Hallowe'en!

Dressed as green M&Ms... or 3 peas in a pod - it's an interpretive (read: last minute - thanks, Grammy!) costume

I literally grabbed this picture as Edward and The Ducklings rolled down the driveway for their first Trick or Treat experience this evening.  The kids were extremely anxious to get going, which surprised me.  We talked about Hallowe'en in passing, and they did try on their costumes for Grammy a week ago, but their level of enthusiasm was unexpected.  Maybe it was the idea of going out in the wagon that stoked the fire more than anything, but Evelyn went running to her costume and demanded to "put Hallowe'en on".... Moments later, she announced that she was "ready to go, Mummy!"

And off they went.  I was also curious to see how they'd react to some of the more frightening costumes.  "Scary" has entered their vocabulary, and makes an appearance pretty regularly as they encounter things like spiders, loud trucks and boisterous kids at the park.  In fact, they seemed to take it all in stride tonight; asking "what's that?" when they saw a particularly gruesome mask.

They came back after visiting a few neighbours with their pumpkin full of goodies.  For dessert tonight, they each got a tiny box of Smarties.  Colin and Evelyn savoured each one.  And Keith, well, he attacks food with gusto, particularly if it's sweet.  He is definitely my child.

It was a fun night!  I have a ton of costume ideas that I figure I have a few short years to implement before they'll want to choose their own.  We'll see what happens next year, but hopefully, our costume will involve Sprocket as Toto...

Rainy Day

Watching videos on the "poopooter" (Colinspeak for "computer"), while sitting on their plastic lawnchairs.

Colours

I have to admit to having a bit of tree envy in our very densely foliated neighbourhood.  Last year was our first fall in the new house, so as the trees around us turned the most magnificent shades of red and orange, I waited in eager anticipation for the metamorphosis of our own maple tree on the front lawn.  I waited and waited - the other trees were basically bare by this point, and I was convinced the leaves on our tree were just going to go brown and fall off.  It turns out that we have a late bloomer.  However, last year, I was nonplussed by the sallow, pale colour they finally turned.  But this year, the leaves have gone this deep, luminescent yellow that just glows on the tree.  So pretty!  My photo doesn't do it justice.

DIY Kids Craft Table

At long last, I present the project that's taken me since February to complete!   I wanted to make the kids something for their second birthday that would be practical, affordable and usable over the next few years.  This past winter, my parents gave me a small table and two matching chairs that my sister and I used over thirty years ago... and they looked every one of their thirty plus, well-loved years:  

The chairs, one with the seat and backrest removed

The chairs needed reupholstering; and for some regrettable reason, I chose to re-cover the original vinyl in a cute but oh-so-cumbersome new vinyl fabric.  I guess I was thinking about durability, but I really should have thought about gauge... aka, the thickness of the vinyl.   Enchanted by the sweet little apple print, I failed to notice that the fabric had very little give and was closer in flexibility to cardboard than to chenille.  

Being a reupholstery novice, I watched a few Youtube tutorials before getting started on my own project.  I began by cutting the material, giving myself a lot of wiggle room on all sides:

A word about pattern:  it was a challenge to match the apple pattern on the seat and the backrest, and darn near impossible to make the two chairs look the same.  I gave up.  As a rookie with restricted free time, it would have been wiser for me to choose a solid print.

Pulling the vinyl tight, I stapled the sides of the seat:

When working with a stiff fabric like vinyl, it's a good idea not to staple too close to the corners, so that you have more material to work with.  I also trimmed the excess vinyl in the corners.

However, no sooner did I begin folding corners when I realized that there was no way I could follow the instructions I saw on-line.  Most tutorials suggested folding the corners like you'd gift-wrap the ends of a present.  However, the thickness of the vinyl made the corners look bulky and uneven.  Plus, as you can see above, the seat corners are rounded, thereby giving me no straight edge to work with:

After a lot of finangling, this was the best corner I could come up with using basic upholstery techniques 

After a lot of trial and error, I hit upon the idea of cutting the vinyl into strips, and stapling each piece individually.  This meant that I could adjust each strip to accommodate the curve of the seat and the thickness of the fabric.  The key is not to cut too close to the edge of the seat, otherwise the cuts will be visible once you turn the seat over:

The fabric cut into thin strips...

... and stapled.  Not a perfect corner, but I'm happier with this result than the one I got using the other technique

For the table, I wanted the paper to roll from underneath because the table surface isn't that big.  I spent a lot of time trying to find a roll of paper that wasn't too wide and a method to fasten it to the table which would allow me to access it easily.  Further, given that I was doing my running around during nap time (thanks Nana!), I didn't want to drive all over the place to find the various items I needed.  So, IKEA was my one-stop shop for the paper and the brackets (which are actually meant for curtain rods). I went to Home Depot to cut the wooden dowel: 

All of the components

Side view of a bracket in place

Both brackets attached.  The placement of the table legs posed a challenge.  I would have liked to place the brackets closer to the table edge.  As well, I had to make sure the brackets would project the dowel over the table legs.

