Pumpkin Carving

Four children, two pumpkins. (One dog, who likes to be around the doings at the table.)

First you take the lids off...

Fenna explores.

Then you scoop the guts out...

Fenna feeds pumpkin goop to Daisy, who is always ready to eat. Always. At least pumpkin is good for dogs! (Unlike chocolate, onions, walnuts and used kleenex, all of which she is eager to eat. EAGER.)

It took Dries a little time to become willing to explore, but with some encouragement and some strategic ignoring of the boy, he came around.

"YUK! This is cold and slimy!!!" (He says, with great enthusiasm, having learned our Vocabulary Words for the day, along with "slippery", "slithery", and "ooze".)

Addie had no such reservations.

Nor did Ada.

Four children, two complete and lit pumpkins.

 Fenna checks out the finished happy face.

 

Dries attempts to make an angry face like the pumpkin. I know, he looks more like he's suffering a bit of gas, but really? That is an ANGRY face.

And this? All appearances to the contrary, this is NOT a happy dance. This is three toddlers going, "Grr, Grr, Grr! I am ANGRY!!!!"

Isn't so cute the way they can't fake angry?

(Wouldn't it be even cuter if they didn't do it for real? And even cute0cute-cuter if they didn't do it for real about SERIOUSLY IMPORTANT THINGS like ... what colour their socks are?) Ah, such are the dreams of parenthood.  :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!!

Playgroup

This thing I love most about the Firehall's Friday playgroup is the opportunity the kids get to burn off some steam in rather desolate weather. We don't go when we can get outside, but last Friday was drizzly and chill. The wide open spaces of playgroup were much more appealing!

A favourite activity, at least until it gets crowded:

I think Ada is a little unclear on what exactly needs to be filled up...

Climbing baby!

I love this shot.

I

Dries took this one, and for once, it's not of my cleavage... Most of Dries's pictures of my are unpublishable, I'm afraid. Which amuses me no end.  :D 

They were all cute...

But the belle of the ball was probably this one:

 Everyone loves a baby...

Halloween Party!

In no particular order, and heap of pictures! Enjoy.

 Yes, that's right. Not one, but TWO bumblebees. Oooo, the cute overload...

 Pre-party photo shoot. Cute little fairy!

 "Double, double, toil and trouble..."

 Not quite everybody! Ella and Nahanni had yet to arrive, and as a result, I don't have a good picture of either of those two in costume. I got distracted and forgot. Boo!

 Pretty princess!

 Eventually, costumes, no matter how cute, get ditched. Happens every year.

 Do we know how to put on a yummy spread, or what? Mmmmmm... Also, intense parental conversations occuring across the dining table.

 More intense conversationing. Or maybe it was just that it was SO INCREDIBLY LOUD it took intense concentration to hear someone from all the way across the table. Seven or eight highly excited under-fives make for a LOUD party. Heh.

 It was a little quieter in the living room, but not much. Rebecca is fortified by the wine. Maeve and Laura eventually retired someplace quieter for Maeve's dinner...

Fenna Gets Her Own Back

Remember that heap of leaves Dries deposited on Fenna's head the other day? This is probably more karma for big brother. I was helping Ada dig a hole when I heard Dries, rather plaintive. "Fenna, don't do that, Fenna. Fenna, please stop!" His complaints were accompanied by a muffled tap-tap sound.

Oh!

It may not be entirely clear from the picture, but what you're seeing there is Fenna steadily whacking the top of Dries's head with a white plastic shovel. I think she liked the noise. Sort of like a drum, don't you know...

I was impressed that Dries was "using his words", and didn't scream, shriek, or shove. He was remarkably patient, and I told him all that, of course!

I also put a quick stop to that particular game!

He's a Swinger ... or maybe a Pusher?

Dries enjoys being in the swing. However, this week he discovered another thing to enjoy about swings: Pushing! He took a knock or two from standing too close to the returning swing, but soon figured it out.

Pretty good, huh? There was absolutely no adult help in getting those swings going like that. He's coordinated, and strong.

Everyone was having fun. (Including me, who finds pushing swings to be among the most unutterably boring tasks of childcare. It's a failing,  I know...)

All that pushing is thirst... er, piddly? ... work...  

Also: toddlers are so lucky. You know how I was saying how easy the job was, only last week? Well, it does have its particular challenges. See, I had to pee, too, but do I get to go right when I'd like to? No, I do not. Instead, I have the unenviable task of trying to hurry four toddlers home to my bathroom. Hurry them! Hahahahaha...

(I'm jealous...)

Fenna: Leader of the Pack

What's Fenna up to? It looks exciting! We must hasten to investigate!

And emulate!

Bottoms up!!

Leader of the pack. Or maybe just monkey see, monkey do?

Ada, Fenna, a stick, and some big-sisterly kindness

You know how I know this is a terrific bunch of kids? It's not uncommon, when a new baby is introduced to the group, for someone to have their nose a wee bit out of joint. Very often that someone is the former baby of the group, who's just been ousted from that cushy spot.

Ada? Has no such problems whatsoever. In fact, she's taking a clearly nurturing interest in little Fenna. Here's a small sample:

A Stick or two, a tree...

Addie digs with a stick.

Then finds an even better one!

Ada attempts to scale the heights.

Addie takes her stick to the trees. Fenna and Ada are not far behind.

You sometimes express wonder at how I do what I do, but on days like this one, it could hardly be easier: Throw them outside, don't get too hung up on the "AGH! STICKS AND TODDLERS!!" paranoia, and let them go.

(Oh, and take pictures for the doting families!)