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Fall is here! I know it is not technically according to the calendar but the early mornings sure feel like it. We got our first chance to go throw some leaves in the air and run through them earlier this week.

I love vests on little boys.

He looks like a farmer boy with his gumboots.

Leah and her buddy wanted to play basketball, just like at the park so I pulled out a 5 gallon bucket that my dad left here, found a stray nail in the side of the ‘shed’ and voila! Now they just want the bottom cut off. Innovative or redneck? I’ll let you decide.

Joel loves to sit on a ball or roll on his stomach on a ball until he falls off and laughs. Leah has adopted this chair as her own and has taken up a little bit of football.

Joel actually ate a good bit of corn off this cob.

We got a gift certificate to a restaurant in Richmond which was fancier than I thought. Thankfully we brought felts and paper for the kids to keep them occupied. Leah and Joel did well though there were lots of distractions. We ordered right away for their food, which worked out well and ate our food while the kids were stilling eating theirs (or playing with it) and then left quickly. Not as nice as when we go out on our date nights but still some family time.

Visiting Grandma at work.

Leah and her chef outfit. If you come to visit, bring your credit card. Prices are set at $97 for everything at her restaurant lately.

Joel loves to try put on Leah’s shoes. He’s figured out her crocs but flip flops are a lot more difficult.

I learned how to slalom properly this year. I went for an evening ski with Leah as my spotter.

Bedtime stories. Morgan reads three stories every night to Leah. It is their special father-daughter time. Joel hangs out in Leah’s room until he gets into trouble.

He loves to climb onto Leah’s bed and bounce, which is when I get called in to put him to bed.

What a difference a year and a few months can make. The picture of Leah was from her preschool open house in Spring before she started preschool and now she is going to four year old preschool in September.

A morning at the beach.

Grandpa with our kids all wearing VW shirts. This is what happens when Grandpa does a rare shopping expedition.

Joel swinging on our new to us playground.

Morgan helping me with the fence. My veggie garden is doing rather well this year. I have potatoes, tomatoes, onions, a lone strawberry plant, a ginormous pumpkin plant and rhubarb.

Joel with his favourite toy by far. These bowling pins are generally used for hitting balls around the house but also effective to get someone’s attention really quick by bopping them on the head.

Finally decorating our house. Here are some frames in Leah’s room.

I also made her a bulletin board. Some frames in the kitchen.

I got Leah to help me paint and draw some flowers and a tree for the living room. Some more space to show off the kid’s artwork.

We have been having a nice summer. My daycare load is pretty light so we’ve been lying low more. A couple of days a week I have a boy or two in the morning, so at nap time Leah watches a movie or creates art while I do yard work or putter around the house. I’m trying to get cupboards organized, baby stuff removed and make our house more of our own. I’ve also had more time to focus on the yard which I enjoy.

Leah and Joel are having a sleepover tonight at my parents so Morgan and I could go paddle boarding today. We had so much fun and I’m sure the kids are too. Speaking of sleepovers, Leah had her first sleepover recently. She was at the neighbour’s, who she spends tons of time with, so I felt really comfortable with sending her over. It was also nice knowing if she was upset, we were just across the street. Leah and one of her buddies was asleep by 8:30 with her other friend whispering her name til much later. Leah was pretty cute going over there with her sleeping bag, backpack on and pillow in hand. She told me tonight the only things that are fun are sleepovers and Oroville.

What Joel has been up to lately –
-making many more sounds (oh, ah)and sometimes trying to copy what you say, nothing overly clear yet besides Leah
-found his screaming voice, not used when angry yet
-can throw a temper tantrum, throwing himself on the floor on his stomach, crying
-very steady on his feet
-rejecting veggies more lately
-loves to play peek a boo, will initiate play
-gives food bowl when done, doesn’t throw food on the floor anymore
-likes to put things back
-plays t-ball
-colours with felts, taking the lids off, colouring on the paper and then putting the lids back on

What Leah has been up to lately –
-loves to play chasing games with Joel
-crosses her arms and stomps feet when annoyed
-loves to paint, makes playdough shapes, colours and paints them
-likes toe nail polish
-knows how to pump on the swing
-knows her phone number and address, can add small numbers
-loves glitter and shiny things

We went up to Oroville for a week with a bunch of friends from our church. We had a blast with tons of kids running around and many adult hands around to help. There were walks through and by an apple orchard on the way to the bridge so the kids could throw leaves and branches in and run to the other side of the bridge to watch them continue on down the river. A few of us enjoyed the pleasures of boating and skiing. There was a pile of baby monitors on the counter while adults talked and laughed while eating ice cream in excess as the moon shone. The big draw of the lake was to throw rocks into until a brave youngster came up and showed how much fun the water can be. Thunder and lightning revealed slightly scared but mostly excited faces.

What a view from the table. Joel loved sitting a few feet from the water playing contentedly in the sand and rocks.

Leah got more comfortable in the water as the week went by. The weather also got progressively warmer. There was lots of relaxing and lounging.

Here’s the bridge where we threw rocks and sticks into the river below.

