The holiday season is well on it’s way! I think I’m more on the ball with Christmas shopping than ever and it’s still November. Which brings me to, it’s still November! Which means it’s still Fall.

Is it just me or does hype for everything start a little earlier each year?!

It seems everyone is ready to jump in to Fall early August, with over a month left of actual Summer season. Then everyone is ready for Christmas as soon as Halloween ends. It’s great to look forward to things, I’m certainly getting in to the holiday spirit, but I think it takes away from the present moment. We’re so busy worried about what’s next that we’re done with what IS while it’s happening!

So, even though the land of Instagram is moving on from pumpkin errrythang,. I'm playing catch up on all our Fall festive fun!

At the end of August I took a social media break. Partly to be more present for those present moments. To soak up the transitions of my girls starting school and unplug from everyone else’s “noise.”

It was honestly freeing. Part of me didn’t even want to plug back in... but social media is a blessing in many other ways to plug in to the things we *want* to plug in to! So here I am, back again.

Some of you might appreciate a catch up on snippets of the fun we were up to during that time. And it’s helpful for me to journal some of our happenings to document that season and welcome what’s next!
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Halle started Kindergarten! Our school’s program is only half day and she goes in the afternoon. It’s been a big change for her but she loves it. I can’t believe how much she has grown in just a couple months!

Autumn also started Preschool this year before going to Kinder next year. She is going two afternoons a week and loves it!

This gives me a (super quick) window of time to spend one on one with Jordan or sometimes a day date with Matthew, when he’s off. The girls miss having “built in” friends everyday like they did with my dayhome so they enjoy socializing at school. And this time is much appreciated by me to get things done or simply relax.
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My sister came to visit us during September. This was her first time meeting Jordan. It was great to have her here while Matthew was away to help me with the transition in to school drop offs. It’s a lot of going and I haven’t had to experience that yet...

It was great to simply catch up and we took in some sights around the city! Although early Fall was much colder than as of late. We went to Granary Road and the Calgary Corn Maze.
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Next up was Autumn and Matthew’s birthdays! Year 4 and 30! Autumn hosted her first big kid birthday party at our house. We had some animal activities, old school party games and a glow dance party - cause who doesn’t love that! For Matthew’s, a crowd of us went to a Calgary Hitmen game.

My dad was able to make a quick weekend visit then too! We always enjoy any time we can spend with grandparents.
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October brought us more visits to the Corn Maze. And, luckily, more sunshine too! We love spending the afternoons there. We love the mini doughnuts too ;)

Surprisingly, this was our first year actually carving pumpkins with the kids. Other years we’ve just used them as decor or painted and decorated them. It was fun to do this together this year. And I loved having the pumpkin seeds to roast and add to oatmeal and salads :)
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This Fall Autumn is taking ballet and Halle joined Sparks. Halle really enjoyed her day camp in October! We made an adventure out of that day by heading to the mountains to hike Johnston Canyon.

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! The girls both had parties at school and it’s always special to celebrate another baby’s “first.” The weather was great for trick or treating and the girls went farther than ever before! We also started a new tradition of having a campfire in our driveway. I handed out treats there and hung out with neighbours and friends. It was better than driving our dogs bonkers and juggling a baby back and forth to the door.
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In other Fall news, the season brought lots of fresh air fun and times spent as a family and with friends. The girls and I also joined a mommy group and have enjoyed connecting with new families through school.

As shared in my last post, I still have big dreams for this space. While sometimes I think I talk a big talk (and don’t take that action) it comes down to a priority struggle for me sometimes. After all, the time being present and the times you see in those photos is what it’s all about. If I can swing doing extra on the side to make my soul happy then that’s just icing on the cake!

One thing I did change up, in a surprising way, was jump back in to designing Keep Collective. There’s a lot more I’d like to share about this but for now it’s just something fun for me! A way to be creative, design reminders of what matters most and help spread some happy with others. And I’ve got big plans on how I want to weave all my dreams together and be more fearless when it comes to doing the things I want that bring me joy!

In saying that, I hope these photos spread some joy to you. I hope Fall was filled with many happy memories for you and yours. I hope you took time to unplug and be present. And, if you didn’t, try it this season. It will be even better during the “most wonderful time of the year!”

Thanks, as always, for reading and following along with our growing family! XO

Dear 2015,

You were fun!

You were everything that I want life to be about; time together, time for me, time to grow...

We settled in to our role as a family of four.

We lived out the little moments and celebrated the milestones.

We played, explored, adventured, laughed and made memories.

We cherished every minute with loved ones who came to visit and enjoyed our stay with family & friends during our time at home, in NL, during the Spring. (FaceTime made up for the distance in between.)

As we transition in to new roles and a New Year, here's a look back at some highlights & happenings from those 365 pages out of our storybook.

The New Year started off with a farewell to Aunt Melissa who had spent the majority of December with us for Christmas.

After months of family visiting since Autumn's September arrival, I was officially on my own with two under two! It was a time to slow down and settle in. Which worked out well for winter days when it was too cold to be outside.

We took advantage of warmer weather when we could and enjoyed our first skate on the Lake and many snow day adventures.

