Aurora Wells

Sounds like a joke, right? But no joke, Grandma Gail and Grandpa Larry came to visit us the week of Valentine’s Day, and we saw all of the above. First, the chicks in the preschool’s incubator started hatching, and Aurora got to (very gently) hold one of them.

That evening was Special Persons’ Day at our preschool, so Aurora got to show Grandma, Grandpa and Daddy some of her favourite stuff,

like the costume corner and housekeeping area,

making humongous valentine hearts in the art room,

and fun things to do with coloured masking tape.

Aurora came down with a cold that week, but that didn’t stop us from going on the SeaBus ferry, to Lonsdale Quay, in North Vancouver.

We enjoyed our lunch at Lonsdale Quay market because we each got to choose exactly what we wanted. I hadn’t been there since 1992 or so, and I was relieved that it was as easy to get to from the ferry terminal as I remembered.

Grandma Gail brought a plethora of dress-up clothes for Aurora, so now she can be a “princess fairy” any time she likes. Nice dancing, kiddo.

We also drove out to visit Grandma Shaun and Grandpa Bill, and celebrate the two Granddads’ birthdays at the same time, which was a very nice opportunity.

After we dropped off G&G at the airport, we were too bummed to go straight home, so we drove around Sea Island to Iona Beach Park. The sun had dipped below the edge of the dark clouds that we’d had most of the week, and warmed us up a little as we walked in the fresh air.

Bye-bye Grandma & Grandpa! Thanks for the visit!

Halloween, for those of you who aren’t in the know, is absolutely Aurora’s favourite holiday. Don’t be surprised if she’s wearing a pumpkin, bat, witch, or skeleton shirt when you see her next March or April. It’s better than Christmas, and somewhat mixed up with her birthday, which falls earlier in October. A holiday that combines dress-up and seemingly limitless supplies of candy is a true winner in her book. Daddy and I get into it pretty good, too. Here’s a highlights reel of photos.

For the past three years, I’ve really enjoyed going to the Pumpkin Patch in Richmond, partly because the photos usually turn out gorgeous, even at mid-day. We go with our good friends, the MossLams, so even if the lines are long, we still have fun.

Fraser’s a good sport, especially because he gets the comfort of mom & the Ergo the whole time.

Barrett shows me which pumpkin he picked out from this gigantic field.

I love this picture. It almost makes up for the loss of last year’s shots.

Ready to head home, eh?

Halloween fell on a school day this year, so the 4’s voted to wear their costumes to school.

The Princess and the Pirate Wait for the Bus. Sounds like a hit song or something.

This year we hosted another Halloween potluck, and somehow managed to make cake pops in five hours.

Ghosts, skulls, and a lone Jason mask. Daddy dressed as Chris Kratt in his Creature Power Suit.

Aurora the Ghost Pirate attempts to tuck her sword into her red sash.

Barrett preferred his elephant mask (made by his very clever Daddy out of some leftover roofing material) to hang down his back, where it was less in the way.

Aurora in full costume and makeup, ready to go out trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

Happy Halloween, from two pirates and a witch!

After a thrilling game of Candyland, the ghost pirates divvy up the treasure.

A: “Did you know that the ghost pirates have a teddy bear?”

L: “No, pirates don’t have teddy bears.”

A: “Yes, it’s in the hold on their ship. They have it for when they get bored!”

Listening to the Barenaked Ladies at dinner tonight, I tell Aurora that this group’s name is funny because they’re not ladies, or naked, either. Aurora replies, “And they’re not bears, either!”

This afternoon Aurora and I were sitting at the table drinking juice with big ice cubes, trying to cool off. Aurora had some scratch paper and crayons, and was trying to involve me in drawing a Halloween scene, rather than finishing her juice. “Now, Aurora,” I said, in my firm-Mommy voice, “After we finish these drinks, we’re going to the grocery store. We need to get bread, yogurt, tomatoes…” I listed the things we needed to get and the reasons why we had to finally go to the store, after many hours of putting it off.

Every other minute Aurora would pipe up and say something like, “Mommy, could you help me draw a pumpkin face? Could you draw a witch/bat/ghost/etc.?”

“No,” I replied, and again listed the reasons why we needed to go shopping. Eventually I got frustrated with her procrastination techniques. “What? Do you think there are invisible fairies who will go and do the shopping for us? You’ve got to hurry up and finish that drink because it’s nearly dinnertime, and we need to shop!”

I busy myself with getting out my purse and shopping bags, and a minute later Aurora asks again if I’ll do some drawing with her. “Did you hear anything I just said to you?” I ask her.

“Yes. There are invisible fairies who will go do the shopping for us.”

Aurora shows me a purple coloured pencil. “I’m teaching this girl how to do things,” she says. “The rest of them [the other pencils & crayons] are watching, because it is her birthday. I’m their dad, and they are my brothers and sisters and babies. We sure do have a big family!”