Puddle Jumping in the Rain!

Sometimes its just best to let the photos tell the story, isn't it.  They will in this post.  

A couple Sundays ago it was a rainy wet day.  I, being quite comfortable lounging by the fireplace, on my carpet or on the couch with the girls playing all around me, was ok with the fact that it did not seem like the rain was going to let up.  It gave me that sense of permission to stay indoors.  But as the day loomed on, I felt this sense of a day not complete.  A day indoors playing, but without reason to at least breathe in the outdoor air.  

Earlier that week, a girlfriend of mine had posted some photos of her two daughters puddle jumping  on facebook and I had bookmarked that thought in my mind as some sort of inspiration to get outdoors.  Rain and puddles are fun too, right?  

Well upon announcing the idea to the girls, it would seem that I hit the jackpot on ideas for fun.  Rain falling or not, my girls could not wait to get suited up in their most waterproof and warmest outfits to hit the puddles.  

We headed right to the ocean front where I was told the biggest of big puddles awaited the stomping of little feet.  

Oh yay!  That's what I'm talkin' about!  

doesn't the water look so cool here?

Splash!

Splash!

This girls wasn't getting the height that her big sis was but she loved just walking through the puddles and kicking her legs!  

Then Kamille got even more height...

She was unstoppable....

Hardcore puddle jumper, right here......

A running start is how they liked to do it.....

on her bum and still dry on the inside!

This is totally my favourite of the day....

Soon after we had arrived and just as the first puddles were splashed a truck came whipping down the road and into went flying through the massive puddles that we hadn't ventured to yet.  Not really knowing what the driver was thinking, I huddled the girls behind the car and we watched, attempting to figure out if the driver was crazy or just having fun, or both.

After about 3 minutes of intense driving, skidding and spinning, it made its grand exit in the same way it arrived, through the massive pool-like puddle.

When we were sure that the truck wasn't coming back, we hit that massive puddle ourselves.

Look at that waterfall just throwin' the water down!!

Its getting deeper!

and i bet you can guess what was happening here.  soaking wet feet, but she got over it. 

It was raining off and on while we were there.  But that didn't stop me from catching all the fun shots of   the girls.  My dad had taught me the plastic bag trick back in the day while he captured my childhood and so I had my camera wrapped in a clean produce bag with the lens hood stretched through the end and the other end open for me to put my hands into.  Thanks Dad!

Before we left the girls wanted to get a little closer to the ocean.  We've spent many morning or afternoon snacks, or picnic lunches out here in all the different seasons and its always so much fun and just so gorgeous in any weather.

Please Mommy!  One last splash before we go??!!??!

Such a fun bit of time with my girls.

We were only there for an hour or so and it was definitely one full hour of fun!

This Year's Pumpkin Story

I didn't feel the urge to hit the pumpkin patch this year as I have in the past.  Not sure why, but I think it might have had something to do with my rather unusual "hermit" tendencies that snuck up on me in October.   The drive just seemed like something I wasn't interested in doing this year.  Besides I knew that Kamille's classroom was going to be taking a class trip to North Arm Farm anyway, so at least she was having that pumpkin patch experience. 

So what did we do instead?  We hit the local On The Farm Country Market for an awesome morning of pumpkin inspecting and exploring.  On The Farm is this great little multi-purpose space that is mostly a garden centre but also carries amazing nature related gifts and items for the home.  It is also in the process of expanding to eventually feature a great little market place for individual vendors to set up shop. 

 Its a place that really is fun to spend some time at.  Young or old. 

Yep, we came to the right place.

what a deal!

 Yum!

What I love about On The Farm is their attention to detail throughout the grounds.  Its like eye candy.  Everywhere you turn there is something to notice.  You really can go there for an experience, not just to purchase something specific. 

 Sure there were lots of pumpkins to look at....

 and pick up....

 and be curious about....

But there were also Fairy Gardens!
On The Farm does this so well any time of the year!  (and they host workshops on how to make your own Fairy Garden too!)

My photos really do not do them justice.  They are so intricate and full of detail.  There were way more of them than what I photographed. 

