Hallowe'en party

Yesterday was our mama's group Hallowe'en party. It was amazing fun and total chaos. I didn't get good pictures of each kid, unfortunately, but here are the best of them.

Just go vote already

I'm sooooo tired of the US election. It's been two years, and I'm so done. I have this low grade anxiety about the whole thing, and I can hardly wait until Tuesday night when it's finally over.

I'm contemplating not reading the news for the next week, but I'm so addicted and anxious, I'm not sure I can go cold turkey. Maybe I'll have to restrict myself just to one news website, or just The Daily Show. I've got to do something or I won't make it until Tuesday

Not chicken pox!

The rash wasn't any worse this morning, which pretty much ruled out the pox, but we went to the doctor anyway. He agreed, not the pox. And he said, looking at our file "Did she get the vaccine?". Nope, we decided to wait on that one in the hope that she just gets them some time and has a mild case. If she doesn't get them by the time she goes to school, we'll reconsider. But for now, we're clear. Which means we don't have to skip our awesome mama's brunch tomorrow. Yes, this was entirely selfish.

Hoping for a run of the mill rash

Kate has some spots. I saw a couple yesterday but they looked like mosquito bites (which wouldn't be surprising. There are a lot of them around and Kate has been playing outside a lot.) but there are a bunch more of them today and they don't look like bites. It might just be a random rash, which isn't unusual for kids. But we're a bit worried it might be chicken pox. We'll know in the morning.

Please, let it be a random rash.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Erika!

Happy 30th Birthday, Auntie Erika! 30!!!!

The many faces of Kate

Words

Kate has been saying our names (dada, mama, baboo) for awhile now, but this week she's added a few new ones. Diaper (only one syllable, like diup) and quack.

Yay for words!

14 months

Kate turned 14 months old today. I often look at her, still, amazed at what an amazing little person she is and that we made her. WE MADE HER! It is still amazing to me.

She is definitely her own person though and will clearly communicate what she wants whether it be a snack, to walk the circuit or to play with something you have. In the last week, her favourite thing is to walk around and around the loop in the house (living room, Graeme's office, hallway) holding onto someone's fingers. She runs and can do it again and again. She is so interested in walking, although not in letting go. I'm guessing another week or so and she'll be taking a step or two on her own.

She really is amazing.

Weekend recap

We have had a good weekend. It was a good mix of relaxing and fun activities. On Saturday after a lazy morning, we went to the zoo. The Austin Zoo is populated by rescued animals, so it's an unusual mix of animals that are often acquired, inappropriately, as pets. Some big cats, lots of monkeys, a bear, tortoises, and then the usual petting zoo collection of goats, sheep and pigs. Kate loves it.

We also played around the house a lot, including in Kate's new sandbox.


Today was the big event of the weekend. We went to the Maker Faire. It is described: "Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things." That is a good description. It was full of creative people and lots of fun stuff going on. Here is one of my favourite things:



That is the best use of those horrible singing fish that I've ever seen.

Kate and Aunt Karen

Kate!

Happy Election Day!

There is another election going on, although if you only watch or listen to american news, you wouldn't know it. Canadians are voting in a federal election today. I wish I had been organized enough to vote when I was in Ottawa. It was advance voting when I was there, but I never managed to make it to a polling place when they were open. (I was there about 2 hours early.)

Go vote!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's been very busy around here since we got back from Ottawa on Thursday afternoon. I'm only just now downloading our photos. We spent Friday getting the house cleaned up and getting unpacked. We hosted t-giving dinner on Saturday night, so I also had to prep and then cook that, so that is my excuse for being delinquent about posting.

Some highlights of the past few days:
- Our pre-school co-op started on Friday and Kate had a great time. I also had a great time grocery shopping by myself. It's two hours on Friday mornings and I have to do a shift every three weeks. Not bad. Cheap, too. And Kate barely cried. Yay.
- This morning I had a sitter for Kate and I took Westley for a trail run. Again, Kate did great. No crying, lots of playing. Yay again.
- I am very good at cooking turkey. And pies. Yum.
- Jannie arrives tomorrow for a ten day visit. Yay a third time.

Ottawa photos

Karen posted last night about our last few days. I'm just going to put up a bunch of photos.