Puddles and Poodles

It's that time of year - puddles galore.  Time to get the gumboots out and do some splashing.  Since this is the first year that the Pipsqueak is walking, she is in puddle discovery mode and loving it.  Equipped with her new pink booties, she spent a long time during a walk in the park just staring down at her feet and marvelling at the fact that her feet were immersed in the water.



After a while, she picked up speed and ran from puddle to puddle




"Can't Believe they let me do this!"

And even big sisters M and E who were initially occupied with collecting leaves and sticks and playing with a Poodle aptly named "Chanel", couldn't help but rediscover their love for a good puddle once they saw the Pipsqueak's excitement.






I love these two together!

And no puddle-splashing walk would be complete without the requisite baby-sitting-in-the-middle-of-the-puddle episode, not captured on camera due to immediate rescue of the baby by camera-toting mama, followed by the tuckered out baby back in the stroller.


For lack of a blanket or dry pair of pants, we substituted a fleece hoodie - put the legs through the sleeves and flip the hood up in front - et voila!

Loving FALL!

September Snippets

... and before you know it we have hit October.  Our favourite month of the year, with its colour turning leaves, morning dew and a bite in the overnight air.  The days are getting distinctively shorter and once the clocks are set back it will be dark by dinnertime.   Time to bring out the quilts, warm coats, boots and old Halloween costumes to see what still fits or what will fit little sister.   M is thinking she would like to be a witch this year, or I should be a witch, either option will work for her.  E is still in Moonfairy mode from last year.  The pipsqueak may inherit one of her sisters' teletubby costumes (pretty much vintage by now, but we have all of them: Lala, Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Po, so she has her pick).

But before I focus on October, I need to still capture a few moments from September:

A playground visit to meet up with some friends, but with our three girls and their two boys our  conversations were frequently interrupted with "wait a secs" and "Oh no you don'ts" followed by a quick sprint to avert disaster - usually involving the Pipqueak.











Going to the same school has really bonded these two even more.  They stick together against schoolyard bullies and while at home they spend many hours building forts and other things together, playing with their doll house, acting out fairy stories or just quietly puttering around near each other.

M now makes her own playdates by just phoning her next-door friend and arranging for her to come over.  Hopscotch and sidewalk chalk are some favourite activities


 


The Pipsqueak holds her own with the big girls:



Ms. M continues to enjoy her soccer games, and loves to be goalie



The Pipsqeak can't wait for the games to be over so she can run around on the field, too



And an after-soccer playground stopover is always appreciated



Fall.  I love it!

I Heart Faces | A Touch of Sun

Miss M exploring the beach at our favorite vacation spot. This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

I am a Soccer Mom

This is what occurred to me as I was driving along yesterday.  My kid had her first soccer practice this week and I stood on the sidelines watching.  Ergo - I'm a soccer mom.  Crazy.

To my former self as a butt-kicking trial lawyer, this label somehow carried a negative connotation - much like "mom-jeans".  Yet here I am, still pretty much my usual self but a soccer-mom nonetheless.   And I did not see anything particularly "soccer-momish" about the other parents who were dutyfully watching their offspring practice their first dribbles, so all is going well for now.

Here is my big girl in her new gear






She must have seen this pose in connection with the sport because I saw it a few times



Little sister clearly will be a soccer star one day ...

In other news, the Pipsqueak and I continue to enjoy the somewhat quieter pace that comes along with the "big" girls being at school for part of the day.

A cafe visit



Explorations around the Vancouver parks






Now we're looking forward to our first weekend soccer-game.  Yup,  they practice a whole 45 minutes as a team before their first game - no doubt half of them will be meandering around the field looking for dandelions or wondering which goal they are supposed to aim for, but there is a promise of coffee (for the parents), juice, donuts and hotdogs (for their offspring) at the first game so a good experience is virtually guaranteed.

Happy Weekend!

Pipsqueak Time

Now that the big girls are spending more time in school (and I have to admit that I'm surprisingly good with that - and so are they, it seems), the Pipsqueak and I have had some quieter, more leisurely time to spend together.



She is discovering books





they're good for climbing, too ...



brushing teeth herself ...



In last week's heat (relatively speaking, for westcoast standards), we found some nice cool shade in Nitobe Botanical Garden




she especially liked the pebbled paths



We found these in our own backyard - big sisters collected them on our Australian adventure ...



All in all, the days are quieter, but surprisingly it is a welcome change from our usual cacophony of noise.   These days remind me of my first year with M, before E was born.  So calm, peaceful, and focused on discovering the world.  The fabulous difference are the early mornings and afternoons spent with two excited and energetic big sisters whom the Pipsqueak welcomes back with open arms and great enthusiasm.

In other news, look who came home from school with one less tooth ...


(thanks to Ms. B for the lovely little box)

And what did she ask for in her letter to the tooth fairy?  A necklace, you think, ... or perhaps a fairy wand or a stuffed animal?  Nope.  My sweet little girl had a very specific request:  a remote-controlled Tarantula.  Yup.  I tried to talk her into just asking for cold hard cash, thinking this would make my afternoon a lot easier, but she was adamant that the tooth fairy would know exactly how to get this thing.  Sure enough, the local Toys R Us carried the darling little (8 inch) arachnid, and our three little girls are having lots of fun with the hairy moving creature.  Pictures to come ...