Patch.

Last week, I was worried that the torrential downpours that have begun in Vancouver would prevent us from making it to the pumpkin patch on a weekend before Halloween.  But on Saturday, after it rained, then hailed, then rained some more, the skies cleared, sending us running frantically around the house preparing for a visit to our closest pumpkin patch.  I don't believe we have thrown things together that quickly since before Henry was born.

It was one of those rare and magical parenting days when things just work out perfectly and everyone is happy.  We managed to arrive just as the farm was opening, which meant we didn't wait in the mile-long lineup that formed just half an hour later. Everyone in the lower mainland had the same idea on the first (and possibly only) dry Saturday in October.  The sun peeked out for a good portion of the morning and took the edge off the chill.  And little Henry slept through most of the outing, easygoing baby that he is.

Lilah quickly put herself in charge of picking out the perfect pumpkin for each family member.

(A job she excelled at, natch.)

I remembered to accost a fellow patch-goer to get a family photo. That black dot below my chin and those two feet sticking out above my right leg?  Yep, that's Henry.

And what is a visit to the pumpkin patch without mini donuts?

And hay! Lots and lots of hay.

(Oh, these boys.  Be still my beating heart!)

Only two months old and this kid has already perfected Blue Steel.

I could not have asked for a more perfect fall day with my family.

Mwah! Happy fall.

Shades of Autumn

In case you haven't noticed, fall is on its way out and winter is quickly closing in (at least in Vancouver, that is).  The Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge helped me appreciate fall for its gorgeous colours, and made me search for new things to photograph.  Lilah is a lovely subject, but it's nice if I have a few pictures of other things, too!  Here are my favourites from each colour:

Green

Yellow

Orange

Red

Purple

Brown

White

Did you have as colourful a fall as we did?

White

Last weekend when were were in Whistler, we experienced our first snow of the season.

Vancouver's snow wasn't far behind, showing itself on Friday.  (Along with sleet, hail, and rain.  Because we Vancouverites like to have plenty of options.)

It was pretty minimal as snow goes, but it did collect enough for me to get a few shots for this week's photo challenge.  Even so, I found myself casting around for subjects.

Which is when I found this cool old car parked near my home.

I know exactly zilch about cars, and even less about how to photograph them, but I sure had fun trying!

Brown

I'm a little short on browns for this week's photo challenge, but digging through my folders, here's what I came up with:

And I couldn't resist including this shot of one of Lilah's favourite little guys in the whole world, who was the cutest little Ewok ever for Halloween.

Purple

Monthly Recap: What I learned in October 2011

This is part of Amber Strocel's monthly "What I learned" link-up. Go check it out!

1.  Never leave your toddler unattended in the bathroom.  No, she did not stick her head in the toilet, just the entire roll of toilet paper.

2.  I might not be a runner, but I can run for a cure.  And I can raise a dumpload of money while I'm at it!

3. I hate waking up, getting dressed, and driving to work in the dark.  But now that I have a kid, there is a major bright side to fewer hours of daylight.  Lately she's been sleeping in, sometimes until 8 or even 8:45 (a new Lilahbility record!) on days when we don't have to wake her up to get her to daycare and ourselves to work.

4.  Potty pooping is the best kind of pooping.

5.  The massive leaps a two-year-old brain periodically takes are absolutely astounding. All of a sudden, she's engaging in imaginary play and acting out intricate scenarios between her water bottle and her fork at the dinner table.


6.  When using a stand mixer, it is a very good idea to make sure that the bowl is properly secured to the base before turning it on.  Otherwise you may find yourself in the aftermath of a crumble topping explosion like I did the morning of our Thanksgiving dinner.

7.  The pumpkin patch still rocks.

8.  When your Hubs thinks he has gallstones, this is the weekly meal plan he will create:

(Don't worry, no gallstones after all.  Our diet has been slightly more varied than this as a result.)

9.  My chosen career as a Speech-Language Pathologist comes with its own unique hazards.  I was reminded of this one in early October: Don't lean in too close when a kid is trying really hard to make the /sh/ sound.  Your face may become the unwilling recipient of excess saliva. (It's gotta go somewhere!)  This is a lesson I seem to have to relearn every few years, unfortunately.

10.  It will become apparent that you have kept your toddler out much too late when she starts begging for sleep and her crib on the drive home.  Oops.

Your turn!  What did you learn in October?

Also linking up with my girl Bruna at Bees with Honey for some Friday fun!

Wordless Wednesday: Halloweenies!

An Ewok, two dinosaurs, and a pumpkin on a couch:

(I'm pretty sure there's a bad joke that starts that way.)

10 Things Pumpkin

As you may have figured out by now, Monday Listicles is the bright spot at the beginning of my week.  This week the topic was a no-brainer: Halloween!  And what's more Halloween-y than pumpkins, I ask?  The answer is... nothing.  At this time of year, we can't get enough of them.  And lucky for you, I'm willing to share.  Here is my list of ten things pumpkin:



1.  First up?  The pumpkin patch, of course!



2. The Pumpkin Princess at said pumpkin patch.

3.  Carving pumpkins and frolicking elbow deep in pumpkin guts.

4. Daddy's pumpkin. 5. Lilah's pumpkin. 6. Mummy's pumpkin.  Can you guess which is which?

7.  Roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh out of the oven.

8.  Lilah's trick-or-treat basket.

9.  Pumpkin seed cookies. Recipe here.  (Okay, so they don't look quite as good as the originals.  That's because I let Lilah help.)

10.  And finally, my favourite little pumpkin of all: