Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin Song
(tune: I'm a little teapot)
I'm a little pumpkin
Orange and round.
Here is my stem,
Here is the ground.
When I get all cut up,
Don't you shout!
Just open me up
And scoop me out!

The boys had a lot of fun colouring some pumpkin shapes.  

TJ helped me decide which shapes to use for our carvings.  He is so proud (so am I)!

Fall Leaves

All the leaves are Falling Down
(tune: London Bridges)

All the leaves are falling down... falling down... falling down
All the leaves are falling down.. let's rake them up

We'll rake them in a great big pile... great big pile... grate big pile
We'll rake them in a great big pile.. now let's all jump in!

Hope you are enjoying the fall too!
Our greatest times have been jumping in the big leaf pile in the forest.  TJ calls that his house.  I was even invited over to play in his house one day.  I need to make sure I dress right, my polar fleece jacket isn't the best for leaves. The boys love to help collect and mow the leaves.  Sometimes we use the tractor, but if the leaves get too deep then I rake them onto a tarp to drag away.  Both boys hop on for a ride until mommy's arms are too tired.  I get quite a work-out!
Happy Fall

Sharing

The other day a very good friend of mine gave our boys a special Halloween treat.  We were all given a chocolate pumpkin sucker and TJ also got a gummy candy skewer.  Oh TJ couldn't wait to eat his treats but it was late at night so we had to wait.

Thank you Nanny for TJ's Lightning McQueen Costume.
TJ hasn't taken it off for a few days except to sleep and reminds us often that he is a car.

The next day at snack time I let him eat half of the chocolate and a few gummies.  I figured that was enough for one day.  MJ got to eat 2 small pumpkin candies.

Later in the afternoon I asked him to choose one or the other.  After munching on his chocolate for a bit he looked over and realized MJ had a whole sucker that he wasn't really eating.  Of course MJ had just woken up and was rather grumpy at the time.  

MJ in his new Tigger costume along with his cousin as a fairy.
Thanks again to Nanny for so much fun!

I noticed that TJ laid his sucker near MJ in the table.  I thanked TJ for trying to help cheer up MJ and gave it back to him.  I thought nothing of it.  After snack time TJ wanted to talk to me about MJ's chocolate.  He insisted that MJ needed to share his sucker.  I passed it off and we went out to play.  At bed time TJ brought it up again.  I tried to explain that it was MJ's sucker and he had eaten his own.  TJ didn't like that and insisted that MJ had to share.  

"But you didn't share your candy," I said.  

"Yes I did", says TJ, "I put my chocolate near MJ but he didn't want it!" (this in a frustrated voice)
How could I respond?  I could only laugh and hug my TJ!

He had offered a half eaten sucker to a crying baby and expected to get his share in return.
I will still have to deal with the issue tomorrow, but for now I am thankful I got to see a glimpse into how TJ's mind works.

Apple Picking

These photos are from last month but it's taken a while to get them off my camera.

Fall is in the air, he leaves are changing colour and the apples are ripe for picking.  The boys and I took the opportunity to go to our local apple farm before the called for rain hit.
We had a great time as usual at Frootogo

TJ found his favourite wagon with the biggest wheels

Lots of apples!!

TJ showing off his first apple

MJ planning which row to run down next

TJ searching for the perfect pick

MJ searching for an apple to pick

TJ leads the way through the corn maze

MJ looks a bit lost

MJ playing on the toys

It was a pretend tractor!

I love the fall!  We are faving so much fun.

Give-away Results

Since no one entered the give-away then there really is nothing to report.  I'd like to thank my wonderful sister Bonnie for sharing about her business and offering a prize.  My boys adore all the hand knit toys she's made us.

TJ last year with Cheeky Monkey

I was disappointed at first that no one commented on the post.  But then I remembered that I started this blog for my self and my family foremost.  It is a means to capture and record our memories (much easier and more instant than scrapbooking).  I am so pleased that others are able to look in on us and watch the boys grow.  I have met so many wonderful people and participated in some very fun blog hops and linky parties.

