Celebrating Seven

We did our best to make today a special day for Millie, despite it being a school day.  She's got lots of fun planned for this weekend, so she will definitely not be lacking for birthday attention :).  She was greeted with lots of birthday wishes this morning as well as balloons and one gift to open from Scott and me and one from Merrill.  She took caramel apples to school for her classmates to enjoy with her at snack time and then got to enjoy a pizza dinner (easy tortilla pizzas!) complete with a few more gifts and cupcakes for dessert.  She was all smiles when she woke up and sad to go to sleep and have her special day end tonight.  I gently reminded her that her birthday fun wasn't over yet!

Halloween

We got to celebrate Halloween a little early Saturday.  We went to a neighbor's party as a family.  The kids all had a blast running around with friends from school and Scott and I enjoyed getting to know our hosts better as well as some other families from our school.  

We all went with a Fairy Tale theme this year -- though not all from the same fairy tale...

 Yes, Teddy and I have the same costume this year.  I had intended for him to be a lost boy, or to just pick another costume from our dress-up bin, but once he and the girls saw my Peter Pan, they pulled out his Peter Pan outfit from Merrill's birthday party last year and that's what he decided he wanted to wear.  If I'd been a little more on top of things I would have made him a new all black Peter Pan outfit and he could have been my shadow.  It certainly would have been appropriate!

Our hostess goes to the same gym as me and we both often walk to pick up the kids from school so we've had a good chance to get to know each other over the past year.  She mentioned to me a few weeks ago that her husband set the party time for 6:00, but she thought that was too late and invited us to come at 5:00.  If you know me and my family, you know that we are timely people (often early people) and if you give me a time, that's when I'll be there (or maybe 5 minutes before...).  Turns out we were the only ones who knew about the earlier time, which made us REALLY early!  It turned out to be really good though because it gave us time to help with set up and enjoy a little time with just our families.  Big parties with lots of kids running around and grown-ups mingling are fun, but so are parties with just one other family.

The kids were eager to dig into the snacks as we were putting them out

This shrimp-cocktail brain was great!

And the jack-o-lantern pepper was so cute!

This little guy is one of Teddy's buddies at the gym

This sweet girl is in Merrill's class

searching for 'eye balls' in slimy spaghetti -- we were shocked that Merrill dug in!

Our sweet hosts (well 3/5 of them) -- such a cute family!

Having the party last weekend was a good thing -- our costumes are all ready to go for Friday school parties and trick-or-treating in the evening and I've been able to spend this week getting ready for Millie's birthday party this weekend.  So much fun happening this week!

First Grade Field Trip

Last Thursday I got to join Millie and close to 100 other first graders on a field trip to the zoo.  It was  a fun adventure, though a little more hands on than I was expecting as I was assigned three children and then we were let loose on our own for the day.  Millie's teacher had made up a packet of things to look for and some 'talking' points and we were given meeting times for lunch and the bus, and that was it.  I hadn't anticipated quite that much responsibility!  The weather was perfect though and all of the animals were out and there were no crowds, so it really was a perfect day to wander the zoo.  I think the day got a little long and we probably could have left after lunch and everyone would have been happy (instead of leaving almost 2 hours after lunch).  The kids got a little antsy and the parents got a little over-stimulated (first graders have a LOT of energy!), but overall everyone had fun.  I'm so appreciative that I am able to participate in the girls' school activities.

Interview With a Seven-Year-Old

• What is your favorite color?  Purple and Blue
• What is your favorite toy?  Bitty Baby
• What is your favorite stuffed animal?  Love Bug
• What is your favorite thing to sleep with?  Love Bug
• What is your favorite fruit?  Apples
• What is your favorite cereal?  oatmeal with yogurt and honey on top
• What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  oatmeal with yogurt and honey on top
• What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  pizza
• What is your favorite dessert?  ice cream and cake
• What is your favorite drink?  hot chocolate
• What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner?  pizza
• What is your favorite animal?  kitty
• What is your favorite book?  Land of Stories, Harry Potter, and The Map Maker and The Ghost
• What is your favorite song?  Yankee Doodle and America
• What is your favorite game?   Sorry
• What is your favorite t.v. show?  My Little Pony
• What is your favorite movie?  Robin Hood
• What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Ride my bike and play friends with Merrill
• Who is your best friend?  Grace, Lily, and Kelly
• What do you want to be when you grow up?  A mommy and an explorer 
• What is your favorite outfit?  This one I'm wearing!  (her new birthday outfit)
• What is your favorite snack?  Sunbutter and chocolate chips
• What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas

Happy birthday to the girl who made me a mom; our spunky, twirling, whirling, art-loving, book-reading, adventure-seeking Millie.  I love you more, sweet girl!

Elephant Rocks State Park

The girls had Monday and Tuesday off of school this week which made for a nice 4-day weekend.  I wanted to take advantage of one of those days and find something fun and adventurous to do with the kids.  Monday was the perfect day -- the weather was beautiful and we didn't have anything else on the calendar.  I hadn't quite decided what kind of adventure I wanted to embark on; I considered apple/pumpkin picking, the arch, or City Garden downtown, but when I mentioned to the girls that if they were able to clean-up their room and the basement while I took my shower then we could plan something to do, Millie immediately said she wanted to go on a hike.  It was a perfect day to be outside, and the idea of a hike made me think of my cousin's pictures of his family at Elephant Rocks State park.  The park is a bit of a drive (about 1 1/2 hours) and we'd be getting a relatively late start (around 11:00 since we'd gone to the gym earlier in the morning) and I'd be doing this adventure solo (Scott was not only working, but was also in Connecticut...), so it all added up to a bit of a gamble.  It's a gamble I'm glad I took!  

I ended up showing the girls pictures of the park and giving them the option of going there or to a (much) closer park for a hike.  I warned them of the long drive and they still chose Elephant Rocks (I was not surprised, nor was I disappointed, I wanted to check it out too!).  As soon as I mentioned an 'adventure' to Millie, she immediately packed a back pack with things she might need and asked if she could make sandwiches for everyone (um, yes).  After we decided on our destination, both girls packed things to do in the car and got their water bottles together.  The drive was indeed long, but it was a pretty drive and the kids were perfect the whole way (this was not a guarantee!).  And once we got there and they saw all of the rocks, well I got a LOT of thank yous.  I think I was Mom of the Year for the day ;).  We really did all have a blast.  We had no agenda, were not in any kind of rush, had the park largely to ourselves and just had fun.  The girls were equally good on the way home late in the afternoon (and Teddy fell asleep).  We capped the day off with dinner at Bread Co. and then headed home for a restful night.  Carefree days like that don't come along often -- especially during the school year -- but they sure are nice when they do!

The girls hunted for the perfect spot to have their snack (packed by Millie)

 Millie made sure to pack a first aid kit and so was prepared when both Merrill AND Teddy fell and scrapped their hands (very minor injuries...)

the acorns were a big hit

those are all acorns on the ground -- Merrill was like a little (happy) squirrel collecting them!

notice the flashlight in Millie's hand that she brought along just in case there were any caves to explore :).  She really did think of everything!

The ruins of an old engine house made for a fun backdrop for pictures

so joyful