Friday began with play group at the hall. Our quiet little hamlet has had a recent boom in its birth rate. All of a sudden, there are a bunch of kids Little One's age. For a while, there were lots of kids (in the same age group as my two nieces), and now they are all teenagers. The township has been pretty quiet, until now. Now, we've got lots of little kiddies running around! Exciting!
 We got play group to return to our village. They stopped the program in our village a few years ago, because there just weren't any kids around for the service. I'm excited to say that it's back...and it is hugely successful!
 If you didn't know how much Little One eats at home, you would think that we never feed her. At least she didn't try to eat the Play Dough this time.

Some spooky "worms and eye balls" were made for the kids to play with. Of course, Little One had to eat them! After me repeatedly telling her not to eat the spaghetti noodles, I gave up. I realize how confusing it must be for a toddler. At home, I tell her "Don't play with your food. Food is for eating." At play group, it's "Don't eat the food! The food is for playing with". Poor kid.

Little One had a bowl of oatmeal with maple syrup (from our farm) and goat's milk (from our friend's farm), cheese, fruit (cut up apple, nectarine, strawberries, grapes, and orange) and she still wanted to eat everything she saw at play group! How she is so tiny is beyond my comprehension. 
 The kids played with the toys, had story time, sang songs, danced, decorated Halloween cookies, and had a blast. This photo below makes me cry. Just looking at it is like flash forward a few years and she's in school! Doesn't she look like a big kid here? :( I cannot tell you how emotional this gets me. I just gave birth to her the other day, didn't I? How can she be so grown up already?

 In the evening we had our third International Dinner Night. The theme was French Canadian. On the menu:
Maple Moose Stew
Cranberry-glazed Duck
Partridge and Beef Tourtiere
Smoked fish (bass and pickerel)
Poutine
Three Sisters Soup (and their red-headed cousin)
Scones
Vanilla ice cream and strawberries in a waffle bowl with homemade maple syrup
Pumpkin pie
Sugar tarts


 Our little chicken laying an egg. This was one of the funniest things I have ever seen! What a wacky kid I have! I wonder where she gets it from?
 The kidlets had fun. They always do.

Our International Dinner Night group consists of some really great friends (most are educators) and our spouses and children. In total, we are about 25 to 30 in attendance. It's a pretty large group and we have so much fun together!
 Adults and kids were all decked out in costume. Hubby went as Johnny Cash.

Me: What are you supposed to be?
Hubby: Johnny Cash.
Me: Who???
Hubby: You don't know who Johnny Cash is?!
Me: No.
Hubby: You don't know "The Man in Black"?
Me: Oh! Isn't that a Wil Smith movie?
Hubby: I can't believe you don't know who Johnny Cash is.

Oh, and apparently all toddlers really want for Christmas is a cat bed. See photo below.