Live it!

Bugger!

Only Chloe can pick out a bug costume for Halloween and still make it look 'cute'.

I took her out this morning since Halloween on our street is soooooooooooo dark my flash even gives me trouble. Glad I did... maybe bugs aren't that bad after all :)

Hide and Seek...

A reminder from my three year old that joy comes from little things...

Like pink ruffles on denim dresses, silly bun hair styles, her smiles, her laughter... and a fun game of hide and seek between mother and daughter :)

Best best best weekend :)

I had such a busy weekend but it was such a good one.

On Friday, Kerri, Michelle and I headed up to Ottawa to the Dixie Chicks concert. On the way we stopped in North Gower at my cousin Kerri's cute store Stevens Creek Country Market. I had never been there before so it was nice to visit the store and SHOP... i got some really cute Christmas ornaments, some wood torches for the pool area next summer, and a funky bird house with a big sweet-smelling candle.

By the time we got up to Kanata for supper before the concert... the place was packed. Everyone was in the same restaurant plaza looking for food before the concert - and the waiting lines were big. We ended up at Mexicala Rosa's where ironically not one of us ordered Mexican food. Ha.

The concert itself was great. I love me the Dixie Chicks and they did not disappoint. They are really amazing live - their harmonies and voices were beautiful. The Damwells from New Jersey opened for them but I'd not heard of them before. It went til' about 11:15pm and then with the long drive home (in the rain) I think I got home at around 3:30am. Long night but so so worth it. Loved being out with the girls and we have GOT to do that again soon. I suggested Barenaked Ladies next but they aren't fans... might have to find someone to come with me to them - love them!

Last night was 'Halloween' festivities here with pumpkin carving and decorating all our pumpkin cookies for the Halloween party we held today. Keaton and Chloe love to decorate their faces.

The party... great as always. I have the best bunch of friends and I love getting together with all of them and the tremendous amount of children we've all 'made' thru the years :) Happy, wild... hopped up on candy Kids. Lots of little games, a lot of running around, dancing to halloween tunes... mayhem basically. This is why we just rent a hall now and let them go at it... more fun for the kids... less clean up for us ;)

I was a witch...

Shaune was a monk...

Keaton was Leonardo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...

Chloe was Sleeping Beauty (she will be a bug for Halloween night - costume was too hot for running around in for hours indoors)...

Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

In search of a pumpkin patch

You'd think that would be an easy task, considering we live in the country and are surrounded by farm land.

But it isn't easy. Sure, there are lots of vegetable stands along the sides of the roads where you can buy pumpkins... but I've always wanted a place where the kids could go running thru pumpkin patches searching for the perfect pumpkins. I want a place where there are corn mazes, hay wagon rides and lots of fun things for the kids to do. But, alas... there is no place like that here. (or at least not that I can find).

So, we found a cute Farmers stand and they did have a lot of pumpkins and vegetables and even a bunch of scarecrow pumpkin men out on display. The sun came out long enough for us to go and get some pumpkins (it has been raining WAY too much here lately) & the kids ran around like wild :) They managed to have lots of fun and get in trouble plenty for running off here and there and everywhere. We got 2 medium sized pumpkins for (ahem!) $9.00 and then went to a grocery store to get the rest at $0.88 a piece. I guess we were paying for farmer fresh at the farmer stand. Regardless, it was fun. It got us out of the house and it got me some photos before Fall turns grey and dreary.

Happiness is...

sometimes as simple as a glorious photo of your beautiful child. Chloe hates the camera, but was so excited this morning to go to Nana's to make Halloween cookies...that she smiled despite her detest of my camera.

She was happy. My camera was happy. I am happy :)

Waking up to Bambi

Deer in your backyard... I never tire of that and we have lived here 6 yrs now. Last night they were under the apple tree and Kathy next door called on the phone and said to look outside. This morning I woke up and there they were enjoying our LONG grass in the backyard by the playhouse.

Deer are so beautiful. My favourite part is when they finally get weary or hear something (last night it was our dog chasing them) and high tail it (literally) out of there... with their white tails flying across the field to the back woods.

