School Pictures and School Projects

Picture days were about 6 weeks apart for the kids this year, but we finally got both of the them back and I am pretty pleased.  They both had some goofy shots, but these were cute.

Esme had her first at-home school project this week.  It was something for the whole family to do together.  She needed to disguise a turkey so it didn't get eaten for Thanksgiving.  She decided to make it look like a pig.  I gathered up all our supplies and we assembled it together.

I love her addition of the balloon flying away.  The turkey is sad because they lost their balloon.

She was so proud of her project!

Esme's School Carnival and Learning to Draw

Esme had a carnival at school on Saturday.  They had games and activities, hot cocoa and cookies.  She loves the lip whistle she won.

Drawing of parrot and turtle.

She's told me several stories about Mr. B, but I didn't really know who he was.  My favorite story was in the car on the way to school one morning.  

Esme: "Mr. B pushed me!"

Mom: "Why did Mr. B push you?"

Esme: "He pushed me so high!"

Mom: "Oh, he pushed you on the tire swing?"

Esme: "Yeah, it was so fun!"

I came to learn that Mr. B is one of the other kindergarten teachers along with being well-known as the tire swing pushing king.  She's never let me push her this high before, so it was fun to see her flying with friends!

She has been drawing up a storm over here.  She's discovered tutorials on YouTube Kids and has been teaching us what she's learned.  She can be a pretty harsh critic if you don't do it the right way (wonder where that comes from?)

I can't wait to see where he love of the arts leads.

October Hodgepodge

We had some other fun happenings in October too.  We met up at park #86 for pizza to celebrate our niece, Emma's birthday.  We originally planned to hit up a new park, but unexpected construction made us change plans.  We played on the playground and played catch with the softball.

Esme has Jimmy wrapped around her fingers right now, especially at bedtime.  I love watching them read together in there.

She's begun expressing her creativity in so many ways.  I love the playdoh monster she made. Jimmy got more cookies and had to post about his love on Facebook.

We started playing Sorry this month and Esme is picking up the strategy pretty quick.

Halloween manicure.

We had a new toilet sitting our garage for almost a year... Jimmy and my dad finally installed it this month.

We started something new for our fall and winter date nights.  We will be recreating restaurant meals instead of ordering out.  Our first 2 were General Tso's chicken (any Chinese restaurant) and a Thanksgiving turkey burger (Wahlburger's.) I can't wait to make more copycat recipes.

Happy Halloween!

Jimmy's parent's stopped by in the morning to drop off some treats for the kids and hang out.  It was set to be a chilly, but not too cold evening.

Esme has been talking about trick-or-treating for weeks, so I was prepared to be out for the long haul.

Esme was our doorbell master and kept us moving.  Just like two years ago, the neighbors were very generous in their giving.  They got treat bags, pop, and so much candy.

I was shocked that after about only 15 houses Esme said she was done, "I have enough, daddy."  We were a couple blocks from home still since I wasn't expecting her to quit so quickly.  

We still needed to stop at a couple neighbors houses.  At first, she just rang the doorbell then stepped back so Parker could get something.

We surveyed the haul when we got home and the kids were very pleased.  Both of them tried a few new things, but they both have pretty limited likings.  

Hope you had a happy and safe Halloween!

Beyond 100 Parks #103 - Lone Lake Park - Minnetonka, MN

We made a Popped Corn run on Saturday and stopped at a nearby park before heading home.  Beyond the playground, this looked to be a destination park for all sorts of outdoor activities.  The parking lot was packed with cars, but the playground was nearly empty.  This was likely one of the last nicer days of the year, so people were soaking it up.

Key Features

The spread out ones can be a little tricky, but made for a fun game of hide and seek with Esme.  This was her first hiding spot.

I also snapped one of the cutest pictures of Parker I've taken in a while.  This kid is the best.

A solid 8 for this park.  Nothing special, but lots of fun to be had.