Two peas in a pod...

... or in this case, two sisters in a plastic toy box. Although I'm not prepared to tell Izzie that she is starting to transform into a fun person to play with, I'm no longer as eager to send her home with our next visitor. As far as little sisters go, she is not too bad. One night before bed, she hatched a brilliant strategy to prolong our evening frolicking. If she shoe-horned ourselves into our pink toy box in the living room, papa wouldn't be able to pick us up and take us to our bedrooms. Is that not genius. Now if only I could convince her to share her food with me, life would be perfect.

Hey look up here!

This is one of the last days we're going to be spending at the park. Unfortunately, it's getting so chilly that I'm no longer afraid that I'm going to fall when I'm playing on the jungle gym because my hands are stuck to the metal. With that in mind, every last evening that we get to play outside, we're taking full advantage.
The other night, maman and papa took us to the park down the street and for some reason I had the urge to follow Elle everywhere she went. Up the stairs, down the slide, across the bridge, etc. If she went, I was in hot pursuit. Although she's a bit more fleet of foot than I at this point, I think I did a pretty good job shadowing her.

The Pumpkin Pirates

Pirates? Ok, we were not pillaging pumpkins from the Giant Pumpkin, but the three of us were pretty intent on leaving Maugerville with the best gourds in New Brunswick regardless of who got in our way. Dressed in our pumpkin-picking clothes, we descended on the patch with a passion for discovering the most beautiful pumpkins that was only rivalled by maman. She is pretty obsessed with these huge holidays.

The Pumpkin Patch

This is technically my second Halloween, but honestly on Oct. 31 I will be celebrating my first trick-or-treating holiday. Maman, as always, is starting the party early. A few Saturdays ago, we packed up the van and drove down to the Giant Pumpkin over in Maugerville where we found a huge pumpkin patch and a petting zoo. Although my wonderful sister was more intrigued by the animals, I thought the pumpkins were the highlight of my trip. They were everywhere. I could climb up on them, walk around them, try and pick them up and hide behind them.

Elle and I were tasked with the enviable duty of picking three pumpkins to decorate our front porch with. Now this isn't easy. If they are too big, they would look funny, similarly, if they are too small, then what's really the point? We had to make sure they weren't dented, didn't have unsightly markings on them. And most importantly, I, in particular, wanted to make sure each giant gourd looked like it embodied the spirit of the season with a big smile. If I looked at the pumpkin and it didn't look happy, it was tossed aside. Elle was far less picky than I when it came to picking our prized pumpkins, she just wanted to go and feed the horses again. She and I definitely didn't have our priorities aligned on that day. In the end, I think we were able to strike an amicable compromise, especially because we all know before Oct. 31, maman is going to break down and take us to find even more pumpkins.

Leaves are everywhere

A few months ago, when the blanket of snow retreat for another season, I thought the green leaves on the trees were nice but nothing spectacular. When I went exploring in our new forest, I didn't even take notice of all the leaves over my head. But now, every time I turn around, I stare with rapt attention at the awesome beauty of nature. For a little girl, with a limitless imagination, the fall brings so many possibilities for excitement. Running through leaves is always fun, but it's even better to find a spot where I can grab a huge handful and throw them over my head and then try and catch the leaves on the way down.

Up in a tree

The world looks so much better when you can view it from higher up. Bella and I scaled a tree in the park on Tuesday, so we could get a better idea of how beautiful fall is in Fredericton. We saw piles of red, orange and yellow leaves littering the ground for as far as our little eyes could see. We witnessed all our friends playing on the jungle gym and the monkey bars, trying to soak up every last moment of outdoor fun before winter rolls into town. Even being a few feet higher makes even the air seem more crisp, more invigorating and that obviously translates into giving us more energy to run around and play.

Hanging out with Bella

For as long as I can recall, every morning, from Monday to Friday, I wake up, eat breakfast, play a bit with maman and papa and then go and visit my best friend Bella. She always finds new ways to make me smile, most notably, Bella teaches me snappy new phrases to impress maman and papa when I get home, such as "Shake your booty!" (For ultimate effect, please make sure that you yell it at the top your lungs with the biggest possible smile on your face.) With the countdown to the first snow fall -- which ultimately leads to a few months of primarily indoor playtime -- Bella and I decided to hang out at a park near her house. After a busy day of running around, sliding and climbing on the monkey bars, Bella and I opted to sit in a pile of leaves and just watch the world revolve around us for a few short moments.