Indoors we checked out the selection of nature items such as bird houses and feeders, kids gardening items, pots, planter and flower arrangements and many other gift-like items. 

What an awesome little stool! 

 

The most interesting moment of our time there was the interaction I had with a garden store employee about 30 minutes into our adventure. It went something like this:

Me: (snapping away, following the girls around)

Her: "Excuse me, who are you?  I'm just wondering what you are taking all the photos for?"

Me: (Totally caught off guard).  "Oh my goodness, sorry.  Its just personal."  (I go to show her the lastest photos I was taking, but then stop.  Of course she knows, she's been watching me.  I scramble to sound normal and innocent, but I am totally feeling self conscious and like I am in trouble).  "Is it ok that I take photos?" I ask. "Sorry! Maybe I should have asked?"

Her: "Its just that you've taken an awful lot." 

Me: "Oh my goodness, that's just me.  I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and just try to get the right shot" (What?!! How do you explain to someone that you are a freak with your camera and as if 100 shots in 30 minutes is "an awful lot."  Apparently being a perfectionist sounded like a good excuse.) 

Her: (just stands there looking at my CANON 60D that she may be thinking is too big for just a garden centre outing with kids???). 

Me: (still trying to sound innocent and not someone who is going to use the photos for some reason to profit from or to steal ideas).  "I am not a photographer."  I say.  "I write a blog about the things I do with my girls and I tend to photograph nearly everything.  I will send you the link to my post when I am done.  It will have the photos on it...." blah blah blah. 

Eventually she's fine and walks away.  Now I feel all self conscious.  I don't want to send her the link.  

Anyway, it was kinda strange and silly all at once.  

I won't send them my link to this post, but I did create a quick Pic Monkey collage of some of the photos and posted it to their Facebook account, saying Thank you for such a fun morning.  ; ) 

Doesn't everyone want to document the place where their feet stand in a garden centre?

Anyway......

When we were here in the the summer, the girls were on the hunt for the bunnies that were scattered throughout the garden centre.  

 Some of them are still there! 

We loved our morning at On The Farm Country Market. 

 But ultimately, pumpkin decisions had to be made...

pumpkins to eat!

And in the end, we left with a fairly big pumpkin for carving, and one delicious sugar pumpkin for turning into a pumpkin pie.  (Which by the way, was the most delicious pumpkin pie ever!  It was so good, I am going back for another pumpkin before they are sold out! Perfectly light and flavourful!)

 

It was a few days later that we got set to carve our pumpkin.  

I think I might have mentioned it last year, but pumpkin carving never turns out to be the experience I think it will be.  Never.  Ever. 

This year we had Kamille whining about something before we started and saying she didn't want to do it, and then once she came around she was good, but then neither of them wanted to touch the guts and eventually I, as usual, got stuck with finishing it all off. 

 Going for it.....

 Ok, Karis.  Its your turn to get in there and scoop out some guts....

In the end, it was Mommy's job!

 Kamille was busy drafting up some face ideas. 

 And eventually she settled on this one that we found by Googling pumpkin face images

 I thought it was cute. 

 Hey, I like it! 

 Then Kamille chose this one next..

Meow and friend. 

Check 'em out girls!  Well done (Mommy!). 

This year, like every year, I saved the pumpkin seeds.  Determined to find the very best yet recipe for pumpkin seeds is always my goal.  Those seeds sat on the counter for a good 3 days and when they were all dried out, I picked up the bowl and went to walk to my laptop to start Googling "roasted pumpkin seeds" but as I approached my laptop, I acknowledged the fact that I was really just going to do this because it was just "what you do" with seeds.  Screw that.  I had no time for these seeds, nor did I want to give them any time.  I tossed those suckers straight into the compost bin and boy did it ever feel good.  Why I put these pressures on myself, I have no idea.  I wish I could do that with more things in life that don't come easy - just toss it aside - like perhaps the paper that I am supposed to be working on right now......(sigh)

Happy Pumpkin Hunting and Carving to my girls!
Until next year......