Just the Two of Us

Usually on Tuesdays I have the car. Andrew carpools to work four days a week which leaves me with the car for two days. But this week things got shuffled and today Andrew had to drive. Which meant that my big little boy went of to work with daddy before seven this morning so that Daddy could drop him at preschool in Langley. Boy did me and Tink ever miss him.


Tink was unusually clingy today. If she wasn't sitting on me, she was crawling up my leg crying to be held. The WHOLE day. And as soon as Davey got home I carted him off to sit with me and she came and cried to sit on me too. Then gave her big brother a huge hug and the sweetest kiss.
I think she's going to be like my sister kat. When Rob started kindergarten, leaving her alone at home with mum, she would be a brave little soldier helping us get our stuff together, smiling and waving bye bye as we left for the bus...and then she'd sit on the steps and cry "oh bobby, oh andy". Such a softie.

By the way, these are my new glasses. It turned out that Lenscrafters can restring glasses like my other ones, and they did it for free. But I decided to get a second pair anyway since I've broken my other ones twice this fall.

Andrew got new glasses too (his have been held together with hockey tape since sometime this summer) but they don't get in till Monday. Let me tell you though, he looks hot in them!

Third times a charm

So we met Tash and Riley and Mayah and the Chilliwack Corn Field... It's interesting how each corn field is so different from the others. This one is very homey... but maybe you'll get that from the pictures.

Davey and Riley check out how tall they are this fall.


Davey watches in awe as Riley corrals a steer. Pretty much everything Riley does is amazing in Davey's books.







Due to the heavy rain we've had the last few days, the train and hayrides weren't running. But there were still plenty of barny things for the kids to play on. And since the pumpkin patch is only a block or two from Tash's house (our ultimate destination!) we stayed.

And made the kids get in the train even though it wasn't going anywhere.



In the barn they have a sandbox filled with corn kernels. Even I got in to play there!





Then it was out to the pumpkin patch. I'm LOVING that these places are starting to give you wheel barrows to carry your loot in.


We piled all of ours and the A's pumpkins into one barrow. Tinky insisted on riding in there too.


See this little face, I think this is her "I'm doing this because I'm big. I don't really like doing it, but it's what big, brave girls do" face. She didn't really seem to like being in the wheel barrow, but if I took her out, she cried to get back in. Likewise, she has started wanting to shower if she sees anyone else showering. And she stands in the shower like a little soldier, soaping her belly, but with this little expression on her face. She is too cute.


Once we were done at the patch, it was home to the A's house for pumpkin carving. Here Darren and Andrew open our pumpkins so we can scoop out the guts.

MNNNNNN pumpkin guts.

Davey thought it was gross.

This is one of Mayah's contraptions. While we were all carving pumpkins, he put himself in it and started doing it up. Maybe he thought it was a space suit!!

The finished product. That's mine on the left, Darren's in the middle and Andrew's on the right. Andrew won the contest. ALL the kids except Riley voted for his. I only got Andrew's vote (boo hoo) but then I haven't carved pumpkins since....I don't remember. So I'm blaming lack of practice!!



We stayed for dinner (thanks guys!) and by the time we left our kids were pretty wasted. Davey's head was bobbing in his car seat, but he still managed to ask me to hold his hand for the ride home. When we got there, he carried his little green pumpkin (which he picked himself from the patch) up all three flights of stairs to his bedroom, then promptly asked if he and the pumpkin could go to bed!

Yesterday the rain slowed long enough for me to introduce Tink to the art of puddle jumping. Luckily Gramma M has sent rain gear for both the kids so we were able to kit up to head outdoors.
Look closely at Tink here, you'll notice she has three soosies for her outside adventure!



PURE GLEE>



After we came in both the kids had baths...and Davey got a real haircut. Not bad considering he had his head in my lap laughing hysterically the whole time.

Stupid, stupid, STUPID rookie mistake. And we went on a field trip too

Scroll past the pictures to read all about how my daughter is exactly like me. Only thank God we don't live in Ontario so I didn't have to brave subzero temperatures.





















Today was one of those days where I can't explain, it's probably because I didn't get enough sleep, but I just felt like it was a bad day. After we got home from our field trip, which was really fun despite the rain, cold and wind, I decided I needed to run to WalMart. Andrew was napping so I took both the kids and headed out. Considering it was almost dinner time and we'd had a pretty full day, the kids did pretty well. A bit grizzly but we were doing okay. When we pulled into the parking lot, I even found a spot next to a shopping cart. I threw a seat cover on the seat for Tink and told Davey to stand in the cart while I ran as fast as I could through the rain to the store.

Walmart here is not as good as the one in Langley so despite chugging back and forth and to and fro I couldn't quite find everything I needed. I did however find an old friend from my second cup days. Then we stopped quickly at the health food store. By this time it was getting late and the kids were hungry and tired.

I ran through what was now torrential downpours to the car. Unlocked it and threw Davey into his seat while Iran to the other side to put Tink in her seat. Keys in my mouth, I struggled to get my frozen hands to work the seat belt on Tink's chair. That's when she gleefully pulled them from out of my mouth and started playing with them. Whatever gets her to stop wriggling I thought to myself. Uh hunh. You know where this is going, don't you?

Once she was secured, I scrambled to the trunk to load up my shopping. Wisely leaving Tink's door open so I could retrieve my keys and give her a snack. Oh I'm so smug sometimes. You could tell I was getting tired at this point. I looked up to her open door and thought, why did I leave that open, it's just letting all the rain in. And gave it a slam shut. Throwing the last bag into the trunk I suddenly realized my mistake...just in time to slam the trunk shut and hear the 'click' of Tink locking all the car doors.

My mind immediately started racing towards possible rescue scenarios...none of them really feasible. I didn't have my cell phone and though we have a spare set of keys, we don't know nayone who could pick them up or lend Andrew a car. Please God, let tink reopen the door. Please? That's when I thought to talk to Dave. Standing in the rain I yelled through the window, "Davey, get the keys from Tink. Davey. The keys. Davey, get the keys from Tink!" By this point she had the alarm going and they both just sat in the car laughing at me as the rain poured down off my face, my ears, dripping down my back and soaking me through.

After an eternity I remembered I hadn't fastened Davey into his seat yet. And oh! I have smarties in my pocket. I pulled the box out and started shaking it. "Davey, do you want smarties? Climb into the front seat and let mummy in the car. Climb forward." This went on for ages with Davey alternately holding out his hand for smarties and ignoring me. Tinkie laughing the whole time.

Finally he understood what I was asking and climbed into the front seat. "Good boy! Now unlock the door. That's it, open the door. oh crap. He doesn't know how to open the door." I tried and tried and tried to show him how to open the door but he gave up and just was staring at me through the glass (staring at the smarties, more likely). Hope was fading fast. And that's when I heard another click. As I reeefed the door open I heard a diabolical laugh. Hah hah hah. "Grandma, this one's for you!"