Fall Crafts

The top one is a beaded pumpkin. It was supposed to be a pumpkin bracelet, but she made it too big, so now it's just a hanging decoration (she also wants to save it to hang on the Xmas tree). The two pumpkins that Isabel & I did were fun & easy.

And the scarecrow was a family endeavor for a preschool project. Mommy did the hat & attached the limbs & added the straw; daddy did the body; Isabel did the head & arms; Henry finger painted the legs. It is now hanging in the hallway at school with other family scarecrows.

Backyard Fun

It was a perfect fall day yesterday. We got outside & went to the zoo (Isabel & I with some friends) and when we came back home in the afternoon we rakes some leaves to make pumpkin & ghost bags for lawn decorations and had a campfire. We had hot cocoa outside and cooked bakes potatoes (great!), hot dogs, sausages, & roasted marshmallows over the open fire. It was awesome. I love fall!

Zollman Zoo

Zollman Zoo is in Byron in Oxbow Park. We have not been here since before Henry was born, The place gets nicer & nicer every year. I just wish it was a little closer to us and then we would go more often.

It had been about 10.5 months since Isabel & Rachael had seen each other. Rachael is a year older than Isabel and has gotten even taller. They played well together and had a fun weekend together.

Gainey Park

Every Monday we have a park playgroup in the morning. This week we had a decent turnout of 6 moms and 13 kids. With some moms being back to work as teachers and kids going to different preschools, it's hard to get a time for everyone. But the Monday park playgroups are weekly, as well as Trinity Church Nursery playgroups on Friday morning. We try to schedule in another playgroup some other time during the week as well.

RADZoo

We bought a family pass to the RADZoo (it's pretty close to us) so we plan to go there often. I should make a list of all the animals we have pet there, make our way through most of them, that would be kinda cool (except Big Al - the 12 ft alligator, well, and also the 15 ft snakes they have there too, and any that might be dangerous.)

Bike Riding

This is just the first time she wanted & tried to ride a bike without training wheels. We had to get out her older smaller bike so that her feet would be able to touch the ground when she sat on the seat. She only tried for a short while, but she tried. It's very wobbly and that scares our cautious child.

Preschool-at-Home Theme: Orange

Couple of projects we did this week as part of our preschool-at-home theme of the color orange are making wax leaves and orange fingerpaint.

Como Zoo

Halloween Crafts

We were busy yesterday making a bunch of Halloween decorations. You can find the instructions on how to make this owl here, as well as other similar Halloween decorations. Isabel & I each folded a side and then I stapled them together.I had cut out all the other parts and she glued them on.

These mummies turned out really cute, I think. The instructions are here, but I decided to used some old tissue paper. I thought the tissue paper made it look more like mummy wrappings.

The left pumpkin is just one I cut out & folded to give it lines. I cut out a stem & leaf and she glued them on. She drew the face here.

The idea for the right pumpkin came from here. It is double-sided. We each tissue papered a side (I liked the idea of tissue paper, gave it some nice texture).

Yesterday & Today

Isabel's Handprint Spider

Mommy & kids at storytime @ OPL

Isabel & Henry on the Penny Horse.

Stages Kickoff Party & Chutes and Ladders Park

Stages had a kickoff party for their '10-'11 season. Isabel had a great time trying on costumes, making a mask craft, seeing some animals, getting a tattoo and a bunch snacks. We also bought tickets to their Christmas show (this is something we go to as a family every year) and to Pinkalicious, which is in the spring. We may go to another show this winter, but we'll see how the weather is.

We had time to pass so we went to the Chutes & Ladders park. Isabel didn't want to crawl through as much without someone else. So, she stuck to the smaller one that I could see her in and then she played a lot in the little kid area with her brother.

Daddy Wearing a Hat

Isabel drew this tonight. It's a picture of daddy wearing a hat.

Level 2 Swim, RBNC, Open Gym, Shades

SROC Open House

Isabel has a lot of fun at the SROC open house. She got to milk a goat, make some crafts, do some science experiments, collect lots of little freebies, take a tour by horses pulling a trolley, mett Goldy, play in soybean & corn boxes, eat a hot dog, cheetos & ice cream for supper. It was a good time.

Nature Hike & Picnic Lunch

Today we met some friends at the River Bend Nature Center to hike around, play a little bit and have some lunch. It was great weather when we arrived and it didn't start to rain until we were finished & already in our cars. Lucky timing.

The kids really wanted to build a fort, but it looked like someone had diverted the stream into many other little streams down into the valley where the kids play area was, so it was kinda muddy there and it didn't seem like the kids were too into mud today.

But we did see may different types of fungus, so that was neat to point out to the kids and let them toucch them to feel the differences.

Park Time with Friends

Here is a fun little collage of Isabel & Henry playing in the sand at Manthey Park with some friends. We played on the equiptment too, but I wasn't taking pictures then. After the park we all went to McD's for dinner, you can check out the collage from that on Henry's blog.

Fun Times at Home

She decided she wanted to mop the dining room floor, but ended up putting too much water on the floor, so then she decided it was best to mop it up with a couple of towels on her feet.

This week's theme was "The Color Red" so we made some read playdoh and then gave her some red cookie cutters & a heart (since hearts are red :P) cookie cutter to use with it. She can entertain herself for quite a while with playdoh.

MN Renaissance Festival

Isabel had a grand time at the Mn Renaissance Festival. She was scared of the catapult at first, but when she got off she asked if she could go on it two more time.

This is just some of the food (pickle, corn on the cob, turkey leg) we had there. She also had some chicken & wild rice soup in a bowl with me, a huge lollipop, and the other three of us had an apple dumpling with cinnamon ice cream. There is always good eats at the Renaissance Festival.

She loved getting to ride a pony (she's way into My Little Ponies these days) and got to ride on the white one that she wanted. She also got to pet a snake & a tortoise as well.

More RenFest Pictures

Isabel said her favorite part was the Enchanted Forest that we got to hike through and see all the fairy (& other little mythical ppl) cottages & homes. She is actually wearing one of her new Halloween costumes, but I thought it was very appropriate to let her wear it to RenFest.

My Little Runner

The other day we ran the 1/2 mile to the park together, only to get there and run around more playing tag & hide & seek and hie through some trees. The way home though, she wanted to walk, she said her legs were getting tired.