St. Nikolaus Tag

The sixth of December is St. Nikolaus Tag. On the night of the fifth, children put out their boots (or their biggest shoes if they are lacking in the boot department) and St. Nikolaus fills them during the night, either with candy and goodies if they've been good or with coal or a switch if they've been slightly less than good. This tradition is a little part of central European culture that we like to celebrate. The kids enjoy it as well.

St. Nikolaus left candy, a book and a matchbox car for each child.
We have been away from home for the past few weeks, living in Arizona while Mark does a rotation in orthopedics here. So, it was fun to stick with our usual tradition amidst our travels.

The candy was eaten almost immediately. What can I say? They take after their mother.

We decided to get a little Christmas tree in Arizona since we didn't bring any of our usual Christmas decorations. It was nice to have it as a visual reminder of the season. We love reading Christmas stories and singing Christmas carols by the light of the tree before bedtime.

All Carston wants for Christmas is his two front teeth!

Jackson is still wearing his badge from the Fire Engine Museum we visited. He was so excited about the things he got in his shoes.

It is always fun to watch the kids discovering the things hidden in their shoes.

Peyton was the only one with actual boots. St. Nikolaus is not dumb though, he knew to give everyone exactly the same amount, no matter the size of their shoes.

The best part of the morning was having Daddy read aloud the Christmas books that St. Nikolaus brought the kids. We treasure just being able to be together. Thank goodness Daddy didn't have to work.

More Monday Night Madness

Our F.H.E. treat this week was pumpkin gingerbread. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe, Lexi!

I made one loaf with chocolate chunks in it. Chocolate made it even more irresistable. Grant could hardly wait to sink his teeth into it.

Grant and Benjamin helped me make the pumpkin gingerbread, so it seems only fitting to acknowledge their efforts. They were proud of their work once they saw the finished product. As it baked, the bread filled the house with a sweet pumpkin spice aroma that was tempting and delicious.

After enjoying our dinner and treat, a lesson and Halloween stories, Benjamin was ready for bed and the older kids colored pictures of witches while I took them individually to make their own witch out of construction paper.

Here is Grant with both of his witches. He wanted to color his construction paper witch once she was glued as well.

Carston made his own face on the back side of his construction paper witch.

Jackson is really starting to enjoy coloring. It seems that it takes little boys a bit longer to enjoy coloring than it does little girls.

Peyton had to finish every last inch of this picture before she would allow me to hang it up. I wasn't sure if she was avoiding bed time or if she is just dedicated to her art. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

Here are my artists with their construction paper witches up on the wall behind them. Our entry way is now officially full of Halloween artwork. Next week we will be carving our pumpkins. We have learned by experience that the humidity here kills jack-o-lanterns quickly. So, we don't want to have them out for more than a week. Besides, Daddy will be home to join in the pumpkin carving. Only five days left until Daddy comes home!

We Love Stella!

This morning, Grant and Benjamin were the first out of bed and, as usual, they headed straight to their pumpkins to see what Stella left them last night. Here they are enjoying the candy bars that Stella left last night.
It is impossible for any of the kids to wait to eat their treats until later in the day, so this has become the first order of business each morning.
Stella, our friendly ghost, has been leaving treats each night all month and the kids love her! Every night they discuss with each other what they think she will bring and first thing in the morning they come together to enjoy the treat she has left.
I love seeing these happy faces every morning. Stella has brought stickers, trick-or-treating flashlights, cookies, crackers and different kinds of candy.
We love Stella!

First Field Trip

Jackson and Peyton went on their first field trip today. I signed up to go with them as a chaperon. We went putt-putt golfing at Grace King High School, which was an adventure, and then to a pumpkin patch where the kids got to pick out a small pumpkin to decorate and take home. Grant and Benjamin went on the field trip with me as well. Although it was a little crazy, I was happy to be with the twins and meet their friends.

We met the buses at Harold Keller and then followed the bus full of Pre-K students and teachers to the two field trip locations. Both of the twins were excited to ride the bus for the first time. Peyton waved to me as she stepped onto the bus.

Jackson happily crowded onto the bus with his friends, although he was a little concerned that I wasn't getting on the bus with him.

When we got to Grace King High School, they had a few short performances prepared for the preschoolers. They performed some short stories like the three billy goats gruff. Grant and Benjamin were bored and couldn't hold still especially because it was hard to hear, so I spent my time at the back of the group with them. We mostly fought our way through high school students switching classes.

After the performances, the kids got their equipment and played miniature golf on the course that is situated in the middle of high school courtyard. Jackson and Peyton focused mainly on getting the ball into the hole in any way possible, rather than on their form or following any type of rules. It was funny to watch.

The kids all had fun. I had a group of about five with varying degrees of interest in playing. One little girl just stood there looking at me when I tried to get her to hit the ball with her golf club.

Peyton really got into it, but wouldn't hold her club like I taught her. She found a way that was more comfortable for her and stuck with it. That is my Peyton!

