Fall Family Fun Day

This morning we took the kids for a little adventure to get our Halloween pumpkins. There's a place on Manning Road that always looks like fun, but we'd never been there before. This morning, we decided to check it out. The forecast called for rain, but our timing was perfect: it stopped drizzling when we got there, and started to rain heavily just as we left!

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The pumpkin place had a neat set-up. There were little paths all over the front lawn, decorated with scary Halloween figures, vines, pumpkins, hay stacks, etc. During the daytime, and with Mommy and Daddy nearby, it was more fun than scary for the kids. (In the picture below, they might look nervous, but they were actually squinting in the bright light.)

Kevin didn't want to get too close to the scary characters, but we convinced Andrea to pose with this one. I'm surprised she actually put her hand on it!

Daddy and Andrea thought this poor figure, who got smashed by a pumpkin, was pretty funny. Kevin gave it a wide berth. He was willing to check it out, but wouldn't get too close.

Andrea, like her father, is willing to do anything to get some extra laughs!

There was a little, crooked shack surrounded by corn stalks, and Andrea was peeking out the window. I kept thinking, "Children of the Corn!"

Andrea wanted to sit on the seat and pose for me, but she wasn't getting too close to this zombie.

I found a quiet corner, free of scary stuff, to get a snapshot of Ryan. I wish I could have captured the colours around him, and the sweetness of his expression, more clearly. He was very curious about his surroundings, and seemed to enjoy our outdoor adventure.

Andrea was a good sport when Daddy asked her to go in the skeleton cage. Kevin refused. (I like this thing . . . can we buy one for home use? Just kidding!)

When we finally picked out our pumpkins, Kevin insisted on hauling the wagon all by himself. He's a strong little man!

While Daddy and the older kids went to check out some scarier indoor attractions (which Kevin consequently fled), I got a photo of Ryan in front of this Halloween mural. I thought it was really cute because "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" is one of Ryan's favourite TV shows.

In the end, we came home with 2 large pumpkins, 4 little pumpkins, 2 tiny pumpkins, and a bunch of little gourds the owner threw in for free. He also gave the kids Halloween candy. We had a great time!

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The morning's fun wasn't over, though. Andrea had been nagging us about when we could go to Jungaroo (an indoor kids' play place) again. Thus, after getting pumpkins, we headed off to spend an hour at Jungaroo.

Andrea's up in the highest part of the play structure, waving at us from the jungle tree house.

Kevin, of course, found a wheel to play with . . . and roll around in!

Daddy helped Andrea climb the rock wall.
I was surprised to see Kevin up in the jungle canopy. I know he's fearless, I just didn't know he has the physical skills to make it up there!

Andrea was up in the canopy several times, too.
Ryan slept the whole time we were at Jungaroo! I didn't even take his coat off because I didn't want to wake him up; he hasn't been sleeping well this week (his cough and sore teeth keep interrupting his sleep). He literally opened his eyes just as we were about to leave. The look on his face was too funny: "Where am I?"

Oh, give it about 6 months, and he'll be loving Jungaroo as much as his brother and sister!

Little Updates

Oh, Kevin . . .
I can't leave this child alone for a minute. I left during dinner time to check on Ryan, who was fussing in the other room. When I came back, Kevin had traded his bowl of Kraft dinner for the BIG bowl. He is such a character. He infuriates me 50 times a day, and makes me laugh just as often. I know this boy will always drive me crazy, but I love him so much.


The good news with Kevin is he's suddenly showing initiative in his potty training. On Friday, he went a whole day at daycare using the potty and wearing undies, with no accidents! He kept up the good work at Gram and Papa's, and then at home that night, too! His only accident was right before bedtime, and he was very upset. Andrea told him a few stories about how she used to have accidents, too, and then he felt better. Today he spent most of the day in diapers because we were out and about, and he seemed a bit unsure of himself. I'm not going to push it. If he can have days like Friday, I know the diapers will be gone soon. Andrea was the same way: she would make progress and backtrack, and then literally, quit diapers within a day or two. It looks like Kevin is on the same path.

