Halloween House

My visiting teachers dropped off some delicious pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting for me (so yummy!!) and a candy treat house for the kids! So thoughtful!

After a week of completing their "routine" chores (make bed, get dressed, brush teeth, tidy room, etc.), Taylor and Averi were awarded with the treat house during Ella's nap.

They were really good with decorating it together, as well as eating it together!

Averi's mouth was completely black!

Preview of Halloween

Averi had the opportunity to dress up in Halloween costume for pre-school today. I took the opportunity to curl her hair for the first time ever, completely understanding that her hair type would not hold it for long!

My cutie-patootie!

Miss Independent

Averi decided she was too hungry to wait any longer for Mommy.

She pushed a bar stool to the counter (the way she does to get her own fishy crackers) and pulled out the peanut butter and Nutella from the cupboard. She grabbed 2 slices of bread from the bag that had been left on the counter from Taylor's lunch-making this morning. She retrieved a butter knife from the drawer and proceeded to make her very own sandwich!

She announced what she was doing to me at this point and so I hastened to give her a bit of help with the spreading but she was insistent about doing the majority of it herself. She then sat down and ate her entire confection (can't say that I find peanut butter and Nutella appetizing)!

You can bet that if I had made her a sandwich with a crust (heel of the loaf) and another dried piece of bread, she wouldn't be eating it! I was so excited by her show of initiative! ;)

Blog Title

I've been considering for the last couple of weeks that I am dissatisfied with this blog's title... The Nelson Family Blog was all well and good when I was new to blogging but now it seems boring.

Tonight, while Ella was loudly admonishing the family at the supper table for some unknown reason (she goes off like this on occasion, to our amusement), Shawn commented that she reminded him of a Frau (he teases stereotypical German behavior on occasion). I sarcastically wondered aloud where she might have gotten it from (referring, of course, to myself).  ;)

Anyway, it got me running through some very silly blog name ideas. Shawn didn't find them as funny as I did. Perhaps it's my sleep deprivation?  ;)

Here's a sampling:

• The Happy Frau
• Brown Frau Now (went on a rhymes-with-cow kick for a bit... I think I started coming to my senses at this point)
• Aryan Nation
• Wunder-blog

Really, that's enough of that.

More meaningful titles might be:

• Family First
• Learning on the Job
• Sleep is Optional
• Motherhood Has Perks (I Promise!)
• My Cup Runneth Over
• The Living Tree (play on the book "The Giving Tree")
• Tired and Happy
• Love the Moment
• Cherish this Time
• __________________ {insert your idea here}

I could probably go on coming up with cheesy names... Would love to hear some other ideas!

Honest Ella

Ella's development has advanced to the stage where I feel comfortable letting her eat snacks at the island/bar unsupervised.

Today, after she announced that she was finished her applesauce, I called back asking whether or not she had made a mess.

It was quiet for a bit and I wasn't sure if she understood my question or not.

She finally called up that there was a mess.

I, of course, immediately investigated and discovered that her "mess" was really only a drop or two of applesauce on the counter.

I guess that was why she was having a hard time answering my mess question!!  lol  Wouldn't want to misrepresent!

Rain

It has been pouring today!

Taylor loves the rain as much as I do... though, it's because he gets to use his umbrella!

He wears Mommy's raincoat with the sleeves rolled up! I haven't been successful in finding one for him... Guess it's too late in the season?

Potato Turkey or Turkey Potato?

One of my Visiting Teaching sisters runs a two-mornings-a-week preschool. She already had maximum capacity but she trialed a morning with Averi and made an exception.

Averi's in Preschool!

She's been in since late September and loves it, of course.

Since Monday is (Canadian) Thanksgiving, Averi came home with a cute little potato turkey! Or would you say turkey potato?

It's a little worse for wear already...