day 293 - snuggle time

It’s important to me to take the time to be with each of the girls. Either together or individually. They
usually don’t like to share me, but on this evening, they were content to snuggle with me on the couch while we watched tv. This has got to be one of my favourite things to do with them, just sit there and be close. They won’t be this small forever, so I will enjoy it while I can.

day 291 - halloween photo shoot

This year, the girl's Halloween costumes were probably the best ones yet! As always, I knew I wanted to a do a photo shoot, but the weather hadn't been great! That is until they were calling for a high of 17. When I heard that, I let the girls know that Mommy would leave early and that when I got home they would be dressing up and going to the park! They thought it was great! Sure, Halloween was two weeks away, but they didn't care! This would be the first time either of them would be in their full costumes! They looked amazing!!! It was the perfect night to do this too! The sun was starting to set and the lighting was just amazing! The best part was they weren't even cold!

When Alyssa said she wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, I ran with it, but right away I ran into a problem! I couldn't find a costume! That is until I posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone had seen any. A previous co-worker was quick to reply to say she had one her daughter wore a couple years ago and that I could have it! How could I be so lucky! Next, it was finding a wig! With Alyssa having shorter hair, it was kinda hard to pull of the true Dorothy look without it! Jason found a wig at a local Halloween store! It was exactly what she needed to transform her into Dorothy! To finish the costume off, she needed red shoes! Again, this proved to be a challenge, that is until their babysitter when shopping in the states and found a pair! With some red lipstick and basket in hand, she really did look like Dorothy! She was just missing Toto!

Cayla didn't have any specific character she wanted to be, so when I suggested Little Red Riding Hood, she said yes! I wanted both the girls to have baskets and the only character I could think of was Red. It turned out to be the perfect costume for Cayla. The red cape was stunning on her!

These are some of my best Halloween photos to date! I LOVE them!!! I am so glad I do this every year! The girls love it too!

day 287 - swimming lessons

The girls started swimming lessons last week. This will be Cayla's first time! Alyssa was a bit scared because this was her first time going in the big pool! They were both hesitant last week, but now they are excited to come! They are both doing really well. Today was special because Grandma & Grandad came to watch them!

day 286 - the wizard of oz

Alyssa was over the moon excited when she found a book about The Wizard of Oz at school.

From the moment she watched the movie she has been asking to dress up as Dorothy for Halloween. I had seen a Dorothy costume at Walmart a few weeks ago, but when I went back to find it, they didn't have it. So I put a message on Facebook in hopes that someone might know where I could find one! They did one better! A lady I use to work with had her daughters from a couple years ago and said I could have it! How amazing is that!

After that, it was trying to find some ruby, red shoes and a wig! Luckily, the girl's sitter was in the states and was able to find the shoes! And then we got a wig at a local store! It'll be so nice to put it all together!

day 285 - happy birthday

What a packed full day!!

Today I was lucky enough to see both girls off to school!! Jason has been putting them on the bus all this time, but today was my first day seeing them both off. Last week, it was just Alyssa. Gosh, they sure have gotten big and independent! From day one, they have both loved riding on the bus!

In the morning, I worked from home so that in the afternoon I could go on Cayla's first school trip. We visited Herrle's farm outside of Kitchener.

It was fun to watch Cayla with all her little friends. This is her and Ashley holding hands. At random, any one of the girls in my group (which were Hannah, Ashley and Cayla) would hold hands. The kids got to play in a huge inflatable pumpkin, play on a wooden train, go through the corn maze and jump in the hay. But by far the best part was when they got to pick a pumpkin to take home!

We even had a wagon ride. It was fun, but very cold!

Not only did I got on a school trip, but Jason also went on a class walk with Alyssa. They also had fun.

To end off the day, which just so happened to be my birthday, we had carrot cake! Yup, Jason baked me a cake! I put the icing on it, since I figured he wouldn't have a clue how to do that! But it was nice to come home to a house that smelled of carrot cake and know that I didn't make it!

Alyssa had lots of fun making me cards! What I love is that she used Project Life journaling cards to write on! Too cute!

day 283 - my view

Whenever I am on the computer, which is in our basement, the girls usually come down to play. I love that our basement has this little spot for them. When we finished the basement, it was important to me to have this space for them! It's not perfect and isn't even quite complete, but I love it and so do they. What I love the most is that I can be on the computer and have them right there with me doing their own thing!

day 282 - thanksgiving day with the crumb's

So Thanksgiving weekend hasn't been as warm as it has been the last couple years, but at least it was sunny and beautiful, as a fall day should be!

The kids got to do the scavenger hunt that was meant for last weekend at the family reunion.

Fall at my parents always means amazing photos! I am going to miss this when they sell their house!

Seriously, isn't this an amazing view with the big, puffy clouds, blue sky, fall colours and a corn field! Oh, and the two little ones are cute too!

As soon as I took this photo of Alyssa throwing the leaves up in the air, I knew it would be a favourite from today!

Some photos of us with our girls :)

Love this one of the girls standing on the road!

It gave me an idea to get a picture of all of us! It's a good thing my parents road is long and we can hear oncoming cars!

My nephew Robbie wasn't easy to photograph, but I got some really cute ones of him in between him playing in the leaves and wandering around.

This is my brother and his family.

The girls LOVED the leaves! After we went inside, Alyssa stayed outside and raked leaves. She was having too much fun jumping in them!

I remember the day we moved into this house. I had just started grade seven. I wasn't looking forward to moving here! For one, we were moving into the country after being in town for several years. Also, I was getting a much smaller room! I didn't love living here, but I appreciated the quietness and beautiful scenery. It's hard being a teenager and living so far from friends, etc. But at the same time, it allowed me to not focus so much on the drama that can come with being a teenager. This is the house I spent most of my growing up years in. It's also the house that my girls know as Grandma & Pa's house. So a little part of me is sad that they're selling it, but another part of me is happy for my parents, as I know my Mom has wanted to move for awhile.