Winnie the Tyler Goes Trick or Treating

Happy Halloween everyone! Tonight I went trick or treating with my pal, Winnie the Tyler. Winnie had been waiting for this night to come along for quite sometime. This is really the first Halloween where he really understands the whole process. Last year, we got the treats but he really didn't realize that he could eat them too. I just basically let him shake a couple bags of chips and we gave most of them to my dad. No fooling him with the treats this time though. The day didn't look too promising as far as weather was concerned. We got our first snowfall! It started out with rain and then the next thing I noticed it was snowing! The snow didn't last long on the ground before it melted, but thank goodness I bought a warmer costume for Tyler to wear. He would have been frozen wearing the dinosaur costume! The Winnie costume has nice warm thick fleece. This afternoon Charmaine, Kelly, and Cameron came over for a little pre-Halloween visit. Cameron had layers of Halloween wear on. The top layer was his adorable skunk costume, next was his skeleton costume, followed by his Mummy costume. Cameron brought over a special treat box for Tyler filled with lots of nice treats including a Halloween washcloth and cookie cutter. I got this photo of the boys together. Cameron has the same big bear too! It's almost tradition that Marlene comes over on Halloween. She always brings her daughter Tristin while on her way to her mom's. Tristin just turned 3 in September. She looked so pretty as a princess. Marlene and I couldn't resist taking a photo of Winnie the Tyler and Princess Tristin together. Noticed in the photo that they are holding hands together. Last year, Tristin gave Tyler a big kiss on the cheek. They make such a cute couple! As always we went over to Rhonda's first, then to Christine's parents, and then down to Mo's house. I drove him to these places since he is suffering from a bit of a cold. On the way over to Rhonda's, he said "Trick or treat, smell my feet". LOL I have no idea where he learned that. Then we did a few neighbours' houses. Winnie the Tyler got lots of "special" treats from our friends. Rhonda's mom gave him a book and bubbles, Christine's mom gave him a light-up spider and a cool box of treats, and his buddy Andrew gave him a treat bag with a Hot Wheels fire engine. I was so proud of Tyler when he made the comment, "We have such nice friends, Mommy." Aww...that is so true! He had a bag of chips and a lollipop tonight and I said he could have one treat a day. Winnie the Tyler was very happy to hear that! What a terrific Halloween!

Spooky Story Time

Today was story time at the library, however it wasn't any ordinary story time, it was a spooky one! The kids showed up in their costumes and again I accompanied Tylersaurus Rex. There were Halloween books read and scary rhymes said. As always, everyone had fun. Tylersaurus Rex got up a few times during rhyme time and did his actions to the rhymes so that everyone could see. One part of the action rhyme, they were suppose to touch your nose, but instead Rex's finger went up in his nose. A few of the moms close to me had a good giggle. You can see Rex's adorable tail in this photo (refer to the Halloween at the Mall posting). Anyway, sadly we may not see Rex for awhile, however on Halloween I'll introduce you to a new pal!

Birthday Greeting

Special birthday greetings are being sent to Aunt Julie today! Hope you have a fantastic day!

Old Yearbook Photos

I came across our old high school photos from the 60's.

Halloween Party

Today was Tyler's...oops, I mean Tylersaurus Rex's Halloween party at playgroup. Yep, that's right, I had the pleasure of meeting up with that lovely dinosaur I met the other day. Though at first, Tylersaurus Rex was a bit concerned at first that he may be a bit too scary for the other kids at playgroup. Turns out he wasn't the only dino there. When we first arrived, Kathy the coordinator, asked us if we would like to go to the backroom to participate in a very special Halloween project. We took off Tylersaurus Rex's socks and shoes and Kathy's assistant painted the bottoms of Rex's feet with white paint. We had to paint his feet several times because it kept drying before we got to the important part which was placing his feet on the black construction paper. Once we got two little "dino" footprints on the paper, we left to join the others in the main room to let the paint dry. The special Halloween project wasn't the only craft we did today. As usual we still had our themed craft that we do each session. Today's craft was Spooky Boo Hats. Tylersaurus Rex had a great time making his by putting lots of Halloween stickers and a big scary ghost on the front. He wore it for quite awhile before taking it off. Next was Tyler's, I mean Tylersaurus Rex's, favourite part of playgroup, snacktime! Today each parent was required to bring something to the party to share with the others. I prepared a couple of veggie trays. You can see one of them in the middle of the table. We were asked to prepare a plate full of the food that was brought to our kids. Rex had 3 cookies, a cornflake desert item, a cupcake and the rest was veggies in his plate. He licked the icing off of his cupcake and then instead of eating the cookies he ate all his veggies! What a good boy! He sure loves his veggies, especially tomatoes and cucumbers! After snacktime, we did our usual songs and rhymes, but with a little Halloween twist. Familiar songs were turned into Halloween songs with changed lyrics. As always, the time flew by way too fast and sadly enough it was that time to say goodbye to all our playgroup friends until next week. However before doing so, we were told to go back into the backroom and pick up our special Halloween project. The prints were now dry and were turned into GHOSTS!!! They were really cool looking. One of the children's mom's brought in treat bags to take home. Another fun event with my buddy, Tylersaurus Rex, but don't worry we will be seeing each other very soon! Stay tuned...

