The tradition continues at the Pumpkin Patch

The family has been going to the Pumpkin Patch since 2008. It's interesting cause Roger and Tracey never went to the Pumpkin Patch as children. They were wondering when this transformation had actually taken place, because it's certainly become a booming business. For the four of us it cost nearly $50! Oh well, I guess that's how traditions live on, it has become a sort of tradition before Halloween. The other good thing is that we get a couple pretty nice pictures during our visit. Here are some from the weekend, thanks to the cooperative weather. I think it was the first year where the family was able to wear hoodies only. No toques this year.

Happy Thanksgiving....gobble gobble.

This is the first Thanksgiving without Papa Mel. We can certainly say he's dearly missed. To be perfectly honest tonight's dinner did have a bit of a toned down feel, I'd even say a dinner that was missing that special something, or probably in this case that special someone. The kids did their best to distract us from it all. How fast time flies, especially considering Nicole is now in her first term of University. That topic and Nicole's quirky sense of humour certainly kept the conversation going. The dinner was very nice, Tracey, Roger and Mom put out a very nice spread. They passed on the full turkey dinner this time, cooking a turkey roll and a small ham with all the trimmings. Grandma's fresh baked buns are always a huge hit. I think Malcolm ate three of them! We also missed having Gomo at dinner tonight too. It's hard to think that she's a few thousand miles away in Korea.

The weather here in Vancouver is finally starting to turn. Roger mentioned how cool and windy it was at the range this morning. Perhaps those hot sunny afternoons will now subside into wet and windy ones going forward. Melody will finally have to come to the realization that she'll have to wear some warmer clothes maybe even socks. Here are a few shots Roger took during dinner. Happy Thanksgiving folks.

Over 8 years writing this blog....

Over 8 years writing this blog and these are the most words that appear. The larger the word, the more it appears. For obvious reasons the title, Malcolm, Roger, Tracey and Christmas seem to dominate themes. Anyway, an interesting exercise in SEO.

Horse racing and trap shooting.

We're a little behind on the blog posts these days. For whatever reason, they've fallen off the list of priorities, so here are a few weeks combined into one.

I'm happy to report that school is in full swing, both kids have adapted very well to all the changes. Non-withstanding the first few days of kindergarten that involved some tears and quivery bottom lips from the Kindergarten side, Melody hasn't looked back since. Every morning at drop-off she gives a hug then right on into the classroom. It looks like we've finally seen a turnaround from Malcolm too, with respect to doing his homework. In the weeks that preceded, any mention of homework brought on some serious tantrums and bad behaviour. The introduction of an allowance, bonus points (at school), and whatever else has produced a welcomed change. After Monday's epic battle, he managed to settle down and finish his work. Let's hope it continues. Cause if he things grade 3 is tough, he's in for a shocker.

Hastings Little League put on a fundraising event at the track a couple of weeks ago. The funds are to help with the construction of the new baseball diamond. It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine, small winning wagers, and some magnificent animals strutting their stuff.

The Trap Shoot Shootout Fall Invitational happened last weekend. Roger organized and hosted a trap shooting tournament for his friends this past Sunday. Albert managed to edge out Roger by one point for the Gross prize and Colin who shot lights out 21 in the second round managed to capture the Net prize. The names are being engraved as we speak. Roger is hoping to make the event a annual occurrence. Here are some pics: