Under Wonder

 

I picked up some Cars undies for him a few weeks ago thinking it may provide a little extra motivation for Henry to get on the potty.  The good news is that he LOVES them and doesn't want to take them off ever.  The bad news? He prefers to wear them OVER his clothes instead of under.  Baby steps, I guess.

Indoor Camping

Smart Cookie

These "turkey" cookies are a staple at our house each Thanksgiving.  However, this year I didn't quite make it to the store for the exact right ingredients.  We did our best with what we had.  We made a few turkeys and then went a little freestyle.

Amelia is smart--she started making some cookies so piled up with icing and candy and more icing that she knew she would be the ONLY one eating them. (The green down below is sour apple laffy taffy--ew).

Power Tower

Have you seen the "Power Tower" idea floating around the internet?  You write words that you want your child to learn on the bottom of Dixie cups.  Then, you hand them a big stack and they build a tower with the cups after reading the word on the bottom. 

I was having a little trouble believing it was really as popular with kids as people say, so I gave it a try. Now that Amelia is in school full-time with homework nearly every night, I try and not do too much extra "school" work at home.  And if I do any outright educational activities, I try to make them as fun as possible since she gets her fair share of worksheets at school (seriously, like 35 a week!).

So, I loaded the bottom of the cups with some new sight words (we have been working from the Dolch list since she long ago learned the ones her class is being taught this year).  I couldn't believe how fast she picked up the new words AND how much she enjoyed stacking them.  Of course, it is no surprise that knocking them over at the end is the best part! They are really easy to stack (she made the above "tower" all by herself) and they store perfectly in a Pringles can.  We have a (slightly less popular) math version, too, with simple addition problems on the bottom. 

At the Zoo

Another date with just Henry and I--this time to the zoo.  He loved every minute of our trip to the zoo and lasted much longer than I expected (I wish I would have packed us a lunch!).

Dear Fall,

 

Please don't leave.  Stay forever. 

Party like a Rock Spar

Amelia got to attend a birthday party unlike any other she has been to.  It was a Tae Kwon Do party at a nearby studio.  For being such a girly girl, she loved every minute.  Here she is "sparring" the birthday girl.

End of the Year Soccer Party

It turns out that Pizza Street is the perfect spot for a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds to hang out and celebrate their (successful) soccer season.  Especially on a Tuesday night when kids eat free and there is a face painter on hand.  But, for future reference, that is about all Pizza Street has going for it.

Little Mary Lou

 I told Amelia that when soccer was over she could chose either gymnastics or dance to try.  She started a few weeks ago and seems to enjoy it.  When she started, she was pretty apprehensive about the bars (see picture).  But, only 5 short weeks later, she has really improved and seems much more confident.

And 3 of the 5 girls in her class have the same unitard.  You can tell who shops at Target, I guess.

 

The Real Deal

 Another Halloween has came and went!  It was a great night.  Amelia was off school and Jason was off work.  We didn't do a whole lot during the day.  Mostly goofed, bought candy, washed costumes.  Our parents came over for a big pot of chili and then we headed out to trick or treat.  Henry joined us for the first 20 houses or so before heading back to the house with GG (my dad was already there on candy duty).  It just so happened that when we were heading out, so were our twin neighbors.  Amelia was so excited to have friends to trick or treat with this year! After Henry headed home, Amelia, grandma, Jason, and I hit another several blocks before calling it a night.  Luckily, with Amelia's new parochial school schedule, she will always have both Halloween and the day after off from school!

(At this rate, I should be reviewing Christmas sometime in May).

New Town Halloween

The 27th Halloween activity we did this year was Halloween at New Town.  They have a nice little costume parade for the kids, trick-or-treating around the businesses, and a tractor ride around the New Town property.  It was a beautiful day and another opportunity to get some use out of those costumes (poor Henry got mistaken for Robin Hood numerous times at New Town and I really thought Amelia might lose her cool!).

The Puppy I Nearly Bought at an Auction

While doing some research for our own upcoming charity event, I visited an auction at a local high school and almost walked away with this little fellow...

I mean seriously, does it get any cuter??  And Jason was totally on board, to my surprise.  

 

I see a dog very much like this one in our near future.... 

Trunk-or-Treat

We had our first experience with Trunk or Treat this year at Amelia's school.  The whole thing sells out in a few days, so apparently we were lucky to get a spot. Here's the decoration I came up with for our car--easy and cheap was the look I was going for....

