Sugar High

I'm not sure if there was more icing on our gingerbread house or in his belly by the end of the project, but it was sure fun! 

Oh Christmas Tree

The magic of Christmas grows each year as James Robert begins to partake and help create new traditions.  This year, he was especially excited to help decorate our Christmas tree.  Although 90% of our ornaments were left in storage back home, we had a great time making homemade ornaments and decking the halls. 

We made applesauce and cinnamon ornaments and they made our entire home smell like Christmas all month long.  (So I can remember for next year, I used this recipe!)

November 2015

We had one jacket-free day in the park at the beginning of November, but then winter came to stay.  We had our first dusting of snow, which we managed to get out and enjoy.  And we had a wonderful trip to Chicago to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Bring on the holidays! 

Family Photos

We hadn't taken any professional family photos since James Robert was a baby.  To commemorate our time in Canada, we thought it would be special to have some pictures of our family here, at one of our favorite parks, to remember the experience.

It was a cold morning after a very rainy day, so we were thankful to be able to sneak in our shoot. We worked with Jeff and Diane photography, a husband and wife team, who couldn't be more kind. They wrote us a very sweet handwritten note and baked us cookies as a thank you! I couldn't recommend them more if you're in the area.

Between a toddler and a hyper dog, things were chaotic, but Jeff and Diane were miracle workers!  I am so thankful to have these memories captured. 

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Two and a half

  This is a snapshot of two and a half:

-Energy and spirit infuses all that you do.
-Trucks and "diggys" ,as you you like to call them, are your most favorite thing to play with.
-You ask approximately 150 questions by the time we finish breakfast.
-You adore music and if you're not asking a question, you're likely singing (Wheels on the Bus is STILL your favorite).
-Dirt is glorious, but you find glue to be yucky and hence hardly participate in arts and crafts
-Your teachers tell me that you're very expressive!
-If I let you, you would chase Major around the backyard pretending to mow the lawn for hours.
-Those precious little smiles are so tender and underneath the rough and tumble, you are still fiercely affectionate.   

Springridge Farm

We met our friends for a fun morning at a local farm and discovered James Robert's heaven on earth.

There were animals to feed, huge slides to be discovered, a real tractor ride (complete with farmer) and even a sand pit with hundreds of trucks for him to play with.  It was such a treat!

October 2015

Autumn is in technicolor up here and October was the month to take it all in.  The weather was still warm enough to get out and enjoy the foliage, but gave us glimpses of the winter to come.  From pumpkin everything to trick-or-treating, it was a sweet month.