Halloween Fun!!

What a fantabulous day!!! It was our first Canadian holiday as a family of three and it completely lived up to our expectations! Traditions were born and the excitement was plenty...

Helping Daddy get the pumpkins ready for carving...

Paul had the opportunity to sleep in, but instead got up early, excited about carving our first pumpkins with Maelyn. She loved pulling out the guts of the pumpkins and even helped to separate the guts from the seeds. We loved seeing her experiment with the different textures and get messy! Her attention, however, only lasted for one pumpkin gutting. Maelyn watched Backyardigans and had a snack while Paul and I finished gutting the other pumpkin.

During lunch time Maelyn decided to throw one of the longest and most intense tantrums we have experienced with her. We have no idea what started it, but we were worried that she wouldn't be in the mood to enjoy the day. In the end, she calmed herself down and went on as if nothing had happened.

After nap time, we decided that we needed to make some modifications to her costume. April made her the most the beautiful ladybug costume, complete with ladybug shoes, hat, etc. Unfortunately, the snow that we had during the day made it so that the black clothing underneath the ladybug shell just wouldn't be enough to keep her warm. We consented to the idea that we would have to put her in her snowsuit and just make do -- hoping that Maelyn would play along.

In the beginning, she wasn't too thrilled at being so bundled...

In the end, she loved it!! :) Funny what a magic wand will do!

Mike and Nicole dropped by with Katelyn.....too cute!!

Maelyn's first glimpse of others dressed up....she just couldn't figure it out!

Neighbour fun -- to think, last year Genesis was the only little one in our group....

Trying to figure out why Mike now has hair....

We were wondering how Maelyn would react to the experience of trick-or-treating....but of course, our social butterfly ladybug absolutely LOVED it!! After the second house, she understood that if she said trick-or-treat (in her syllable-type talk) and held out her treat bag, people would give her treats -- the best trick in the world! As soon as Maelyn and Paul walked away from one house, she would be screaming trick-or-treat all the way to the next one. At one house, a kind woman bent down to talk to her and Maelyn helped herself to the treat bowl, taking handfuls of her candy. The neighbour laughed so hard that she just kept letting Maelyn grab the candy -- I didn't mind, either! :)

We went to many more houses than we had planned on visiting, but Maelyn just wanted to keep going. After an hour and a half, we finally got her inside and took off her snowsuit. She then answered the door and handed out candy -- screaming and laughing every time the doorbell would ring.

What a fantastic day! I am normally not a big fan of Halloween, but experiencing the holiday through Maelyn's eyes has made me see the holiday in a different light. It hit me hard last night -- how lucky we are to be parents and especially the parents of such an amazing little girl. Life is as wonderful as a bowl of candy!

Thanks, AM, for the planting the idea of not missing out on this holiday -- delaying surgery by a week was the best thing we could have done!!

Our Ottawa Adventure

At the beginning of the month we headed to Ottawa to visit family. My Grandpa hasn't been feeling very well lately and we wanted to visit with him. It was the longest car ride we had taken with Maelyn -- but she surprised me and handled the trip really well. It could be that Paul sat in the back with her for the entire trip -- that man has the patience of a saint! :)

We stayed with my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Eric and we were able to visit with many of our cousins. It was wonderful being able to introduce her to our extended family. Auntie Kara, Uncle Cam and Jake were also in Ottawa with us -- Maelyn had a blast playing with them for the entire weekend.

Kealey and Maelyn...

Auntie Kara, Jake and Maelyn playing in the backyard...

Maelyn and Uncle Cam reading the morning paper...

One of the highlights of our visit was being able to introduce Maelyn to Coby, Kealey's son. He is three and a half and we were excited about the kids being able to spend time together.

Another highlight of our trip was being able to visit with my cousin, Craig, and his four kids. I have always loved visiting with their family and it was so nice to be able to introduce them to our little girl. They were wonderful with her, sharing their toys with her, introducing her to their horses, and even playing on their trampoline.

Visits to Ottawa were always an important part of my childhood. The fact that my family can share in the joy that is Maelyn is something that is hard to describe -- a lifelong dream fulfilled.



Fun Times...

The past few days have been busy, but a ton of fun!

Julia stayed with us overnight, which meant huge amounts of excitement for Maelyn. We weren't even out of the car to pick her up at school and Maelyn was already calling out for her Julia. The two of them giggled and danced to the music all the way home.

After homework, making Julia's lunch, dinner, and then bathing, the girls were ready for a night of fun!

Paul, Julia and Maelyn played flashlight hide and seek...I have no idea how that game is played -- I was at Zumba class and Paul apparently invented the game. When I got home, we put the girls to bed. Maelyn desperately wanted to stay with Julia and tried her best to convince us that she could stay with her -- even pretending that she was asleep!

