A Walk to Remember

So much to share in words and photos from a picture-perfect wedding weekend for Matt and Rhiannon. It was a dream day for Rhiannon and her crew of little princes and princesses, a true joy to watch and to be a part of. Isabelle relished her time in the limelight, clearly taking it slow while walking up the aisle, enjoying all the attention and trying to extend her moment for as long as she could before the real star of the show in the big white dress arrived. She reached the front and immediately exclaimed "I want to go again!". She and Olan did an awesome job and were happy to accept all the well-deserved kudos. More to come in the next few days, for now enjoy the two cutest attendants any wedding has ever had.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

In all the wedding craziness, we can't forget to recognize Mommy on her special day. Lucky for her Rhiannon remembered, as she presented Mommy with a cupcake, which was followed up by a Happy Birthday serenade from 250 people! Isabelle loved seeing her Mom in the spotlight and clearly didn't mind that Mommy shared her cupcake!

The Stage is Set

The rehearsal party is in the books and all systems are go for the big wedding and for Isabelle's flower girl debut. She and Olan were in practice mode last night at the church, seems like such a simple thing to ask several toddlers to walk slowly from the back of a church to the front. Only about 60 feet, right? We'll see how it goes when the curtain raises tomorrow but all things went swimmingly last night. Isabelle and Olan will lead the way and set an example for all who follow. We can't wait to see them all dressed up and ready for their closeup. As for Oliver, he was excited to zip around the church and its pews and ramps, shame it will be a bit more formal tomorrow! After the rehearsal, we ventured up Elgin to Fresco for a great party full of food, drink, and even some magic tricks! Isabelle had a blast, Olan slept after an early flight and Oliver was happier to people-watch on Elgin than battle the party's crowds. Everyone had a great night and we received some more than generous gifts from Matt and Rhiannon, including a beautiful necklace for the princess herself. Isabelle woke up and sleepily made her way down the stairs, a scene to be repeated in 15 years when she starts spending more time at the Elgin establishments. A relaxing day at the spa for her and her fellow flower girls today, then off to the Chateau for tea and home for a good night's rest. Big day tomorrow!

Oliver the Explorer checks out the pews

Practice makes perfect! 

Alms! Alms for the poor!

A chilly walk up Elgin street with Auntie Meggie

He might wear skulls but you won't find a sweeter boy

Chugging a beverage at the bar, also to be repeated in the far future!

The magician had these kids wrapped around his finger

Ok guys, important tip. Don't ruin the wedding!

Howdy, Partner!

Sheriff Oliver welcomes y'all to the blog and hopes that you have a rip-roaring, rootin' tootin' good time reading about his antics and those of his favourite l'il filly Isabelle. He's getting ready to do a lot more welcoming as tonight the first of several houseguests touched down in his humble abode. Gran and Grandpa made it just in time to see the little ones before they shuffled off to bed (or in Isabelle's case, MOSEYED, with minimal prodding from Gran). Tomorrow morning brings the arrival of Meghan and Olan, followed by Meredith Friday and then the gang will all be here and ready to fete Matt and Rhiannon's big day. Should be a blog-worthy blast of a party to say the least. The kids will be so excited to have all this traffic in the house, Isabelle will likely talk continuously because there will always be someone to listen and Oliver will be taking it all in and laughing all the while. Lots of fun to be had, for now let's get some sleep, we're gonna need it!

The blonde trio work on the new chalkboard in Isabelle's room. We look forward to writing her chores on here in the future. For now, she has an excuse because she can't read it!

Ok, here's what you should write now. Are you listening to me, Belle?

A special box came from Winnipeg this week. Oliver discovered something he liked inside.

Chalkboard cuties and all around super kids

Fall, Friends, and Fright!

