Family helps...

This past Thursday my family lost the first of his generation - my grandfather. The youngest of 4, he was the first to leave us, my first grandparent to pass. It still is quite surreal and a strange thing to wrap my mind around, probably because we live so far away and haven't been involved in the happenings of the last few days in California. However, my dad still decided to come up for a visit, which was probably the best thing for all of us. A quick visit, it was full of fun meals, a trip to the aquarium, time on the playground, hot cocoa, movies, and snuggles. I think we all needed it - when you're mourning the loss of someone you loved, family helps.

Halloween Fun!

Halloween this year was so much fun! We spent the day doing fun things with great friends. The day started out at the Botanical Gardens, where they have a kids' scavenger hunt to find the 'spooky' plants and the helpers passing out candy. After lunch we hit the Fall Fair at our church, which was lots of fun and had indoor and outdoor activities. To top it off was trick-or-treating which, in a neighbourhood where kids are required for residency, was absolutely crazy!! We heard there were around 400 kids that night...we definitely ran out of candy! Charlotte loved her first trick-or-treating experience and is already talking about her costume for next year!The 3 Musketeers: 2 fairies and a dragon

Clay has become such a huge fan of TJ!

Our families walking through the gardens

Charlotte was terrified of this girl's skeleton hand!

TJ managed to open a box of Nerds, which the kids picked off his lap and shoved in his mouth

Clay admiring the snowberries

Little Farmer Dodd!

The scary spooky tunnel through the gardens

Our friends' daughter, Lilly - such a cutie!

Clay and Justin in the jump house at church

Construction worker Sara and park ranger Jesse took the kids on a nature walk on the trails behind church

My cutie butterfly girl!

One of my dear friends, Polly, who was about 37 weeks pregnant here - like her pumpkin?

2 of Polly's boys - Micah and Caleb - I love these guys!!

'Our 3' right when I opened the door for them. They were so excited!

Applebarn!

Last weekend we headed out to Abbotsford to the Applebarn, a fun pumpkin-patchy, hayride-y, apple farm-y, kid friendly family farm. We got our pumpkins, went on a hayride, visited the petting zoo, drank fresh pressed apple juice, did the zipline, rode a pony...it was so much fun!