Today, after we dropped Julia off at school, Maelyn and I tackled a baking project together. I wanted to make some apple desserts to use up some of the apples we had picked.

 Maelyn grabbed the apple I had peeled and started munching...

Helping Mama clean up...

 Ready to be baked...

 Okay -- I set off the alarm....apparently these muffins are BIG ones...ooops!!

Oh well....they were still pretty tasty!

Once we were done baking and tidying, Maelyn found her bin of winter wear and decided to try on every single thing....and then chose a hat to wear during lunch...

What a great way to spend the past few days -- with friends and a little one I love dearly.

Giving Thanks

I have been really excited about the holiday season starting -- Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas! This year is especially exciting as it is our first holiday season in our new home and as a family of three.

Anyone who really knows me knows how much I LOVE any kind of holiday and the traditions that go along with it -- including the decorating. The only problem with wanting to go all out this year is not having the budget to support it -- being off on adoption leave is a delicate balance between wants and needs. So...I kept the decorating for Thanksgiving low-key. I love the way in which the forest behind our house drops beautiful leaves on the ground and adds to the fall look around our house -- all for free! :)

This year Paul and I hosted my Mom's side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner -- our first big holiday gathering. We planned out the meal ahead of time and felt completely on top of things -- but didn't realize how difficult it would be to look after Maelyn and cook at the same time. Thankfully, my sister and brother-in-law were there to make sure that she was entertained and fed. Even more importantly, they made sure that she was comfortable in the crowd of people we had over.

Normally the 'kids' are relegated to the smaller table, but this year the 'kids' outnumbered the parents -- the balance of power has shifted!

Spending quality time with siblings and cousins...

Although we try to take the time to appreciate how lucky we are, this year we are especially thankful for the people in our lives. Our family and friends have shown us a tremendous amount of love and support over the past year -- the likes of which we could have never imagined. You all need to know how much we love you and are grateful for your presence in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just because....

Pretend Play

Paul and I have had the privilege of watching our little girl grow and change daily. It has honestly been one of the most rewarding aspects of parenthood -- watching Maelyn learn new skills and blossom in her interactions with her doting parents, family and friends.

One of the biggest changes has happened over the past week. Maelyn has started to engage in 'pretend play.' It is fascinating to watch Maelyn play out her knowledge of how the world works. It started with pushing the grocery cart that she received from Lianne and the girls all around the house. In the cart she discovered a small tea pot and cup and promptly made us a thousand cups of the best tea Paul and I had ever sampled. Maelyn enjoys playing tea party so much that she will take us by the hand and pat the ground beside her to tell us that she wants us to sit down and serve us her tea specialties.

Maelyn has also really taken to dolls and teddy bears, making them take on human characteristics. She now puts her stuffed animals in the cart, just as she sits in the cart while Mama shops. Maelyn even makes the teddy bears wave and say hello to us while they pass us in the hallway.

While in the bathtub, Maelyn likes to have me put my arm over the side of the tub and douses it in water. She then rubs her hands together and rubs my arm -- just like when we put lotion on her each evening. It was an experience that reminded me so very much of playing beauty salon and house with Brya and Cassidy. You couldn't have peeled the smile off my face if you tried!

Maelyn has also started making Paul and I carry out some of her pretend play -- by grabbing our hands and/or arms and making us do things like hug her teddy bears, turn pages in books, etc. We have a routine at bedtime of hugging as a family, Paul and I kissing each other and then kissing Maelyn. Last night when we started to hug, Maelyn put her hand at the back of my head and started pushing me towards Paul -- she wanted us to kiss! She then proceeded to kiss us over and over again. I felt chocked up and so grateful for my family.

AM told me shortly after we came home from our adoption experience that we would find ourselves loving Maelyn more and more deeply as time went on -- without realizing that a deeper love was even possible. As always, she was so right! I find myself catching my breath when I steal a glance at her and watch her develop and learn daily -- what an amazing privilege it is to be the Mama of such a special little girl.

It is a gift to have friends who we can relate to as parents -- especially as adoptive parents. When we met Leanne and Joad a year ago, we hoped that we would be able to go on this journey together. We knew that it would help to be able to relate to another couple going through the same thing at the same time -- not to mention the joy of having the girls grow up together.

We have been able to get together a few times since we have returned from China. What a blast it has been to see the girls play together and to listen to their giggles.

Leanne and I loved watching the girls run around together on the couch -- their laughter was infectious!

We are so happy to have them in our lives and we are looking forward to years of getting together and watching our daughters and our families grow.