A few weeks ago the cousins came over for our first ever Acorn Festival! Marian and I thought up games and crafts that weren't too nutty :) They gathered acorns- which considering how many times the acorns spilled was a lot harder than I thought it would be- and did a Acorn brigade where they each had a portion of an obstacle course to complete and would then pour the acorns into the cup of the next person. It was a fun challenge for them.
Mike had to carry a cup on the zipline. The first time he tried, he accidentally kicked the whole bucket of acorns off the ramp. Ahhh!
Nicole and Kaitlin traded off doing the rock climbing wall it was pretty tough.
Everyone waiting in their spots for the next round! We had them race to beat their time and figured that was better than having them race each other :)
Michael is a very dedicated writer. At the parent teacher conference his teacher showed me how he goes above and beyond in every writing assignment. If the sentence is "The leaves were blowing in the wind" he writes something like "The leaves were blowing and rustling in the wind and they were brown, yellow, and red." Seriously. He writes at least double what he needs to and loves adding detail. Who knew? It's fun to decode what he's trying to say. This is a really sweet note once I figured it out. "I appreciate everywhere you take us. I love you mom and dad I like everything you do like help other people."
Nicole made this very detailed unicorn for a friend. I love to see when they put detail and hard work into a project or gift.
I tried doing starters for sourdough and amish friendship bread, but they didn't work out. I'm making a few changes, doing more research, and we'll see if it works out next time around. I always liked science experiments :)
The polar bears are at the zoo now! They have an amazing underwater viewing area where we got to see this one play with a ball in the water.
The kids love this mud pit area at the zoo. Such a random idea but the kids LOVE it.
I took a panoramic shot of the elk and bison that came pretty close to feed. Of course it's hard to see when the pic is small but it was awesome to watch.
The grizzly was relaxing but Nicole came over and started growling. This is the third time that she got the grizzly to come over and check her out. This time he sat down and posed on the closest rock. I think it's safe to say Nicole should stay away from grizzly bears they are way too curious about her!
Misty morning for the kids first protest. Mine too I guess. We were doing a walk to our elementary school since they are trying to make us attend a year round elementary and middle school. Since we specifically changed from that school to our current school because of how difficult year round is... we joined a hundred other folks for the 10 minute walk. I don't think it makes a difference but I felt like we had to do something.
It was tricky but with two strollers and Jim parking the van at the school for me we managed it. Jim was the real star, he rode his skateboard from the school to his office. Less than a mile but still I was so grateful and I bet he got as many looks as our march did.
Jake had to disguise his turkey so he chose to do a pirate turkey. The kids all helped find sticks for a peg leg, jewels and cloth for his hat, sword and feathers. It was pretty fun!
Our niece got married and we went to her reception late last night. Well, late for the kids :) They were thrilled to be out past bedtime eating cupcakes!
Nicole loved the buffet and told me the shrimp were amazing and that she just HAD to go back and get some more. On the way home she said when she grows up she wants to be a shrimp-catcher and if anyone tries to take her shrimp she won't let them. Jim asked her what her favorite part about the reception was and she said the bride's pretty dress. It was sweet and then a great way to talk about what a beautiful and modest dress it was.
We braved 31 degree weather to take family pictures with our friends. We took turns with our little red noses and smiled. The kids were absolute stars for being so good.
My boys!
The girls
Nicole was so cold she couldn't smile very big. She is sure growing up!
My little D hoping we will let her go inside soon!
We came back home for some more pics in the backyard so the kids could warm up in the house. I love this pic of me and Jim.
I told Jake to say "Hey baby" and he sure gave me a cute smile. I only had to take two shots of him he is so easy!
Mike couldn't stand still he was so cold but we finally managed to get a good grin out of him! Love this boy!
Katy we never really got a great shot smiling but I love this one. We sat her down in the leaves and started arranging them around her and before we knew it she was taking a sample.
And this one of her cute little red nose. She is a really sweet little thing, very active and you can tell she is doing her best to grow up and be running around soon like her siblings.
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