If it's October, it must be time for our annual trip out to Saunders Farm to celebrate haunting season and all things Hallowe'en. It's an annual trip that is not to be missed, full of Hallowe'en festivities and attractions, especially the haunted hayride! It's always a blast to see how the kids react to it each year, last year Logan vowed to protect Isabelle and ended up crying alongside her, while this year they were both a bit timid but not as overwhelmed. That reaction was reserved for Brooklyn, who seemed traumatized but managed to survive intact, while her older sister would have gone back many more times if she could have. Oliver mainly thought it was funny and didn't seem spooked in the least, always safe in the arms of his Mommy. We tried to assure them all that in 10 years they will want to come together and do this as a group after dark, with their parents waiting to pick them up outside when the place closed. They didn't seem to buy this story. The kids have such a great time at this place, they really know how to do Hallowe'en right. It was the perfect day to get us in the mood for the 31st. With the house decorated, the costumes planned and the pumpkins picked, we're ready. Bring on the candy!

Couple of Hallowe'enies hamming it up!

Hey sis, can you show me around this place?

Daddy takes in the stage show with Kaitlyn, Belle and Logan

Pumpkin pals have made this an October tradition for 4 years now

Hayride! Nothing better than some fall family fun.

Olan is Four!

Happy birthday to the sweetest little four-year old boy on the East coast! Hope you had a wicked birthday party, Olan! We would have loved to have been there to see the cowboy theme in full effect, it sounded like an awesome time for all in attendance. Thanks for being such a great kid and the perfect cousin to Oliver and Isabelle. We love you and you never fail to make us smile with your enthusiasm and imagination. Soon you will be reunited in Ottawa with your partner in crime Isabelle. The dynamic duo will be back in action for a weekend of hijinks and tomfoolery. We can't wait to see you in just a few days and bestow your gifts in person. Aren't the best birthdays the ones where the gifts just keep on coming?

Bright future ahead for this kid! Park ranger? California Highway Patrol?

Or perhaps something more suited to a creative mind?

Four Years, One Month

That's how long it took our little girl to get her beautiful blond hair cut, as she paid her first visit to the salon today! As you likely saw in recent pictures, Isabelle's hair reaches close to her waist, in fact the other day she put on her pajama shirt and it even stuck out the bottom! Mainly we were looking to get it trimmed just to make sure it stays healthy and to ease the workload of the nightly de-tangling job. So off we went to see Nelson, who has known us before we were married and who we knew would take good care of our little princess.

Isabelle decided she didn't want Nelson to wash her hair, so she skipped that step but happily sported her apron and sat very still while he worked. She had about 2 inches taken off and our unfounded fear of her losing her special curls was just that, unfounded. She and her lovely blond tresses are doing just fine. In fact, Nelson captured every last hair for her special box, it's amazing how white blonde it is! He could not believe she's never had her hair cut, commenting that this was the healthiest hair he had ever worked on! Wait a minute, you mean we could have waited even longer!? See you next year, Nelson!

Sick and Sleepy :-(

Oliver finally succumbed to the run of sickness that has cut its swath through our family of late. He was the last one standing but not any more. He had a rocky night, complete with plenty of crying, a midnight car-ride to help him sleep and to cap it all, an upset stomach. Poor little dude, usually he strolls around with such a happy face and carefree demeanor, much like the photo above, but not today. It's weird to see him get so upset.

He spent the day at home, trying to recuperate as best as possible. He had his ups and downs but was lucky to have a great big sister to play with and to help take care of him. He was happiest when outdoors, especially during tonight's wagon ride to visit the ducks. However, having not slept well last night, and with only a short nap this morning, he spent much of the evening trying his hardest to fall asleep, while his Mom and Dad envisioned the perils of a twilight nap and worked hard to keep him going until somewhere in the vicinity of his normal bedtime. 

The excitement of the wagon ride ended as quickly as it started.

Dinner was another adventure. The chef wasn't offended by his reaction!

Getting him ready for bathtime did little to rouse him from his slumber!

Finally, a comfy place to rest his weary head. Get well soon, kiddo.

Thanksgiving is Over?

