It was not even a month ago that we were Downtown at the new spray park just soaking up the sun! It was a scorcher that week. The new park is way fun and I could barely pull the kids away after 1 1/2 hours. I was out of quarters so my parking tag was going to expire! Of course they didn't understand that and just wanted to play. It's so hard for me to interrupt those moments when they are having so much fun. I'll bring more quarters next time. ;)
Then a week later, November was in full swing and it was chilly! Like really chilly! We made some fires, got out our warm pajamas, and bundled up! With it being cold, we just stayed at home and did some Thanksgiving crafts. Of course they weren't nearly as exciting as our Halloween stuff but we had a good time. The kids' doors were covered in artwork, coloring, cut outs, etc... We made turkeys, scarecrows, Indian headbands, the Mayflower, pilgrim hats, pumpkins, teepees and more. I checked out a great book from the library about the Thanksgiving holiday and how it started. The kids enjoyed learning about the Mayflower and it's voyage to America. As a result we watched Pocahontas a few times this month (even though John Smith came over years before the Mayflower). It was all about the concept I suppose. We even played a few made-up games called teepee topple and gobble gobble. And for the second year, because we enjoyed it so much last year, we did the gratitude tree. But instead of one big tree, I made three small ones. The kids insisted on cutting out their own leaves and putting the leaves where ever they wanted so the trees don't look very tree-ish but again, it was all about the concept. Here's what was on their leaves (things chosen usually had something to do with what we read or did that day).
LEAH:
House, Dad, Zachary, Animals, Indians, Toys, God's creations, Turkeys, Hazel, Tree, Jesus, Thanksgiving, Store, Caleb, Park, Mom, Family, Friends, Books, Earth, Michael and Marisol
ZACHARY:
Leah, Toys, Tools, Park, Jesus, Bed, Books, Church, Food, Family, Dad, Animals, Body, Indians, Tree, Thanksgiving, Caleb and Mom, Mac n Cheese, Friends
CALEB:
Paper, House, Tree, Family, Christmas, God, Bikes, Clock, Toys, Michael and Marisol, Dad, Dad's birthday, Body, Earth, Jesus, Grass, Grandma and Grandpas, Indians, Beds
My favorite thing of the month was our 'Harvest' tree. I saw a tree similar to this when we were out shopping really liked it! We like putting our tree up early in November but now we could really focus on Thanksgiving and gratitude rather than hopping straight to Christmas ornaments. It's a work in progress and will probably be totally different next year but we enjoyed the colors and our new scarecrow friend.
But the most exciting thing of the month was definitely having Clark home for a whole week. It's been a while since he's been home for that long and this year has been a rough one so it was incredibly nice to just bum around and hang out together. We each would switch off and go do things we wanted or needed while the other stayed with the kids. We rotated seeing Mockingjay, we rotated running errands, we rotated going on dates with the kids, we rotated going to the temple, we rotated exercising, etc... By Wednesday we had done everything we needed to and had the rest of the break to spend all together.
The kids just love having Clark home and can't leave him alone. They assisted him in a boy catapult project, they scratched his legs and arms while he napped, and they tackled/tickled him at any chance they got. Basically I'm non existent when Clark is home until someone is hungry or needs bathroom assistance.
On actual Thanksgiving we had a normal ol' day. We set up all our Christmas decor, watched the parade, played outside, and ate enchiladas for dinner. The next day we had a real Thanksgiving dinner with Michael and Marisol complete with smoked turkey, all the fixins, and a new salad I was testing. It was a cranberry, orange, quinoa salad. Let's just say it wasn't a hit and I've been eating the salad ever since that dinner. Can't blame a girl for trying right? I like eating it because it is just so darn healthy. I'd totally make it again but Leah was the only one who had seconds but she claims that bran flakes are her favorite cereal so I'm not sure what her opinion is worth. :) Oh well!
We did a little bit of shopping over the break, a few Costco trips with Spiderman, and our family elf Clarence even showed up after Thanksgiving! Unfortunately all the other toys didn't recognize him so they captured him (for our protection) and further questioning.
I'll end the month with this gem from Caleb. He has an incredible memory and can recall things quickly and accurately. But for some reason, he cannot remember where he puts his stuff. I spend a good portion of my day looking for toys, pillows, blankets, socks, or whatever. One day we had spent a huge chunk of time looking for his Captain America jacket with no luck. Finally I sat Caleb down and tried to retrace his steps with him. He seemed to be remembering so I kept questioning. He thought for a little more and then said, "The only thing I can think of is that a witch took it."
Ha! And I thought he was actually going to say something helpful! That darn witch, always taking his things. We'll have to keep our eyes out.
On to Christmas and we are so excited!
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