Lakeview Farms

We made our annual visit to Lakeview Farms to pick out our pumpkins, ride the train and boat, and explore the corn maze. We were so happy to learn that Jasper was allowed to come on the farm, and duly took him on the train and boat etc. We weren't sure what he would think, but he loved it, and we loved having him there. It was especially fun to have him in the corn maze - nibbling on corn kernels and trotting behind us.

Jasper in the woods

We took Jasper into Forest Park for the first time - so fun to take the puppy on the trails and in the woods! He loved it, of course. He sniffed everything, he ran everywhere, he picked up all sorts of sticks. The kids were thrilled and so was I -- it's hard to get my kiddos into the woods when there are friends to play with on nearby fields and playgrounds. So this was sweet.

  

Selfies with two children and a dog are pretty much impossible, I've found.

We have also been having fun in our house with Jasper. Sebastian - who was in the beginning the most nervous about the dog - has been steadily getting more comfortable with him. Their favorite game is sort of soccer/fetch - Sebastian kicks the stuffed animal, and Jasper pounces on it and maybe brings it back, and then Sebastian will lift it up and Jasper will be on his hind legs playing tug of war. It's great stuff. I'm really happy to see Sebastian confronting and getting past his fear of dogs, and to watch him learning to take care of Jasper - feeding him, taking him out, playing games, picking up poop, and cuddling. He's said a few times now how glad he is that we got the dog, and I'm so happy.

Liesl, who most wanted a puppy, has found it a little more difficult to play with Jasper. He treats her like another puppy, which makes sense, but means she's the most likely to get nibbled on (especially her ears! which is painful). Still - she likes to go for walks with him and to carry him around.

 

Jasper likes to curl up in the backseat with the boys when I'm driving soccer carpool. They all love it, and it's sweet for me to listen to these 9-year old boys - so tough usually! - talking to Jasper in baby voices and coddling him.

 

Liesl's boyfriends and enemies

Liesl reported to me the other day that she particularly liked a boy named Ryder, but that he was a friend-who-was-a-boy, not a boyfriend. (There are other boys who are friends, particularly Charlie and Nico; as far as I can tell, her affection is returned in spades by these particular boys.) I asked her why she liked Ryder, and she said that they enjoyed doing the same things, they liked the same games and books, and I thought "Yes!" Perfectly good reasons to like someone as a friend or not-boyfriend. But then she said, "Plus, we have the same enemies." !!!!!  I probably should have asked what she meant by that, or talked to her about the word enemies and why it might hurt people to be called an enemy, but I was so surprised that I blurted out, "Who are your enemies?" She listed a couple of boys and girls who I know from previous conversations she finds annoying for one reason or another - they don't respect her personal space, they complain or criticize her excessively, they don't listen to the teacher and disrupt the class - and I could understand better what she was saying. But still! Enemies! Shared enemies! It's too funny.

A self-portrait, as a bug, outside her classroom.

 

A story with illustrations by Liesl. "Once upon a time there was a girl named Lily. She was having a birthday party on Halloween. She had a huge party with lots of friends. She loved it. When it was time to go trick-or-treating she got to be in the front and get two pounds/bags of candy and lived happily ever after. The End."

Liesl wearing one of my childhood dresses to school - I'm pretty sure that my mom sewed this, frills and ruffles and all.

Liesl approves of Anne's gingerbread apple upside down cake.

A crafternoon playdate with Campbell.

visiting mom and dad

I have not had the heart for blogging in the terribleness of these last two weeks, although life has a way of continuing on, especially when there are children and their activities, work commitments, and a still-new puppy. But I flew up to Vancouver on Saturday to be with mom and dad for a few days - to grieve together, to help with logistics, to distract and hug and comfort. I'm so glad I could spend the weekend with them. We walked in the woods at Redwood and Campbell River parks, we dined out on lobster and paella for mom's birthday, we roasted a chicken and baked an apple pie for Canadian Thanksgiving.