Anyhow, here is a glimpse into one of the things I love best about living in the country :)

The colours are all wacky because it was  still kinda dark out this morning.

Great thing to wake up to! The kids love it too.

Fall is in the air

While I was away in Vegas... it got cold here. WAhhhhh! I love Autumn but prefer it stay a bit warmer. So.... this weekend I embraced all things "autumn" including making some Caramel Apples (the cheater kit kind!) with the kids and putting out some of our crazy Halloween decorations. Somehow they seem to get bigger and more labour intensive each year. Aunt Betty dropped off this Halloween globe ghost (to keep the giant pumpkins company I guess :) and I wouldn't want to share with you how long it took just to find extension cords, peg it in place, move it around a few times and then finally stake it. Ha. We just aren't that "handy".

The kids loved it though and Chloe kept staring into the globe with the flying bats, cat and pumpkin. She was impressed ;)

Other than that our weekend was filled with me catching up on sleep from a red-eye home and 2 hockey practices for Keaton. We finished the weekend off with chinese take out (mmmm) and now I finally feel recovered from a week away.

Love traveling... love coming home to the happy things in life much much much more :)

Me = Hockey Mom!! ? !!

Shaune is away at school... leaving me in charge of suiting K up for hockey. EEK...so many steps. I found this in my email box this morning from the hockey dad - making sure i don't put his shin pads over top of his hockey socks I guess ;)

To: Leslie

From: Shaune

Order of equipment:

1) Shin pads (labelled right and left)

2) socks (tape on at top)

3) pants (tape pants)

4) shoulder pads

5) elbow pads (labelled right and left)

6) Shirt (tuck in pants)

At rink

7) Skates

8) neck guard

9) helmet

10) gloves

11) stick on the ice!

Love that Shaune is enjoying seeing K start hockey. Love how much Keaton is liking hockey. Loving even more that he finishes each practice with this happy look on his face!

Thanksgiving '06

Back from Memory Trends 2006. Las Vegas Baby. I am so completely tired. No more red-eye's for me. It feels like I was dragged home behind a bus. I ended up getting home at about 11:30am this morning after flying thru the night (and working the entire day before).  The show was fun. I am lucky to be with a great team of girls that I call good friends... it makes such a huge difference when you work with people you truly like. So many laughs and I met so many great people. The show is tiring though... I think the fact that it is in Las Vegas (hello, constant stimulation and noise and smoke and fun) and the time difference makes it the hardest show to recover from for me. Here are some photos Becky took...

But, I am home. Happy to be home. Missed the fam like crazy. Love the welcome I get everytime I come home. Best part for me.

Memory Trends fell on the same time as Thanksgiving here in Canada again. I was lucky enough to fly out late Sunday though so at least got to attend one of our family events. The Whyte family dinner was very eventful with a casual wedding shower for Mike and Sheri after the haywagon (so so so much fun!) and supper. The haywagons were packed to the brim again this year and we had 2 different trucks pulling them so there'd be enough room. The weather was GLORIOUS. It wasn't bitter cold like it sometimes can be and the sun shone down on us the entire day. Love this family tradition we share, hope we always will do it. Keaton and Chloe had fun. Chloe woke up that morning sick and we ran her into the clinic. She had a double ear infection and throat. Poor girl. Hence the big funny (yet Cute!) hat on her to keep her ears covered. She didn't complain once though and loved sitting on all the Auntie and Cousin's laps. Keaton and Joel were happy to see each other again. They are a funny pair.

Anna visits...

Anna came and stayed the day with Chloe and I the other day. She is a sweet kid. Liked having her there... she kept Chloe busy and happy and laughing :)

Keaton was ecstatic when he got off the bus and saw he had a playmate there. First stop was the hot tub with a few quick jumps into a VERY cold pool. BRRR.

Fall is definetly in the air and it is getting sooooooooo cold at night. Some days it is beautifully sunny. I love fall. I just wish our pool heater would get hooked up so we could dive in for a few wks before closing it up for the Winter season ahead.