Gardner Village

Ryan took the kids up to Gardner Village with some of his family while I was at work. This has been one of our favorite pre-Halloween traditions. They looked in the shops, took pictures, and ate some fudge from the candy shop.

Ryan's beautiful little sister Amber.

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins...

A very intense picture of Preston with his laser sword. He looks like he just met Darth Vader.

Joy School Update

Preston has been just LOVING Joy School. He is so lucky to be able to spend two mornings a week playing and learning with his very best friends. He has already learned so much.

This picture was taken on our nature walk to Adventure Land Park. The kids were able to feed the ducks, explore nature using their "nature viewers," and have a yummy snack.

But of course their favorite part was playing on the playground. The boy just behind Preston in the green is Stanley. He is Preston's favorite little friend in the world. He lives just across the street so they get to play together almost everyday. They were even born on the exact same day!

My friend took these pictures when she hosted the kids at her house. The kids were able to roll out their own dough and help make their snack. We try to make everything we do with them hands-on for multi-sensory learning.

I think this picture is so cute because the kids are all taking a short "nap" (or pretending to) before being woken by the "wake-up fairy". Preston looks like he's totally out. Faker!

I got to host the kids a few weeks ago when we were doing the "Joy of Nature" unit. My camera was broken, but the kids had a fabulous time visiting my neighbor's huge garden where she taught them a little bit about how plants grow. Each of the children got to pick their own apple fresh from a tree and clean off all her raspberry bushes. Yum!

This is the six Joy Schoolers (plus a little sister) at their Halloween Party. They got to decorate pumpkins, sing Halloween songs, and eat pumpkin bread. Then they did a little parade for the moms to show off their costumes. It was so cute.

First Steps

Annalise is now a walking girl. She took her first unassisted steps on August 29.

Now she has moved on to bigger and better things like:

Riding Preston's tricycle (while sporting Addie's bike helmet),

And driving Mom's car.

Over the last few months, Annalise really has transformed from a baby to a big girl. She has apparently been watching us pretty closely this past year, because now that she can move, she has taken over the house.

Lately, she has started helping out with the house work. She puts the dishes away from the dishwasher (wherever she can fit them in the cupboards), uses a rag to clean up the floor, and puts the clothes in the washer to be washed (whether they need it or not).

But the best thing about Annalise are her hugs; they are the tightest and longest hugs EVER. She is so affectionate and loving. Anytime Ryan and I sit or lay down, she will sit or lay down on top of us (and often start bouncing). She loves to read stories, sing songs, and gabber all day long. She is such a fun little girl. We love her dearly. . .

and she can still make a mess like the best of 'em.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Adelyn had picture day at her school. I love how her pictures turned out. She looks so sweet and innocent. But immediately after I saw them, I thought of another picture I had seen once upon a time...
Who's this little kindergartner? Okay, I confess, it's me. Adelyn and I could totally be twins! The only difference is that her curls are real; mine are fake (well, they're from wearing curlers all night--SOOO uncomfortable!!). Well Adelyn is on her way to becoming just like me, despite my desperate attempts to steer her otherwise. She was awarded "Student of the Month" in her class for September. But the little humble sweetheart didn't even tell us! I found the certificate while fishing through her backpack. Who knows how long it'd been there!

And then a few weeks ago, I went to parent-teacher conferences. But because they didn't have the kindergarten students come this time, I asked Adelyn if there was anything she'd like me to tell her teacher. She said, in all seriousness, "You should tell her that she needs to give us quizzes and more homework." I laughed my head off. I really need to warn her what she's getting herself into.