Halloween Extravaganza!

One Man in the Yellow Hat, two Curious Georges, and a banana... makes for some excellent mixing and matching for these four little Halloweened holligans.

It all started with Nico's love of Curious George which he passed along to Fraser. Nico's monkey suit was the first to be acquired, and next on the list was Fraser's costume. I searched high and low (actually, I didn't try THAT hard), but couldn't find decent yellow pants/shirt/hat to put together, so- under the supervision of my mama- I made them. THAT'S why the shirt looks a little Hutterite-ish (it's the puffed sleeves, folks... sleeves are tricky business). And the boots- OH MY THE BOOTS. I just about died when I first saw them. The tiny cowboy boots were borrowed from a friend (Thanks Alexa!), and they completed the look perfectly. After the puzzle of Fraser's costume was solved, we stumbled across another monkey suit, then decided to use the left over felt from Fraser's costume to transform baby Summer into a banana. Easy peasy.

The original two.

The Man with the Yellow Hat and his other Curious George.

The Man with the Yellow Hat flying solo.

The lone monkey.

Oh these two!

Ya... good luck getting a picture of all four kiddies (aged 5 weeks to 2 years) posing nicely and smiling. I call these shots "reality".

We went to three houses in, like, nearly three hours! But don't you worry- we still scored huge. Nico's Nana & Papa (aka Nana Steph & Papa Nick) unloaded large buckets filled with candy, toys, books, colouring books, and- most importantly- TOOTH BRUSHES & TOOTH PASTE (brilliant, yes?), and Uncle Cam/Auntie Hayley and Uncle G/Auntie Mandy were certainly not shy with their offerings either!

Now if THAT'S not an amazing (already half emptied) haul, I don't know what is. Thanks Nana Steph & Papa Nick!

Our little fail this year is that we didn't buy any candy to give away! I falsely presumed that we'd be gone before the chillens came a-knockin, but like an hour before we even left, a small group started walking towards our house. We quickly hit the deck, and hunkered down on the living room floor whilst bribing Fraser to stay super quiet. They knocked/rang the doorbell/called "Trick or treat" for like 5 straight minutes... or at least it felt like 5 minutes. Or 20. Awkward. I should've just given them bananas or money or told them we didn't have anything, but I left it too long and it would have been like 50 times MORE awkward after the first 4 minutes of ignoring them. As soon as they left, we shut off the lights, closed the blinds, and dined in darkness. We're soooo cool. So if that was you at our door... sorry. Haha. FAIL.

So anyhoo...

Last year Fraser and Nico were hobbits Sam & Frodo. Remember that?

I wonder what next year will bring. This MAY have been the last year that WE got to decide their Halloween fate. I have a feeling they will become more opinionated on the subject, and may not be super into these themey costumes that their parents seem so fond of.

PS- Happy Halloween!

project 365: september edition

Given that old man winter has already stomped on us with his large, slushy boots (IN OCTOBER), I figured it was time to post summery September pictures...

A farm visit started off with Auntie Marti snuggles!

Stefan with Auntie Lori and four of his cousins!

Fraser loves his cuzzies!

PUPPIES!

Grandma T and her beloved poochies (the parents of the above puppies).

Fraser was fascinated by everything "farm". Too bad for Grandpa that Fraser came along like 20 years too late!

 (As diminished as my brain cells may be, it did not escape my notice that there are several pictures for September 2... hehehe... deal with it).

A special visit with our dear friends from Uni (Trav & Lisa) and their little cutie Vivi.

Mr. Stefan.

Our summer backyard set up. The little white thing poking in the bottom right corner is Stefan's jolly jumper, and yes... the super comfy chair is for ME.

If this isn't an ad for Pampers, I don't know what is!

Stories with Daddy! Fraser often requests "read a book onna couch"... or rocking chair... or bed... basically, the kid just loves stories!

Mommy/Fraser dog run date. Well, more like a Mommy/Fraser/Kumeu dog run date as we did not neglect to bring the dog to the dog run (we're good that way).

Date night (tee hee hee).

Think he's ready for solids yet? (Stefan, not Lowell. Lowell's been on solids for a few years now!)

Hot tubbin it at Nana & Papa's!

Little show off!

Such a goof!

Stefan was introduced to solids... he's a fan.

Mommy and Fraser goofy date!

Just having some muddy garden fun!

Fraser's first day of gymnastics. Loves. it.

Stefan just loooooves the outdoor jolly jumper (delegated as the "outdoor jolly jumper" because it takes up too much stinkin space in the house)!

Baby Elise came for a visit! Elise is 6 weeks younger than Stefan.

Stefan's turn for some muddy garden fun.

Fraser's prance. It is for real, and it is really this hilarious.

Baby Summer squeaked into this world JUST before the official end of summer. Welcome precious girl... and good timing!

Fraser helping out with the cake part of his birthday cake pops!

Mr. Jumperoo.

I attended a two-day speechie conference in Lethbridge... armed with Starbucks and ready to learn!

Contemplating serious fun. And he really DOES have hair. It's just so blonde that he still looks like Baldy McBalderson in every. single. picture!

This may be the 17th time some of you have seen this photo, but here are the cake pops all ready for Fraser's big day!

The birthday boys! Fraser is 2, and Kumeu is 3.5.

Fraser's birthday bowling party with Liam & Nico!

I realize I include many pictures of Fraser at the dog run, but he just loves it so much and it's just sooo dang cute!

Ah, it does my heart good to successfully capture such moments!

 The. End. When October's pictures make their appearance, you can look forward to seeing the result of me going hog wild crazy with the scissors and FRASER'S hair (no one is safe from mama's hair scissors in THIS house)...

