Pumpkin Patch

I took the kids this morning to a pumpkin patch. It was the perfect chilly fall morning. We would have loved to have had Daddy with us but he works Friday mornings. 

The girls took a pic with their favorite characters.

We went on a fun hayride.

 

I pulled the kids around in a wagon.

We then spent the rest of the time in the four bounce houses. This was the first time Kyle enjoyed being in one (despite the way he looks in the photo!). He's usually terrified to get into the bounce house we have at home. 

Before we left, the girls got to pick out their own pumpkin. It was then time to go home to see Daddy and take naps.

Preschool Open House and Fall Festival

Last night after dinner, we headed back to school for the kids' Open House and Fall Festival. 

  

We visited each classroom and looked at some of the things the kids have been working on and learning.

The Fall Festival was immediately afterwards with games, a cake walk, a bounce house, crafts and popcorn!

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

  

Last Thursday, the pre-K classes took a trip to the pumpkin patch at a local church. Karis was so excited! Rain was in the forecast, but thankfully it only drizzled when we first got there. It was a chilly morning!

They started off doing some relay races. The poor kids were cold and half asleep. 

When it was Karis' turn, she looked up and saw all the parents. She thought everyone was watching her. She sheepishly walked through the relay race as shy as can be. Silly girl!

Farmer John taught the kids about pumpkins and gourds. I was impressed at how long he kept everyone's attention.

The kids then received a bag of goodies and walked through the pumpkins to find some treasures (e.g. bubbles, pine cones, faux feathers).

Karis and her friends getting ready for story time.

Farmer John told the kids that the people unloading the truck heard a pumpkin talking, but they weren't able to figure out which one it was. He told them to rub a pumpkin to warm it up and listen to see if it talked. Karis did it to a few of the pumpkins but she didn't find the talking one.

We had a great time together experiencing her first field trip!

A Little Boy

"What. I'm growing up, mama. You knew it would happen. I'm not a baby any more."

"Does anyone know why mama keeps looking at me like that and taking pictures?"

Serving Others

The second Saturday of every month, our church sets up a few outreach opportunities. One regular event our family participates in is visiting a nursing home for Alzheimer patients. It is a family-friendly event as the residents love to watch and interact with little kids. 

Derek has been taking the girls every month for awhile now. I usually stayed home while Kyle took his morning nap. This month was the first time Kyle and I participated. We started our visit with some coloring. The kids colored cards and gave them out to the residents.  

 

We then sang a few songs and listened to a Bible story. We visited with the residents and then it was time to go. 

 

Before we left, we took some photos outside. 

At first, Karis liked visiting the nursing home but then decided she no longer enjoyed it. She says she doesn't like going because she can't understand the residents. Some are hard to understand and they often repeat the same statements or questions. We explain to her that we go to make them happy and that it means a lot to them since they can't go out and do the same things we do. She's had a good attitude about going and though she's not super excited to go, she goes with an open mind. The nursing home isn't the girls' favorite place to go but they always have good time. It's a good interruption of their me-centered world with some selflessness and serving. 

Kyle's First Haircut

I've been wanting to cut Kyle's hair but couldn't convince the husband that this was a good idea. He wanted to keep Kyle's hair long and curly. When Kyle woke up from his nap yesterday, the back of his head was all matted and ratty looking, like it usually is. With about 15 minutes before we had to pick up his sisters from school, I took Kyle to the bathroom. I used the clippers and cut the sides of his hair. It wasn't planned but I'm glad I did it. He looks handsome!

BEFORE

AFTER

Drawings by Karis

Here are a couple of things Karis has drawn recently.

This first drawing was at Makena's request. Kyle was playing in the girls' room and he "messed up" some of Makena's things. Karis helped her out by drawing a picture for their door. Kyle is drawn on the left and Makena on the right. 

My little ones don't read, so our Keep Out signs are in pictures for now!

Karis drew this next one at school. The night before, I was going through a box of old pictures because Karis needed to bring a baby picture to school. I showed a picture to Derek of him and Karis at the beach. Karis looked so little! 

The next day at school, Karis had to draw something she used to do with her Daddy. She drew the picture she saw the night before (it wasn't the one she brought to school). I thought she did a great job!

Pre-School/K Update

The kids have completed three weeks of preschool. Everyone is loving it! 

For the first couple of weeks, Makena was a little hesitant about going to preschool because she wasn't sure she would have the same teachers. At Sunday school, the parents rotate each week for the first hour. She doesn't like going to class when she's not fond of the parents. But now that she finally gets it that she has the same teachers every time, she's excited to go. There is usually one or two kids crying in her class after drop-off. I'm so thankful that Makena is not one of them. She's doing great! 

Makena enjoys learning Spanish and new songs. She also likes playing with her friend Annabelle. Annabelle is Makena's first friend. They are not in the same class but they play together during recess. Here is a picture of them from this past January. 

Karis loves going to pre-K but she always walks in a little slowly and sometimes runs to me to give me a last minute hug. I asked her about it and she said she feels shy when she first gets there. I guess she's past the stage when she loved meeting people and fearless when she walked into a room. 

Karis' favorite part of the day is circle time where they sing songs together. She of course loves working on art projects as well. Every Wednesday, they have Show and Tell and they get to bring something that starts with the letter they are working on. It's fun to talk with her about what she can bring and come up with something together. 

I love talking to the girls about their time at school and hearing about what they learned.  Here is a video of them reciting their memory verse. 

When I drop off Kyle, the teacher says, "Hi Kyle. All your friends are here. Hey everyone! Kyle is here!" It's really cute. I love the little craft projects they do. When they were learning about creation and how God made the trees and plants, Kyle got to stuff twigs and leaves into an empty water bottle (compared to Karis who learned the process of planting and growing seeds =)) Thankfully Kyle takes a nap each time but he definitely needs to go to bed earlier on school days. 

Last week, he woke up one night at 2 am and didn't go back to sleep until about 3:30 am. Needless to say he was tired that day. He went down for a nap at school and didn't wake up until after I came to pick him up. He slept for about an hour on the floor with all the kids around him playing and while everyone got picked up. The teacher said a kid accidentally dropped a toy on his head at one point and he didn't even stir. 

This is what he looked liked when I came to pick him up. I love how he's covering his ear to block out the noise!

Perhaps the best part of their day is getting to go see Daddy in his office after school.

School's out!

Drawing a few pictures before it's time to go home.