After playing putt-putt, we ate the lunches I had packed in the school cafeteria. The tables and chairs were a little bit too big for the kids, but they enjoyed it anyway. Grant and Benjamin had melt downs because it was nearing nap time for them, but we still made our way to the pumpkin patch behind the school bus after eating lunch. Both Jackson's and Peyton's class took class pictures and chose pumpkins. Here is Jackson with his perfect little pumpkin.

Peyton chose one that was slightly bigger.

Grant and Benjamin enjoyed the pumpkins as well. Benjamin thinks of them as "balls" that he can play with and try to throw. He had to test them all out to see if he could lift them. Grant liked investigating pumpkins that looked different than the others, especially if they were white.

Right before I left to take Grant and Benjamin home for naps, I got this picture of my sweet twins at the end of their field trip.
After they loaded onto the bus to go back to school for a treat and to decorate their pumpkins, I dragged two terribly tired little boys back to our car and we went home. Jackson wanted to come home with us, but it is against school policy. So, he somewhat reluctantly stayed with his class. Peyton was happy to stay with her friends.
Field trips are exhausting!

Chalk Art

Carston loves to get messy when he is creating. I love that he tells me he wants to be an artist when he grows up, although he usually adds that he also wants to be a paleontologist.
He is my renaissance boy!
Today after school, we pulled out the sidewalk chalk and the kids went outside to play. It was a gorgeous day and it seemed a shame not to enjoy it. While I was making dinner, Carston quickly got to work with the chalk and drew pictures all over the basketball court (they were large because they were dinosaurs) and the back patio. Then, he started coloring the play house, the shed, the trampoline, the cars and the bicycles. I think he had some help once he started covering everything. I was surprised to see how much creative kids can accomplish in a short time when they really put their minds to it. It reminded me of the time Carston and Jackson found a sharpie in Mark's desk and created artwork all over their room, although that was a traumatic experience for me and this was a quick fix.

Here is Carston with his pink brontosaurus.

"Herbie" also received the royal treatment. Carston attempted to paint him white, his authentic color in the movies. Grant got in on the action this time and both were pleased with their work.

I'm not sure how Benjamin helped, but he certainly got covered in chalk. I wonder if he was one of Carston's subjects. Jackson and Peyton used the chalk as well, but didn't get as covered in it as the others. We ended up eating dinner outside, spraying all of the chalk off of our backyard surfaces and having fun in the water before coming in for baths.
Luckily, the chalk washed right off.
We love the Louisiana weather in October!

Spiders, Ghosts and craft paint everywhere!

In keeping with our October Family Home Evening tradition, we had a fun Halloween meal tonight. These scary mummy pizzas were GOOD! I think the cheese strips I made were a bit too thick, but you get the idea. The kids all took the eyes (green olives) off immediately and refused to try them. We had delicious Halloween sugar cookies for dessert.

After a bath, a lesson and reading some fun Halloween books about ghosts and spiders, we pulled out the craft paint and got to work on some crafts. First, I helped the kids make spiders using their hand prints. They turned out really cute. Here is Benjamin displaying his with pride.

I thought all of them did a great job with their spiders, which are now hanging on the entry wall.

Benjamin couldn't stop looking at his picture long enough to give me a smile. I think the googly eyes were his favorite part.


Then we used the same black paint to paint black egg carton spiders. The kids loved painting the spider body but we had to wait a long time for them to dry so that we could put the legs and eyes on them. The kids had a hard time getting the legs through the holes I had made in the sides. We also painted large sections of the kid's table black with the craft paint and some chairs as well, but that was not on purpose. I had some major clean up afterwards.

We finished with a quick ghost craft. These ghosts aren't the most attractive, but they were easy and fun for the kids to make. All they had to do was fold their paper in half, open it back up, pour white craft paint along the crease and then fold it back down the middle to spread the paint. They all got their own patterns. After the paint dried, which took some time since the kids all got a little carried away with their pouring, they drew faces on their ghosts and we hung them up. I think I'll steer clear of paint next Monday and stick with crayons.
We now have a gallery of Halloween art in our entryway and family room.
It has been a fun way to decorate for Halloween....only 18 days left.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

For our family movie night tonight, we watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
I hadn't seen it for a few years, so it was fun to sit down and watch it with the kids. I wasn't sure if they would enjoy it, but they did. In fact, we watched it twice in a row. It is a classic.

One of the best parts of movie night is that everyone gets to lay out their blankets and eat popcorn and treats in the family room.

That was some good popcorn!

Peyton has always loved to curl up on the couch wrapped in a blanket. So, when she saw Carston there all snug in his blanket, she couldn't resist. Sadly, Carston is sick with a high fever, stomach pains and a head ache. His skin was hot and flushed, but he insisted he was freezing. All he wanted to do tonight was lay down, poor guy. He didn't enjoy popcorn or treats.
I hope he gets over this quickly.