11/2
October was a fun and super busy month! I think I'll take it in reverse, as Halloween is still on my mind =) Serenity decided to go as Nora the Arctic Fox Fairy. I love that she chose a fairy from her favorite series of books =) We had plenty of wings, and she had a dress that worked, so all we needed was a little furry vest and some fun hair =) This was our first year for colored hair spray, and we also got some hot pink extensions. Oh, and to make sure people could tell what her costume was, we made a little bag with a clear pocket to hold the book. And zip tied our stuffed arctic fox to the side so the fairy didn't lose her friend =) And this year, I actually managed a costume for myself! I was Kitty the Tiger Fairy, friend to Nora =) Have I mentioned we have a ton of fairy wings? =) This is the first year the kids were really into trick-or-treating. They actually asked to go out again after the first pass! Still not really that into eating the candy. They ask for a piece or two and then forget about it. The candy sorting at the end of the day was epic though =) Carson and Raegan came to trick-or-treat with us! Carson and Serenity raced ahead, and Raegan stayed with Donovan =) So sweet!
The Halloween Carnival at school was fun as always. It was interesting being in two different commons, but we all had a great time! I think Serenity enjoyed the worry dolls the most =)
We went to the pumpkin patch two times! First we went with Ann. The kids love the pumpkin patch, especially riding the horses. It was crazy busy this year!
We went back a second time since Carson was sick during the first visit. This time we tried the corn maze, which we had never done. It was so fun! Except for losing Carson for awhile. There are big piles of logs and dirt to climb on. So the kids never wanted to leave. =) We rode the horses again as well, and Maia was especially thrilled, and also especially devastated to leave them =)
Another really special thing happened during Ann's visit, Serenity learned to ride a bike! Ann bought her a new big girl bike, which instantly made her look so grown up! I kind of miss the tiny Tinkerbell bike she got when she was three =) They took the wheels off that to use as a balance bike, and she did seem to learn pretty quickly! She is wearing DZ's helmet that fits her better than it fits him, and Donovan has an adult helmet =) So we are all set. Even Eric! Yes, he finally has a bike to go with the helmet he bought 18 years ago!!!! So exciting! =) Thank you so much Ann!!!!!
Serenity won her class spelling bee! She and Sophia will be going to the all school spelling bee this week. We had a lot of fun quizzing her on the challenging words. She likes that she can spell some words even Daddy can't spell without practice. She learned all the words on the first and second grade list, and most of the third grade list. However we haven't gone anywhere near the 8th grade words so the all-school spelling bee will be interesting. She was very sad when she misspelled exam one day when I was quizzing her. I tried to explain that it was the first time she had ever tried to spell it but she just hates getting stuff wrong. So it's excellent practice =)
Serenity's Daisy Scout troop got to visit the farm! Jen let them gather eggs and feed the chickens. Then they introduced them to the new baby chicks, and the sheep! Everyone was relieved to hear that they don't plan to eat #17. =) They loved petting the puppies, and Casey let them drive the tractor! In typical Casey fashion, he first asked them to move a big bale of hay, and they all tried pushing this giant 800 pound bale of hay, before he let them try it with the tractor. They were thrilled! Jen helped us make suet cakes to help feed the chickens over the winter for our fall service project =) Most of the girls were not thrilled to touch the oooey gooey suet to mix it and roll it out, but it got done =) Everyone had a blast! We've also had a Daisy meeting where we did seed art, and an experiment with carnations. And lots of petal playdates for the new Daisies to come over and play at our house and earn a few petals =) These always seem to end with messy sidewalk chalk art, so a ton of fun!
Oh, we finally opened Dash and Dot! I bought these last December, but they had so much fun stuff from Christmas I saved them... Didn't mean to wait this long though. The kids love them! Serenity especially is making long programs for them. She taught Dash and Dot to sing, "No one sees me IIIII'm a ninja!" and sent them around the house to surprise us =)
