Happy Halloween

The girls were all very excited to head out trick or treating with Dad.  We lucked out with no snow and decent weather, chilly but not too bad.

Dad took them out until their little fingers were cold and their bags almost full.  After they came home and checked out their loot, Mom and the girls loaded up for the further away visits.  Emilee had missed going to her teachers house last year so we headed there this year (and luckily she still has the same teacher this year!) 

Then we made the usual stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a full size chocolate bar!!  The girls also loved seeing Cali's hamburger costume.  They hit up a few houses on the street before we headed for home and bed!  It was a good night for the girls!

Halloween Prep

Mom thought she was going to have an easy Halloween this year as Em wanted to wear her Creeper sweater, Elizabeth was going to wear her Chewy sweater and Cera was going to be the angel she wore last year.  Mom must have been too excited about that because a couple weeks before Halloween Elizabeth changed her mind - and not just to another popular choice, but she wanted to be Toothless the Dragon.

With some searching of the internet, Mom started on the Toothless costume.  All the hard work and late nights paid off when Mom showed Elizabeth the tail and she said, "That's amazing!"

Of course our door had to be decorated again.  This year we went with monster instead of mummy.  It was fun to have a change and it helped that it was a little less work!

The girls also enjoyed a night of decorating their haunted houses. (Yeah for $5 pre-made houses!)

Cera's house turned out pretty good.  She even added a little minecraft twist with her creeper made out of candy lego (compliments of Emilee's idea and building).

Elizabeth did great on her house also.  It was neat to see the differences in each of their designs.

Emilee worked long and hard on her house.  She got a few ideas from the box the house came in but didn't give up on it!  Way to stay focused Em!

Mom decided to make a Halloween treat for Mom and Dad's church class.  Hopefully the kids like them!

Elizabeth was so excited to wear her Toothless costume (and honestly Mom was kindof proud of her hard work too and how it turned out!)

Elizabeth made a pretty great dragon for Halloween!

Elizabeth's class had a pumpkin carving day at school and Mom was able to join the fun!  Our group carved the white pumpkin we brought in.  It was interesting to see the differences between the white pumpkin versus regular orange pumpkins.  The kids had to guess lots of things and then see if their guesses were right or close.  

It was a great morning of learning while playing.

Some of the volunteers weren't able to find a pumpkin (we had a hard time finding one after the stores having tons for the weeks before) so Elizabeth's teacher brought some other fruit in for carving.  There were a few orange pumpkins, the white pumpkin and then a watermelon!  What a crazy group of carved items!!

Carving Pumpkins

The girls loved picking out their pumpkins this year.  Elizabeth even picked a white pumpkin!  They got the kitchen floor all ready for carving with Dad!

They each spent time picking out their design just perfect for their pumpkin and then they got to work!

Cera doesn't mind getting a little dirty so she dug right into her pumpkin.

It took Emilee a little longer to dig her hands in but she did a great job cleaning out her pumpkin.

Elizabeth took a lot more coaxing but once she did it once (and was so proud of herself).....

....there was no stopping her!!  Even though she still thought it was a little yucky!

The girls were all happy with their end product.  Elizabeth loved her puppy paw print.

On Halloween it was fun to light up the pumpkins and fill our front step.  We even had the extra Elizabeth carved at school.

Cera and Emilee planned together a bit for their pumpkins.  Dad did great helping Em with her PacMan while Mom helped Cera with her creative ghost.  They both did great!

Fun with Dad

Dad likes to take the girls on fun adventures - sometimes it's all fun and others times it accomplishes something at the same time.  This trip was to get needed fish supplies and they picked up a few new fish for our fairly empty tank.  Of course they all had to pose with the fish!

Elizabeth is keeping a pretty close eye on those fish.

Emilee has some super powers we weren't aware of - she must be part mermaid breathing under water!

The girls always have fun on adventures with Dad.  They were extra excited to come home with a fish they had each picked to add to the tank.  Because Mom won't let them get any other pets, they have to settle with picking a fish and naming it.

Masters Curling Tournament

Remember that date night where Emilee found out she liked curling?  Well, the Curling Masters were coming to Okotoks so Mom and Emilee got tickets to go.  Emilee was so excited!!

We found our seats and figured out who was playing on each of the sheets of ice.  Emilee marked down the teams that played in her program book and we watched and cheered.  Mom thought there was no way Em would make it till the end of the night but surprisingly she almost did!  She'd got 10 tickets for the 50/50 draw so she for sure had to stay to see if she won the jackpot.  She was a little disappointed when none of her numbers were drawn but it provided an opportunity to teach a little life lesson.

There was only about half hour left when Em was ready to leave so Mom convinced her to stick it out till the end.  (and maybe Mom might have wanted to see who was going to win the last game still going)  Emilee was excited to get an autograph in her program which made her grateful she'd stay till the end.

It was a fun night out for Em and Mom and to explore one of Emilee's unique interests.

October Memories

We came out for school one morning to find some friends across the street.  They are busy picking every last little bit off everyone's plants before this gorgeous fall comes to an end.

Elizabeth's teacher shares pictures from the day which we all enjoy.  They made these cute turkeys for Thanksgiving.  Elizabeth was so proud of her hard work.

Cera also started patrolling this month.  She patrols twice a week and is really enjoying it.

Cera tried a pomegranate for the first time.  It was fun to learn how to get the seeds out easier.  Cera enjoyed the fruit but not enough to ask for another one.  One of those things to check off her list and say she's done.

Cera started a photography class at school.  Each week they are given a challenge and Cera has had fun learning and being creative with her skills.  One week the challenge was birds eye and worms eye view.  She made this necklace in order to take some pictures with it and also thinking of her strong cousin.  Cera is such a sweet and thoughtful girl!

We went to help a family do some finishing work on their house.  The girls enjoyed saying hi to their horses and dogs while Mom was painting.

Elizabeth also enjoyed the families bird room they had in their house.  Her favorite was the bird with lots of blue on it (shocking!).

Driving home from helping the mountains were breathtaking!  We are so blessed to live this close to them and enjoy their beauty.

We are trying to take advantage of this surprisingly long fall season we are having this year.  It seems normally we get maybe a week of fall weather before the snow appears.  Mom and Mike went for a short walk one afternoon.  It was brisk but nice to enjoy the fresh air.  We could get use to having a longer fall!

Walk-a-thon

The school did a walk-a-thon this year again.  They are hoping to raise money for the entire school to have curling lessons this year.  Emilee is beyond excited and very motivated to raise some money.  We are grateful for those that donated and supported our girls.

Mom was excited to be able to participate in this event.  She surprised the girls with some hot chocolate to keep their fingers and insides warm as the day was a bit chilly.  (Sadly the previous few days had been sunny and nice.)

Emilee was excited to get walking.

Cera was surprised to find hot chocolate in her outdoor shoes and then to see Mom outside.

After the mayor spoke to the school they got walking!  Mom was able to walk with each of the girls for a part of the walk.  It was fun to be part of this school wide event.

Thanksgiving

The girls were excited for some snow!  They couldn't wait to get outside and play in it!

They used most of the snow on the ground to make their snowmen so they had to get creative on how to move the snowballs.  The bench top worked great!

Everyone loves a little snowman family!

We also enjoyed a lovely turkey dinner as a family this weekend.  We are so grateful for all our many blessings!  We are grateful for our family, friends and the comforts we enjoy.  We are grateful for the opportunities we have to learn and grow.  We have many, many things to be thankful for this year.