One Sweet Ride

With Mommy, Oliver and Isabelle off to the big christening in Toronto, Daddy and his best friend Shawn were home to enjoy a boys weekend. The van was an essential part of the trip to Toronto, so a car rental had to do the trick for the boys until Sunday, and what a car rental they scored! Daddy booked an economy rental and when he arrived, they offered him a "really small car" or pay for an upgrade to a Chevy Impala. When Dad saw that the small car was a Fiat 500, his decision was easy. This was a super fun car to zip around with over the weekend, super easy to fit into the smallest of parking spots and great to take around the curves of the Gatineau hills. To be honest, the car might have even fit in the back of our Sienna, but it was more than enough to fit the bill for a good weekend. Unfortunately, Sunday came and this little chariot turned back into a minivan. Seeing as that minivan comes with a fantastic wife and two awesome kids inside, Dad's attraction to the Fiat disappeared without a trace. Happy to have his family back in the fold and a car that has room for more than one bag of groceries!

Sporting some cool wheels for the weekend

She Shoots, She Scores!

Isabelle and Oliver have returned from their wild weekend in Toronto, but not before paying a visit to Aunt Martha and Gigi. Oliver especially enjoyed the gift he received, his Curious George hockey stick and puck. Aunt Martha sure nailed it right on the head with that one, as she always does. She clearly knows this little guy sure likes his hockey. In fact, he enjoyed his gift so much that the only time it has left his little hands was when he had his bath. It goes without saying that he took it to bed with him. Such a sweet little angel, so tired after all the activity of the past few days. Sleep tight, bud!

Madoc is Here!

We are so proud to announce the arrival of Matt and Rhiannon's little boy. On the afternoon of October 30th, Madoc arrived and we are all thrilled to welcome him with open arms. He tipped the scales at 7 pounds, 13 ounces and he has already stolen all of our hearts. We were lucky enough to see him and the overjoyed couple tonight and everyone is in great spirits of course! Maybe Elgin will be the one that will have to adjust the most to this new roommate! We wish them all the best and can't wait to see this little dude grow with each and every day. Congratulations to a superb family!

Happy to be here and letting everyone know about it!

The proud papa and his baby boy

Mommy Rhiannon...has a nice ring to it!

The Lion, the Witch and...Thor?

Come on Logan, you couldn't have dressed as a wardrobe just to complete the Narnia-themed trick-or-treating party?! Oh well, regardless, the kids had a total blast hitting the streets to collect chocolate and candy from everyone...hopefully one day those silly adults won't figure out that this holiday is really quite heavily tilted towards the kids. Until they do, these 4 kids are happy to feast on the treats!

The kids look forward to Hallowe'en throughout the month of October. Who was the smart guy that stuck it way at the end of the month? Finally, the big day arrived and everyone was ready to celebrate in style. Isabelle and Oliver had a great time at school to start things off. Oliver and his pals visited some local businesses for treats and both kids enjoyed a visit from Witch Annie for a spooky story.

Once they got home, it was time to get suited up for the evening portion. Logan arrived for a quick dinner and then it was time to get down to business. Oliver was absolutely hilarious out there. His little legs in his orange pants could not move any faster as he bolted from one house to the next, partially trying to catch up to his friends, but mostly due to excitement about what he was going to get next. His bag was filling up quickly and when his dad cleared it to make room, Oliver was not sure whether to trust that he was getting these items back later! Isabelle is an old veteran, of course, and was happy to lead the way. Many of the neighbours have known her since she was born, so they enjoy getting the chance to see her in person. She was the perfect little witch and we expect that the next few years of Hallowe'en will be so much fun. The kids are the perfect age to enjoy it to its fullest.

Starting off the special day at school. These are the "daytime costumes" for this year. Of course, it is a major faux pas to wear the same costume at night. Don't you know that, Mom and Dad!?

All prepped with pumpkins for the trick-or-treaters

Kayla's first Hallowe'en!  Isabelle is happy to show her the ropes!

Loading up on pizza before taking it to the streets

Even a drink to match her costume!

The lonely little caterpillar waits as everyone rushed outside to get started!

A trio of trick-or-treaters starts to build their big haul

Pausing for a rest along the way. A successful Hallowe'en for all!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Hallowe'en is always a special day in this household. Not only are two kids absolutely ecstatic about getting dressed up and going trick-or-treating, but we get to celebrate Daddy's birthday! This year he is reaching a bit of a milestone and we were able to recognize it in style. Amongst several wonderful gifts that he received last weekend, Daddy received 2 tickets to see his beloved Habs play in Ottawa this coming weekend, which thrilled him but not nearly as much as the rest of his gift. His friend Shawn will be arriving from Winnipeg Friday afternoon to join him at the game. Needless to say, Daddy was blown away by such a surprise and is very excited to see a friend he stays in regular contact but hasn't seen in person in almost 4 years. Every birthday spent with family is special to him and this was even moreso. We made him promise to make this next decade every bit as good as his 30s were, which he says will be easy with such a great family. Happy birthday, Daddy!

The Great Glebe Pumpkin Patch

If it's Hallowe'en weekend, it means we are headed to the Glebe Community Centre for their pumpkin patch party, an annual event that is perfect for kids of all ages, but especially for kids the ages of Isabelle and Oliver. They chose their costumes and met up with Logan and Kayla for some fun times. The GCC had something for everyone, including a haunted house, a fish pond for treats, even a medium doing readings. The biggest hit by far was in the great room, where they had a candy carnival filled with multiple games of skill and even bouncy castles! The kids collected stamps on their cards as they played each game and at the end of the night, turned in their completed card for a loot bag. Needless to say, they were all very focused on collecting points at every game, only distracted by the cookie decorating (by far Oliver's favourite activity, and not because he likes decorating!). What better way to spend a fun Saturday night over Hallowe'en than hanging with friends, playing games and eating sweets. This place has the magic recipe for fun once again. It's always a highlight of the season, only topped by the big night itself. We are already looking to next year, when maybe Isabelle will finally be brave enough to try the haunted house!

Oliver has been practicing for this all month!

Rare for brides to fit a hockey game into their wedding day

Cookie #1 quickly disappearing

Thor trades in his mighty hammer for a cookie

Isabelle puts on the finishing touches

Hallowe'en dudes enjoying the festivities

Kayla cozies up to her mom

Cookie #2 is attacked! Hallowe'en parties rock!

A Boy's First Haircut

After 2 years and 8 months, our little surfer dude Oliver finally settled into a stylist's chair for the very first time to get his hair cut. His flowing blonde locks were becoming a little bit unruly in recent weeks, especially since the humid weather of the summer has subsided. The curls are still out in full force but had relaxed enough in the fall temperatures to make him look less coiffed as he could be, more like a mad scientist! So Isabelle and Oliver ventured down to Rideau Centre to get cleaned up for the upcoming holiday season. Have to look your best for when Santa starts to watch! Isabelle went first and was ecstatic to get so much attention, getting her hair washed and cut and styled, she was right in her element. It didn't hurt that there was a mirror in front of her the whole time. Oliver was next and was such a trooper, not a tear as he sat still to get his hair brushed and cut. He appeared to be unsure of what exactly was going on, but he was a real champ and surely one of the easiest 2-year old haircut the stylist has ever done! Luckily not much was taken so he still has little boy curls and his moptop, just a bit cleaned up so he looks presentable. First trip to the salon was a big hit, now bring on Hallowe'en!

Sipping his special drink as he awaits his turn

Chilling out with Mom

Why not some hockey while we wait?!

One of the stylists and her fancy shoes, crazy!

Starbucks and a visit to the salon, this is the life!

Ready for her closeup

Big boy all prepped and ready for action!  Bravo Oliver!

Spooky Supper

Auntie Meggie flagged a neat idea for us for a special Hallowe'en time supper that the kids would love: spider chicken pot pies! A relatively easy recipe tweaked with an ingenious execution turned a nice hearty meal into a fun event. Last weekend we had a date night and with Caitlin coming by we thought the kids would love to show her their special supper when she arrived. They both loved the design, Isabelle especially was a fan of the pastry part of the dish, as it disappeared quite quickly after it was presented to her. It was a nice kickoff to the evening. As Mom and Dad headed to the movies and Auntie Mer out with her friends, these two spent the night decorating cupcakes. No shortage of treats around here, with more to come on Hallowe'en next week!

Trio of spiders almost ready!

As delicious as they look

Two happy diners give the meal a thumps up!

Haunting Season at Saunders

An October tradition continues. Saunders Farm is this awesome place located west of Ottawa with no shortage of things to do for kids. It's actually really cool to visit any time of year but it is most famous for what it offers during the month of October. The place transforms into Hallowe'en Central and it is the perfect spot to spend a sunny fall afternoon with kids that are super excited for October 31st to finally get here. Our posse (including Auntie Mer this year!) hopped into the van and met up with Logan, Kayla and their Mom and Dad at the gate, ready to have some fun. After we convinced Logan to skip the haunted house (it's for 10 and over), we made our annual trip to the haunted hayride. Isabelle has been on it 5 times yet seems more scared now than ever before. Her parents feel that she is more nurturing her budding thespian skills than actually being afraid of anything. Oliver in fact was unfazed other than finding the ride "too bumpy". We then visited the Corn Cannon and had some lunch before seeing the farm's latest attraction: jumping pillows! This things are amazing and super fun for kids of all ages. The hardest part is getting kids to realize that they can't stay on them all night long, we're sure that Isabelle and Logan would still be there if we hadn't moved on to see the big stage show. As usual, the show was great for kids and adults, keeping us all in stitches. Hallowe'en is such a great time to be in Ottawa, with fall colours everywhere and such great family festivities on display, the season is so easy to enjoy. Next up, Glebe Pumpkin Party and then the big night itself! So long Saunders, another great afternoon of chills and thrills!

Family ready to get frightened (Isabelle already ahead of us...)

Belle launches corn from the cannon

Nothing scarier than when these two get together!

Oliver beams from the play structure

Smiling sweetie

Baby Kayla's first Hallowe'en!

Hamming it up

Big air for Isabelle and Logan

Mommy and Oliver join the party

Scream Queen launches an attack during the big show

Best seat in the house

The traditional October show, plus 1 more this year!

Happy Hallowe'en, everybody!