So cozy!

After a few soaking wet days, the sun was back today and we knew we needed to take advantage of it while we still could.

With Bradley’s schedule being much more sporadic than it was when he was teaching, we always try to make the most of his days off. That usually means getting some things done around the house, plus going out and doing something fun as a family. Lucky for us, I’d just compiled a big list of dreary day-friendly activities in our area… So it was off to Hillcrest Centre for a swim in the new pool for us!

When I saw how enthused Gracen was with my poppy, I knew I had to make her her own safer version… She was pretty proud to say the least.

And snuggled up in a a load of laundry fresh out of the dryer. :)

Not that long ago, Gracen absolutely hated laying back in water and letting it fill up her ears… Obviously she’s over that because not only was she smiling, but she was also doing this in tonight’s bath:

It was another wonderfully rainy day in Vancouver today… The only trouble with rainy days is that you have to be a little more creative when it comes to planning activities for your toddler. After a good long walk in the pouring rain, a visit to our local library, a stop at a children’s play area in a nearby mall, and some fruit and veggie shopping, we decided to do something creative. I had seen this idea on one of the blogs I follow and thought it was a win-win. Foamy paint made with shaving cream and food colouring (both of which we already had), the tub as the painting canvas (no restrictions and easy clean up), and a naked baby (no stained clothes to worry about)… What could go wrong?

I don’t think I’ve mentioned how much I love Pinterest, but I really, really do. I love trying new things with Gracen, and when I saw this idea a while back, I knew we had to try it sometime soon.

Fall is in full swing here in Vancouver, and Grae and I have been loving it.

I love nothing more than peeking in on Gracen and seeing what she’s up to while she thinks no one is watching… As I sat folding laundry in the living room this afternoon, I leaned over to find my little lady watching out the dining room window with her feet firmly planted in my shoes.

Recently it’s become very apparent that Grae thinks that there is one especially safe spot to keep her special things…

With the clocks changing tonight, we knew we had to do something with our early-to-bed, early-to-wake little girl’s schedule… So we went against everything we learned when teaching her to put herself to sleep and had her take a late afternoon driving-induced nap.

So there’s really nothing other than mashed potatoes that Gracen won’t eat, but she seems to be absolutely loving quesadillas lately. Put anything in between two grilled tortillas and she’ll be double-fisting your creation for sure. Tonight she gobbled up an adult-sized helping of this one stuffed with chicken, beans, peppers, onions, and cheese, and the other day she was just as thrilled with one crammed full of sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts, and feta.

Whining and tears are regular, and the only thing that really helps is being held and cuddled by Mama or being out of the house on some sort of adventure.

This afternoon the Tickle Monster had to make an emergency appearance in our house. Gracen had been up since 4:30 a.m. (yes, 4:30!!!) and had a wonderful morning nap, but was unable to put herself down for another nap later in the day. Needless to say, she was running on fumes and things were getting a bit hairy.