Happy Halloween!

We trudged through the snow here tonight to go trick or treating - well, Ben walked through the snow while we walked on the sidewalks! The whole family went, as you can see:















Ben practicing his "RRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRR!"














Close-up shots of both kiddos:




























After we hit the houses on our block, Ella fell asleep in Daddy's arms. Daddy and his little ladybug went home while Ben and I continued down the next street. After two houses, Ben said that he was cold and that he wanted to go home. Oh, and I had to carry him through the snow. Lucky me. On the way home, I said that maybe we could have some hot chocolate to warm us up when we got home. Ben said no, that he wanted to share some water with me. But then he added, "Maybe candy would warm us up!" Whatta guy!

Sittin' up...

Here's Ella, sitting up. She is also starting to pull up on all fours and rock back and forth. Crawling, here we come!

(2 days less than) 6 month appointment!

Ella's appointment for her next set of shots was this morning. She did well again, but cried just a little with the Prevnar vaccine, just like last time. That one stings a bit, her pediatrician informs us. Anyhoo, he said she's the picture of health!

Weight: 18 lbs. 8.3 oz.
Height: 28.25 in.

I asked about her percentile rankings - 90-95th percentile for weight and 97th percentile for height. WOW! That just confirms that she IS a big girl!

Now we've got to thing about getting her a big girl's carseat, seeing as how she's 2 inches over the max height and almost to the weight limit (20 pounds) of the infant carrier. Darnit, the carrier is so convenient...I'm going to miss it!

Happy Birthday Grandma Joan!

Today (Sunday) was Grandma Joan's fuh-mumble-mumble birthday! We headed out to Morden to celebrate with her. The other night on the phone, I asked her if she wanted a Jeanne's cake, which she said no to, but then she went on and on and on about how she loves cream puffs. So I, being the wonderful daughter I was raised to be, made her cream puffs. They turned out quite yummy, if I do say so myself! Mom insisted on having whipped cream to dollup on top, and here are some pictures of Ben enjoying the messy beaters:














Double-fisting it:




















HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

Odds 'n ends

Every week, I take Ben to a Moms & Twos class. The kids get to do a craft every week, and this has become one of Ben's favorite parts of the class. Here he is showing off the Jack-O-Lantern he made:














Is that not the scariest pumpkin you've ever seen?! ;)

What else is new? Ella has started eating cereal and she's doing pretty well with it. I've been procrastinating on this front, as it is just so much easier to nurse her! But since her 6-month pediatrician's appointment is next week, I wanted to be able to tell him if I had any concerns. I don't, as you can see!














Here she is, with a messy face, blowing raspberries:














And for dessert, she's eyeing up the toy kitty!














Last week, we had to leave Ben's gymnasitcs class early because SOMEONE decided to push another kid out of the way so that HE could move the big step. I told Gord that I feel like Ben's the bully in his gymnastics class and our Moms & Twos class, and anywhere else we go. I'm not sure if it's the "terrible twos" rearing its ugly head, or if it's the result of being at home with only Mommy to play with all day every day, or what. I'm starting to see some improvement, so that makes me feel a bit better. I'm happy to report that class was much better this week, and he shared and took turns like a good little boy.

That's it...I'm signing off!

And the award for Worst Mommy of 2006 goes to...

MOI!

Ben crapped his pants in Old Navy today, so when we got back to the car, I put him in the front seat and Ella in her seat. I was rummaging around in the diaper bag and getting a change area ready, and Ben was horsing around in the driver's seat. I changed him on the passenger seat, tidied up, picked him up and closed the door. I went to open his door to get him into his car seat, and...it was LOCKED. Ben had hit the driver's door lock, which locks all the doors, when he was playing around in the driver's seat. I had heard a loud click, but thought that he had kicked the middle console tray with his foot.

As soon as I realized what had happened, my stomach felt like it was coming up! EVERYTHING was inside the running car - Ella, my purse, the cell phone... So I accosted some young guy in the parking lot and begged to use his cell phone. He, sensing that I was about to lose it, obliged. I called Gord's school and told the secretary, "I need to speak to Gord ______. This is his wife, and it's an EMERGENCY!" When he came on, I told him that Ella was locked in the running car in the Old Navy parking lot, and he said, "I'll be right there." The LONGEST 20 minutes of my life passed by. Ella was screaming her head off - and to boot, her hat had wriggled down her forehead and was covering her eyes - I'm sure that didn't make it any better! She cried herself to sleep shortly before Gord arrived. He got out of the car, gave me a hug, and said, "I have to ask...HOW did this happen?"

So at 1:10 I got into the car. We quickly grabbed some drive-thru and I had to boot it to my dentist appointment, which was scheduled for 1:30. Needless to say, I did not make it on time...

Can I go to bed and hide for the rest of the weekend?

p.s. The real kicker is...this happened to my mom long, long ago. I was accidentally locked in the car in the grocery store parking lot, and she had to call my dad to come let her in. I've always given her a hard time about this (jokingly, of course). What goes around, comes around. But, wow, how about that deja vu?

Tights and Cups!

Well, I finally faced the fact that I have a little girl and put her in...tights!















Yesterday, the 4th Potter Cup was held in Brandon. We drove out just for the day - and it was a beautiful day too! The weather was perfect (for the first time) - while the men played golf, the women sat out on the deck at Aunt Simone and Uncle Rick's while the kids played in the yard.








































Ella and a new friend:




















This year, Gord was awarded the Cup - a real honor as he is the first non-Potter to win it.














Gord and Dad in the shade:














Ben and Jackson playing tetherball:














Last but not least, it would not be a Potter get-together unless there was food on someone's face, so Aunt Simone started a Cool-Whip-smearing frenzy. She got Chris (who got her back), and Chris then brought Aunt Nancy into it. I also ended up with a Cool-Whip mask. Sheesh!