Pumpkins and Parties

Happy Halloween Week!

After Olivia had been bugging me for days and days about carving pumpkins we finally got at it this week. She was very excited until she saw what was inside the pumpkin and I told her we had to scoop it all out.


She didn't want anything to do with the slimy, stringy guts inside of it. She took a spoon and very carefully scooped out about a dozen seeds.....one-at-a-time. Then she had enough of that so I got to do all the cleaning out of the two pumpkins we carved.



She decided she would rather paint the outside of the pumpkin so I set her up with her paints and apron and let her have at it while I cleaned and carved a couple pumpkins.






Then on Wednesday, since schools were closed Thursday and Friday, there was a Halloween party at school and the kids were allowed to bring their costumes. Wednesday is my day to help there so I got to see all the kids dressed up. They had a great time and a very busy morning. The 4K was invited into the 5K/1st grade room. Miss Kirchoff had the morning planned with story telling, pumpkin carving (Olivia wouldn't touch that one either) a movie and then some great Halloween snacks that were brought in by parents.




When snack time was cleaned up we went down to the gym to join the playgroup Moms and kids. There they danced to music and then played with the parachute. I think they were all pretty exhausted after all this but had a really great day.

Class Trip to the Pumpking Patch

Friday was another class trip. This time to Ebert's Greenhouse for all kinds of fall activities. The 4K, 5K and 1st grades all went to Ebert's for the morning and had a great time.




The people at this place really go all out to entertain for the fall season, especially for kids. They had so many activities I couldn't begin to list them all.



First we started off in the story time building. Everyone sat on hay bales and listened to the "Farm Flu" story. They they led all of us through a maze that also told the same story. The maze was decorated with scenes from the story around each corner. I can't believe the work it must take to assemble all of this stuff.



From there we went into the craft building where each child got to decorate a gourd with eyes, ears, mouth, etc. Some had pigs, some had chickens, etc.



After that they led us to the hayride and took us all out to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to take home. You can see Olivia in the picture way up at the front of the wagon. "Miss Independent" informed me that I should sit at the back of the wagon........

They also had a lady that played a banjo and sang songs for everyone going on the hayride.



After the hayride the 4K kids went to another building that had all kinds of learning/discovery stations. They had a good time playing in there and there was only one way in and out so it was easier to keep track of everyone in there.

From there we took them to see some live animals and they had the cutest playhouses set up. One was for Goldilocks and the Three Bears and there was a little red barn and some other cute things. All the kids were really good and by the time we got back to school at 11:00 am I think they were all pretty worn out from the cool fresh air and excitement.





It was a very special fun day!

Fall Is Here!

There are sure signs that fall is now here. When you try to rake leaves and they just get spread out again by a 4 year old jumping in the pile......when your monarch butterflies have been set free to fly to Mexico.....and finally school pictures are out.





It really has been a nice fall so far though. Great weather to play and run outside.




A few weeks ago Olivia and I were lucky enough to find the caterpillars that turn into Monarch butterflies while on a walk. We found two of them and only had to feed them for about 2 days before they formed their chrysalis. We had them in a container that we were able to take to school for all of Olivia's classmates to see and watch each day.









Finally the first butterfly came out and the class was able to release it outside the school. The second one had turned really black on a Friday and during the morning class it came out but wasn't ready to fly away before the kids had to go home. So, Olivia and I brought it home and released it in the afternoon. It was a really neat experience to see the entire amazing process from beginning to end. Olivia had a good time watching the butterfly before he flew away. She wasn't afraid to let it crawl on her.




And finally, Olivia's very first school picture was taken and I think it turned out really nice. She rarely poses easily for me to get a picture of her but now I know she can do it when she wants to.

Husty Homecoming 2010

Homecoming week is finally over for the high school this year. Jenny had been involved in everything and very busy over the last couple weeks. Kyle is on the football team and was also voted on to the homecoming court.





The first picture is of Kyle and Jenny with their friends/neighbors Ryan and Sara. These four have been friends since they were very very young and now Kyle and Ryan will be graduating this year, Sara has begun to drive and Jenny is a Freshman. It is amazing how fast the time goes by.


The past week had something going on every night leading up to the the "Big Game" and the homecoming dance on Saturday. During the week there was a dress-up theme everyday as well as powder puff games, volley buff games, the parade on Thursday with a pep rally/skit night right after. Then the football game on Friday which turned out to be a beautiful, warm night and they even won the game so it was fun! Besides Kyle playing in the game Jenny and her other Civil Air Patrol color guard members (including her homecoming date) presented the colors for the National Anthem to begin the game.




The kids stayed for a big bon fire after the game and then Saturday Jenny and I were off to the Paul Mitchell school to have her cousin Shelly style her hair and do her make-up for the dance.






By the time we got home from the hair and make-up Jenny had about 20 minutes to throw on her dress before her date and other friends came for pictures. Jenny went to the dance with a very nice young man she met and became friends with through the Civil Air Patrol. Even Steve approved of him. After pictures they went for dinner at the Mineshaft and then to the dance.




It sounded like they all had a very nice time but we are all glad the hectic week is done and we can get back into a normal routine.

Another First....Field Trip

Olivia had her very first school field trip today. Yes, even though it was 4-block walk to the fire station it is still considered her first official field trip.

The 4K, Kindergarten and 1st grades went to the local fire department for fire prevention week. They all had to wear their matching field trip shirts and they all marched down the street on this beautiful Fall day to see fire trucks and rescue vehicles up close.


They were all very cute walking back to school with their fire helmets on and they sure had a good time and were excited because you could see the sparkle in all their eyes when they got back. Olivia was very excited to tell me all about it and now she says she wants to be an emergency response person when she grow up.

GO FOR IT!

growing....groWING....GROWING

Olivia is growing so fast it is hard to believe. It seems like I just moved her out of her crib and into the toddler bed. That was a very big deal at the time and then all of a sudden the toddler bed was too small.



After borrowing a bed from her Aunt Nancy and Uncle Pat, we painted it to match her room (that's the paint I still had in the basement) making a few adjustments and buying a mattress we were finally able to set up her "NEW" bed yesterday. She was very excited and talks about being a "big girl" all the time. She really is growing up fast in so many ways. She loves school and has adjusted to that very easily.




Now she won't be sliding out of her little bed or be losing the blankets as they would slip off of the toddler bed. This new twin bed should last for a while now and as she is getting bigger her bedroom gets smaller and smaller.