it's the great pumpkin.

Happy Halloween!

It's not the same holiday for us as it used to be pre-parenthood 

**small sigh of disappointment**

and more of a "let me take way too many pictures of my kid with pumpkins and in costume etc"

kind of situation, but it's still fun nonetheless.  

It's raining again today like it's becoming a tradition,

but we're hoping to take her out trick or treating for the first time.

Have a drunk happy & safe Halloween everyone!

Lest you think that we're just full of picturesque moments…
This is how we really feel about taking pictures with papa.

Also, the small pumpkin was immediately stolen from our front step after bringing it home,
and the big one continues to be gnawed at daily.
Papa explained that it was probably a squirrel (I'm thinking more racoon…) that took it.
So her new thing is to yell at any and all squirrels within eyesight.
"No! No squirrels! Go away!"

much needed.

I had a very physically challenging and emotionally draining few weeks.
But now we're taking some much, much, very much needed time off
and spending quality time with family.
Lazy days and afternoon naps with my girl is my kind of vacation.

Falling asleep with my girl wrapped around my neck saying

"love you mama"

Really, no matter what's happening in life, I know my cup is more than half full.

Most definitely.

she says the darndest things.

Ignore the fact that I haven't been here for 3 & 1/2 months.

Life just keeps happening.

Warning you now that I'm about to do a blitz of the past few months to play catch up.
(it's another massive photo dump)
You've been warned.

We traveled to Japan at the end of May.
My tiny traveller.
She did so well.  Carried her own backpack any kept up with me the whole time.

Vacation attire.  Diva attitude.
Visiting temple with jiji and baba.
We were only there for 2 weeks and it wasn't enough time at all.

As of June, we have a two year old.
How that happened so fast, I have no idea…

 Who needs actual gifts when you can be SO excited over balloons?

The summer's going by too fast.
Is the memory of last winter still WAY too fresh in everyone's mind,
or is it just me?

 (she may be the tiniest tweenager but she's still my baby)

We spend a lot of time playing outside, which sometimes results in injuries…

Other summer activities including, but not limited to:
Bubble blowing

A little vacation.
Ah yes… I can just see our headaches in her teenage years all the way from here...

 

Loving the pool.

Trying to leave required minimal effort…

And just generally making the best of the good weather while it lasts.

 (H.A.M.)

It's been a good summer so far.
Just let this weather last until October… wishful thinking?

The so called "terrible twos".
There are definitely times when she gives us a run for our money,

but it's still my favourite stage so far.

Her vocabulary seems to grow by the minute, and it's amazing to watch her 

switch between English with Shaun, and Japanese with me.

Some recent highlights:

"mama, your shoes are cute today"

(me) "aw, thanks!"

"…ya, it's a little bit cute"

"mama I want to play (a game on the iPhone)"

(me) "no, we're not using the phone right now"

"…ok a little bit"

(me) "no, let's play something else"

"… ok just one time"

(me) "no really, we're not playing with the phone right now"

"… ok last time then"

Persistance…

(me) "are you a big baby?"
"no, I'm a little big girl"

To Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home"

(Shaun) "just hold on we're going home"

(Bean) "going hooooooooome"

(Shaun) "it's hard to do these things along"

(Bean) "things alooooooooone"

Shaun's attempts at creating his own family band.

And the most frequent used phrases towards Shaun:

"no papa no!"

"stop it papa!"

So it begins already.

the little pony that (almost) can.

And this is why I shouldn't say these things out loud.

Yesterday 20+ degrees, today 17 degrees, tomorrow - SNOW.

Enough already.

Also, it's another feverish sick day at our house.
Haaappy Monday.

Like I said, ENOUGH ALREADY.
But this isn't what I was going to talk about today...

Once upon a time, she was a little baldy.

(she was probably equally concerned for her lack of hair)

But finally, after almost two years,
she has just enough hair, that's just long enough to tie into the littlest pony.

Just pulling her hair back made her suddenly seem so much older,
like a little girl… where is my baby?!
I'm so excited, and a tiny bit sad.
She was too busy playing to barely even notice.
And then yanked it right out when she eventually realized that something was in her hair.
And then complained to me that it came out, and told me to put it back in.
We played that "game" about 10 more times.
Oh the joys of having a girl.

mini michelin woman.

For a while it felt like it would never end…

but hello spring, although I say that with caution because I'm almost convinced

that the second I let my guard down, it's going to snow again.

But in the event that spring is really here to stay, let there be a record of this nugget in her snowsuit. 

On a day that was finally warm enough to play outside.

Of course she wanted nothing to do with the fluffy white snow that was in abundance since December,
but this grey, solid as a rock, left over ice with bits of garbage stuck in it?
Well let me at it.
(as mama stands behind the camera, trying not to freak out)

thirty…ish.

I had my thirty-ish birthday over Family Day weekend.

a woo… hoo.

Age aside, it was still a good day.

First thing's first - doughnut break.

"……"

"All of them."

Second stop - AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario).
Where we spent most of our time playing tag… it was still a good time.

More interested in creating her own art than looking at someone else's…

Actually, most interested in throwing pencil crayons.

Oh our mischievous monkey.

"who me?"
(The get-away-with-anything smile)

Thanks for the birthday calls, emails and messages!