I also started my #50fridaysof2015 photo project to document the girls' growth over the year.

Valentine's Day is one of my favourite holidays!
We spent the month celebrating in festive style, making cards for family & hosting a love day kids party! (Read the post about it, here.)

I enjoyed a fun night out with some mama friends :)

And we continued the family fun in the snow with park walks and sliding.

Spring came early in March and we were loving it!! Scooter rides, sidewalk chalk & seeking out Calgary's best playgrounds kept us busy.

Poppa came to town for business and spent a weekend with us, which you can read about here.

St. Patrick's day was about green paint instead of green beer ;)

We celebrated my birthday with brunch at Wurst and a box full of birthday cake timbits :)
Matthew's buddies were in town and gave us company for another weekend this month.

April kicked off with playoff season! Go Habs Go!

I went to my first Hot Mama Fitness class... & was hooked! ;)

Matthew and I had our first date night with a REAL (non family) babysitter!! We went for supper and saw the Book of Mormon show at the Jubilee Centre. It was too good!

We celebrated Autumn's first Easter with family dinners, egg hunts & baskets of goodies.

The sun kept shining and we continued to explore new parks and playgrounds.

Halle turned 2! We hosted a Teddy Bear's Picnic birthday party and spent her special day at the zoo.

We had more themed fun at our baby group friend's birthday parties, too!

We travelled home to Newfoundland for Autumn's first visit to the rock! It was a time to catch up with family and friends.
We took full advantage of the babysitters and enjoyed date nights and evenings out with old friends.
We lucked out with weather and spent time at the lake and spotting ice bergs from the beach.
Autumn was christened at my family church on Mother's Day.
...And perhaps one of my favourite things - we ate so much good food! Kelly's fish & chips, Big Bite pizza, Nan's jigs dinner, homecooked favs & family fish cakes. Ok, I need to stop typing before my tummy starts growling and I'm sobbing from homesickness...

The catching up with friends continued back here in Calgary when some of my gal pals from our Fort Mac days came to town for a weekend! It was great to chat over dinner, a backyard fire and brunch... And they got meet my sweet girlies for the first time :)

The month began with our first softball tourney of the year!
My first tournament ever, actually... I never played ball growing up, and I'm terrible, but it was all for a good laugh! We camped out for the weekend, lucked out with great weather, and had a blast with our friends and team Could Be Worse!

Our camping adventure led us to check out RV's back in Calgary...
In the end we opted out of a camper and traded in our truck for a new, bigger one!

Ate sno cones at the Spruce Meadows National :)

We kicked off summer with play dates at the lake!
&  enjoyed our first Stampede pancake breakfast there.

We explored new trails like the beautiful Elbow Falls.

I saw Ed Sheeran in concert!!! And had a fun night out to dinner with some lady friends xo

Ate the most delicious food at Greek Fest!

We became frequent visitors at the zoo. Including a meet up with Miss Tina who came to town for a visit :)

Splashed at new water parks around the city.

At the end of the month, we road tripped to Saskatoon for our friend's bridal shower & stag party! A heat wave hit while we were there, so the kiddies kept cool in the pool, and everyone else with a few (too many) drinks ;)

On Canada Day, the girls & I took the train downtown to meet up with some friends at Princes Island Park.

Hot days were spent outside with summery drinks & BBQed dinner.

We went to our first Market Collective event & treated ourselves to yummy Family Freezed pops :)

We went to two more Stampede pancake breakfasts & I enjoyed a night out with some Hot Mama friends!

The month ended with our second softball tournament in the season. The boys bought a 70's camper, whom they named "Connie." She served her purpose of a party bus for the weekend. We had another fun camping trip, despite forgetting mine & the girls suitcase of clothes at home & being rained out one night... Our cute cheerleaders made up for it ;)

Beach dayz were in full swing during August! We even got to enjoy one with Poppa while he was in town for another business trip.
While he was here we also ate yummy baked goods from Corbeaux & went to Marda Gras festival... for the food trucks ;)

We went to an "urban beach" event in Kensington (a trendy, downtown neighbourhood, that became a manmade beach for a day!)

We soaked up every last minute of summer with park playdates.
A favorite was our first visit to the newly opened St. Patrick's Island Park :)

Market Collective's 7th birthday event was another fun event that had us exploring the city centre

September was full of of my favourite things - sunshine, Fall fun, family & birthdays!

Twas the season for trips to Cobb's Corn Maze and Calgary's Corn Maze & Fun Farm.

We went to the Willow Park Fall Fair and enjoyed face painting, photo booths & food trucks.

I hosted a fun end of Summer pot luck for my Hot Mama Fit friends :)

Our friend Lisa took the most adorable photos of the girls in celebration of Autumn's 1st birthday! Click here to see them.

Nanny & Poppy came to spend Matthew & Autumn's birthdays!
We celebrated Autumn's with her first cupcake from Crave :) & we hosted a Fish Fry with friends for Daddy's!

Grandparents in town also meant lots of date nights for us!

