Pig Princess meets Pink Poodle

At first meeting, the Pig Princess is intruiged but cautious. The Pink Poodle seems quite happy to have a new friend.

The Pig Princess looks stunned. Still the Pink Poodle smiles on.

At last, the two become friends and live happily ever after.

~Mandy

A Girl and her Buddies

Halloween in Caronport

We made it back home in time for Halloween. For those of you who know me, small town Saskatchewan living is not always my favourite thing. But this little village is just a perfect place for Halloween fun. And this year, it wasn't even snowing or -30 so we were really pumped. Sean set out with our little trick or treaters for some door-to-door action before heading off to a great party, complete with bobbing for apples!

Here is our little zebra, still wearing her mittens (believe me, that doesn't last long)

And our ladybug

Now the girls did walk our block but we had quite a few houses on our route this year so they got a lift. Here you can see them getting pretty tired. The fistfuls of candy they ate soon after this picture brought them to life again. And just in time for bed! ~Mandy

Fall or Summer?

The weather in Ontario was typically crazy. It couldn't decide whether to be cool or seriously hot! So we took advantage of the summer conditions and had one last romp in the water at Spencer Smith Park (one of our favourites!)

We hadn't come prepared for swimming but that didn't stop Rosie. Here you can see there is always a way to get wet

Brookie had a great time too

With the crazy weather came a few great thunderstorms. Here Aunt Nessa, myself and the girls enjoy a run in the puddles while it poured rain! This brought back so many childhood memories.

Drying off after was the best, especially with a snuggle on Aunt Nessa's lap.

Soon after this picture was taken, Ama brought out the hot chocolate and we all felt cozy again. We did miss Daddy, though. ~Mandy

Ahhh . . . Autumn in Ontario

So along with the joy of spending time with my dad (Bops) as he healed from surgery was the added excitement of exploring Ontario in the fall, with all the classic activities somewhat lacking in Saskatchewan. My favourite was picking apples. There is nothing as deliciously "fall" as hiking down a long row of apple trees, hearing the leaves crackle underfoot, picking an apple from the heavy branches and biting in. I have so missed this autumn tradition since moving away and I was so glad to have this opportunity with Brooklyn and Rosie - their first time at the orchard!

Brooklyn found it quite wonderful that you could just pick an apple and take a big bite.

In true Rosie fashion, she grabbed two big apples at the first opportunity

Ama enjoyed time with the girls

And we even got a half-decent family picture, capturing Rosie's determination to eat as many apples as possible - at least to bite into as many as possible.

It wasn't as leisurely, or relaxing as I remember. Two preschoolers tend to add a lot of action and drama to any outing. But the air was sweet with the smell of apples and leaves and I felt like I had found the autumn I had been missing. A good day. ~Mandy

A Trip To Help Bops Heal

September also brought a more serious family crisis. My dad had to have open heart surgery. This came as quite a shock to us all and I immediately just felt so far away. I wanted to be closer for a while, to spend time with Neil, help my mom and sister out as I could, and just let Bops hang with his two wee girls.

So we flew to Ontario about three days after the surgery. My dad was already home (record time!) and so we had three weeks together. There was a lot of snuggling on the couch, watching movies, reading books. Bops was still very tired and sore. Rosie took it upon herself to make sure he always had his hippo pillow (for coughing, sneezing, laughing). She would keep track of that pink hippo and run with enthusiasm to fetch it if it was left behind. I think she felt good just having a job, a way to help.

You have heard of the Keeper of the Ring. Well, this is the Keeper of the Pillow. Notice how even while posing for a picture, the Keeper never has her eye off that hippo.

Here Rosie and Bops do some catching up outside on the deck.

Morning snuggling - the absolute best kind!

Rosie worried about Bops. She wanted to stay close by so she could make sure he was okay. Every night when we said our prayers, she would pray for Bops because he was "very hurting".

~Mandy

Ah . . . the anticipation of a coming adventure!

At the beginning of September, Rosie got bronchial pneumonia and had to spend three long days in the hospital. I stayed with her. It was a difficult time for the fam. Brookie felt it the most, I think, although Sean was a close second. Poor wee Brook wasn't sure where Rosie and I had gone, even though we thought we had explained things clearly. Those little preschool minds just have their own ways of processing stress, fear, anxiety. We knew it was a problem when her art teacher told me Brooklyn had informed her class that her mommy was dead and she was now living with the Matthies (friends of ours here on campus). I was relaying this to Sean and he asked, "What is wrong with me? I mean why couldn't Brooklyn have stayed with me?" To this I replied, "Well, at least you are only an unfit parent. I'm dead!"

This picture was taken the day after we arrived back home from our stay in the hospital. Rosie and Brookie had quite a reunion and then it was time to set out on an adventure, complete with "backpacks". ~Mandy