Hard to believe that we are almost halfway through October already!? Weren't we just at the family picnic last week or something like that? Not to mention that there is still a ton of stuff left to do this month. Olan's big birthday #4 is coming up, plus birthdays for Mommy and Daddy, and if it's October it means a trip to Saunders Farm and that big day not too many candy-loving kids are looking forward to: Hallowe'en! Anything else going on?  Oh, yeah, almost forgot! The big Rhiannon / Matt wedding that always seemed so far away is coming up like a freight train, in fact it's next weekend! Isabelle's big debut as a flower girl and the word on the street is that her and Olan are going to be the first ones down the aisle. We are so excited to share in the happy couple's big day and also to be a part of the extravaganza, it promises to be a can't miss event. Indoors and out, we will be busy having fun. The fall is such a great time of year around here, lots of fabulous colours everywhere you look, we have to make sure our agendas aren't too full to appreciate them!

Forget Thanksgiving, I'm ready for Hallowe'en!

Chilling out and playing a rousing game of street hockey

Cutest goaltender ever!

Running wild! We dare you to try and keep up!

Giving Thanks with Great Friends

We hope everyone had a wicked Thanksgiving long weekend full of great times with friends, family and lots of food! With the weather cooperating and giving us sunny skies all 3 days, we got to spend plenty of time outside and were also lucky enough to head up to Ron and Menna's lakehouse for a rustic brunch of pumpkin soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, followed by a traditional pumpkin pie.  Everything was delicious and we were able to head for a nice fall colours stroll through the woods afterwards, except for Isabelle, who preferred piggyback rides, and Oliver, who conked out in Mom's arms. What an amazing way to spend an afternoon, time with great friends and viewing spectacular scenery. We hope to spend many future Thanksgivings in a similar fashion, watching our friendships and the Andrews family grow so there are even more little ones when we re-enact the picture you see above! We have so much to be thankful for, most of all our two awesome kids that challenge us once in a while but always leave us smiling. October is going to be a fun month!

Loving the beach-side view

Speak softly and carry a big stick!

Ever stuck at a party next to some boring dude that talks your ear off and puts you to sleep?  Ludi feels your pain.

This guy boring?  Never!

Hanging with her new bud Alexandra. They had a blast all day long and can't wait to rock the wedding party together!

Chilling with Auntie Menna, the upcoming MOTB!

Taking a load off with her pal Kat

Oliver ventures through the woods with Mommy and godfather Trystan

The happy couple hanging with a couple of their flower girls! The big wedding is in 2 weeks!

Long Weekends Make Us Happy

No work, no school, no worries...lots to be thankful for!

Tummyaches All Around

It's been rough around here as several family members have suffered from upset stomachs off and on over the past week. Mom and Dad have had rumbling tummies of late and now poor Isabelle has been the latest to succumb to this virus as she spent last night and most of today curled up in bed, drinking flat soda and verbally lamenting her current predicament. She seemed to feel better as the day progressed but tonight she seemed to be experiencing a relapse, especially once she found out that she was likely heading back to school tomorrow. Safe to say that her parents feel confident about her Oscar aspirations in the future after the drama on display before tonight's bedtime. Hopefully she is past the worst of it and will awake with tummy feeling fine and ready to accompany little brother to school. Oliver has somehow been able to escape illness and although a little clingier than usual, he has been laughing and running every night away, as well as learning new words like Moo and Baa! Sick or healthy, these are super kids.

His new game.  Climb down off the bed, run full tilt to the other side, get lifted back on. Repeat as many times as is humanly possible in one night.

Books, books, books...just like big sister. He will drag you into his room to pick one out any time of day.

Le Petit Prince

Our little guy had a bit of a rough September, but has managed the transition to daycare like a trooper. He even had a couple tear-free mornings in the past week. No matter how the day starts, he eats and naps well and is always thrilled to meet up with big sister and play outside. They are always side-by-side when it's time to pick them up. Although he's off making new friends every weekday, he's his old self at home, entertaining us with his ear-to-ear grin and infectious laugh. His favourite nightly pastime is running as fast as he can from Isabelle's room to our room and back repeatedly, a ritual his sister is only too happy to encourage and take part in. And the words are starting to come as well! He has Dada and Mama well in hand, can do sound effects for a cat, a dog and a lion, ba-ba for his bottle, and even puts something together that sounds incoherently like Isabelle. Tonight he yelled out "Brobee" as he ran down the hall to see a picture of one of his Yo Gabba Gabba pals. Soon we won't be able to keep him quiet, hope Isabelle is ready for a brother who talks as much as she does!