Pumpkin surprises!

Today we finally got to carve out our pumpkins that we collected at the pumpkin patch. Kendra had been waiting for this day for a long time. She was so excited to cut off the top and see what was inside. However, she was quite disappointed to see that it was "all messy and yucky" in the middle! But once I got it all scooped and cleaned out, it was all okay again. We attempted to carve a face in each one, although this is definitely not one of my greater talents! Good thing little kids aren't critical of artistic talent! We put in a few little candles and set them outside, ready to greet little trick-or-treaters tonight!!

Mayne Island weekend

We had a very relaxing weekend on Mayne Island with my sister Sylvia and brother-in-law Sid (and Pepsi the dog). The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed crisp air and all the fall colours. The kids enjoyed everything about the weekend, from the ride on the ferry boat to throwing rocks in the ocean to walking in the leaves.

Kendra sitting with Auntie Sylvia on the ferry, watching and counting the cars come off at Galiano Island.

Owen watching all the seagulls at the ferry terminal.

Checking out the tree house in the yard.

Owen having a great time filling up his basket with chestnuts!

The beautiful tree in the middle of their yard.

Swinging on the tree swings attached to the big beautiful tree!

They both loved throwing rocks into the ocean water and looking for sea-shell treasures!

I think I could have made another whole blog post on scenic pictures. Everything is just beautiful there!

Walking through the Japanese gardens. Very pretty!

Fall family pictures

We spent this weekend on Mayne Island with Sylvia and Sid at their "island home". We did this last year in October as well and had a great time. Sid took some family pictures for us last year and was willing to try again this year. It was almost lunch time when we did them so our window of agreeable kids was quite short but we managed to get a few. Once I got home, I played around a little with my computer program to try some new colour looks.

Visit to The Apple Barn

We enjoyed a beautiful fall day out at "The Apple Barn" this morning. We were able to go into the petting zoo to see the rabbits, goats, sheep and pigs. The baby goats were very cute!! The kids enjoyed a new playground and checking out all the pumpkins. What a great way to spend the morning!

Kendra could have sat there for hours, just petting and talking to the goats.

The goats were very calm and allowed the kids to pet them and pretty much do anything else that kids do to them!

Owen was much more interested in climbing up the rocks than petting the goats! The tractor, however, was quite a hit!

"Oh, which one to choose?!! Maybe I'll try to lift the biggest one I can see!"

Kendra really wanted to hold a rabbit but when we went in the first time, there were too many other kids in the pen and the rabbits were quite wild. So, before we left, we tried again and this time they were much calmer, much to Kendra's delight!

Kids' room project

I had been thinking for the past little while that I wanted to add a little something to the kids' room. They share a bedroom so I knew that it couldn't be too girly or boyish. It is also already quite a full and busy room so I didn't want to add too much. So, my plan was to paint several stripes of colour along the top of the room. However, when I got to the paint store, the lady there introduced me to these vinyl strips. I just had to cut them to the width I wanted, measure a few places around the room and stick them on. It was much easier, faster and less messy than painting. And the great thing is that they just peel off when you are tired of them and can be re-used again! They came in all kinds of colours and also in different shapes and patterns. I'm quite happy with the new look!