Basking in the Sunshine

I see that it's been awhile since I've last posted... again! My good intentions to maintain a consistent blogging schedule inevitably go awry. This time it was interrupted by a last minute trip to visit family in Saskatchewan. Adam, my dh, had to go for a work meeting, and me and Em tagged along for the ride. What was originally just supposed to be a 4 day trip ended up turning into a week... somehow our stays at my sister's house always end up being prolonged... too much fun. :) It was great to get away - and the weather was beautiful while we were there. Coming home was a mixed blessing, since I had a mountain of month-end paperwork waiting for me. **sigh**

After playing catch-up, life took over. Our weekly schedule was pretty busy for awhile there... kids gym, moms & tots twice a week, groceries, church... I was leaving the house 5 days a week. Busy. A little too busy. Thankfully, this week our moms & tots was cancelled (for the next few weeks), due to staffing issues. I feel like I have a bit more breathing room now. Not that it was really all that beneficial for Emily right now anyways, seeing as how we were always the only people at Thursday's group. I keep hoping that more kids will come from around this area, so that she'll have someone to play with nearby. As of yet, that hasn't happened. It's really starting to make me rethink this whole living out in the "remote" countryside thing, a bit.

The weather the last week or two has been really beautiful. The fall colours this year were absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, now most of that colour has fallen to the grass below, but it was nice while it lasted. It's been pleasantly warm and dare I say, hot, the last few days. We've been trying to spend lots of time outdoors, soaking up as much sunshine before winter sets in. Emily's really taken to her swing set a lot more lately. She's outgrown her baby swing (has for awhile now) and has moved on to the big swing. She can sit on it properly and swing a little bit on her own, but prefers to swing on her tummy instead most of the time.

She's also become much more adventurous in regards to her slide. For most of the summer she wouldn't go down her big slide more than once or twice, and always having to hold onto someones hand to do it. She was often even unsure about going down her baby slide unassisted. One thing for sure, she is not a very brave, adventurous child. I wish she were a little more rough and tumble and not always worried about getting hurt. We're trying to encourage her to be bold and take some chances... and she is improving. She's able to climb up the big steps of her slide all by herself (while I hold my breath) and slide down all by herself - a monumental moment in our household! She now goes down the slide 20 times a day, all by herself. :)

Em's also blossomed and matured in other ways, the last two months or so. Overnight she went from talking a few words at a time, to complete sentences. It makes life a lot easier, but sometimes I wish she had a pause button. It can get a little tiresome answering the same questions a 100 times a day. But she's also lots of fun, too. She gets jokes and games and sarcasm a lot more now, so it's fun to play with her. She's got a great imagination and it's fun to sit back and listen to the conversations she has with her toys as she plays. She loves to sing, and is starting to sing actual songs more rather than just "la la la LAAA" (she gets progressively louder and louder and LOUDER, until I need to step in and put a cap on it). Here's a couple of her belting out a little ditty...

Other than that, I've managed to complete a few more scrapbook layouts the last few days. My scraproom is not entirely set up yet, but it's functional and I'm enjoying the space. It's been very nice to get back into the craft. I apologize for the terrible pictures - the carpet is very distracting... I'd retake the pics, but it's taken me nearly 3 hours just to upload all these pictures to my blog this time. :(

I've also learned how to crochet... something I picked up from a do-it-yourself book and the guidance of my 12 year old niece, while in SK. I've only made flowers, little sleeping bags for Emily's Playmobil people and am currently working on two blankets for her babies. It's slow going, since I only crochet at night, and often times forget. My goal is to get the two blankets done for her birthday... about a month away.

That's about all for now.

Until next time...

Buck Lake Blogger