Birthday Palooza!

I have been taking uncharacteristically  long breaks between posts and have basically been receiving threats because of it. It's not that we don't have anything going on- quite the opposite, in fact. There's so much going on, and I also have so many random (not to mention brilliant) thoughts floating around this here brain of mine that I haven't a clue where to start. I envision the inside of my head to look much like the home of a hoarder... scary. But in an effort to appease (I'm such a people pleaser), I am re-entering the blogosphere in a themey fashion. A BIRTHDAY themey fashion.

It has been birthday central around here and I shall go in order.

On September 22, our super duper close friends Nicholas & Chels had a GIRL! Beautiful little Summer Mackenzie (aka Sam aka my pseudo daughter) is the perfect addition to their family, and big brother Nico is just pleased as punch with her. When Chels was pregnant, I admit to initially hoping she would have another boy (so our families would continue to be identical) but this is even better- now Fraser & Stefan have a little sister figure. Part of the reason I think Lowell is such a wonderful husband is that he grew up with sisters. Sooo... no pressure or anything, Sam, but I DO expect your very existence to make both our boys amazing husbands. So thanks for THAT.

This STUNNING picture of Chels & Summer was taken by our talented friend Jen at La Di Da Lane Photography. I won't blame you if you keep returning to this post to look at this picture... I saved it on my phone and frequently admire it myself (just saw that in writing and realized that I sound sooooorrrrta creepy... sorry Chels)!

Next! Fraser celebrated his SECOND birthday on September 28! Since he turned TWO, he got to invite TWO friends to go bowling with him. Yes, bowling. There were bumper pads and ramps involved. And a whole lotta cuteness...

This is a prime example of one of those times that Julie (speaking in third person here) kind of forces photo ops on tired children at the end of the evening. Haha... still cute.

 Fraser, Nico, and Liam- all decked out in amazing/tiny bowling shoes- seemed to really embrace the experience... until the pizza came. At which time their stomachs took over their brains, so we set up for eats. Pizza for supper, soccer ball cake pops for dessert!

Hahaha. This is soooo Nico.

A cake pop close up for you all...

It was my first cake pop creation ever, and (in my humble opinion), it was such a success that I never want to attempt them again. But what really counts is that they were delicious (again, speaking modestly here. Haha.)

 After being sufficiently hopped up on fat and sugar, the boys took to running/rolling up and down the wheelchair ramp and swinging on the railing. I dare say this was the most enjoyable part of the evening for them! Next year I'm cheaping out and just going to some free public place with a ramp... and stuffing my pockets with cookies and/or juice pouches. Easy peasy lemon squeezey!

Side note: At the end of the evening, Fraser sort of started "high fiving" kids (as in random children, not just his party guests) in the face. I was like, "No. You turned two TODAY. We're NOT doing this." Luckily he's been fine since (Minus a few misplaced high fives). Phewf. Dodged that bullet... for now.

Next up was Stefan! He had his half birthday on October 12... I can't believe he's already 6 months old. I felt a little guilty for not having a full-on party complete with half a cake as we did for Fraser, but my entire family was together so that was kind of the celebration. Also, he got to spend the day with his little cousin Fin who turned 1/3 of a year on the same day, so that was rad. Plus, he's already been on solids for a month and that was really the main event at Fraser's half birthday party. Whew- guilty conscience effectively cleared!

Next! Carlynne and I celebrated the second anniversary of our 29th birthday! (Again, we're totally READY to embrace our 30s but cannot officially do so until we're in the presence of Celine Dion... she obviously has not yet received that memo.) Anyhoo, Carlynne and I were together for the first birthday in six years (six years ago being the day of her and Dan's engagement... the day that I awkwardly and incorrectly assumed that Dan had planned the entire day for me too. Haha.) But not only were Carlynne and I together, but our ENTIRE family was home. So, we had a girl's shopping trip (where Carlynne and I bought each other jeans as per tradition) and a delightful brunch (well, we actually had like nine deliciously extravagant meals throughout the weekend which I'll say were all for our birthday... Thanksgiving had nothing to do with it.)

Oh, and Lowell gave me a Starbucks bouquet. A beautiful bouquet of flowers and STARBUCKS CARDS. A "Lowell original"... straight from the mind of Lowell. Brilliant isn't he? He DOES have his masters, y'all.

Coffee was a bit of a theme this birthday (which is funny when you consider that when Lowell and I met, I never EVER had coffee in any way, shape, or form. It's a slippery slope, folks!). If you recall in my Starbucks addiction admission post, I was hoping to save up for a fancy shmancy coffee machine (in order to throw less of my money at Starbucks), and Craig, Shareen and the parentals got me the perfect little set up to assist me with said goal: a stove-top espresso maker, one of my fave flavours, re-usable Starbucks cups, and a money jar. I can make myself lattes, and a few times a week I can toss a couple bucks in the jar and save right on up, baby!

Genius!

Oh, and since the whole fam damily was home, the very talented Rachel of Rachel Joyce Photography (I know her from way back in our high school days!) took some family shots. Here is but one of them...

There's more of the sneak peek here! Seriously, she oozes talent, folks.

Other notable birthdays include Dad T who turned SIXTY (!!!), and my good pal Carianne (who turned 29 for the second time, but only because she mistakenly thought she turned 29 last year hee hee). We did not get to celebrate with Lowell's Dad (promise extra big hugs next time we see you, Dad T!), but I had the honour of joining in a small celebration for Carianne (but you can still get an extra big hug next time I see you, like, in a day Carianne)!

Three generations of T boys!

Carianne, moi, and the gals.

I do enjoy birthdays!