Joel is no longer a baby but an opinionated toddler. Here he is on a big chair enjoying some waffle.

Morgan paddled in a little dingy across the lake alongside a friend who is training for a triathlon. Morgan in the cabin.

I didn’t capture on ‘film’ a lot of moments but instead tried to enjoy them without worrying about the camera. It was also busy juggling childcare and meal prep and the like while still trying to fit in a nap. We are so blessed to have such great friends to share our lives with.

We have been having a really busy month. A good month but busy. Sod has been transplanted over flower garden. Vegetable garden has been weeded. Playground retaining wall built. Pea gravel wheelbarrowed.

(Don’t let this picture fool you, this represents hours upon hours of blood, sweat and tears. Actually, just sweat and many, many hours – but not even much sweat with this wet, cool June. It also represents how blessed we are with amazing family and friends who helped complete this project by providing childcare, manual labour, knowledge and even a cement mixer to bring us pea gravel).

Family has been visited. We’ve eaten with friends. The doorbell keeps ringing with kids needing care. Preschool is finishing off.

Cuddles have been given. Steps taken. (Joel decided last Friday that he wanted to start walking unprompted and took 24 steps on his own at the playground. A big leap from the 4-5 steps he would take between Morgan and I.) Life savoured. New knowledge learned. God has been so good.

For Leah’s fourth birthday, we invited a few friends over for some games (duck, duck, goose and the like), cookie decorating, party crown making and playing before having their families join us for lunch and cupcakes. Leah’s cake ideas ranged from a pretty fire truck with a mermaid to princess with Spiderman. In the end, I convinced her sprinkles on cupcakes would be fun.

On her actual birthday, I made her waffles for breakfeast.

Joel loves playing with buckles. He took a few steps after Leah’s birthday but isn’t into walking at all.

He’s figured out the playground though and loves going down the slide. Leah likes wearing her sunglasses.

I gave Joel a haircut the other day. It was getting long in the back. He knows to smile when there is a camera pointing at him.

Here are the after pictures. Not much difference when it was combed before. Now his bedhead doesn’t stick out so much.

At the park. This little guy is saying mama (reference to me and to food), da (to get attention, sometimes in reference to Morgan) and eye-yah (definitely in reference to Leah). Leah can make him laugh and rile him up like no other.

We had our first picnic of the year on our deck in March. Time to replace toques and mittens with sun hats and hoodies.

Morgan drove semi truck for a couple of months. Leah enjoyed checking out the truck and pretending to drive.

Every night Morgan was gone, he would email three pictures to me to show Leah before bedtime. It was a neat way of helping Leah still feel connected to Morgan and know that he was thinking about her even though he wasn’t there to tuck her in at night. He would take pictures of random things he thought Leah would like. Here are two of the pictures he sent. A row of tires at a truck repair shop and a car with a mohawk.

The truck is not permitted on the road where we live so we would sometimes walk with Morgan to the truck.

Joel is starting to have lots of opinions. He likes to do what everyone else is doing. I can no longer enjoy a snack unless he has some food too. He loves sitting on chairs but pushes the table away and he hasn’t figured out how to safely get off a chair yet.

Here is Leah singing and doing the actions at her preschool presentation.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that we spend hours outside. Joel loves cars and spent quite awhile crawling while pushing a car around making car noises while I was baking. He also loves his truck which he sits on and drives around the house. He has figured out how to steer with his feet.

I love how Leah is all dressed up with her hair up and she is tromping around with rain pants on.

Joel loves his rocking horse. He can climb up and rock on it all on his own. He even stands up while holding the handles (which I get him in trouble for, I just say no to him and tell him to sit).

Hanging out with Granddad and playing with some toys before dinner. Joel has figured out how to put the shapes onto the poles.

Joel wasn’t too interested in his cake, though he knew all eyes were on him.

Leah enjoyed a cupcake. My mom took Leah to buy a present for Joel. Leah really wanted to buy him a rattle or other baby toys and my mom and dad had to convince her that a train would be more appropriate. My mom also helped Leah make a special card for Joel.

Joel enjoyed some snuggles with Grandma. Leah was excited about playing with Joel’s new toys.

On Joel’s actual birthday we had a very low key celebration. My sister made this awesome car cake.

Such a happy guy.

We went on a nice, little walk with Grandma that evening.

Joel loves using his walker and can now steer it.

Joel is 21 pounds and 31 inches tall. He is a very content babe. He sleeps from 8 till 7 at night and naps at 10 and 2. He gives his smiles very generously. He can stand on his own for about a second and is getting better and better at balancing. He loves to eat with his hands. We are so thankful God has blessed us with such a wonderful boy.

This past weekend Joel went on his sleepover with Leah at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. They both had a blast, as did Morgan and I. We went snowshoeing up at Mt. Seymour. It was a beautiful day.

Out on the trails, it was so peaceful. After snowshoeing, we went out for some Vietnamese food before picking up our kids. It was so refreshing to spend some time alone and at the same time I was glad to be able to see our littles again.

Guess who turns one in six days?