Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve tradition is that the kids receive one present from Mom and Dad before going to bed. This year I chose to get the three big kids hooded blankets, since they are always wandering around wrapped in blankets. Alexander and Kai loved theirs immediately. Jack was initially upset, as he did not recognize the character on his hooded blanket, which is from the game Cut the Rope (a fact I wasn't even aware of). Once Justin showed him the game on the iPad mini, Jack turned his upset around and was just as happy with his present as his brothers were. Noah, being too little for a hooded blanket, received an adorable owl hat, which he enjoyed putting on and taking off.

First Snow of the Season

Not even officially winter yet, and we've had three snowfalls! The kids all enjoyed getting in some snow time the other day, even Noah, my little marshmallow.

Santa Visit

This year we traveled again down to Maryland to see Santa. You may notice a lack of continuity from our previous years visiting Santa, which I am ridiculously disappointed about. However, the boys and I had a fun visit with our cousins and a nice stay at Aunt Eileen's house. They enjoyed seeing Santa (and were unaware of any difference), although Kai was a bit nervous at first and asked me to talk to Santa for him. There were tons of crafts, old toys, games in the garden, and even a magic show. We even beat the snow by coming home early.

 

 

Halloween- Just a few

Last year, Halloween turned out to be rather confusing because of Hurricane Sandy having just come through our area. This year, we got a better taste of what Halloween is like in our neighborhood. Almost everyone participates! It was great! Jack had a swimming lesson at 5:30, but Justin had been working from home, so I left the other kids with him to get ready. Jack and I rushed home after lessons and found that Noah, dressed adorably as a Ninja Turtle, had fallen asleep in his chair. I guess he has to wait until next year to say "trick or treat!" Thanks to "Sew-Nya" for Alexander and Jack's penguin costumes. I didn't get many pictures, but here they are:

Pumpkin Carving

This year Alexander did most of his carving on his own. He did get some help from Dad with scooping out the guts. Jack was also able to handle some knife wielding, and got some help from me for the gut scooping and with finishing up the carving when his arm got tired. Kai was happy to direct me verbally in the design and execution of his pumpkin. Noah adorably got in everyone's way. Our pumpkins weren't fancy, but the kids were proud to have done them with relative independence. 

Pumpkin Picking

For years, our family picked pumpkins and apples in October at Larriland Farms. Two years ago, we ran short on time and visited a closer farm in Frederick. It worked, but we missed our tradition. Last year, we visited the silliest pumpkin patch I'd ever seen. This year. we hopes to find a farm that could come closer to what we had liked about Larriland. At the recommendation of a friend, we tried Frecon Farm. It was great. It wasn't overly commercial. They had both apples and pumpkins to pick, and the pumpkins were actually growing from vines, not artificially placed in a field of grass. The kids had an excellent time choosing their pumpkins and apples and I think this is a place that we can feel good about returning to next year.

More Beach Photos

Because my dad takes better pictures than I do, and caught some moments that I didn't...

Fire Safety Day

Last Friday our local fire station put on a great presentation for the homeschool group we belong to. We started with a few short movies about fire safety. We then toured the station, explored the fire trucks, and were even allowed to spray the fire hose! Afterwards the kids received goody bags and fire helmets and we picnicked and played on the nearby playground. When we got home, we practiced our fire drills several times, which the kids find unbelievable exciting. It was a successful fire safety day! PA homeschool requirement complete!