Not Exactly What I Planned....

The crisp morning air and blue skies were enough to pull me outdoors that morning (November 15th).  With the promise of a Tim Horton's muffin for the adventure, I had the girls hooked on the idea of morning snack on the ocean front.  

About two weeks prior we had done the same thing.  It was an equally as gorgeous morning, however the temperatures were a bit warmer.  I was fresh out of a photography course that I had taken and I was totally psyched to watch and capture my girls running around, picking up drift wood, throwing rocks, whatever; the scene was spectacular.   I was psyched until I realized that I didn't have an SD card in my camera!  D'uh!  Super bummed.  The girls climbed in and our of hallowed out trees, they saw and watched for seals to pop up, they were all smiles and enjoyed the time without a camera in their face!  ; )  I got some shots on my cell phone, but it just wasn't the same (and I have yet to figure out how to get those photos off my phone).  

On this particular Tuesday morning I was attempting to recreate our fun experience.  The sun was fresh from behind the mountains and there was a bit of frost that still lightly covered the surfaces by the ocean.  I got some cloth shopping bags out of my car for the girls so that their bums would be comfortable as they sat and enjoyed their muffins.

There were plenty of others taking in the gorgeous surroundings, so my little people watchers were totally entertained as they snacked.

With muffins placed in their hands this was my cue to grab my camera and circle them,  to play with the light, to try new angles, to try new settings .......

 After all, they were busy watching other people, and eating.

 And they sure looked cute up there on that log!

 They had conversations, (well, kinda)......

 They shared......

Took in the scenery......

this is what i mean about watching the snow line come down....it was creeping this morning!  

Did a little bit of playing...

This is the log that the girls crawled in and out of last time we were here.  On this day it was frosted inside and quite cold.

When the snacking was over, Kamille was keen to play....

But that's when Karis turned.

I went to put a couple things in the car so that we could walk along the oceanfront, but Karis must have thought that I was packing things up to leave and she lost it.  She cried and cried and I couldn't console her.  If I tried to encourage her by playing with Kamille she cried, if I tried to pick her up and bring her with me she lost it and demanded that I put her down.  No win.

And at some point after I continued to walk further away from the car with Kamille and take photos of nature she stopped.

It all started to seem ok again.  She was happy that we weren't leaving and began exploring with Kamille and I.

But then, ding-ding-ding.   Round 2!

with a shove to the mid section.

Little sis was lookin' for a fight.  Oh, man.  Seriously?

Come 'on Karis.  Its gorgeous outside, there's lots of sun, lots to see.  Why the tears?

So I put the camera down, lead her to more exciting things to explore and check in with Kamille once Karis has settled down again.

all smiles from this little one.

Things were going well again.  We played with driftwood and found fun walking sticks.  But just about the time when I announced that our time to go was coming up, the words "going soon" were too much to hear for my Karis.  

Oh Karis!  You sweet little thing.  You just love to be outside!

"Noooooo Gooooo!"  

You cry and I can't do much to console you when you get to this point.

I'm starting to realize a few more things about you my Karis.
You are determined.  You are set in your ways.  You get upset when things don't go the way you want them to.

You are persistent.
And as I attempted to fold your stretched out body that was refusing to get into her car seat I groan at this reality.   This really is just the beginning, isn't it?

My picture perfect morning by the ocean with my girls was not exactly what I had planned.
But it was a day in the life.  The kind of "roll with it" morning that happens and as frustrating as it can be, it is a side of my little Karis' personality.
And I love all most sides of this girl!    

After The Leaves Fall

Its funny how with each changing season there is a little teeny tiny feeling of wanting to hold on to the season that is passing.  I can remember the transition from summer to fall being like this.  There was so much to enjoy about summer nights around a campfire, having windows and doors open all day and night long, wearing flip flops, eating endless amounts of fresh seasonal berries and sitting on the driveway with sidewalk chalk in hand.  And as fall began to creep in, it was met with a bit of resistance but then won me over with its brilliance of colours and crisp fresh air.  Fall is beautiful and truly is my favourite season.  I quickly embrace the transition to skinny jeans, boots and scarves around my neck to accommodate the changing temperature.

But this year, I'm noticing that for me, fall seems to have been fast-tracked like its on >> mode.  I think this all stems from the changing of the clocks.  The nights come faster, the temperature drops sooner, and the leaves seem to fall faster.

And after the leaves begin to fall we start to watch for the snow line on the mountains.

The past couple days we have received a lot of rain but that generally means that the mountains are being topped with snow.  Ski season kicked off exceptionally well for all the excited skiers.  We've had two snow days but before I capture that  (photos and story to come), a little back track to just two weeks ago (November 13th), the snow line started to make its decent and it was beginning to feel a bit like winter was making its way into our fall.

noticed the snow line on the mountains in the background.

We dropped into a local coffee shop to fill up our mugs with hot coffee and grabbed one of their to-die-for cinnamon buns that was meant to keep the girls sitting in the stroller while Kevin and I got a good walk in with them.

Books....lots of books as well.

We were on the hunt for eagles.....

...and they were found.

T'is the season for spotting eagles in our neck of the woods.

And its always mesmerizing to stand amongst them as they call out to each other or feast on the water's edge.

The snow...creeping in on us.

These two are so cute.  They were looking at a sock or something, but the curiosity and talk about it was funny to watch.  

The seasons have been strange with us this year.  Summer arrived late in August and stayed a while into September, fall made a gradual entry, however it seems that it has been pushed onwards by winter, which is doing its best to make a strong comeback.
For now, we're rollin' with it.  Getting outside when we can, but I do love when the best excuse to stay indoors and in front of the fire is when its pouring rain outside....not to many days at a time though!  ; )