Ryan
Ryan is making some progress with his upper-body strength. I can get him to hold his weight on his arms now for about 5 or 10 seconds at a time. He also wiggles from side to side in this position--not crawling, but he does turn himself a bit. The physiotherapist saw him again (we see her every 2 weeks) and she was impressed that he was showing this progress already. We still have a long way to go . . . he always rolls himself from his belly to his back as soon as I put him on his tummy. He puts weight on his legs, but he doesn't try to move his feet. He's still unsteady at sitting by himself, but he likes being upright, so we practice a lot.

Oh, and he is teething again . . . it looks like two more on the bottom are about to come through. Add to that a feverish cold this week, and he has been a temperamental mess. However, when he's not teething or sick, he's a good little guy who loves to interact with people. He's chatty, like Andrea was as a baby. He loves to get kisses and even said, "Mwah!" the other night after I had given him a bunch!

Andrea
In my last Andrea update, I forgot to mention that she loves to draw. She also loves scissors and sticky tape. Our fridge and walls are full of Andrea's creations. She also likes to cook. We made a batch of chocolate chip cookies together last week, and she was so excited . . . until she had to wait for them to cook and cool. She wasn't so good at the waiting patiently part, but who can blame her? We're talking about chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven! I feel kind of sorry for her, though, because Mommy is not talented in either crafts or cooking. I guess that's what grandmas are for! ;)

The Boys' New Swim Classes

Sunday mornings are very busy for us now. All three kids are in swim class. Kevin's class is first at 9 AM, then Ryan at 9:30, and Andrea at 10 AM. Kevin and Ryan are having new swim experiences this fall. For Kevin, this is his first swim class without a parent: just with a teacher and 5 other kids. He's in Preschool 1. For Ryan, this is his first time in any swim class. He's in Parent and Tot 1. Andrea is in Preschool 3. At our second week of swim class, I was able to get some pictures of the boys in their classes. However, I couldn't get any pictures of Andrea because by the time her class started, I was busy chasing Kevin around!

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Kevin's Class
I pity Kevin's teacher. The poor guy has quite a group. Out of the 5 kids, one is always off doing her own thing, two little girls refuse to swim without their mom/a female assistant, and the two boys were pretty good the first week. However, from the second week on, Kevin has cried and demanded Daddy's presence nearby for about the first half of the class. Then, he calms down and goes along with the teacher, but he still seems a bit nervous. I think the only reason Kevin tolerates swim class is he gets to go to the park outside while the other two are in their classes! Kevin is okay in the water; I think it's more that he's the shyest of our kids, and takes awhile to warm up to new situations.

Here's Kevin's teacher helping him practice swimming on his belly with a noodle.


This is Kevin's group, from a distance. Kevin is standing by the teacher.

Kevin was good while he practiced swimming in a life jacket.

The teacher got him to jump in one time, holding his hands.

Kevin wouldn't budge the second time, but the teacher was very patient.

Kevin ran out to see Daddy as soon as his class was done. By that time, Daddy and Ryan were ready for Ryan's class. Kevin was grinning because he was happy to be done and be close to Daddy (but the picture's a bit blurry).

Ryan's Class
Ryan's class isn't at the best time for him. It's right when he usually has a nap. This means that we don't get too many smiles during swim class; he usually looks serious/tired. However, he's pretty good in the water. He only cried a bit the first week when Daddy took him into the pool the first time. He usually saves his crying for the dressing room after class because he's exhausted by then, and he never likes getting undressed/dressed. He usually loves bath time at home now; he likes to lay down in the water and kick and splash. Really, I think it's just the timing that makes him kind of unmotivated during swim class. Daddy says he's actually doing well with kicking in the water and having water on his face.

Here, Daddy's showing Ryan how to blow bubbles. Ryan will put his face in the water, but he hasn't caught on to making the bubbles yet.

I think Ryan was supposed to be swimming on his belly, but he wanted to play with Daddy's face. (This baby can do some serious pinching of the nose and ears! Also, watch for any loose hair or skin!)


Daddy and Ryan are singing/doing the actions to "Alice the Camel." Ryan likes it when they do the bobbing up and down part, but I kept missing his smiles.

