Poster Contest Winner

 One day Grace brought home a poster saying that there was a contest to draw a poster for the fire department about checking smoke detectors.

 We were so busy that week that it was set aside.  Then a few days later I asked Grace if she wanted to do it.  She said yes so I pulled out the crayons, colored pencils, and markers.  I gave her a few sheets of white paper and underlined the words that were required to be on the poster.

 She went to work and started to run back and forth from our smoke detector and the table where she was drawing.  Before long she said she was done.

I sent in the poster to school with her the next day.  A few weeks later we got notice that Grace had won first place in her age group!  We went to Keister Elementary School for the reception.

Her art teacher was there to support her!

 Grace Got a ribbon, and a Walmart gift card, and a large bag with lots of random goodies in it.

I am so proud of my budding artist!

Pictures Please

Here are just some really great pictures of the kids (and one of me)

We went to vote on a chilly day in November and got a fun picture out of the deal.

 I am very happy of this picture of Glen.  This is his "school" picture.  I say it like that since he is not in school and we do not usually get school pictures.  But this is the one that will be hanging on our wall for the next year.

 This is Grace's school picture.  I really like how it turned out.  I almost want to take another one of her to have it brighter and crisper, but this one is very good for now.

Halloween Part 2

 This year halloween fell on a Monday.  Since it was a school night, also since we had been trick or treating before and trunk or treating twice we decided to stay home on Halloween.

 We made it a very special night though.  Glen wanted to dress up so he was Luigi.  Grace just wore one of her Halloween shirts.  We painted our pumpkins.

 Here is Glen with the two pumpkins he painted.

 Here is Grace with her and Glen's pumpkin.

 They both wanted to pose with the pumpkins.

 Then I had the kids help me make supper.  We had hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls to make them look like a mummy.  They also had macaroni and cheese and carrots in hummus.

 They loved wrapping the hotdog and they really liked that we ate on the porch like a picnic.

Then to finish the night out we played games and handed out candy.  The kids had so much fun.  I am glad that we had a very special and unique night.  What a fun Halloween.

Halloween 2016

Glen has been a bit obsessed with Luigi this year so it was kind of a given that he would be Luigi come Halloween.  I managed to get his costume from thrift stores or find the items around the house.  I made the hat and we found some mustaches to make the costume wonderful.

 Grace wanted to be a princess. Then she wanted to be a fairy.  Then she wanted to be a fairy queen.  Well she was whatever she wanted to be :)

 The week before Halloween downtown had a celebration so we went and did trick or treating downtown.  We got to play at the local arcade, and we had fun at the local skeleton festival.

 There was also a trunk or treat at the skeleton festival where there were many games and this photo booth.

 Virginia is for Lovers!

 This was the only picture of the second trunk or treat that we went to on the Saturday before Halloween.  We had a great time going to many places to enjoy the Halloween celebrations.

more to come...

Soccer

 Grace decided this past summer that she wanted to learn how to play soccer.  So I put her in a summer soccer camp.

 After the soccer camp I asked one of the coaches what I should look into to see about continuing Grace into soccer.  He suggested that she join a invitation only, tryout based, center of excellence, elite travel soccer team.  It sounded like a bit much for a 6 year old. 

 However, after talking to the coach, I found out the other options and what she would be learning in this team.  So I signed her up for CoE (Center of Excellence).  She loved playing soccer and she learned so much.

 But the practices were one and a half hours a day, two times a week with games on Saturday.  So she only complained that it was a bit much. 

 From the first practice, she is so much better!  We will have to see if she continues with soccer, but I am glad that she has had this experience.

 Way to go #22!

If nothing else, you got to learn a lot, get a lot of exercise, and meet some new friends.

Renaissance fair

In September we had to do to Northern Virginia for a soccer game for Grace.  So while we were up there, Matt and I decided to take a short trip to the Maryland Renaissance fair. We all got to dress up.  Grace even was able to wear my metal bun holder that I had gotten at one of these fairs many, many years ago.

Of the many things that we got to do one of the coolest was that Grace and Matt got to ride on an elephant.

Glen was happy to watch the whole thing from the sidelines.

We were also able to eat very good food, hear good music, see lots of magic, and discover lots of pretty art type items.

After the elephant ride (which was a very long line, but worth the wait).  We went to see the king's joust.

Grace got to have a good seat on Matt's shoulders.  Glen got a good seat on my shoulders.  Matt and I could see nothing!  But the kids seemed to have a good time and enjoy the show.

Here is a picture of all of us dressed up.  I think it turned out very well.

Matt and I decided to stop by a theater and watch a play of Macbeth.  The kids loved it!  Who knew we would have some Shakespeare fans on our hands.

Matt wanted to go mining for some gems.  We then found a shop where you can go sluicing for gems.  Grace got so excited about it that she kind of took over.  The man at the shop was so kind to identify all of the rocks and even answer all of Grace's questions about the sluicing and all of the rocks.

It was a good day at the fair, but it was even better to drive to a friend's house to unwind and relax.

We went to Vitaly and Violetta's house to have supper and spend the night.  Here is Grace and Glen in one of their "wresting" matches of craziness before supper.

What a fun day!

Pumpkin Patch

 When Matt and I started to think about what kind of traditions we wanted to have with our family one of the many was going to a pumpkin patch each year.  Matt had wonderful memories of going to a pumpkin patch type place when he was younger so we wanted to keep that up with our kids.

 We found a fun farm that is also a pumpkin patch called Back Home On The Farm.  We try to go there with the kids once a year around fall-ish time.  They have swings,

 and very friendly animals.  Glen especially loved the goats.

 Matt and Grace had water pumping rubber ducky races,

 while Glen tried out his drumming skills on pots and pans.

 The new thing they had this year was a human hamster wheel.  There were two of them so Grace and I raced a few times to see who could get their tube to go faster.  I think I won once and Grace won once.

 The favorite of the farm is the underground slide.  It starts at the top of the hill, and you slide through the hill to the bottom of the hill.

 Matt was at the top getting the kids ready, I was at the bottom, getting them off of the slide.  The kids just ran up the hill to ride again, and again, and again.  It was fun to hear their squealing!

 We all rode in the cow train.  Grace was at the front of the train so she did not make it into the picture.

 And this year we were able to go on the merry-go-round.  Grace loved it!  She wanted to try out all of the horses.  We did not do that, but she did get to go around and hug all of them before we left the farm.

 

 We went to the pumpkin patch in mid-September which is early to start thinking about fall-ish things like this.  However, there were only about two other families at the farm while we were there so we got to do all of the activities over and over with no line.  We even got to see the pig races that they hold at the farm.

 Welcome fall, we are so glad that you are here!