THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life - October Edition

Happy autumn friends! Man, what a crazy year this has been. I honestly haven’t hated 2020 that much because it actually has brought some positive changes into my life. But what a weird and challenging time this has been.

I am very relieved to see that while the pandemic is getting worse again, Edmonton is still doing pretty well. Right now there is only 0.06% of the population with known active cases, which has gone up since last month but is still incredibly low. The elementary school that Archie’s preschool is in has also not had any cases. All of this makes me feel quite confident (but still cautious) that everything is going to continue to be okay.

September was definitely all about getting moved in, set up, and settled. And I think that we have accomplished that! We have been spending a lot of time outdoors because the weather has been so beautiful. Edmonton is truly a large city within a forest. I’m not sure why I never really realized it before! But living here really does feel like living in the wilderness, which I love.

This is what having me as your mother is like...

I have especially been loving all of the time back with my Edmonton friends and it has been wonderful feeling like no time has passed and that I never really left. I can’t thank them enough for that. ♥

Our house is finished!! We powered through like beasts and got the whole place unpacked, set up and decorated. Every single thing is unpacked and every single thing is hung on the wall. This is who I am as a person. I refuse to live in disarray and limbo for any longer than absolutely necessary. Regardless of how many times we have moved, I have always FULL-ON settled us in as if we would never be leaving. I love our new house so much and it feels completely like home. I think that this is the best amount of space and layout (for us) that we’ve ever had, combined with living in exactly the part of the city that we wanted to (south of the river, central, close to Whyte Ave but not IN it).

There are certainly things that we would eventually like to upgrade about the place (it is an old house, after all) but it is very, very much our style the way that it is. It feels a bit like living in a cabin and we absolutely love that.

And of course having my very own yoga room has been an incredible upgrade!!! I used to practice in the middle of the living room with Thomas trains wedged under my back... So to have my very own space all to myself feels like a huge game changer.

And of course we still have a guest bedroom and the door is always open to any of you who would like to come and visit! (I realize that right now isn’t the best time for visits, but this won’t be the case forever.) I’ve got your room all set up and ready for you! Your picture is even on the wall! ♥

We held our socially distanced housewarming party and it turned out wonderfully! I loved that we were able to have all (most) of our closest Edmonton friends over to see our new house while simultaneously doing so in a safe and responsible way. (It has now been over two weeks since the party, so we didn’t cause anyone to catch the virus! Ha ha.) I especially loved our idea to serve foods from all of the cities that we lived in after leaving Edmonton. It all turned out really great!

This is my core squad and I love them. <3

We’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall season and the changing colours. Very much looking forward to the next little while of sweaters and pumpkin spice.

Life with Archie:

Archie has had a really big and exciting month! He started preschool and he absolutely LOVES it. Seeing how much he loves going and the positive impact that it has already made on him makes me 100% certain that we made the right decision in sending him.

A few days before school started he was able to meet his teacher, Mrs. Anderson.

Then it was the first day of school! It feels like such a big, significant step.

Archie was never scared about going to school, not even for a second. He bolted straight into the building (and has continued to do so) and hasn’t looked back. This shows me how valuable (and needed) of an experience this has already been for him. If anything, he’s disappointed when I come to pick him up!! (Which hurts my feelings, ha ha.) His class has six students in it and he is already gaining so much.

In this past month I have really started to see Archie’s imagination develop. He plays with his toys and creates all sorts of interesting stories. It’s amazing to watch! He has also recently gotten WAY into dinosaurs! Stegosaurus is his favourite.

Archie has been loving our nature adventures and I make a point of taking him on a nature walk at least once a week. There are so many great trails and nature playgrounds in Edmonton that I never even knew existed.

Plus Archie met the mayor... Which seems like an appropriate welcome to his new city.

Except that he was miserable about it. HA HA HA.

I’m really excited about October. It’s filled with so many fun things! And now that we’ve completed all of our house stuff we can just relax and enjoy our life again!

First of all, we’re going back to Jasper this weekend. We’ll probably be there a lot. This time we’re staying at Becker’s Chalets, which are the most adorable little cabins that we love. Tim’s birthday is later this month, so this Jasper trip is supposed to be a bit of a birthday thing for him.

Next, we’re having our annual family photography done this month! I’m having it done by JRush Photography, who happens to be an old acquaintance-friend of mine from my SONiC days. I’m sure that she will do a great job!

Then it’s Thanksgiving and I’m honestly excited about spending a quiet one at home. We’re still going to cook a turkey feast and I can’t wait!

Tim’s birthday is on the 21st and he is turning 37! Most of the “real” celebration is supposed to take place in Jasper... But I’m going to surprise him with an adult dinner out with NO child (THANK YOU NICOLE!!!!) and I have a few small gifts for him as well.

And then it’s Halloween! I’m still not clear if Halloween is supposed to be “cancelled” or not, but regardless, we will still make it fun. Archie is dressing up as a werewolf this year, which is perfect because there is going to be a full moon on the night of Halloween this year. Plus his class is having a Halloween party too. Plus imma still buy candy. ;D

THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!:

October 7th is Colen Quinn’s 13th wedding anniversary!

Wishing you and Jeff a special time to celebrate! ♥

October 7th is Melanie Watson’s 2nd wedding anniversary!

Wishing you and Ron a special time to celebrate! ♥

October 13th is Kristen Smith’s 8th wedding anniversary!

Wishing you and Dallas a special time to celebrate! ♥

October 24th is Rachelle Spence’s 36th birthday!

I am so excited for this next year of your life because SO MANY incredible things have fallen into place for you! My heart is so happy!!! And to top it all off, I’m back to share in it all with you, which is the best part of all! You have been an incredibly important person in my life for over 16 years and I will love and support you forever. ♥