A Day at the LA Zoo

Camden is off track and so we decided to take the kids to the zoo. It was a nice day (a little too warm for November) and the kids had a good time. It is always fun to see all the different animals in person instead of just in pictures!

Camden said his favorite animal was the giraffe because it kept sticking its tongue out!

LUNCH TIME!

You can tell this is at the end of our day....I tried to get a picture of Addison with her daddy but she was pretty tired. She wouldn't look at the camera! Mike had to throw in the sad face which I am sure he will hate that I put on here (sorry honey!)

Halloween at Kindergarten!

Camden was able to wear his costume to school today. He was really excited about Halloween. He has been counting down the number of "sleeps" left until today. (That is how he counts down to something he is excited to do.....he asks "how many more sleeps?") As you can see, he chose to be a skeleton this year. They were not able to wear masks but I will have a full picture of him tonight when he goes trick-or-treating.

First thing in the morning, all the kids in the whole school came together on the playground and did a parade. Each class got to walk in a cirlce so that everyone could see their costumes.
I love helping in Camden's class. Today was especially fun (and chaotic!) The kids had four centers to rotate through. They made a spider hat, a paper Jack-O-Lantern, decorated a cupcake, and a writing assignment. It was pretty messy!! The kids were way crazy, but what do you expect from 19 five year olds on Halloween!

The class at the end of the day all sporting their spider hats!

Halloween Morning/Afternoon

Mike and I made a little treat bag for our kids to wake up to. It was a fun flashlight with different picture caps to put on it, a mini grabber and glow in the dark sticks. They thought that was great and it was cute watching their excitment. Of course, Addison "broke" the sticks to light them up the minute she pulled them out of her bag. She didn't understand that they were for tonight!

This was our first annual "Orange Day." For breakfast, I made orange pancakes with orange juice to drink. For lunch, I made mac&cheese with cantalope (don't mind the watermelon) and orange crackers. We also wore orange clothes too! It was pretty fun. I guess this is one positive about my kids getting older.....holidays keep getting more and more fun!

Straight Hair

I thought it would be fun to staighten Addison's hair and see what it would look like. She sat pretty still but only for a few minutes. I could have gotten it straighter but at least I was able to see what she looks like without her curly hair!

I think it made me appreciate her curls....it is pretty stringy when straight!

Jumper Ride

In the next post you'll see we went to the pumpkin patch. While we were there we let the kids pick a ride to go on. Camden picked this one. He had a great time. He got strapped in and got to jump way up high. He even was able to flip himself over while jumping up. It looked like a lot of fun!

Pumpkin Patch

We took the kids to the pumpkin patch today with our friends. It was a nice day and the place was really nice. The kids had a great time. They love being with their friends (and so do we!)

I can't believe how big my kids are getting! Camden and Carissa are almost the same size and they are the same exact weight!

Carissa and Garrett are so cute together. They almost always hold hands, every time they are together! They are about 9 months apart. You couldn't tell by the difference in their height!

Eddie and Hailey have two boys. The oldest, Kobe is the same age as Camden (born the same month) and their youngest is Garrett who is 3. We do a lot together as families and the kids get along really well. They are so cute together!

When Addison was younger, she was hesitant of Hailee but now she is always wanting Hailee to hold her. It's okay though...Hailee likes it! It is so nice to have a great family to hang out with.

Tinker Toys Rule

We got Camden a big tub of tinker toys about two years ago. It has been his favorite toy from day one. He plays with them just about everyday, building all sorts of different things. Today after church, Camden was playing with them as usual but this time he got a little creative. I came down stairs and this is what I saw. He is so smart!

Autumn

The change in weather has been so nice. We are able to be outside so much more. We have been bike riding, walking and playing at the park and not sweating! I know in a few months I will be ready for the heat to come back but as for now, I welcome the cooler weather!

Five years old and now he is doing crazy tricks! He is starting to get way too brave if you ask me!

Two Blankets and a Side Table

Yesterday the kids were begging me to play and I was just not in the mood to play another game at that moment so with two blankets and movement of the side table, whalla! A homemade "Nice kids club" (Camden thought that was a nice name for it since they made the decision to play nice together for that moment!) They love forts and clubs. This kept them entertained for quite a while. You can see I even made a tunnel for them to climb through to enter their club. You can see Carissa's feet as she is going inside. I let them watch a show on our portable dvd player inside their club. They thought that was fantastic! I love that such simple things can keep kids interested while they use their imaginations. Reminds me of me and my brother's when we were younger.

Preschool Pictures

Carissa goes to preschool two days a week for a couple of hours. We felt that it was important for her to learn how to socialize with other kids without always being in Camden's shadow. It also will help her learn to communicate with others even though she is still struggling with her speech. She LOVES it! She has a few girl friends (she won't play with the boys, she says!) and seems to be doing well there.

Here is her class and her two teachers, Ms. Hilda and Ms. Emy. Can you imagine being the photographer of 17 three and four year olds!