Summer Recap 4: Fruit Harvesting

I already blogged a bit about our garden.

In the end it was better as a fun family project than a source of food but I'll take what I can get.

And as I already said, our plum tree is shutting down and gave us no fruit this year.

We had much more success in the food gathering department as members of Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton {OFRE}.

The highlight was our visit to Horsehill Berry Farm.

They invited the members of OFRE for a glean.

The kids were really excited at first but faded pretty quickly. 

 Cedric ate even more than he picked {after dipping into all of our buckets}.

 Luckily we coordinated this outing with Diana and Carly.

The kids love them and it's basically like having three parents for two kids.

Can you say "best case scenario"?

 We came back with enough raspberries for 10 jars of jam even after snacking for a couple of days.

The other harvest we have taken advantage of is apples.

 We are addicted to Apple Butter {this recipe is to die for} and Apple Streusel Bars {made with this recipe} so I have been processing apples like a mad woman.

I was thinking that we actually went a little overboard since I have a LOT of apples on my hands still.

Then I was talking to a friend on the weekend who has apple cider on her to do list.

 So I may just have a use for the lot after all.

Summer Recap 3: Back At It

So this is what I would usually consider Fall but since summer actually goes well into September I'm counting it.

Back to school came fast and I felt unprepared to be honest.

Luckily the transition back felt really easy since we were returning to the same program on the same days and already knew the drill.

The kids love that preschool and were really happy to be back.

This year we have also decided to enrol in a second preschool program.

 I wanted to get a little more involved in the community nursery school and have the kids meet more of our neighbours.

It has hit me lately that Cedric doesn't have any of his own friends yet {though he loves Fiona's friends} and I thought this nursery school could be good for him in particular.

He chose his favourite "cycle shirt" for the first day {and every day since}.

So far so good.

They've only been for a couple weeks but have delivered only glowing reviews.

Fiona also picked her own outfit, she is the "matching" queen right now.

This little change for us pales in comparison to the one our BFF Charlie made.

We are so proud of our little kindergartener and are lucky enough to have the opportunity to pick him up once a week.

Back to school also means back to Ballet and our regular Saturday morning routine.

The walk with this beauty and a little visit to the market are some of my favourite parts of the week.

Feefs settled right into the class, especially considering a couple of her good friends joined.

The class is great as always.

And the uniform couldn't be cuter on all these little ballerinas.

I know as I reflect further back into summer I will miss those hot lazy days.

For now though, we have all welcomed a little routine back into our lives.

Summer Recap 2: Birthday Train

 The Highlevel Bridge Streetcar seems to play a recurrent part in our lives.

And why not, the kids love the ride and the adults love the nostalgic nature.

Not to mention the view.

 Well this time the ride was extra special since we were celebrating a very special person's very special birthday.

Shall I say special again?

Anyways, I'm not spilling the age beans.

 I also take no responsibility for what may have snuck into the following pictures.

Cedric so rarely looks at the camera or stops moving for half a second so I just had to include this shot, messy face and all.

 The party was a surprise and was kept one until that very night.

This is a small miracle considering the chatty natured 5 year old in the birthday girl's home.

It's also amazing that no one accidentally sent a "is the party still happening?" text since that very morning it was snowing.

Yep, you heard me.

 Going over the Highlevel is always great but this time they actually parked right in the middle of it which allowed us to take in more than usual.

I even spotted a few love locks on the bridge and got a look at the new wiring set up to light the bridge.

 We were so thrilled to be included in this intimate group of amazing people.

 And, of course, to celebrate this beautiful-throughout friend.

These days our close friends are more like family.

We really have a sense of the village-to-raise-a-child school of thought especially with this family.

Both our kids, but Cedric in particular, have a sweet love for their "Stace".

{Which just happens to be one of Ced's first words.}

As the sun went down the view became even more spectacular.

At one point the conductors turned out the lights so we could take in just how beautiful our river valley is.

This city just keeps amazing me.

Happy Birthday again Stacey!

We're so glad we could celebrate with you.

Whoa, Where Did Summer Go? Let's Recap.

I have so much to share.

I do not, however, want to photo dump you so I'm going to attempt a summer catch up in instalments.

Let's work backwards though to take advantage of the now first.

 Lake life has been so good to us as always.

We have such a beautiful little world up there.

And just when I think it can't get any nicer, some Pelicans drop by to say hello.

In reality they're probably saying goodbye but let's not go there just yet, I have to catch you up on our summer right?

Fiona is growing like crazy, more mind than body these days.

She is starting to show interest in letters and even a little math.

She sings all the time and recently started "playing" her guitar but only when Cedric is willing to accompany her on drums.

 Cedric is keeping his steady growing pace, he's never been a weed that one.

What has exploded, however, is his language.

He is communicating clearly now and has the manners of a champ.

He never forgets his "pease", "fank you", "wow-come", "sowwy" {lots of sowwys} and my favourite "scuse-ee" with a hint of an italian accent.

 We had such a great summer but {as I've said before} these chilly days of fall are my favourite.

The colours are starting to appear on the trees and the cozy sweaters are getting their workout.

 Our evening walks are just a little darker, the sun just skimming the tops of the trees.

 This summer has also seen a change in Feefs and Ced dynamic.

Sure, they fight more as Cedric is finding his confidence and standing up to his big sis.

But man do they love hard.

It is not uncommon to find them "nuggling" or playing happily together.

I know it will continue to change but I sure am enjoying this phase.

One last recent development I will leave you with is one that my feelings change on daily.

We have decided to list the cabin that we love so much.

It was a hard decision but we have our sights set on a new property.

This place would take us to the same lake as our friends who are actually more like family.

We love where we are but can see so many benefits to moving.

So we're giving it a go even though it's not the best time to buy a lake property.

We are willing to hold out for next year but are staying hopeful.

In the meantime, knowing our time there could be short, we are enjoying it that much more.