North River

While out for a drive this morning, I stopped and got these photos for you to enjoy.

Halloween at the Mall

Tylersaurus Rex the Dinosaur escorted me to the mall today where they were holding a Halloween party for all the little trick or treaters. When we were at home, getting Tylersaurus Rex ready, he was quite concerned that dinosaurs might be too scary to go to the mall. Nanny and I quickly assured him that everything would be fine. Tylersaurus Rex was a cute little dinosaur and during the ride to the mall he talked mainly about how adorable his tail was...LOL!! When we arrived, we joined Cameron the Skunk and his mommy. Cameron the Skunk was just too cute!!! His costume really was one of the best there. Tylersaurus Rex and Cameron the Skunk were glad to see each other. They sure had lots to look at today with all the creatures gathered at the mall. Bubbles the Clown started the party with a fantastic show filled with surprises, magic and fun. Both the boys thoroughly enjoyed watching Bubbles. She had great interaction with the crowd and even asked for helpers, one of which was Charmaine's cousins' little boy! He did a really good job. After the show, there was a parade of all the little creatures. They showed off their costumes as they marched throughout the mall. Finally we returned and those in costumes received treat bags. I had a great afternoon with my friends. Tylersaurus Rex said that he'll see me again on Monday at the playgroup. I can't wait!!! He's such a cute and friendly dinosaur.

Stars On Ice

Since we are going to be here throughout winter, I thought we might as well give Tyler the complete Canadian experience. So with that being said, we went out and bought him a hockey helmet and a pair of bob skates. Bob skates, for those not familiar, are the beginners' skates that you strap onto boots and instead of one blade, they have two. Today we brought him to the ice rink to test them out for the very first time. To our surprise Andrew was there too! Thank goodness Andrew's Mommy helped us out with getting the bob skates on Tyler because I had a problem getting them to stay on his boots. Andrew is already an experienced skater and got to wear his big boy skates. Once all the gear was on, the boys were ready to hit the ice! I was very thankful Nanny came along because it took the two of us to hold up Tyler. He did pretty good job considering it was his first time. After watching the big boys whizzing past us, Tyler insisted that he wanted to try skating by himself. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far' he would take one step and then fall. We'll need lots of practice before he'll be able to go on his own. Usually the aid of a chair helps the little ones learn by them holding on and pushing it along the ice. We'll have the rest of the winter for practicing though! Special thanks to Andrew's grandfather for being our photographer. His photos turned out much better than mine. Lots of birthday wishes are being sent to my good friend, Courtney, today!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COURTNEYKINS!!! xoxoxo

Story Time

I signed Tyler up for Toddler Time at the library. There is a huge demand for story time here and space is limited, so I was so happy when we got a spot. Today was the first day. As soon as Tyler entered in the room and saw the other kids there, he was all smiles. And when he saw his buddy Andrew also in attendance he was even more happy. We started out singing some rhymes and then had some books read to us. The kids got to sit on big cushions which they really liked. Afterward, baskets of toys were taken out for the kids to play with. Tyler's favourite part was meeting Mr. Zebra. Mr. Zebra made a special appearance at the beginning and end of story time. When it was time to leave all kids gave him hugs, however Tyler gave him a big kiss. Tara, the children's librarian told me that she couldn't believe how outgoing Tyler was for his first day. He wasn't a bit shy at all. We're looking forward to next week's story time where the kids can wear their Halloween costumes too.

