Happy Halloween!

As usual, I boycotted store bought costumes and put together the perfect duo: Dora and ‘Boots’ (the monkey).  I suppose one day Kassiah will boycott right back and refuse to be a sidekick…but until that day arrives, I thoroughly enjoy choosing their costumes.  In fact, she should be thanking me, since Ivan’s vote was to make them wear matching outfits with Kassiah’s belly protruding over her ‘before’ sign and Mariah rocking her gymnast physique with her ‘after’ sign!

It’s been a record long time since I blogged in July, so I’ll start with a brief catch-up:

In August, we went home to Ontario and had a pretty amazing week in nature.  After visits with friends and family, us Calebs hit the road and enjoyed doing a whole lotta nothing.  Since we haven’t really gone on any family vacations, aside from returning 'home’ each year, we decided to treat ourselves to the type of vacation Ivan & I love most – and apparently the type that Mariah and Kassiah now love as well.  We rented a cozy little Goldilocks-ish cottage with a wood-burning stove downstairs and a winding staircase up to the bedrooms.  And most importantly, it was just steps away from the beautiful dark blue Muskoka water that we have loved and missed.  I woke up early some mornings, to sneak onto the balcony with a good book in one hand and a hot coffee in the other (which have both become my ultimate mommy rewards).  The days were spent canoeing, swimming, catching pet frogs, and of course, alternating naps & snacks in between.  Each night ended with a campfire under the stars, before we all cozied up in one big bedroom together and telling stories.  One night, we even went to a ‘Drive-In’ theatre nearby, where Mariah not only fell in love with Ninja Turtles, but also managed to stay awake for the late night show – and has fallen even more deeply in love with Planet of the Apes! 

When our trip was over, our big girl’s trip had just begun.  Mariah hit the road again – this time with her grandma, Papa & aunt, for a whole week in Ottawa.  My mom and I had prepped Mariah about this adventure for several months, so sure enough she took off without hesitation and barely even wanted to chat with mom & dad on the phone when we called from in Calgary.  She was probably too busy being spoilt and having fun – wearing a pink boa around her neck just for a casual dinner out, going shopping with the girls, and having lots of fun with her ‘step-cousins’ : )

September was a pretty smooth transition ‘back to school’ for all of us.  After 6 years of teaching at a school that’s considered a ‘long commute’ for us Calgarians (~45 minutes), Ivan got a Kindergarten position at a school just 5 minutes away!   The girls were a bit extra fussy for a few weeks as they got back in the swing of things, but now seem to be happy with the routine again.  Their playtime together continues to grow in length and cuteness.  Last night they crawled under our bed together and sang nonsense songs that that they made up as they went along.  Sometimes when I naturally respond to Kassiah’s call for ‘mommy’, she sharply advises me that she was talking to ‘that mommy’ and points to Mariah who has a proud smile from ear to ear.  When Mariah is in a particularly good mood, she tells me that she and Kassiah are ‘Chudders’ (which Mariah thinks means bff’s since there’s a Frozen song with a line about Anna telling Elsa ‘we used to have each other’).  In reality, I’d like to think Mariah continues to be my bff, since we seem to be attached at the hip while we argue non-stop.  But whenever she wants to do something crafty, she knows who to ask: “Daddy’s a good maker, right mom?”.  She goes around telling people that daddy is painting her ‘orange house’ (since it’s super outdated with tons of oak) white…and then reassures herself “but it’s okay, we don’t have to be sad”. 

Kassiah tries hard to keep up with her big sister, but it is usually apparent to the rest of us that she has a long way to go.  When Mariah practices her letter sounds, like “mu- mu- monkey”, Kassiah makes several brutal attempts too like “mu- mu- table” or “ru- ru- Kassiah”, which Mariah gets pretty tickled about.  Maybe I shouldn’t compare my children (but I do) and I always tease Kassiah for being a little slow compared to little Ms. Mariah.  Kassiah calls any type of bug a ‘mosquito bite’, and once when I asked her what she had on her pizza, she paused thoughtfully and then responded confidently “ummm… a plate”.  Let’s just blame it on sleep deprivation since Kassiah resists waking up each morning, exclaiming things like “Turn off the light, I sthleepin!”.  She also went through a “leave me alone” stage during the day, but that seems to be transitioning into a more polite “No, I do it aself” stage.  I’m pretty sure she’ll catch up to Mariah soon though, cause Kassiah has become our little bookworm.  Whether in the car, on the couch, or in bed, Kassiah can often be found curled up ‘reading’ herself a story.  If it’s a really good read (like when she picked up my last Khaled Hosseini novel) she might add some random commentary like ‘Oh my God’…other times, her chubby little fingers just continue to flip the pages until she falls asleep!  And if you’re starting to feel bad that we’re giving her a complex about being slow and chubby…please know that she brings it upon herself – her current favorite song is “All About the Bass”!