Princess Tea Party

Have you been to Once Upon a Teacup?  I love this place!  If you're not familiar, it's a lovely place at the corner of Southdale and Wonderland that caters to kids... they have a full tea menu, they serve food and lovely little bits for the kiddos.  They can dress up in dresses and costumes from the closet whilst they enjoy their "tea" (every kids beverage is served in a teacup). 

They also frequently have visits from the various Disney Princesses.  For Halloween, they had a costume tea party with Miss Cinderella herself.  I didn't tell Eleda about it until about an hour before we went, and she was SO excited. 

 Cinderella read all the girls a story

 Taught them a beautiful dance

 Did their makeup

 She was really great!  Eleda was pretty much in awe the whole time.

 Since it was Halloween, each Princess got a spooky cupcake!

 Now, I must say I was a *little* disappointed in the costume judging... Eleda's was the only home made costume, and I thought she was a shoe in.  Oh well, I'll just have to work a little harder next year!

I must say that Cinderella was fantastic.  And Once Upon a Teacup was fantastic as well... they had 2 crafts, colouring and nail polish set up for the girls... what a girly fun day!

The great pumpkins

 Every year Judd Kennedy carves pumpkins.  Lots and lots of pumpkins.  Schools help out, and on the 30th and 31st of October they are all light up.  All he asks is for donations to the food bank... it's quite magical.

Why yes, yes I do.

 I even managed to snap a few frames of the kiddos before bundling them back into the car.

Halloweena Ballerina

Last night was the halloween party at Eleda's dance studio.  Have I mentioned how much I love it there? 

I'm pretty sure the only thing cuter than 3 little girls dancing in leotards & skirts is 3 little girls dancing in costumes!  Even the dance teacher, Miss Liliane was all dressed up.  Now, I didn't ask for permission to post pics of the other kids so I won't, but here are my little cuties.

Airplane

We went out for dinner a while back and the kids each got a treat from the treasure chest.  One was an old school cardboard airplane.  I think Alan was more excited about it than the kids were... it brought back fond memories about times he flew these planes with his Grandpa :)

We had promised Eleda we could fly the plane when we got home, but Alan couldn't wait... we weren't even out of the parking lot when he pulled over and took Eleda into the open field to fly it a few times.  It was so sweet to watch him teach her how to throw it and to watch her learn.

Places you find your kids...

We are family

I've been wanting some sort of portraits of the kids for a while, so I took the opportunity at my parents' house to try and capture some moments.  Credit to my dad for the family shot.

Sweet potatoes

Have you met my mom?  She's hilarious.  She is very creative and loves to make and do fun things with and for Eleda.  She had some sweet potatoes that had sprouted, and these nifty halloween face pieces, so she put them all together, and she & Eleda decorated the front yard with spooky sweet potatoes.

 The little snail guy in front of Leda there is named Lightening.  Every time we get to Grandma & Grandpa's house, she has to say hello to Lightening and his hummingbird friend Flitter, and she says goodbye every time we leave.  It's very sweet.

 There were some leftover facial pieces, so Grandpa and Eleda put them on some gourds.

 Leda and Grandma found a snail.

 These two are so sweet together.  I knew my dad would love my kids, but I never imagined the amazingly special relationship he would have with his Granddaughter.  It's one of the most magical things I've ever witnessed.