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

A few days late but here I am! September was a month full of fun and excitement. I'm feeling really good about getting into the fall and getting back to some routines (like actually doing yoga and writing restaurant reviews and drinking water). The fall colours are stunning in Edmonton right now and it has truly been a gorgeous, sunny, and warm autumn so far. The very first day of September was Archie's first day of school! We quickly switched into "school mode" and got ourselves into the kindergarten zone. Archie was VERY excited to start French Immersion Kindergarten at Lendrum Elementary School.

Archie's teacher's name is Mme. Mindana and she's awesome and I love her. Is there a way that I can make her my friend without it being weird? Ha ha ha. But honestly, we do have a lot in common. We're both originally from Ontario. She likes to travel and dine out. Her favourite restaurants are Cactus Club and Seoul Fried Chicken, which are solid choices. Plus she is always dressed SO well. We should be friends. I'm so happy that Archie gets to spend the school year with her.

Sarah came to visit from Regina (and stay with us) over Labour Day long weekend and it was really great getting to see her and to spend time with her. <3

This is us in a fighter jet. Just having a 'Danger Zone' moment.

And then we flew off to Ontario once again, this time to Niagara Falls. We were only there for two nights but it really felt like we maximized the time!! We stayed at Great Wolf Lodge, which was SO MUCH FUN. Archie got a huge kick out of the whole place, the water park was a blast, and we all just really enjoyed ourselves. It felt like a very good pre-Disney thing to do. Plus we actually saw the falls, which is something we'd been wanting to take Archie to see. And I FINALLY saw my OK Go concert (after FOUR rescheduled concert dates) so that felt very symbolic, as if the pandemic might actually be over.

After that I literally returned home, immediately got in the car, and drove to Lacombe (about an hour and a half away) to join up with Rachelle's wedding festivities!!! I spent two nights at a hotel in Lacombe for this. (I am slightly amazed that all of the logistics for this endeavour worked out perfectly. There were so many opportunities for possible disaster, ha ha.) We had a ton of fun doing pre-wedding stuff during the month, like bridal party pedicures and the Rehearsal Dinner.

And then on September 19th it was the big day!!! Rachelle and Sarah got married and it was perfect and beautiful. I felt so honoured to be by her side and it was such a wonderful celebration. The wedding venue, Pine and Pond, was in a town called Falun and it was SUPER CUTE. Plus Carrie attended the wedding from Vancouver and it was so good to see her as well! This was the third Core Four wedding and we did it all together once again. <3

We absolutely danced the night away and it was the best. <3 Meanwhile, my parents also came to Edmonton to stay with Archie while Tim and I were off doing wedding stuff. So then I got to spend the rest of the week hanging out with them and that was really nice.

Again, I'm just relieved that everything went off without a hitch!!! What a fun month. I really enjoyed this one. Life with Archie: Obviously the biggest thing for Archie this month was the first day of school and starting kindergarten. He was the first kid through the school door and had no hesitation about it whatsoever. He was ready. I give a huge amount of credit to the fact that Archie attended two years of preschool prior to kindergarten - it made the concept of "going to school" entirely familiar to him. I am continuously thankful that we decided to send him to preschool, even *during a pandemic.* Also. Back to school fashions are my jam. Being my family's stylist is my calling.

As a treat for his first day of school we told Archie that he could pick a restaurant to go to for dinner. He picked The Melting Pot. We told him that it was too expensive, ha ha. So instead he picked the Cat Cafe on Whyte, which was very fun. (Although he has been trying to convince everyone, including my parents, to take him to The Melting Pot ever since.)

Archie had a great time hanging out with his pals Rowan and Blake!

Archie was very, very happy about the Open Cockpit Day that we attended at the Alberta Aviation Museum.

Archie has now joined Beaver Scouts! They've had a few meetings so far and he seems to be enjoying it. One of the kids from his preschool is in the group, so it was really nice for Archie to know someone and to have a friend there. He doesn't have his uniform yet, so I'll include a photo once he has that. As a kid, I did Brownies, Girl Guides, and Pathfinders. It means a lot to me that Archie gets to have a similar experience! They had DOT Day at school and so I covered my child in dots. I understood the assignment.

Our trip to Ontario marked Archie's 34th and 35th flights!

Archie had a wonderful time in Niagara Falls. It was so cool to take him to the actual falls and for him to see it in real life. He loved going on all of the water slides (that he was tall enough for) at Great Wolf Lodge. It was a short trip but it felt like really special family time with great memories made.

Archie went on his first school field trip and loved it. I can't wait for all of the years of fun that he is going to have with his school crew.

His school also had a Back to School Social where we were able to come to the school and walk around inside and see Archie's classroom. He was very proud to show us everything. So yeah. I would say that "Archie's school" was a main theme of the month.

And just some other cute photos from the month.

Will things be calming down in October? No, they will not be. At the beginning of the month we will be doing our annual family photography. This is a big deal for me because I use these photos on our print materials for the rest of the year. Yes, we have print materials. HA HA. Plus, as mentioned earlier, I take my role of "family stylist" very seriously. So the whole thing is a big job for me. Thanksgiving is coming up. We'll be staying in Edmonton and having a little feast at home, just the three of us. I don't mind this at all. I really like Tim's preparation of our holiday feasts, so I'm looking forward to that. And then in the middle of the month we are off to Montreal! Archie has a bit of a "fall break" from school and we decided to capitalize on it. We are going to Montreal for five nights and are very excited. We are staying at an Airbnb in Mile End (where else?!) which is our old neighbourhood. We miss it SO MUCH! We plan to eat A LOT. We will also be in Montreal over Tim's 39th birthday, so it's a birthday trip for him! Seems like a good way to celebrate! And then of course Halloween. Archie was very adamant that he wanted to be a skeleton this year. So. Prepare to see a skeleton. Ha ha. THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!: October 7th is Colen Quinn's 15th wedding anniversary!

15 years, 2 kids, same husband. I'm pretty sure that's a feat in itself! ;) I hope that you and Jeff have a chance to celebrate! October 7th is Melanie Watson's 4th wedding anniversary!

4 years, 2 kids, same husband. I'm pretty sure that's a feat in itself! ;) I hope that you and Ron have a chance to celebrate! October 13th is Kristen Smith's 10th wedding anniversary!

10 years, 3 kids, same husband. I'm pretty sure that's a feat in itself! ;) I hope that you and Dallas have a chance to celebrate! October 24th is Rachelle Helston’s 38th birthday!

It's your first ever MARRIED birthday! You're someone's WIFE!!! I have loved spending the last little while celebrating you so hard and I can't wait to continue the party train for your birthday! You need to pick a place for your birthday girls night! I love you so incredibly much and just re-read the speech that I made at your wedding any time that you need a reminder of how much I love you and how much amazingness we have shared. <3