Fall fun

Autumn is turning into my favourite season of the year. It seems that every day we are finding something new and fun to do, that involves being outside, playing in leaves and putting things in my mouth that likely should not. Connie took us to a park down the road from her house recently, so we could all frolic in the fall afternoon. Elle and Bella were off giggling as they played on the slide and the monkey bars, meanwhile I decided that sticking close by the wagon would ensure that I was in a prime position if we planned a quick getaway.

Antics in an orchard

It wasn't long ago that I didn't even know what an apple orchard was and now I'm wondering why they were hid from me for so long. Izzie, Olivia and I had such an amazing experience at a local orchard last weekend, producing not only a massive basket of apples but enough memories to last until long after the last apple passes into a pie. I was so excited to run up and down the path between the apple trees, climbing into the trees and dutifully examining each and every piece of fruit that I picked as if it were the most precious diamond. Soon apple season will be gone for another year, but I have already started the countdown until our next trip to the orchard.

My name is Olivia and I approve this apple!

Our friend Olivia came apple picking with us last weekend and as it turns out she's pretty good at guarding the basket and keeping Izzie entertained. Those are no small feats, trust me. And the great thing about Olivia is she brings her dad with her and he has special apple-picking shorts that are largely responsible with such a massive bounty of these delicious apples.

What do you mean I have to share my apple?

Life is just not fair sometimes. We're in the middle of this sprawling apple orchard and not only do I have to pick my own apples, it turns out that I have to share as well. I may be only 14 months old, but I'm quickly learning that it is a cold, cruel world out there. At least, I have my friend Olivia to support me through these dark moments.

Hanging out with my little sister

Little sisters can be so difficult to live with sometimes. Let’s use Izzie for example, she has an annoying tendency to pull hair, to distract maman and papa’s attention away from me, to curtail my cartoon watching and she always seems to need a nap when I want to play. To be completely honest, there have been times where I questioned whether we actually needed a little sister and whether we could have traded her in for some play-doh or perhaps a lifetime supply of chocolate milk. Recently, things are starting to turn around. The temperature outside is starting to fall as the seasons begin turning to winter. This is forcing us to play more indoors, so papa brought in our slide and put it in the family room. Since that time, Izzie and I have formed this sisterly-sliding bond. While she still takes too long climbing up the stairs or sliding down the other side, we have discovered a common love for sliding in ways that cause our parents to prematurely age. For Izzie, she scares them by just sliding by herself when they’re not looking and I’ve developed a passion for sliding down headfirst or jumping from the top. Being a big sister can be a pain still, but I’m no longer convinced that we need to exchange Izzie in fact I’m starting to like her.

Fall colours

As a 14-month-old, I must admit, I am completely in love with this whole concept of fall. Not only do I get to go picking apples with my big sister and my friend Olivia, I get to run around parks all over the city playing in leaves, chasing ducks, and jumping on jungle gyms. Elle and I took maman and papa to Odell Park on the weekend and showed them what it was like to have fun like little kids. We ran through the forest and watched all the red, orange and yellow leaves fall off the trees.

Reaching new heights

Although I realize that I should be thankful that Izzie is now having fun playing at the park with us, it isn’t coming without its downsides. Now that my little sister is starting to discover the joys of climbing up the ladder, long delays at the main access to gym are becoming routine. Sadly she isn’t exactly the fastest so that is impeding my path to the slides, leading to many unsisterly thoughts. Necessity being a true catalyst to ingenuity, I’ve happened upon a new way to the top. Using the spiral ladder to scale the side of the steel gym not only allows me to bypass Izzie, it has the dual benefit of scaring papa. At times I’m not sure what gives me the most joy, seeing the look on papa’s face as I swing around six feet from the ground or utilizing my new method of getting to the slide faster. Actually that choice is pretty clear: seeing papa panic.

Fun at the park

Every day there is more proof that fall is setting in: the leaves are changing colours, it is getting dark earlier and the temperatures are getting colder and colder. With the annual winter exile indoors soon to be imposed upon us, Maman, papa, Elle and I are taking nightly trips to the park to savor every last moment outside before the first snowfall. These trips have really opened my eyes to the awesomeness of the giant climbing apparatus at the park. Still being a bit wobbly in the walking department, maman or papa will help me up the stairs and once I’m up, I waddle all over, saying hello to everyone who is still on the ground. And when I get bored, we find a slide and swoosh down to the bottom. Thankfully from there the fun starts all over again. If this is not a virtuous circle, then I’d like to know what is.