October may have topped the charts for all around greatness :D

The date nights continued with an overnight quading & camping adventure! Where we literally experienced all four seasons in 24 hours. It was so much fun to get lost in the woods together for some quality time.

Luckily the snow fall we woke up to didn't stick around and the weather stayed warm for the rest of the Carroll's visit. We took Nanny downtown for lunch in Inglewood and a stroll along the beautiful River Walk.

Playground trips around the city were still in full swing :)

Kicked off hockey season in style ;)

I ran my first 5K at CIBC Run for the Cure with my friend Nona.

Celebrated the soon to arrive baby brother for Hailey at Melissa's baby shower.

Spent my first weekend away from mommy life at Hot Mama's Yoga Surf Retreat in Tofino! It was AH-MAZING! Me time, gal pals, wine, yoga, fitness, tacofino ;) It was my first time visiting the island, which was breath taking! And my first time surfing & SUP. Lots of firsts and it filled my soul with just what I needed.

Returned to two Thanksgiving dinners with friends... and some cute princesses.

Halloween was way more fun this year! Halle wore her costume every day for a month straight after all of the festivities. Which included parties and potlucks! Plus a date night out for my Top Gun co-pilot and I... which started at the Habs vs Flames game - big night and the perfect end to a fantastic month!

As I looked back at my camera roll for November, it's clear this was a slow down month... In a good way!

We stayed closer to home, enjoyed walks & playground stops, playdates at friends and relaxing together.

We got to meet our newest Howell family cousin & visit with my Aunt during her visit to Calgary.

Busyness picked up again in December with holiday events like Once Upon A Christmas at Heritage Park.

Our Elf on the Shelf arrived & we named her Pancakes :)

I ran my second 5K at Spruce Meadow's Dashing Through the Glow with the Hot Mama's & my two festive sidekicks in tow.

Nana arrived too, to spend Christmas with us!
We baked treats & decorated gingerbread houses together.
We visited the Horsin Around farm.

During Christmas week, we actually relaxed this year! We went to Baby Jesus' birthday party. We cooked dinner at home and hosted a Boxing Day Brunch Open House.

I enjoyed a day out with my mama before she left which included a delicious lunch at Nash and shopping at Cross Iron Mills.

In between we played in the snow & went sliding as a family :)

We ended the year off with friends at the Brennan's New Years Eve party!

As I said, 2015, you were fun!

This was just a glimpse of some of the memories made thanks to the reminders of my iPhone camera roll...

Many valuable moments may have not been captured on camera and instead came from the little things as our children grow and we experience the day to day.

I am so glad that those days were filled with the things I value most - fun, quality time together with loved ones.

I am so thankful to have added to that list of special people this year...  We all made some great friends through new groups, get togethers and shared experiences.

2015, you were the year I fell for fitness, at this stage in my life. The happiness I found in doing something for me carried over in to other areas of my life and helped me to become a better all around version of myself :)

Being a better me, helped us to grow as a family.

This recap sure has been a joy to look back and see how far we have come!

I will cherish these documented moments in the years ahead.

So, cheers to you, 2015! And cheers to the 365 ahead!

At the start of the year I shared our Daily Calendar Project.

Since we are halfway through 2014 (can you believe it?!) I thought it would be fun to post a little progress update.

Six months of memories!

Daily snippets of our life.

Simple days, firsts and the best of times.

When I first wrote about the project, my goal was to fill out a card every day. I managed to do so for January even if the day was less than exciting. I kept up with the project during February, only missing a couple days.

Then, in March, I totally fell off the wagon...

I was "cheating" and keeping track of the days as a note in my phone and didn't type a single thing for March.

But thanks to my iPhone calendar and photos, which now track the dates pictures are taken, I was able to look back and fill in a lot of blanks about what happened that month. March still has the most missing days, cause lets face it pregnancy exhaustion and toddler wrangling ;) had me just barely getting through many days, but this little trick helped me stay on track.

April was a good month because Halle and I flew home to St. John's for four weeks. All the visiting and family fun kept the calendar full :)

I was a bit slow at remembering to write things on a daily basis for May but with the return of my energy we were out and about a lot more. There were birthday parties, long weekends and visits with friends that easily filled the cards that month.

June may have been my most "on the ball" month as it hit me that we were nearly halfway through the year. I made a point of updating my note each day.

It's only been the past week that I actually sat down to fill out the physical index cards. Five months of writing, even if it's just a line, sure adds up!

So now that I'm back in the swing of things I may ditch the iPhone note and fill out the cards daily... Orrr maybe not... only my next update will tell ;)

I also thought I found the perfect storage space for the cards...

For Christmas, my dad and stepmom gave Halle a little jewelry box. And they also wrapped and sent my childhood box as a gift for me! It arrived complete with my old "treasures" inside.

Already filled with memories, but just a smidge too small, this sweet box could have been a meaningful home for the collection. But I was out of luck! Now I'm back to the original plan of finding a cute card box. Unless I want to buy smaller cards and re-write six months of life happenings... um, probably not.

So, there you have it, the ups and downs that is progress of this little project. I'm so happy with how it's turning out and I look forward to making and writing down many more memories!

Thanks for following along xo

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