Halloween 2013

As Halloween had been approaching, I had been trying to get Brody to wear his costume. First off to see if it fit, and then once I realized how much he didn't want to wear it, I tried to see if I could break him in. Turns out it was more like a band-aid situation; had to force it on him (actually safety pin him in!) and then he got used to the idea. He understood more once he saw others wearing costumes, and receiving candy certainly didn't hurt! With his train obsession you would think wearing a Thomas the Train costume would be a huge thrill! I actually had built him a special Thomas the Train costume out of a box and painted it, but he refused to wear it (maybe next year?). Luckily we had this cloth one as a back-up plan (thanks Nana!).

Teary-eyed, and not happy about being forced into the costume!

On our way to the first house!
Melissa was dressed in a beautiful dress (hard to see) and fairy wings we made together!

Door opened and he walked right in... LOL!

Taking in the best decorated house of the night... our neighbors!

Starting to really get into it... he finally learned to say "Trick or Treat" and then "Thank-you" after!

Brody has really enjoyed all the pumpkins this season, and announces them when he sees them! 

We joined up with some friends... Little Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood.

Add in the younger brothers! 

 

Our sweet fairy :)

Brody finally was interested in wearing his hat!

Brody did soooo well... he probably would have kept going, but we decided to quit while things were still good. Melissa & Daddy continued on for half an hour more before calling it a night! So thankful the rain held off for us!

Train Show

This past weekend we went to the Train & Hobby Show in Chilliwack. It was a hit as you will see! There were train sets and paraphernalia all over!

This was a train set that had battery operated trains that went around and around on a huge track for the kids to play with!

Someone has spotted Thomas the Train!

 

There was another set for the kids to play with which was also very popular...

Another set had remote controls which the kids could operate. Brody once again spotted Thomas and is pointing him out to Nana :)

Melissa enjoyed operating the train remotes and Brody pushed the buttons which activated certain parts of the display or made train sounds...

A little slice of heaven for a boy (and his Dad) who are obsessed with trains :)

Brody Does Flashcards

It is so amazing how fast our little guy is picking up words! Brody loves practicing these flashcards with us. He was a bit distracted by the fact that he could see himself being video'd...


And what are the odds of this happening!?

At the slides

Mid August we enjoyed an afternoon at the waterslides with the family - Uncle John & Luca were out visiting :)

Brody's first waterslide!

Second slide and smiling!

Brody was very consistent at waving at Nana & Pop who were sitting on the hillside taking in the action!

Up next at the slides where Melissa & I (and Brody) are going to race to the bottom!

I don't remember who won in the end... but I'm sure you could ask Melissa!

Brody is all ready to go again! He LOVED sliding!

John & Luca racing down the tubes...

Quick Park Visit

Yesterday after Melissa's dance class we had a few minutes (and decent weather) to hit the park. The kids had a great time :)

Chilliwack Lake Holiday

The second week in July we enjoyed a family holiday - camping in the beautiful Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park, in a rented camper. When we arrived, we were greeted by this sign which we thought was funny, but later found to be quite true! 

This was our set-up - a 28' Keystone trailer...

 

The kids settled in quickly and were eager to sit around a campfire (we just had to find a Park Ranger first to buy firewood, which proved to be a challenge!)

Eventually we tracked the ranger down and Melissa got to roasting marshmallows!

Brody this first night had the hardest time adjusting to the new sleep situation... he goofed off for hours and hours :P

Day 2

Started with a breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup! 

Melissa & Daddy did some metal-detecting while Brody napped. Amazing how many bottle caps they could find around the camp site!

Brody after a long morning-afternoon nap, all rested up to go to the beach. (Just above where Brody is sleeping is Melissa's bunk bed - which she was very excited about sleeping in!)

We found a beautiful spot on the lake with a little bit of beach front with an amazing view of the mountains... the pictures don't do the scenery justice!

Brody was a little unsure of the water at first...

but took to digging in the sand...

Building a sandcastle...

Back at "home" hanging out while dinner is prepared...

Dinner-time!

Day 3

Playing the card game "War" while Brody had his morning nap...

Back at the beach, helping Dad metal detect...

Meticulous sand sifting produced an old turnbuckle fastener :)

Melissa horsing around in the water... she put on quite the show for me and the camera!

A night bike ride...

The path we took led us to this bridge...

Day 4

A favorite campsite pass-time for the kids, gathering forest floor treasures...

A playground the kids enjoyed playing at in the campsite...

Nana & Pop came out for an evening visit!

Pop took some family pics of us:

Behind us: "Paleface Mountain"

Day 5

Cool dude in his sister's "swa-kiss"

One of the many "chippies" that were scurrying around the site...

Our last visit to the beach, it was a bit of a cooler day and most of us were under-the-weather :(
The treasure hunt was on again!

Unearthed a beer can this time!

Us girls huddling under the towels to keep warm on the beach. 

A final picture of a good portion of the treasures that were found on this holiday... minus the few coins (I forget the final $ total, but it wasn't too significant - we still have a long ways to go to pay off the metal detector!)