Happy Halloween

Did you guess right?

Paul and I dressed up as the founding pastor and his wife of our church. It was in the 1960's and even today, she still wears a hat to church! We got a lot of laughs, we were 2 of 4 adults that dressed up, so at least we weren't the only ones!

Here are our Bunny, Duck and Cat.

We had a small party before we went out trick or treating. The kids that we were going with us came over an hour before and we had fun and lots of food!

Here is the whole gang. Ready to take over Upper Chapman Camp!

Here are the pumpkin creations.

Finally after almost 2 hours out, we got back home and went through the loot. It was perfect weather and a great night with friends.

Halloween Preview

Can you guess what we dressed up like for Halloween?

Do-Re-Mi

So, the high school is putting on the Sound of Music this year and needed to audition some young kids for some important roles. The girl's they pick will need to sing 12 songs with the cast in the production and have speaking parts. They came to Grace's school last week to present it to the kids and invite them to audition. So, today was the day.

She had been practicing all week learning the song and was doing great. We got to the audition at McKim theatre in town and waited for her age group to be called up. They were put in groups of 4 and then they sang the song. There were 12 girls trying out for the part for their age. Gracie's friend Kayla also was there and they both did great! I was so proud of Gracie, she sang her best, sang loud and had a smile on her face. After all the girl's had done their song in groups, we had to wait 5 minutes as the deliberations went on as to which girls would be asked to stay and continue in the auditions. They picked 4 girls out of Gracie's age group and both Grace and Kayla got called back!!!

So, they then were asked to go up in groups of 2 and one would sing the melody and the other the harmony (holding the note for the whole line then the next note for the next line etc) They did that and then switched. Then they were asked to read lines from the script. Grace did great, again so proud of her. Just watching her do something most people would be terrified to do made me so proud. We will find out this weekend if she got the part. It is a huge time commitment if she gets it. 3 practices a week starting Feb to June!

The highlight was watching Grace hear her name be called to stay. Grace and Kayla grabbed each other and squealed and jumped up and down. Even if she doesn't get it, that moment was worth it all.

I will keep you posted but I am one proud mama tonight as I think of my 8 yr old standing and singing on stage in front of 50 people, too cool, I am so proud!

Pirate J Man, ARRRRRRR!

Did you guess right. Yesterday J Man had his Halloween Howl at his play group. He is dressing as a cat on Sunday, but this day he wanted to be a pirate!

He loved his bird.

So after the love bird fest, we headed out to the party.

There was pumpkin painting...

Pumpkin decorating...

This is J Man's creation...

The love continued...

He decorated his own Halloween table cloth, got tattoos, got a spider ring, then we headed to the gym for more fun.

He worked so hard setting up these pins, it took him about five tries because other kids kept coming over and knocking them down. He was so patient and kind and finally got them up and knocked them down right away before anyone else could!

He also build a "train"

There was also face painting. He wanted to be a cat, you know, practice for Sunday!

He had a great time. A great event, they even fed us lunch! Paul is at Cici's class this morning helping them carve pumpkins, then they have their Halloween howl tomorrow at school. Halloween is gonna drag on for days this year. Cici wants to put on a little Halloween party on Sunday with our friends that are going to come trick or treating with us. It is going to be a busy weekend!

Guessing Game

Can you guess what J Man is wearing and why?

Winter is Coming

I feel like I should post a "signs of a Kimberley winter", because it is close, real close.

Signs that winter will be here soon in Kimberley

- it is almost Halloween, enough said. We usually have some sort of snowfall before Halloween

- no more stink bugs in your house

- grass turning brown and quick

- snow on the mountains and on the ski hill, yup, there is snow on the ski hill this morning and the mountains have snow almost down to their base this morning.

-the kids WANTING to wear mitts and hats

-the deer are devouring EVERYTHING and getting fatter

-the golf courses are emptying their irrigation lines

-we can again walk on Bootleg Gap golf course

- fireplaces, wood stoves and heaters are cranked and are being used day and night

I must admit that of all the winters here, this one will be cherished the most as it will be our last here in the mountains. I am looking forward to flashlight sled walks after dinner every night, to sledding down 106 ave, building HUGE snowmen families in our front yard, shovelling in the lamplit night when it is snowing hard, big fat flakes falling straight down and it is deafly quiet, just you and the deer. Having a huge snowfall of several feet overnight that you are trapped at home cause you can't get your car out. When the trees are bending with so much snow and the sky is clear and blue against them. I can't wait for hot chocolate, rosy cheeks, wet boots and mitts, skating, campfires with friends and spending our last "real" winter here.

Created a Monster

So, as you see in my last post, I encouraged Jude to draw on himself (with washable markers mind you), and even his sisters got in on the action. Well, today I returned from my shower to find Jude with "whiskers" and "paws". Cici told me that he had drawn on himself and she didn't see him do it. Oh well I thought, then I looked beside him to find an orange Sharpie marker. Oh no I thought. Yup, he had found the Sharpies, many of them, and turned himself into a cat. Meow.

