Halloween

We love Halloween. This year was no exception. Halloween is now a week long holiday with multiple parties, events and trick or treating.

We started by attending the Half Haunted Halloween at Wood Lake Nature Center. We attended with friends Susie, Katie and Gwen, and had a great time walking the nature trail while doing tasks and receiving treats! It was pouring rain about an hour before our entry time, and then the skies cleared! Perfect timing. Jia dressed as Rapunzel and Willa dressed as Dorothy.

 Dance party!!!

Later, we attended a Halloween party at our neighbor's house, complete with full haunted house in their garage, after attending another fun party elsewhere!

We also carved pumpkins and rosted seeds. Jia's is a girl with a bow in her hair, and Willa's is a kitty.

On Halloween day, we all (except Joe) wore spiders in our hair.

I attended Willa's class fall party that day, and helped with a fall leaf project.

On Halloween night, after much drama about too puffy sleeves and an itchy wig, Dorothy and blond Rapunzel turned into a black-haired Rapunzel and a black cat. Yay for ten minute cat costumes! Then we proceeded to have a great night. We had friends over for snacks, went trick or treating, and attended our block party. We hit many, many blocks, and were just wrapping it up as it started raining. Lucky timing once again!

Here they are in front of the fire truck (which made an appearance at the block party):

The girls received about 150 pieces of candy each. Jia has hers squirreled away in her room (but shares when asked), and Willa shared all of hers freely Halloween night and has minimal amounts left. I love our generous girls, and I'm glad they had a great Halloween!

Willa's Pony Party

Willa wanted to have a pony party for her sixth birthday. As her birthday is in November, we scheduled it a few weeks early. We hoped for a warm and sunny fall day. Boy, were we wrong! It actually snowed during the morning of her party and then poured rain. We knew we could use the arena as a back-up, so her party was rain or shine. Off we went!

Everyone was a good sport about the weather. The girls enjoyed their party favors (cowgirl hats, a plush pony, horse bubbles, a cowgirl bracelet and bandana), and then we saddled up.

 

 

We spent about 10 minutes in the arena on the ponies, and then it stopped raining! We went outside for the trail ride. It was so much fun! Willa rode on Casper and had a great time. Jia and I had some issues as her pony, Widget, was obsessed with eating and literally pulled us all over the place. (I was a very poor pony guide.) A staff member finally saved the day and helped lead Widget.

Willa and Joe:

Jia and Me (and...the staff member):

Ava and Steve:

 Katie and Susie:

Ruby and Noel:

Avery and my dad:

 

We had lunch and cupcakes.

 

 

 

 

We played "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," make cute horse necklaces, and then went outside for a campfire. Outside, we played "Giddy-Up and Whoa" (AKA Red Light Green Light), did a sugar cube relay race, and played a game where each kid raced as a numbered horse. Then we made s'mores and played tag.

The moment we left it started raining again. We were so lucky! What a fun party!

Harvest Hoedown

We love Harvest Hoedown time! We jumped on hay bales, met a loud overly friendly cow, held a chicken, and danced the night away!

The lighting was just right for pictures (click to enlarge).

 

 

 

After roasting marshmallows at the end of the evening, Jia said, "It has to be one of my most favorite parts of the year. I wish I could live here and dance every night." I love seeing the joy on her face when she dances. It was a wonderful night.

 

Bedroom Updates

We updated both of the girls' bedrooms. Jia received new owl bedding, we hung her fancy parasol with her Chinese name on it, and we redid all her shelves.

Willa received new horse bedding and a brand new daybed (which took six hours to assemble!). Willa was very excited about her bed... until nighttime and then the tears came, along with statements like, "I miss my old bed!" and "I don't want to grow up!" Poor kiddo. Change can be hard even when it's a good thing.
 

She's used to it now though, and looking forward to sleepovers with friends!

Student of the Month!

We are very proud that Willa was chosen for September Student of the Month! 

Willa's teacher had many great things to say about her: Willa is having a super kindergartner year! She knows how to ask good questions to help herself understand better. Willa is fun to be with and kind to others, which is why she has many friends. She is excited to be learning to read. Willa works hard and always does her best. While doing her math journal recently, Willa said, "Math is hard, but fun!" We are so happy to have our friend Willa in our room!

Way to go, Willa!

Girls with Curls

Jia has been begging me to curl her hair, so I bought some rollers. We did a practice run the other night to see how the curl would take, and Jia really liked it.

Jia wanted fancy curly hair again for picture day. This time I used all the rollers and they took well! She was VERY pleased with the results.

The girls decided to match! Love Willa's sassy pose.

Unfortunately, Jia's class got drenched at recess so her hair was totally flat by picture time. Thankfully, she didn't seem too upset (and was still beautiful, of course!).

Apple Jack Orchard

I had a lot of fun on a field trip to Apple Jack Orchard with Willa. It was great to spend most of the day with her and meet her classmates and their parents.

Gotta smile at her all-stripe ensemble.

 

A fun day!