Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

Santa Claus came to town this week so we braved the cold and met him at the park. There was fire and cocoa to warm hearty souls and a decked-out gazebo where Santa and the town princesses greeted the children. Santa arrived in a shiny yellow fire engine, gave big hugs, and listened to wishes. Then, in a flash, he was gone…

Let's Give Thanks

Ah, Thanksgiving week. For us it included a day at “school”, lunch with friends, making a Thankful Box, lots of books, a little work, a little play, a donation to the local food pantry, a brief visit with Kevin’s family, a lot of time to ourselves, The Fiddler on the Roof, and a visit from Papa Chris and Gabby Karen. We are thankful for all of these things.

On a personal note, I was allowed to sleep in this morning after a late night of volunteering. The scene in the photo is what I woke up to. Who could ask for anything more?

I is for...

I is for Insect.

Does that seem strange at this time of year? Partially inspired by the Japanese beetles and boxelder bugs inhabiting our house we sang bug songs, drew bug pictures, watched bug movies and finally finished the butterfly and caterpillar books we started in Miss Ellen’s class months ago.

I is for Instruments, too. We made music with handmade shakers and rainsticks, along with our store-bought ant-shaped jingle bell instrument, bee-shaped shaker, caterpillar-shaped tambourine and ladybug-style xylophone. Intriguing!

H is for...

Here are some Highlights from
"H" week:
Hippos
Horses
Hats
Happy Birthday to Justice!
Happy visit from Sylvia and Calida!
Happy early Thanksgiving celebration for the Meyers!

G is for...

G is for lots of things, but mostly groovy grand-parents (and other family members) and great friends. We love you all!

Trick or Treat, Smell My... Cookies!

Mateo was so into Halloween this year. Aside from the first stop where he received a bit too much attention and turned to face the corner of the chiropractor’s office, he trick-or-treated his way all around town using good manners and the will power everyone in this household lacks (heehee). AND you might notice that Daddy took a couple of hours out of his workday to parade around with us, too. Mateo thought that was pretty great – just look at that face!

About halfway through, we met up with our friends, Nancy and Keenan. Keenan is about the same age Mateo was when he first went trick-or-treating, so Mateo was showing him the ropes. It was fun – so glad they could join us!

Round two: Mateo went candy-collecting with Papa Chris and cousin Justice as well! Whoa, there is far too much candy in this place… dare I say, it’s a little scary?

Pumpkins It Is

For Halloween week, we focused on PUMPKINS! A visit to a pumpkin patch (where we bought maple syrup and cheese, but no pumpkins), several pumpkin crafts, some pumpkin recipes, pumpkin comparison, pumpkin life cycle, pumpkin carving… you get the idea.