Danika is loving school, and we are so proud of her. I was sooo worried that full-time school would be way too much and was prepared to keep her home once or twice a week, but she is thriving. There are no complaints in the morning and she has so much to tell me at the end of the day. She is learning her alphabet through the make believe world of 'Letter-land,' and comes home excited to tell me about annie apple and bouncy ben. She is making lots of new 'best' friends, but still doesn't know anyone's names! Yesterday she had a cute story about the 'thinking chair' she said that when a kid has to sit in it her teachers eyes get crossed! (she gets cross) I laughed pretty hard! I love hearing life through my kids eyes.

CANNING!

I learned how to can (from a great friend!) this week, and it was such a great feeling! I loved being able to use the abundance of produce off of my OWN fruit trees. This week I canned a ton of applesauce. And the only ingredient is... apples! I also canned pears and then today I had a couple of girls come over and we cleared my plum tree and made plum jam. Not to sure about it yet, I have never tried plum jam, but they were becoming over-ripe so I had to do something with them. I think the next item on the agenda is home-made apple butter. I have used all of our pears, all our plums and I still have an abundance of apples on our tree, so I need to get creative!

The Kinsol Trestle

Last weekend we got out for some hiking, I love that about autumn, it is the perfect weather to get outside and do some hiking... and we have had lots of fall weather so far! Saturday we found a different path up to the lake. Then on Sunday we drove out near Shawnigan Lake and hiked to the Kinsol Trestle. An old train trestle that was a $3.1 million dollar project and is now a beautiful path with beautiful scenery. It was a great day with my beautiful family!

Adessa did not want her picture taken... can you tell?

I persuaded her with a snack!

My handsome hubby and the huge trestle

Our classic shot

Our Day

This past week it has felt like fall has settled over little Crofton like a heavy blanket complete with cloudy, gloomy skies and rain. This morning Steve and I both taught Sunday school, then we all came home for a nap, as it was just one of those days. After naps, the sun came out and we decided to take a little drive to a vineyard close to us. It was GORGEOUS. They have a beautiful little bakery with a deck overlooking the vineyard and cinnamon buns the size of your head! I also got some fresh produce for dinner to go along with our organically grown chicken, thanks to our farmer friends! We then took Meeko to the Crofton dog park and picked blackberries, plums and apples.

I LOVE the island for the abundance of fruit trees and fresh produce and I love being able to support the local farmers. Our dinner tonight was all grown locally, and that is just such a neat feeling. We also have an abundance of plums and apples in our own backyard, with a few pears and I am not too sure what to do with it all, other than tell all my friends to bring their buckets and have at 'er!

As we were finishing up dinner, our babysitter Megan stopped by with 2 giant crabs that her dad caught that day and were already cooked! So we melted up some garlic butter and ate it up!

Danika posing for me!

Adessa was so funny, she kept taking bites and yelling 'yuck' and acting it up, but then kept eating more, and more!

Danika wasn't a huge fan

My girl, looking all grown up!

Steve's belly full of crab... he enjoyed every bit of it!

The Potty Training Journey Continues...

Adessa is amazing. This week as I mentioned before she has 'decided' to potty train herself! She is doing SO WELL... minus a few squats in the corners. I bit the bullet and bought some pull-ups as I am not totally comfortable taking her out yet in her 'big girl panties.' I mean she is doing so well to the point of telling me she has to go, even when we are in the grocery store, library or church this morning. I have already weaned out the treats and she is still going by herself. I just have to keep a close eye on her as she won't go in her panties/diaper, but if I am not reminding her to use the potty, she will just pull down her pants and go wherever she is! Only 25 months old and pretty much already potty trained... and I didn't have too much to do with it! This girl is so determined, and I am so proud of her.

First Day of Kindergarten!

My big girl started school today and she did SO WELL! Adessa and I walked her up for 8:30, dropped her off, stood waiting to wave goodbye... and she didn't even turn around! It was so much harder for me than her, I was so proud of my big girl. She didn't know any of the kids and still did so well!

New haircut and back pack with her shiny new princess runners!

Picked her up from school and she was so excited, she said she had the best day ever! Came out wearing a pin that said, "I survived my first day of kindergarten."

Good job baby girl... I am so excited to see how much you learn and grow this year at school... you will do SO WELL!!! Love you! xoxo

Adessa's First Haircut

This morning I took the girls in to get haircuts. It was Adessa's first one and she did so well! She sat so calmly, totally zoned out and let the hairdresser do her thing. I decided to get bangs on her as her hair is always in her face and I think she looks pretty darn cute, however Steve asked if I cut her hair... so I'm not sure how he feels about it!!! But since it was her first haircut she got it for free and they gave her a certificate with a lock of her hair... going straight to the baby book!

Watching a movie

For dinner we had the Francis family over as they are moving to Sparwood in a couple of days. They have been such great friends to us and I am so sad to see them go!

I had to take a picture of my first blueberry lattice topped pie... it turned out great, Steve didn't believe me that it wasn't store bought!

Summer Finale!

This past weekend we soaked up the final hot rays of summer and were so blessed to spend every moment of the weekend at a lake with good friends!

Friday the girls and I headed to Fuller lake with Sharon and had a great day swimming in the warm lake!

Adessa is happiest outside, getting dirty... oh and of course eating lots of snacks!

Saturday we went up to the 'Wild Side' at Mesachie Lake to hang out with the Burdge family. Another great, relaxing day! Danika and I spent a lot of time floating around making up stories to tell one another. At one point I was getting frustrated because we kept blowing into shore, and she looked at me and told me she was asking God to keep us close to shore!!

The boys catching freshwater cray fish... creepy little dude who looks kind of like a lobster, but is in the lake?? Weird!!

Adessa my fearless girl holding the crayfish head... she kept poking it at me trying to scare me!

Sunday after church we headed back out to Mesachie lake and hung around the camp. The boys did windsurfing... Steve made it across the lake really well, but then needed the rescue boat to come pick him up! He said he was so frustrated as he was going 'wherever the wind took him' and there were people on a dock laughing at him and videotaping him!

The 'smoulder'

Sharing good food with good friends makes for a happy end to a great weekend!!

We are so blessed with such great friends... and an added bonus that they live right on a lake! :)

Our Little Garden

This was my first time ever doing a garden and truly for the amount of work and watering it took I am not sure if it was worth it! I loved it for the first month and then I just kind of got sick of it! We had a few great little items and Danika and I had some fun, but we'll see if I will tackle this again next year! Check out my stunted, weird cucumbers and little carrots! I just don't think my garden was deep enough, but oh well.. the pepper was good and the tomatoes are great!! .. And of course I have the most beautiful helper in the world! ;)

Caroline's B-day!

Last night I planned a little girls night out for Caroline's birthday... as she so deserves it! It was a wonderful night with lots of laughs and wonderful ladies!

Thoughts at the Bottom of a Beanstalk

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand-new book bag. Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother.

Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year...

Jack's mother straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word. He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem, and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother. She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside. "Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk."

She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing. "I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew that Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that after all, this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications. "It's not so much that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him." Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life" she told herself. "Today's the day he starts practicing for them... And today's the day I start practicing something too: Cheering him on and waving good-bye."

--Author Unknown

Danika's teacher sent this home with us and as I read it I got tears in my eyes... it is so true. I think I have been making Danika a little nervous for school, because all summer I have been a baby about my big girl all grown up and going to school 'full-time'. I know she will do fine and I need to be just cheering her on, but its hard, because I will so miss her! This week I have really been trying to hold onto 'most' moments with Danika. The times we have just by ourselves when Adessa is napping every afternoon, her helping me outside in the garden or her singing songs loudly while she plays. Life is full of last moments and I hope I can make the most of every moment with my girls, because they are growing up so quickly!

Danika Raeanne, I am so excited for this next stage in life for you, and I know you will succeed at whatever you put your little mind too. Your the sweetest little girl and I know you will be a friend to everyone and I am so excited to see how God will use you here at the Crofton school. I love you baby girl and I will be cheering you on always!

Interview for Kindergarten

On Thursday Danika had her first 'day' of kindergarten. Steve and I had to go with her and meet her teacher and try and figure out if she could be in a K-1 split as there is so many children signed up this year. She was told to write her name and draw a picture of herself and she did so well. The teacher was impressed and said she may be a good candidate, but Steve and I would really like her to just be in the Kindergarten class... we find out on Tuesday where she will be placed! I am so nervous for my baby girl to be in full time kindergarten! But I know she will do so well.

Potty Training

Adessa Mattie (as she likes to call herself) is one determined little girl... if you haven't already noticed. This week she has decided to potty train herself! She has been wearing big girl panties for the past few days and goes each time on the potty by herself. Knowing that their is a 'treat' at the end of it is good enough motivation for my girl. Isn't she amazing?? 2 years old and potty training herself!!! So proud of my baby girl!

The Jones Family

After Parksville Linsey and her beautiful family came to stay with us for a few nights as Adam has never been to our home yet. We took them out to Lake Cowichan all day Saturday and then Sunday Linsey came and helped me teach Sunday school (shes wonderful!) then we took them to Transfer Beach in Ladysmith. We stayed up late playing games, and then one night we had a babysitter and went to Duncan for a movie. We so enjoyed our time together and it makes me so sad to be so far apart. However I think we almost convinced Adam to move here... they loved it so much! Ella and Danika played so well together and little Max is growing up so quickly. He seriously is the best baby boy ever! He just sits there and smiles ALL day. I had lots of good cuddles with that little man and he stole me heart! I am sad that my sister and I are both stay at home mom's right now and we don't get to see each other all the time! But am so very blessed that we were able to see them and spend a week with them! So Adam and Linz thanks so much for spending your vacation with us, we enjoyed every minute!

Me and my crazy sister!

We asked Adessa to go wash the dirt off (she had a diaper on) when we looked over she had the watering can and was cleaning herself!

My beautiful girl

Ella Bella... my beautiful niece

My big beautiful girl!

Cutest boy in the world!

3 pretty girls

Jones familia

Happiest baby in the world!

Roasting their own food

Whats a fire without s'mores?!

Adessa loves her little cousin!