Amelia loved seeing so many of her kindergarten buddies and gathering candy along the way.  Henry, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with trick or treating (I was just glad he liked wearing his costume, finally).

One of the highlights of the night was hanging out with the Burns' girls chomping down some pizza!

Off to See the Wizard

We got a very special invite from one of Amelia's very favorite friends a few months to see the Wizard of Oz at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.  In usual fashion, I didn't tell Amelia ahead of time.  I just laid out her Dorothy costume from last Halloween, asked her to get dressed, and loaded her into the car.  We headed to her friend's house and she was beside herself when we pulled into the driveway to pick her and her mom up.  The girls met in pre-school but attend different schools now that run on different schedules. They rarely get a chance to see each other. 

As you can see, they were THRILLED to spend the day together!  Amelia told me it was the first time she has ever cried from happiness! It was a great time and a fun play to see with a friend!

Back at the Farm

Just as we have for the last two years, my dad invited us to Grant's Farm to celebrate Halloween with his work people. This is always such a fun night because the place is closed just for the company and all of the beer, hot chocolate, and food are free!

I decided to get a quick picture of the kids all dressed up before I put all of their winter gear on them.  Unfortunately, also like other years, the night was FREEZING!   I am glad I got this picture, though, it was the best I got all season of the kids as Peter and Wendy.

After the chilly tram ride in, Amelia and Henry both enjoyed feeding the goats--always a highlight at Grant's Farm!

Then, it was off to the carousel!  Even in the cold weather, we just couldn't pass up a free ride with no wait.  Afterwards, we made a quick stop to pick up some hot chocolate though!

I didn't have a lot of chances to get pictures (and the only camera I had was my phone), but Amelia and Henry visited with the Clydesdales and danced the night away with Frankenstein, the Wizard of Oz cast, and others.  It was chilly, but we still enjoyed (pretty much) every minute!

On the way out, Amelia wanted her picture taken with this guy, but would only go by him if my parents joined her.  She thought it was great fun being by him and apparently she loved it so much that she woke up for the next 2 nights around 2 am talking about him.  Yikes--will have to re-think that picture next year!

The End of Soccer Season

Well, the Tigers sure looked the part this year with their orange, tie-dyed socks and their names screen-printed on the backs of their jerseys.  And while they improved greatly over the 10 game season, they still came away with only one win (a forfeit by the other team) and about 5 total goals on the season (that may be an overestimate).  Amelia will tell you she *almost* scored.  But, the play involved kicking the ball and then tripping over it.  And as she tripped, the ball headed in the direction of the goalie.  

But the season was a blast for both Amelia and us!  Jason helped coach the team and enjoyed interacting with the girls.  I liked getting to know some more school families. And Henry, well, he just liked to run on to the field any chance he got!

The Hidden Baby

Several months ago while changing Henry's sheets, I pointed out the baby picture on the mattress tag.  Every sheet change since then, we have talked about the baby.  Sometimes we pat the baby, sometime we hug the baby, and we always cover the baby up with the new sheet because the baby is sleeping.

Henry has really grown quite attached.

Celebrate Good Times

I had the pleasure of joining my dad for a Cardinal's play-off game this October.  

 Did I mention we were in the Grey Eagle box?  Oh yes we were.

Free beer, great (warm) seats, and decent company (love you dad).  The only thing that would have made it better would have been if the Cardinals won.

Luckily, they did end up winning again.  And again and again some more. So much, in fact, that I joined my dad at the ballpark again for game 7 of the World Series.  And (as I'm sure you know) the Cardinals won!  I have never, ever experienced a game quite like that.  And it was such a treat to share it with my dad.  I have no pictures (only videos of fireworks and confetti), but it was an unforgettable night!

Oh, Peter.

 Henry's costume is ready!

Guess who loves it!?

And guess who doesn't.

Pumpkin Patch #2

Amelia had a random Monday off of school, so she and a few fellow kindergarten friends met up at nearby pumpkin patch.  Great minds must think alike because she saw TWO more classmates there we hadn't even planned on meeting.  She was thrilled to say the least.

Luckily, Jason was off work also.  That way Henry could nap when he was supposed to and I could enjoy some adult conversation instead of chasing him down the entire time.

Here's part of the crew!  It was a great time!

If Only Every Night Could Be This Peaceful