Guitar Hero

A few days ago, Tyler received a nice little gift from one of my mom's neighbours. It was a battery operated guitar that her grandchildren used to play with when they were younger. Tyler's eyes totally lit up when he first saw the guitar. It wasn't long before he had all the buttons figured out and he even had his head boppin' to the music, which was absolutely adorable to see! The guitar even comes with headphones and mic which he can sing into. This little guy can really get groovin' to his own music now.

Cooking Play Doh

One of Tyler's favourite activities at his play group is to play with the play doh. Today he made me ice cream with it! First he rolled it out and then formed some balls with it. Next he put it in the oven...LOL. He said he made the ice cream especially for me :) They use homemade cooked play doh at the Family Centre because it's safer for the kids to use. I asked our coordinator, Kathy, if I could have her recipe and she gladly gave it to me. Tyler has a bad habit of putting the play doh, the store bought kind, in his mouth and eating it when we're not looking back at Nanny's house. At the play group he just plays with it. Goodness knows what they put in the store bought kind. My mom used to make the cooked kind for us too when we were growing up. She got the recipe from an episode of Mr. Dressup (the Canadian version of Mr. Rogers). For those who are also interested in cooking play doh for your special little one, here is the recipe: Cooked Playdoh

1 c. flour 1/2 c. salt 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 c. water 2 tbsp. oil 1 tsp. food coloring (or you can substitue for a couple packages of Kool-Aid which makes the dough smell good)

Combine all ingredients, except water and oil, in a saucepan. Gradually stir in 1 cup water mixed with oil, add food coloring. Cook over medium to high heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms. Remove from heat, place dough on table and knead until smooth. Kathy says it lasts for months! Sounds good to me, I can't wait to make it and then play with it!

Isle Madame

This year's Cape Breton Celtic Caching Event took place in Isle Madame. Erika, Rhonda, and I drove down to attend. It was the first time the three of us had visited the island, but we heard of its' magnificent beauty. Caches were spread over the island allowing us to explore all of the back roads. We saw a lot of pretty little hidden gems along the way. The island's culture is hugely Acadian French. The community has strong ties to their culture which you witness while driving through. Everything you can imagine is painted with the Acadian flag. We saw mailboxes, tops of picnic tables, telephone poles, large rocks, and even a giant dumpster painted with the flag. It was quite the adventure driving around and getting to know the area while trying to find caches, but we had a fantasic time! We passed through so many picturesque places, but unfortunately we didn't have much time to stop and take photos because we were too much in a rush to get our caching finished. However this gives us another reason to come back to this pretty place. There is an eco-trail that I would love to hike someday.

Tyler Goes to University

Today Erika and I decided to visit the university that we used to attend. We brought Tyler along with us and I showed him where I spent 5 years studying hard to obtain not only my Bachelor of Business Administration degree, but also my Business Technology diploma. Although it has been 11 years since I graduated, it felt exactly the same walking through the halls. After our exploring was finished we grabbed some lunch at the cafeteria and even the food tasted the same way that I remembered. Good memories!

Ceilidh Trail

My friend Erika came up for a visit. She'll be here for a week. One of the things we planned was a trip around the Ceilidh Trail. The trail is another scenic drive around Cape Breton and though it's not as quite as dramatic as the Cabot Trail, it still boosts some beautiful views. This was my first trip around the Ceilidh Trail. One of the places we stopped along the route was Inverness. We drove down to the beach there and took some photos. The beach is very sandy and quite large. This is the pretty view on the way to the beach. Afterward we stopped to pick up some lunch at a nearby bistro and then we were back on the road again. Another interesting place we stopped was called the Mother of Sorrow shrine. It was in a cute little church. We went upstairs to ring the bell which was a lot of fun! We were quite fortunate that the weather held up during the entire drive around the trail. There were times of threatening clouds, but then the sun would come out. We even got some caching done along the way! Overall, it was a great road trip spent with a great friend and I can finally say that I've been around the Ceilidh Trail!

Steve at work.

Short Film #7: Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian Friends & Family...and Beka

Short Film #6: Big Guy

Short Film #5: At the Pumpkin Patch

Short Film #4: Tiny Buddies at theTwin Lighthouse Farm

Short Film #3: Picking Rocks for Daddy at Mira Gut

Short Film #2: Shadow Chasing

Short Film #1: Who's Ticklish?

