Trimming the Tree.....

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with friends and family! We spent the weekend picking out a Christmas tree and decorating our home for Christmas. Here are a few random photos of our activities....

The kids alternate each year who gets to put the star on top the tree...Dave and I were commenting that this might be the last year Nathan needs to be lifted up to reach it, by the time his turn comes around again he may be tall enough to stand on a chair and reach it by himself...sniff, sniff...just another reminder to redeem every moment with them.

SEEK Family Night

Our homeschool co-op SEEK (Spiritually & Educationally Enhancing Knowledge) had our "Family Night" this week. This the kids gives a chance to show off some of the projects they have made and the things they have learned. I taught a cooking class with my good friend, Beth for 5-7 year olds, here's a pic of my "Little Chefs!" Here is our class table display for Family Night.....
Nathan took 2 classes, Math Logic and The Human Body. This is a display from his Human Body class...
The last day they dissected a sheep heart and brain. He thought this was really cool!! One of the many reasons I love this co-op....no dissecting for me the rest of this school year. Whew!

BLESSINGS MIX

The fall semester of our homeschool co-op ends this week, the kids and I always make a little something to give to the Moms who teach and help out in their classes. I stumbled across this "Blessings Mix" the other day and thought it was a great idea, we ended up making a few extras to give to neighbors and friends. Here the "recipe":

BLESSINGS MIX

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty,
a symbol of our nation’s abundance.
Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by
those who founded our country.
Popcorn: Represents the sacrifices of the Pilgrims’ first
winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on
just a few kernels of corn a day.
Nuts: Promise of a future harvest, one we will reap
only if future seeds are planted and tended with
diligence.
Dried Fruits: Harvest gifts from our bountiful land.
M & M’s: Memories of those who came before
us to lead us into a blessed future.

Here's how our finished products turned out...just thought I would share in case anyone is looking for a neat Thanksgiving idea.

AWANA GRAND PRIX

Today was our AWANA Grand Prix, for those who may have never heard of this before, it is a Pinewood Derby style race where each child gets a block of wood to construct a car out of. Nathan chose to make a bobsled out of his car and it turned out really great.... Here are some of the other near cars...
Ready for the first heat of the race! Isn't that Ratatouoille/Cheese car adorable???
Not a winner this year, but he still got an honorable mention for his design and got to spend some quality father/son time with Dave which is priceless.

Happy Halloween....

The kids dressed up as two of our favorite Disney chracters this year.....Peter Pan and Tinkerbell! They had a great time! We let them carve their own pumpkins this year...with much adult supervision and help! Em made hers to look just like her, with no front teeth!!

Today also happened to be the day Emily mastered her two wheeler! She has been practicing on and off for a few months now and would get discouraged quickly when she would fall or need help. She hopped on it today and took off like she had been riding for years!