A Family is a Gift That Lasts Forever...

A Family is a Gift That Lasts Forever...

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Halloween Fun

Halloween is so much fun with little kids.  We went to a few different Truck or Treats.  They played the Mummy Daddy game and the kids went up and wrapped Nate in toilet paper.  We picked up some pumpkins from the Leo Pumpkin Patch and the kids drew on faces that we helped to carve out.  It was fun to watch the younger ones get the goo out of the pumpkins.  





We had some yummy fun halloween lunch and of course we went Trick or Treating with friends.  Fun times!!!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Halloween Costumes

Halloween costumes has always been a big deal.  It was a huge deal when I was a kid.  We would get measured by a seamstress, either a friend of the family or my Grandma Hutchinson.  We would choose our outfit and begin the process in the summertime before Halloween.  Needless to say, my costumes were pretty awesome costumes!  It was always so planned out in advance.  So out of tradition I suppose, I carry this mindset into my own family.  We plan out our costumes early.  Some of them we buy, but I just love to put the costumes together.  I'm not the best seamstress, but I love to create and try.  So here is what we came up with for Halloween this year:

Jaxton is Harry Potter.  With a sweater and tie, Griffandor badge, wand, glasses, and scar.  We lost the glasses a couple of times and the wand.  Luckily, at the most important times, we found them! 


Cooper is an old man.  Church pants that are a bit big, suspenders, suit coat, glasses, hat and cane.  After wearing this costume to one event, he decided at the next to throw out the cane and be a "dancer."  You can only imagine his suave dance moves in this costume!  


Kaylee was Jasmine from Aladin.  We bought her costume, and then added accessories, hair, and shoes to it.  We spray painted her shoes gold, got her a black wig, and tied it with golden bands.  We made a headband for her with extra toole fabric and eyeshadow and mascara on her eyes.  She was stunning!!


Dawson loves Curious George.  But every monkey costume I found was so big and bulky and unflattering.  Since we had a stuffed animal George, we decided to dress him up as the Man in the Yellow Hat.  He loved this idea.  He knew who he was and he was so proud of this costume.  We found him yellow pants and dyed a white church shirt yellow.  We made a tall yellow hat out of stiff felt and elastic.  He wore a black belt and black boots and a homemade felt tie with polkadots.  He carried his George around everywhere he went.  He was absolutely adorable!


Nathan's hair is orange.  It was fitting that he was a pumpkin for Halloween.  And one darn cute pumpkin he was.  I bought a costume which was a cheap one that could not do any justice.  So I decided to just make a costume the way I imagined.  I found some ideas on pinterest and bought some fabric and got to work.  I had to re-do it a couple times till I got it right, but once finished, he looked so darn cute in that thing!!  The first event we went to, he wouldn't wear it.  It was so big and bulky.  But he got used to wearing it by the 2nd and 3rd Halloween event and he would waddle around in that big costume with his hat on and try to carry his pumpkin bucket all at the same time.  Cutest baby ever!


Monday, October 19, 2015

Fall Time Fun

On a day off of school, we got together with some friends and went on a "hike."  There are so many fun wooded areas around here.  This particular area we had never been to before.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Colorful leaves everywhere.  It was warm.  We couldn't have asked for a better day for a hike.  It definitely was tricky with the little ones.  Several times I was afraid they would fall off the cliff of the trail!  And at one point Cooper slipped on a log he was balancing on and fell into deep muddy water!  Oh my goodness!  But the adventures the kids enjoyed during those couple hours were some they probably will not forget!  


Cooper and his friends found a log that crossed the river.  So they went across!! If Nate had been with us, the experience would probably have been a whole lot more controlled :-).  But a 7 year old boy has an imagination of his own and loves to explore.  He was so proud that he crossed that river on that log!  I couldn't help but capture the joy on his face.  

Friday, October 16, 2015

Preschool Pumpkin Patch


We took the preschoolers on a field trip to Hilgar's Pumpkin Patch.  They had a blast running around in the mazes, the playgrounds, and seeing all the many different sizes and shapes and colors of pumpkins.  What a cute bunch!!  


Left to Right:
James, Aubrey, Jonah, Keagan, & Dawson

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Preschool Letter F



I taught preschool this week and we learned all about letter F.  So I took the kids outside in the Forest to find Fall leaves.  They were all so cute.  They thought we were lost in the forest and were looking all over to find our backyard and house again.  



Then, we planted Flowers.  Ive been wanting to plant tulips since we moved into our house 5 years ago.  So I had the preschoolers help me get started planting.  They each got to dig a hole and put in a tulip bulb and cover it up with dirt and mulch.  They really enjoyed this.  I hope that in the spring the tulips will pop up and I can show some of them that the seeds they planted really did grow!