Although we are rather busy right now looking for work and selling the house, I will do my best to keep blogging and have fun doing it.

crafting together

Today is another cold and rainy day.  After making some yummy apple cookies this morning we played in the play room for a while.  TJ played hair dresser, then moved on to fishing while MJ and I read lots of books.  The boys really are not used to being inside so much since the spring.  After a quick snack I pulled out all the craft supplies, dug through the recycling for some boxes and let TJ have some fun in the kitchen.

TJ loves to cut and tape things

We just found some stamping markers

MJ played with the chalk for a while.  I began to notice he like to fill and empty containers so I got out pom-poms and an ice cube tray for him.

MJ filling the tape roll with pom-poms

MJ loves being part of the action

TJ is currently pretending to be a robot with the marker lids.

I think we are going to have a fun fall full of learning opportunities.

Happy Thanks Give-away!!

Oh there is so much to write about to you all these days.  I haven't been around much because we are so busy, but that is all for another post....

I am very excited to be doing my very first give-away.  My blog is growing in followers and posts.  So I would like to thank you as we celebrate our own Thanksgiving.

I'd like to introduce you to my sister Bonnie King and her fabulous Etsy Shope "Only One".

When did you start knitting?

I have been knitting for as long as I can remember. I never knit clothes, blankets, or other typical items. It's always toys or doll clothes. I enjoy small projects that I can work on during my spare time.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Originally, I was inspired by my grandma, who was always knitting teddy bears and dolls. I began knitting following these traditional patterns, but then I started altering patterns so that the bears would have extra long arms or legs, or the head would be tiny or really big. I like adding a bit of humour to toys whenever I can. After my daughter was born, I started creating my own original patterns so I could make any animal or toy I wanted to. This led to me opening my store on Etsy, where I sell toys, rattles, and mobiles.

Why is your store called "Only One"?

One reason for the name "Only One" is that I try to make items that are unique and one of a kind. The other reason is that when I was young, my parents always called naptime an "only one". They would say, "Time for an Only One!" and for some reason, it stuck with me. The toys I make are perfect for little ones to take with them for their naps.

Do you have any tips for someone thinking of starting an Etsy store?

First of all I would say go for it. It isn't very difficult to do, and it can be a lot of fun. I would also say to try to take good photos of your items. It is what attracts people to your store. 

For our give-away Bonnie has kindly offered a beautiful Miss Birdy.  You can enter two ways:

This will end Friday October 14 at midnight.  Winner will be announced on the Monday.

* Please leave your email in the comment so I can let you know if you won!!*

* Visit Only One and leave a comment telling me what your favourite item is. You'll have to go and look at previously sold items as she is currently on vacation.

* Follow Raising Our Family using google follower and come back to leave a comment that you follow.

Don't forget to tell your friends...

Ginger bread cookies

The other day the weather was cold and rainy, and both boys had a cold.  We watched a lot of TV that day, but... I really wanted to do something fun and out of the ordinary (we've been rather stressed and busy).  So we made gingerbread cookies!

I used a recipe from Company's Coming that worked out perfectly.  We got out some fun shapes like pumpkins, ice cream cones, trains, and people.  MJ had a great time with all the cookie cutters.  TJ and I baked while MJ was playing.  He came over to visit a few times which made baking tricky.  Once we got to the dough I gave each boy a lump to pay with.  MJ promptly thanked me and ate his!  TJ and I used a small rolling pin (my big one is packed somewhere) and had fund with the dough.

I left TJ decorate the cookies with icing and smarties all by himself and he did a great job.  MJ was so excited about what we were doing he kept climbing on the table for more.

MJ is a fun little guy.  He signs thank you every time anyone hands him something.  He is relentless about climbing chairs and getting onto the kitchen table.  He loves to wrestle TJ and has just started to copy TJ's screaming (it's getting loud over here).  MJ's favourite game is peek-a-boo it is so cute to hear him try to say that.

TJ is becoming so independent now.  I am surprised everyday at how much he can do alone, yet he always wants his bunny and sucky (soother).  The other day he came and shoed me the glass of water he got for himself.  He described to me how he'd pushed the chair over to the counter, climbed up to get a glass out of the self and then filled it with water from the cooler!  He's working on self-control and his temper but I'm sure that is an age thing.

What do you do when everyone has a cold or is sick??