Last week of November

We did Kibbe Christmas and Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving day.  The Browns hosted and it was a nice day full of eating, chatting and presents.

 We brought dessert.  I made an apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, Emily made the chocolate pie.  All were from scratch except we bought the crusts!  I think the chocolate was the winner, who can say no to dark chocolate, cream, sugar and butter!

 We were missing Rowan

 Friday night the Browns graciously hosted our kids overnight so we could head out tailgating at sunrise o'clock.  They got to do movie and popcorn and then sleep on this big couch.  Plus Mark and April made them waffles for breakfast.

 Friday night and kidless, the Weldons came up to Ames, to stay over.  We headed out and tried the new and improved Wallaby's Bar and Grill, dined with Hoiberg ( I mean Fred was there when we were).  Got up early Saturday and headed to the stadium with coffee, Casey's breakfast pizza and a heater! Go Cyclones

 The kids went to Saylorville lake to make sand snowmen

 We went to the game to be good fans!

 Then April and Mark took them to a Christmas event at Blank Hospital, they got to ride trains and get their face painted.

Sunday we wrapped up November by listening to Emily play Christmas songs at the Festival of Trees.

Christmas lists

if you still don't know what to get my kids....

moon nuts aka Cashews, the tastiest and most expensive nut!

scotch tape

These two things make my kids so happy. 

Halloween comes before Christmas

 orange hands from pumpkin guts!  Glad these kiddos are not afraid to get a little dirty.

 All the pumpkins lined up at night

 Little queen Elsa trick or treating downtown Ames Main St after her preschool Halloween party.

 Our crew for neighborhood trick or treating.  Austin, Ben, Noelle, Mya, Emily and Dallas the ghost

Pictures tell the story better than words

 Watching a Christmas show in last years pjs.  They have really enjoyed wearing matching jammies lately.  I better get sewing for version 2014!

 The end of our day date a couple weeks ago, which was really doing some shopping we needed in Des Moines.  Robert treated me to a 3 minute massage in this lovely chair at the mall.  It was really nice.

 End of Nov/Dec is my "spa" time or my I go see all my doctors at once.  My opthamoligist collects butterflies, moths and other pinned bugs in shadow boxes.  Picture this room when you are without contacts in, dilated eyes and dark.

 Back from the library, she wanted to fix lunch and read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle for the 30th time

 Laundry, the struggle.  I clean it, but it just doesn't seem to fold and put away magically

 About the same week everyone posted on the internets that leggings are not pants and shouldn't be worn outside the house I bought some jeggings. Actually did it on my date day with the hubs, he watched football and had a beer at Blonde Genius while I tried on 13 pairs of black pants.  These have four pockets, belt loops, zipper and are much more $$$ than my daughters leggings, so I am calling them a win even though am 3 years behind this trend.  -Also they are crazy comfortable!

 The last six weeks of school we have been studying the body.  Our final project was to cut, color, glue body parts on a big traced out version of ourselves.  You can even see Emily traced her pigtails.

 This is the only picture I took at the Kibby Merry Thanksmas, glad it was a cute one!

 Working on the splits on stage preparing for the Christmas show

 Third trip to the Dr for me in two weeks time.  This was for a cold, i coughed once and they made me put on a mask.  Also I was asked at the dermatologist, the opthamologist and the general practice appt whether I had been out of the county in the last month or to South Africa.

 Pretty girl.  She loves these Gap pj's.  I think I will need to invest in the next size up.

Doing kindergarten math on the couch in his pj's.

Dallas is 6

Born on a Sunday, late in the evening.

 This little boy love life, four wheels, sleeping in our bed or on our floor, candy and popcorn, decided not to eat eggs because they are chicken, can read- a little, has several good pals but still plays well with his sisters, eager to help dad and likes cooking.

 We played pin the lego head on the lego man, and they each had to design their head

 His friends gifted him a bow and arrow, hockey game and the Hulk

 They also wanted silly pictures each time

 We put the lego molds my dad got us a couple years ago to good use

 The kids made some lego holders for the table

 

 So much piano lately.  I don't know if we have hit a sweet learning curve or what, but lots of fun new music, and tons of Jingle Bells.

 Dancing on the steps

 Checking out the new tires, he wanted to inspect the blue chalk marks so I sent him out to see them close up

 Four years of Em's

 What the "adults" wore on Halloween

 Dallas "hoop'in" during basketball evaluations.  He made 6 baskets

 So many leaves, I talk about this every year.  Please, someone come bag them for me. (this is one of 6 piles this size, 3/6 trees have let their leaves go so far.

 Robert's favorite.  The kids wanted to buy those and Egg Nog to have at home for when he returns.

 

 We took school to one of the new study rooms at the library.

These two, solving the world's problems at the donut shop.