T's Second Grade Thanksgiving Play

After weeks of practicing at home, rehearsing with his classmates, and dry-running it in front of the fourth graders, the second-graders at T's school held a Thanksgiving play this week. 

You were either a Pilgrim, a NA Indian, or a Narrator. (Trenton was a Narrator)

In three acts, the students chorally recited lines that they'd memorized. 

Trenton was very excited to relay new facts he had learned (for instance, the Pilgrims did NOT wear only black and white clothing). 

 Now, on to memorizing lines for the upcoming Christmas pageant at church! He's got a big role this year!

November Days

Aww heck yeah!

You are looking at a team that won EVERY SINGLE GAME (except for the last game) this season! Woo hoo! Trenton's coaches were true 'instructional league' coaches. He really enjoyed playing defense and assisting with goals... he even scored one goal on his own this season!

 

Little man had a great time playing soccer, too. He cheered every time anyone (either team) scored a goal. That's where the fun is, right? 

Also helps when Daddy is your coach.

 

As of right now, Oliver and Trenton's next physical challenge will be winter gymnastics, followed by T-ball in the spring for Oliver... not sure what Trenton will want to do, but we'll see. He does NOT want to give up his Thursday night Zumba with Jackie, though. ;)
 ***

I've been cooking and baking like a crazy-woman. This is what I do when the days get cold and I need to heat up the house! Above, you see a broccoli and cheese soup in the crock pot, some roasted beets, and two sweet potato pies. Below, twice-baked sweet potatoes. They are super-foods, you know.

I'm looking forward to making a majority of CSA-provided organic vegetables for Thanksgiving this year. Root vegetables, broccoli 'meat'balls, pecan sweet potato bake... I'll take & post pictures.

Also clearly of delicious interest:

 

I hosted a Thanksgiving-themed Cooking Club playgroup here last week for six moms and a dozen kids. We had pumpkin muffins, an amazing pineapple cake, a sweet potato dip, mac and cheese bites, my broccoli meatballs, blueberry and pumpkin pie. DANG!

Children had a blast playing with EVERY SINGLE TOY WE OWN. 

Really, though, the majority of the kids were Oliver's friends. And he LOVED having them all there. Above, they are all checking out his new Nook.

(Trenton, on the other hand, was a bit freaked-out by the mess... as evidenced by his expression below)

 

***

A birthday party at an indoor climbing gym was a really neat first-time experience for Trenton. He got to climb three times, each time gaining more skill and confidence. That's a 30 foot wall there.

Finally, I leave you with this.

Unfortunately, Oliver has been suffering from night terrors every other night this week. It is so sad. He's screaming and sweating and stiffening his body... all the while he's calling out for Mommy or Dad. Sometimes he's sitting straight up in bed, sometimes his eyes are wide open. The only thing that seems to help is holding him close for a bit and singing to him, really loudly, before putting him back down in bed. Last night, after doing so, he reached out to touch his brother's back. And then didn't wake up again.

I'm so glad we have a full-sized bed for them ;)

"Jersey Week" In November

Each year in November, Jersey school kids get a two-day school week. One day off for Election Day (we have voting in the public schools) and two days off for the NJEA Teacher Convention. 

So! What to do with all of this time away from school? Lots of families head down to FL and hit up Disney World... so many that they've dubbed it "Jersey Week". 

But not us! 

We took a day trip to the Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill. Gabe came with us.

And we also hit up the local ice rink for a free lesson! 

Although Oliver got his skates on and was eager to check it out, he refused to go out there unless I went with him (which wasn't happening). So we watched Trenton, Harr, and Jon slide around on the ice. Trenton actually really enjoyed it! They taught them how to properly fall first, and then had them skate back and forth, and backwards, too.

Cutie pies.

Celebrating Oliver's Fifth Birthday With Family

Another party? WHY NOT!

 
Bounce house! Yessss!

Happy kids! Yessss!

 

So Oliver had decided that he wanted THIS party to be a ghost party... Which is why Jim looks like a creepy white guy.

Nora was initially a cowgirl, and then changed into Iron Man (a costume that she loves so much, the boys actually gave it to her when she left ;) Cathy was an oven... with a Bun in the Oven! Yep, another girl!!!

 Konopacks came as ghosts from the future... one was a hunter, the other a beach bum, and Jason made an awesome skeleton costume out of PVC!

 Lacinas went with the sheet over the heads... lots of added bling with lights and spiders!

Christian and Logan (our old neighbors) were there, as were Kendall and Connor and Alex and Ellie (not pictured). Just enough people to play Pin the Eyes on the Ghost again!!!

Carrot cake with raisins and walnuts, because that's what he wanted. 

 Playing with some new toys below. A fantastic party, with lots of laughs, and love. Thanks everyone!

Halloween 2013

 

Halloween will never just be "Halloween", so long as this little guy is around ;) This year, the weather was nice-- not too windy, not too rainy... Just very FALL.

 
Oliver was an astronaut for Halloween. It was chosen because of the "hat and boots". And it was warm! So, he also wore the Captain America costume he received as a gift from a friend.

His class sang songs ("Scary Eyes!" "Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down") and paraded around outside. They played party games and had just a few sweet treats. He really loves his preschool and the friends he has made.

Nothing like carving/painting pumpkins on the Eve of Halloween!

Trenton created his own design, which Daddy helped to execute.

 

Ollie ate. He's a good eater.

 

 

The Birthday Plan was to head to the mall for a bit and trick or treat! The first lady he met thought he was so cute, she gave him four quarters... which he immediately spent on a roller coaster ride (so worth it!). We met up with Alex and Ellie and got a great deal of candy from the vendors at the mall.

 And then it was time for the train ride!
We'd never been on it before and he was dying to try it...

And eat some candy... 

 

And guess what? Kids eat free at IHOP on Halloween!
The waitress brought out this gigantic pancake with a candle on it. He was very brave (he does NOT like to be sung to in public)... and then ate just a few bites of it. He also enjoyed a scrambled egg.

And then it was off to Trenton's school to watch the parade!

Can you spot him?
Sneaky ninja.

"Muscle Ninja" to be exact.

(And that's Harrison as Harry Potter!)

 

Two superheroes. 

 Ninjas were quite popular this year. As were just about everything else: Mario Brothers, Princesses, Masked folks...

 

Later that day, we went out Trick or Treating with friends. Ellie, Alex, Justin, Mikey, Ollie, T, and Jackson. We went around to exactly five blocks, and then had leftover pizza for dinner. Ollie was tired and just wanted to hand out candy to the trick or treaters. He does a very good job of that.

Not a bad haul themselves. We sat around for about an hour and ate as much as we wanted. No one really went to bed with a terrible stomachache. ;)