I was impressed by how well Ryan tolerated water being poured over his head and face. He wasn't thrilled (note the look of consternation in the first photo), but he didn't cry at all. He almost smiled a bit the second time around.

Ryan was good about the life jacket, too. I think he was a bit confused by the sudden, extra buoyancy, but Daddy was there to reassure him.


Then he got to the relaxing back-float-with-life-jacket-on, and enjoyed the ride.

Daddy helped Ryan do a few "jumps" into the water with the life jacket on. Ryan didn't really have a reaction. By this point, he seems to be resigned: "Do with me what you will."


However, he did perk up at the end of swim class when they took the babies to play in the shallow water. The babies were reaching down to grab and pick up rings. I think Ryan likes this part best because it reminds him of playing in the bathtub.

Andrea's Class

Like I mentioned, I haven't seen much of Andrea's class because I'm usually busy chasing wild Kevin or soothing exhausted Ryan. She seems to be enjoying it. Daddy says she is very brave and does everything the teacher asks of her. Actually, she has the same teacher as Kevin, and she says he is "nice . . . for a boy." ;)

Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

This was Ryan's reaction to the "Turkey Dinner" jar baby food he got on Thanksgiving Day:

I'm sure it will be a much more pleasant experience next year!

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Daddy's birthday was on the Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend. We went to Gram and Papa's for Thanksgiving dinner and to celebrate Daddy's birthday.

Daddy and Ryan were having some fun before dinner. That Daddy's a silly guy!

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After dinner, Andrea presented Daddy with a special birthday crown I helped her make for him. She said he had to wear it while we sang Happy Birthday to him. Daddy was a good sport: he wore the crown all through dessert and present time, too!
"Happy Birthday, Daddy!"

Ryan got his first taste of Gram's cherry cheesecake. It's a family favourite, but he drooled most of it onto his shirt.


Watching Kevin eat chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting is always entertaining--especially at someone else's house. He had a lovely chocolate goatee going on, and Gram said the chocolate on the end of his nose looked like "chocolate boogers"!

Andrea wanted me to take a picture of her eating, too. Everything always has to be equal for these two!

Then it was time to open presents. Here, Andrea is explaining the birthday picture she drew for Daddy at Gram and Papa's.

Below, Daddy is laughing because the night before, Kevin had started jabbering to him about the clock that was "quieter" and "an octagon." Suddenly, that odd conversation made sense!

Next, Andrea and Izzy were shocked because Daddy got a book shaped like a potty: an Uncle John's Bathroom Reader!

Of course, Gram and Papa had to outfit Daddy for the Red Wings' new season. The regular season always starts within a few days of Daddy's birthday. After the presents were opened, one of the kids got the bright idea that it would be fun to shred the tissue paper which had wrapped Daddy's gifts, and toss it in the air like snow!
Kevin and Hannah were in destructive-toddler-heaven. How often do they get away with shredding stuff and tossing it around?!

Of course, the adults ensured the end of the game became, "Who can pick up and throw away the most pieces?" (We're smart that way.)

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The next day, we went to our friends Dave and Mel's house for a visit and a Thanksgiving dinner. They have three children within a few years of age of ours, so the kids could play together. Their middle daughter, Gabrielle, is the same age as Andrea.

Kevin still tends to prefer playing on his own. He's much more of an introvert than Andrea. He's quite happy to wander off and find his own fun. He really liked the playhouse at Dave and Mel's.

Kevin's starting to turn to Andrea more as a playmate, though. He often asks her if he can play with her, or if she will come and be his friend. Here, they're relaxing on the kiddie swing together.

Later, Dave and Mel's little guy, Julien, took Kevin's place next to Andrea, while Gabrielle posed for me, nearby. She's just like Andrea in that way--posing when she notices the camera!

Andrea was excited to have a friend her size to share the glider ride. However, Gabrielle was fearless about flying way up in the air, while Andrea is used to a tamer ride. Andrea was trying to be brave, but she was holding on for dear life!

Meanwhile, Kevin had discovered Julien's dump trucks, fallen leaves, sticks, and mud. By dinnertime, his legs, arms, and face were covered in mud. Yep, he's definitely all boy!

"If I hide, maybe you won't notice how muddy I am!"