular doll would give us heart palpitations when we would find it's legs poking out of the couch, or catch a glimpse of it lying at the bottom of the stairs. But there's no mistaking one for the other anymore! "Baby" remains nameless, but Sarah totes it around everywhere. They "go out for coffee" and take walks all day long. She brings Baby to me for babysitting when Sarah goes out to "run a marathon" (a few times a day)....and Baby never ever has to endure a dirty bum - Sarah stops for impromptu diaper and outfit changes every few steps. Then usually drops it head first in search of a snack.

Island Adventure

A couple weeks ago we had an early summer adventure on Vancouver Island...too early for the sun to join us, unfortunately!
We spent some time at Long Beach...

 

We poked some unsuspecting anemones....

We took the kids to see we were married...

I did a little running....

 

...a little diverting....

....a little more diverting (which was a welcome distraction at the top of a hill about 38km in!)...

...a little celebrating...

...and then a little camping!

 

Some more beach time, and a clue in to why Matt's neck is often sore...

 

 

And by the end of the trip we put the kids in ejection seats....

Horsing Around

A few weeks ago the kids got to take a horseback riding lesson courtesy of a great Groupon deal. The drive out the stable was long and the lesson was short, but the kids LOVED it....despite Sarah's expression in the first photo!
Meet Henry (Sarah) and Cocoa (Liam)!