The Writing on the Back, and Front, and Ears....

This is what happens when you say "sure Jude you can write on your body, we'll have a bath tonight". Something tells me that he wasn't the only one writing on his body tonight!

Chestnuts Roasting by an Open Fire

Ever since I was a kid, I have always wondered about Chestnuts roasting by an open fire. That song makes the image so romantic and nostalgic. So, on our nightly walk yesterday, we found loads of fresh Chestnuts under our neighbours tree. The kids collected as many as they could carry and were thrilled at their find. They were even more thrilled when I mentioned that you could eat them. All I knew about eating them though is from that song, that you must roast them by an open fire. Well, no open fires here, but I thought the oven would do just fine. I set out last night to research how to roast Chestnuts and found some great sites. So today since there is no school... we roasted.

Cut small x's in the flat part of the Chestnut

Soak the Chestnuts for about 15 minutes in water to help the shell come off when cooked

Remove from water and place x side up on baking sheet

Roast for about 15 min at 400 degrees

Enjoy!

Well, enjoy might be a bit of an exaggeration. The constancy of the nut when cooked is like mashed potatoes, not a hit with our kids and when I tasted it, it was pleasant until a burning bitter aftertaste overwhelmed my mouth. So, the beautiful bowl of Chestnuts we spent an half an hour working on are now int the garbage. Cici's comment on the whole thing "yuck, they are gross, but they are fun to collect". That sums it up.

Bird Count

Bird count as of today 8:48am

This morning- 1 bird

Total bird count hitting my windows- 4 in the last week

oh, my hypothesis was confirmed by several sources that indeed the birds are eating my Mountain Ash berries and getting drunk. That makes it a bit more humorous. I can't hide behind closed curtains anymore, it was within seconds of opening my curtains this morning that the bird count rose. Ahhh, save the birds or let in the sun, I think today the sun will win.

The sign says it all

Super Beaner

If you ever need cuddles, she will be there

If you ever need someone to listen to, she will be there

If you ever need someone to laugh at cartoons with, she will be there

If you ever need to hear a song, she will be there

If you ever need someone to teach you anything on a Mac, she will be there

Yes she is Super

(If you are wondering, the cape was a gift from a birthday party she went to today! All the kids that went got a personalized cape, too cool.)

Sam, birds and the Wedding

Who is this adorable baby? This is Sam. More on him later.

On to other things, like drunk birds hitting my window. Yes. Here is the count as of this minute.

Window Hit Count.

2 days ago- 1 bird

Today- 2 birds

Casualties- none

My question is, why? Why are so many birds crashing into our front window? It is fall. My hypothesis is that they are eating the berries from our front tree, getting drunk (as I have heard that can happen) and crashing into our window. I will keep you posted on the Window Hit Count.

Now, onto Sam again.

Sam is our friend's 7 week old baby boy, and he is so cute and wonderful.

It was a blessing to share him with his parents for a few days while we were in Edmonton, the girls LOVED him and constantly wondered when he would be awake to play!

The main reason for heading to Edmonton was to celebrate the marriage of my brother to his amazing (now wife) Megan. Here are some of the highlights.

This was a great idea, the girl's wore these pins all that night and had them facing each other so it looked like they were kissing.

I loved all the creative ideas at the wedding, here is the seating assignments and a typewriter to give the bride and groom a message.

This is Joel.

and his bride Megan

Someone made these dolls for Joel and Megan, the likeness is uncanny.

To finish the night, Joel's band played a set and J Man got to show his uncle his skills on the skins. Actually, he kept running over to the drums through the whole reception and we had to keep grabbing him off, so when he was allowed to play with his uncle, he really let it rip!

It was a great wedding, a wedding focused on Christ, covenant, family and love. It was very moving and beautiful and showcased who Joel and Megan are in Christ. Loved it.

Family Time

The last week of our lives has been absolutely crazy, fun and meaningful. There is so much to talk about that it might take days to get all caught up.

I know some of you are waiting for some birthday pics from B's birthday last week, you may have to wait some more... She had a good birthday but it felt rushed and then her sister made her cry while we were singing Happy Birthday, I even have the sad event on video. Anyway, it did have some major high points, her Grandma and Grandpa were here, she got to eat cake and opened presents. Her Nana and Papa took her out for a birthday date when we saw them in Edmonton this past weekend, she ate at Denny's, got a bear from Build a Bear and rode rides at West Edmonton Mall, now that sounds like a fun celebration.

Paul's parents were here for a few days to help us get our house ready to sell, they did such and amazing job and we were so thankful that they could help us out. The house is almost ready to list and then starts the craziness of trying to sell a house with 3 kids living in it!

Ahh, the highlight of our last week, seeing my brother get married! We went to Edmonton for the big day, the wedding was amazing, there will be pictures to follow in a few days. It was great to get away, stay with friends, she Sam the newborn baby, watch the girls swoon over him, see my parents, go to Costco, oh, and see my brother get married!!

That may very quickly sum up the last week, I didn't know we could fit so much in! All in all, it has been full of great family time.

Fall Beauty