The paper roll in place

For finishing touches, I ran the paper under the green polkadot ribbon, which acts as a paper guide.  To that end, I also took one enormous black paper clip and hot-glued more ribbon to it to add a little colour, and used it to keep the loose end of the paper firmly in place.  In order to protect the table top, I cut some foam board to the table's size and attached it with velcro so that it's easy to remove and replace.  The third chair was an Opa's Value Village Treasure that I spray painted red.  The final product in use:

So there you have it!  It was true labour of love, but I enjoyed the challenge.  And The Ducklings?  Well, we basically have to pry them off the chairs for their nap.  Here's hoping it will bring many years of fun and creativity - and a little quiet time for Mummy ;)

Birthday Pictures and Video

We had a wonderful second birthday party!  We thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone, and I was happily surprised by the number of people who came to celebrate with us.  Very special was meeting Phil and Cindy's sweet Mia, who was less than a month old.  In fact, at one point the under-four crowd in the living room included Mia, Maia and Malia!  It was a blast, too, having my sister Deborah, my brother-in-law Sepp, my niece Siobhan and nephew Liam with us.  They've just moved to Ontario from Alberta, and will be moving into their new house in Petawawa at the beginning of November.  The party also served as a Leighton/Irving family reunion, with a whole bunch of cousins in the kitchen and Aunt Pinie bustling around helping everything run smoothly.   We had so much fun.

I took a quick picture of the table before mayhem ensued...

Later that evening, Colin, Keith and Evelyn had a chance to delve into their cupcakes.  Keith almost had a meltdown in anticipation of his, and at the very end of the video, you'll catch Evelyn's honest opinion of hers... and Colin, well, it wasn't meat.  So he was less than interested!

Here they are rocking their brand new birthday slippers!

And what did they get as a present from Edward and I?  Stay tuned for the monster post that tells all!  It only took me from, oh, February to hours before their party to finish their gift...

Two Years Ago...

In some ways, it's incredibly hard to fathom that two years have passed since that fateful 2am leap out of bed, at almost 32 weeks pregnant.  Two years since we first laid eyes on our tiny bundles as they whizzed past us on their way to the NICU.  We had no idea what the future held at that moment.

We couldn't even imagine how these little beings can bring both the best and the worst out of you, often simultaneously; how you can hallucinate from severe sleep deprivation; how that moment you think you *might* have finally figured out their sleeping/eating needs and patterns is actually a subconscious signal for them to throw the next curve ball; how hard it is to talk and think rationally over three screaming two year olds; and how, when people ask you time and again how you manage, you shrug your shoulders and honestly reply:  I have no idea.  I do know that it has taken a village to raise these children to this point, and I can't see that changing any time soon.  We are very, very fortunate to have the support and help that we have on a daily basis.  So thank you all.

On the other hand, Colin, Keith and Evelyn are just so.... two.  "No" is "no" even when it's "yes".  Everything is theirs.  They count cars and puppies and tell me rather ruefully that they have made a "big big mess".  They like to play follow the leader and Simon Says.  They laugh themselves breathless.  They play together and fight together and make it all up with a peace offering: "tankyouvermuch".

A few additional thoughts:

Colin:  Favourite word:  "EL-AH-LEEEEEEEEN", when Evelyn has done something to raise his rather ready ire.  Sometimes all she has to do his look at him, and he will burst forth with righteous indignation.
           Favourite activity:  Piling items into other items:  toy cars in the barn, a fork and spoon in his cup holder, scraps of paper into a box.  Singing himself to sleep.  Playing by himself while talking to himself.  Cuddling.  Batting his eyelashes at himself in the mirror.  He monitors Keith when the latter is in full exploration mode, preemptively saying "No no Keith".  He is very much the older-by-one-minute big brother.

Keith:  Favourite word:  Truck.  Car.  Steering wheel.  Headlight.  This is a child who beeps when walking backwards, and the other day, he proudly showed me how he had bitten his cereal bar into the shape of a "school bus" and then a "digger".  Ice cream.  Ooooh, lookaDIS!!!  Everything he says is spoken very, VERY loudly.
           Favourite activity:  Anything he isn't supposed to be doing.  Our Curious Keith.  Happily, he also loves to read his books.  He adores being tickled and still plays peekaboo with abandon.  If you chase him, he will laugh hysterically.  He sings himself awake in the morning, and is (usually) our little ray of sunshine.  Very little gets Keith down.  He will eat pretty much anything we put in front of him, including "apple criss".

Evelyn:  Favourite word:  NOOOOOOO.  Shoo me ("excuse me").  Hilarious.  Delicious.  Anything you say - she is a constant echo.
              Favourite activity:  Playing with her dolly.  Building lego towers.  Coercing anyone into reading to her.  Cuddling - strictly on her own terms.  Helping:  she gets her brothers each a cracker after lunch and dinner, and cleans up.  For now.  She's always been feisty, but now she has the vocabulary to take it to the next level.  Loves her food, and still flaps her arms when she's enjoying her what's on her tray... the Flap Factor is a quantifiable reaction.

So there you have it - a little snapshot of our trio at two.

We love you so much, and can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead!!

*Photo courtesy of our friend Margaret.
        

At Two

I just dawned on me that the majority of the videos we take are at the kitchen table.  This is partially because we do spend a certain amount of our time eating.  However, it's also because it is one of the very few moments of the day when the kids are actually contained and thus easily captured on film.