Christmas Program

 
Last night was the 2nd/3rd Grade Christmas program. The kids did a great job. Kenna surprised us one afternoon by telling us she tried out for a part for the Christmas program. We were trying to prepare her for a possibility of not making it (based solely on our own singing abilities). We were excited for her that she made the cut. Although she forgot to go to a couple rehearsals, which painfully to a 2nd grader was during last recess, she was still able to sing. She said before the performance that she was nervous. I don't blame her one bit as I am not inclined to stand out in front of many people. I could tell her nerves were in high gear as she sang with 7 other children because I don't think I saw her smile once. This picture of she and Jacie is before the performance.

Thankful

 
Thanksgiving service is always such a treat at our church. We were able to write our thankfulness down on a rock and bring it to the front of church. The annual open mike is always a great way to reflect with others on what we are thankful for. After church we were able to spend a wonderful day at my parents. Oma always has crafts for the girls. Opa always goes fishing with them. We were blessed with so much food and beautiful weather. The kids also performed a play for us. They are getting better and better. There was a storyline (which helps a lot for viewing :) )

Contortionist

 
Can we say, "future circus performer?" This hurt me just to watch.

I am trying to play catch-up on the blog, so there will be a stream of entries. You may want to scroll back or forwards to see others.

20-minute jog

 
Another year (technically 1/2 a year since they changed the run to the fall. I liked it, it wasn't so hot) down, another 20-minute jog done. The girls reminded me that I did not participate last year because I had sprained my ankle a few days before. It was fun to run with them. I didn't see Jacie until half way through the race or I would have taken a picture of her too.

Big Sis

 
This is Jacie leading Carter around. Sooo cute, almost makes me forget the "other" times. :)

Cousins

 
We got to play with Tommie today. It's a lot of fun to have him over.

Cotton Eye Joe

 
Tuesday was field trip day for 3rd grade. We had a good time learning about how cotton is picked and separated from the seed. We wore ear plugs in the gin because of the loud machinery. This was a first for a lot of kids. Afterwards we got to eat lunch in a hangar. After we ate lunch the kids were able to see a crop-dusting plane take off and land.

Halloween

Though we're not a big proponent of this holiday it sure is fun to dress up. It's always more difficult this time of year to explain the creepy decorations around town and the downright scary ads. We didn't give this much effort either. About 10 minutes before we went out we figured out our costumes. Jacie was a lawyer, Kenna and Carter were soccer players and Avery was Tinkerbell (which might be a repeat performance). We ate a quick bite of food with our friends and then Jacie and I headed home while the others went to a couple of houses. Our goal was to get them in bed on time so we wouldn't have tired children the next day. I think it worked. We wanted to be rested up for Jacie's fieldtrip the next day. Pictures to follow.