Hiking with the Playgroup

Well, our day wasn't quite as exciting as Steve's. You can read how his day went down below. Today our playgroup met at the Baille Ard Nature Trail. First, the kids had their face painted. Tyler asked for a spider to be painted on his. Then we were placed in two groups. Each group had a guide that knew all about the trail and taught the kids about the things we saw along the way. Tyler ended up being our guides' buddy and he was surprised with the knowledge Tyler had about nature. I guess I can thank geocaching for that. The hike through the woods was then followed by Tyler's favourite part of play group, snack time! The kids enjoyed munching on cheese, whole wheat crackers, raisins, and bottled water. After the hike, the kids all worked up a good appetite. The best part of all was song time, however today's song time was the best ever! The coordinators brought with them a giant parachute which the kids had a blast playing on and under. Play group just keeps getting better and better!

The Smith Family News blog proudly presents a Series of Short Films October 7th-14th

Yes, Washington we see you...

Less than an hour ago... I ran a video teleconference (VTC) with Washington D.C. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice awarded General Patreaus and Deputy Secretary John Negroponte with an award for their success in Iraq. Along with Negroponte was Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. You can also see Commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq, General Odierno middle in the front row. Good stuff!

Tonka Tough

Mom found my brother's old Tonka crane down the basement this afternoon. She cleaned it up and showed Tyler. Of course, Tyler went crazy over it and played with it most of the afternoon. It's amazing how well it held up, especially being close to 40 years old! Seeing the old crane again brought back some memories. I'm quite sure that I even played with it when I was growing up...shhh...don't tell my brother though.

The Smith Family News blog proudly presents a Series of Short Films.

October 7th-14th, 2008

The Big Weigh-In

It was another day spent with our good friends, Charmaine and Cameron, over in Millville. The community was hosting their annual pumpkin weigh-in. The pumpkins were the spotlight during the fair, however there were other activities taking place as well which was held at the community hall. Inside the hall, there were tables full of homebaked goods, crafts, and children's activities. Tyler picked out a pumpkin for a $1 and decorated with lots of yarn and Halloween shapes. It was definitely not your traditional way of decorating a Halloween pumkin, but it was creative. Tyler said the pumpkin was for Daddy. Back outside, Charmaine and I noticed they were giving hayrides across the street. We ran across and hopped on board with our boys to enjoy a great tour of the Eyking farm. It was a chilly afternoon, but it was wonderful spending time with Char and Cameron. We later warmed up by going to a restaurant for lunch.

The Smith Family News blog proudly presents a Series of Short Films.

October 7th-14th, 2008

Sweet Surprise

Yesterday Mom and I received a totally unexpected beautiful bouquet of flowers! Steve, the best husband in the entire world, sent them! I wish everyone could have seen the look on my mom's face when I read the card and she found out that they were for her too. It was sooo sweet of Steve to think of us! He totally made our day even though it was his day to celebrate as it was his birthday. The bouquet is one of the prettiest I've ever seen, such vibrant Fall colours. Thank you so much, Steve, for not only cheering my day up, but for making my mom's day too! I love you for the caring and wonderful person you are!!! We are missing you so very much!!!

Tyler's Birthday Song for Daddy

Steve, though we may be miles apart from each other, you still remain close in my heart today on your birthday and forever. I think of you constantly, missing the good times together and hoping the time that we'll be together again will happen soon. You are such a wonderful blessing in both mine and our sons' lives. You are our everything and you make us so happy!!! Try to enjoy today because it belongs to you!!! When you return, we'll celebrate you again!!! With all my love, Happy Birthday Steve!!! Lovingly Yours Forever, Heather XXOOXXOOXXOO P.S. You have permission to open the presents we sent now :)

Crazy for "Shakey Cheese"

Even though Tyler has grown a lot in the past several months, one thing still remains the same, his love for "shakey cheese". Tyler goes crazy for Kraft Parmesan cheese. The first time he tried "shakey cheese" was at Pizza Oven back home. Richey put some on Tyler's pizza to see if he would like it. To say the least, the rest of the story is history. No plateful of pasta or piece of pizza is complete without a sprinkle or should I say lots of sprinkles of "shakey cheese".