Friday, October 31, 2008

First Halloween of Many...



Scott had been hard at work on his Halloween display over the last few days. And although it is not as extravagant and outrageous as previous years (or as scary, which was fine by me!), it was a great show of imagination and craftiness. An eerie graveyard complete with tombstones, coffin, I especially loved the pumpkins that we carved. And just for your benefit, I posted pictures of our orange beasts in the day light and night light. Candle light is my favourite!









Jackson was out to experience his first ScareView here in Smalliver. He isn't quite old enough to play the games but he loved watching all the big kids have fun in their huge array of costumes. And of course, we had to stop by the Valley First booth to visit all the girls! Jackson even took a try at popping out of the tree trunks. Not quite the game but fun just the same!





Our little bear really got into the whole treat bag thing. Of course, we limited his treats to cheerios and stuffed fish (to complete the bear outfit of course). But don't worry, the few treats we did collect will be quickly disposed of by Daddy's sugar tooth. Thanks to all who made this might so special and memorable, you know who you are!!!




Monday, October 27, 2008

Loving Those Autumn Colours...

Burnt orange, mahogany brown, chestnut red, sunglow yellow, and pine green are just some of my favourite autumn colours straight out of the crayon box. And this is the perfect time of year to see all of these vibrant hues in nature.
So we took advantage of this amazingly warm fall weekend and set out to make some family memories for Jackson's first autumn outing.





We started out with the customary visit to the local pumpkin patch with our little pumpkin. And no, I didn't intentionally dress him as a pumpkin, he just looks good in orange and that's the jacket he wore that day. By the way, did I mention that his Mommy's favourite colour is orange...so we may have lots of clothes in his closet in this particular colour group.
We picked out some great pumpkins... one for Daddy, one for Mommy and one little wee one for Jackson!



Then it was off to the family farm to visit with Grandpa & Grandma Schaffrick to see the changing of the leaves in the orchard. So beautiful... I love the trees at this time of year. Yes, I know that the leaves don't last for long and they make a big mess... But what a gorgeous mess of colour it is!



Jackson got to check out all the farm equipment while we were there getting some props made for Daddy's big Hallowe'en display. (Will post after the big night!)





The tractor was fun to explore while the kangaroo lift was just begging to be climbed upon and conquered! He was just so inquisitive of all the gear shifts and pedals on the machines. And of course the giant tires bigger than him where a huge point of interest for our curious little investigator.



Then it was off to check out the local amusement 'rides' . We found a cool three wheeler just the right size for our little romping ragamuffin. It will be a sweet ride as soon as he can figure out how to pedal. Until then he is satisfied with just digging out the bugs from the front basket. On the other hand, the next mode of transportation was a hit. No complicated wheel action here, just some old fashioned 'Flintstone' foot power (aided by a little pushing from Mommy). And here he is just riding off into the crisp autumn sunset....

Saturday, October 25, 2008

What's in a Name...Let me tell you



It seems our little man is living up to his 'names' as of late. If you didn't already know, Jackson's middle names are Ronin: (Japanese) a master less samurai, and Koa: (Hawaiian) warrior; brave, bold and fearless. And they were chosen specifically because of his method of entry into this world.



Our brave little soldier fought to make his entrance into our family. And he was a fierce warrior with the wounds to prove it. After getting his shoulder stuck on the way out, he broke his collar bone, had a black eye and a misshapen head from all his and mommy's pushing. And that doesn't even include the ones that he had from the forceps used to finally help the little guy out. We knew right away that these names were meant for our scrappy little bruiser.



And as mommy's little toughie, Jackson seems to have new boo-boos every day. But as mentioned previously, he is not one to complain. A little slip or spill does not stop our easygoing munchkin. No bumps, bruises, cuts or scratches deter our man on a mission. It seems that every day a new mark has been added to replace the one from the day previous to remind us that he can handle anything that gets in his way. Be it a wall or a chair or just gravity. Nothing stops Jackson. A few cries of frustration and a quick cuddle from mom or dad and he is back on task and ready to conquer the world again. Here's hoping that this determination stays with him always.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Hair Today... Gone Tomorrow

So another birthday has come and gone. (thanks to all who sent birthday wishes... so sweet!)
And with it came some changes to me.
Introducing the new cut...


(excuse the late in the day, mommy didn't really have time to style it yet look, but you can get the general idea... it's short!)

So what do ya think... the lines are open.
I'm still getting used to it, but like the ease that I now have in the washing and styling arenas. Especially in time management.

On another front, we have had a rough few nights this past week with Jackson's nocturnal patterns. He has been very fussy and even had a slight fever in the early evenings. But this morning all was revealed to these befuddled parents as to why our little man was so miserable. We were having breakfast as I spotted the spots. At first I thought it may have been an allergic reaction to our new fruit of the day... yummy mango (thanks Aunty Joy for the mango you left!).

(Note the strategically placed bubbles for any future embarrassing 'aw, mom!' moments...)

But after a few fretful hours and a quick visit to the doctor (am I turning into one of those over paranoid moms?) our fears were settled. Just a common case of Roseola, or baby measles. Not a serious thing for little ones just this age and Jackson is doing fine, no itchies just spots. But he's such a trouper that we wouldn't know if we was suffering as he isn't much for complaining (unless his food isn't coming fast enough). This is our first major medical ordeal of many I am sure, not counting the numerous head bumps and scrapes of course. And we all survived just fine!


What can I say, we are a fun family! Hee Hee!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

A Cousin's First Birthday



I have been waiting for this fun book to finally arrive from the library. I am no decorating professional like my sister, but I like to dabble and stretch into the creative zone once in a while.



Love this book! Easy tips and techniques using some basic tools you may already have around the house. My sister Joy had a marathon cake/cupcake making and decorating session at our house. She is great friends with the bride and made her cake/cupcakes as her gift. I will have to get her to let me post a couple of her cake creations as she is amazing! But lucky us, as she made some extra cupcakes. So I decided to experiment with the new book ideas.



As you can see, I had loads of fun creating a mini cupcake message for Jackson's little cousin Fynn who is celebrating his first birthday. And what better way for a little boy to party than with bugs and chocolate! So fun and so easy! I totally recommend this book to those moms out there (or anyone in general) who thinks, I can't do that...oh yes you can!



And on the clothes finding front... we scored on another craigslist find. Here's one of the new outfits we purchased. So cute, especially when accessorized with Aunty Joy's hat! Total bonus was that we sold some cloth diapers on craigslist that same day so we really didn't spend that much money at all on the clothes we purchased! Love this craigslist!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Autumn Changes...

A new month and a new season...
Here are a few things happening in our home.

We have been on craigslist looking for some more clothes for our little growing weed. He has already outgrown a huge rubbermaid container of clothes so we need to restock and get ready for the upcoming wintery season. Keep us updated if you hear of some great deals on boys clothes...



Jackson has been searching for just the right costume for his first Hallowe'en.


His impression of a maiden from the Alps...


My boy loves the bright flashy colours. Watch out Liberace!
Stay tuned for the final decision on Hallowe'en 2008!


New glasses for Mommy. How do you like my new specs? I have wanted to start wearing my glasses more so I splurged on a new set of frames and here they are...



Scott has signed up with a new company who has just expanded their operations to BC. We are all very excited about this new opportunity in Scott's chosen field of security. Source Security and Investigations is a one of the fastest growing security companies in Canada and we can't wait to see where it takes us.