Wild Rumpus

Today was the Wild Rumpus for 1st Grade, celebrating the book Where the Wild Things Are. Allison had to create her own Wild Thing and bring it into class. She won the award for Most Colorful Wild Thing! This morning was full of fun activities as the kids went from station to station. Lorien's mom worked the scary, stinky monster hand station. Kids put on a purple latex glove and then she poured baking soda and vinegar inside the glove. The kids were amazed as they watched their hand get bigger and bigger. What a fun science project!

Allison was busy doing pin art and showing off her Wild Thing tattoo. When she is finished poking holes through the picture, she can bring it home and hang it in her window so the light shines through.

I worked at the popcorn spooky hand station. The kids filled the finger tips with candy corn and then stuffed the hand with popcorn. They each used a spider ring to put on one of the fingers. So fun!

This was my favorite. The kids made yucky trail mix using ant eggs, bug eyes, dried worms, cocoons and bug feet. Actually, the cocoa puffs, raisans, chow mein noodles, marshmallows and sunflower seeds were quite yummy. This afternoon they will watch the movie and put on their Wild Thing costumes. Sounds like fun to me!

Picture Day

It is picture day today and the girls are all dolled up! I actually convinced Taylor to wear her hair down and Allison got a haircut so it flips in the back. We will see how the pics turnout. I hope Allison gets her picture taken before lunch. She tends to spill ketchup from her popcorn chicken...

October Birthday Bash-Cuban Style

Lisa outdid herself again with this year's 4th Annual October Birthday Bash. Daniel and I share the same bday, along with several other friends and family members. So each year she picks a different theme to celebrate all of the birthdays. This year was a Cuban theme-from the colorful decor and the delicious food-everything was amazing. We ate empanadas, meat pies and potato balls for appetizers, along with yummy mojitos. Dinner was pork, beef and chicken with rice and black beans and some very tasty plantains. Very traditional and delicious.

The kids got a kick out of Pin the Tail on the Donkey(although I think there was a lot of cheating going on). Taylor was pretty dizzy after being spun around 8 times.

The cake was amazing. It was a traditional Cuban cake from Porto's Bakery in Burbank. It was a yellow cake filled with custard and guava and the top was marshmallow creme. So beautiful and yummy!

I think the kids are coming off of their sugar high after the pinata. Lisa enjoys all of the kiddos that keep growing so fast. Each birthday bash is a reminder of that.

The highlight of the evening was the salsa dancer who taught us the Meringue and the Cha Cha. Matt has always wanted to take lessons so we were ready. It was a lot of fun. We did better than we thought.

Finlay was quite the gentleman to Allison. I even heard he leaned in for a little smooch. They took their dancing very seriously and did quite well!

Taylor decided Dad was the best partner. What a cute way to end the evening. The dance instructor had so much energy and was great with all ages. Thank you Lisa and Daniel! We had a blast! Until next year....

Learning To Sew

Girl Scouts was at our house today and the girls learned how to sew. Hannah's mom and grandma helped each girl learn how to use the sewing machine, sew on a button and iron on decals. The girls made adorable black over-the-shoulder purses. Taylor ironed on a rhinestone cherry decal and attached 2 red buttons. Hannah's mom took them home to attach the velcro fastener and then they will be complete. She had so much fun learning a new skill. Now maybe she can sew her own patches on to her Girl Scout sash!

Go Wild!

Our school is celebrating National Red Ribbon Week and learning to "Say No to Drugs". Everyday has a different dress-up activity to correspond with the theme. Today is "Wild About a Drug Free Life" and it made for an interesting morning.

For Allison, it was a dream come true! She didn't have to brush her hair, pick a matching outfit or wear the same socks and shoes. She wishes everyday was like this and she followed the theme head to toe. Braids and ponytails all over her hair, a printed blue shirt, plaid pastel skirt, one soccer sock and two different shoes and confident all the way to school.

For Taylor, the morning was stressful! "I have nothing to wear. Everything I have matches." That was the theme of the morning. Although I offered suggestions, she ended up in a matching outfit. She just couldn't do it. She did wear pigtails-1 with a pony and 1 in a bun and 2 different shoes, but she got out of the car looking as if all 700 students were staring at her.

I just found the dynamic so interesting. They couldn't be more different. Although Taylor is looking forward to tomorrow for "I elect to be Drug Free". They are supposed to wear red, white and blue and she just got red and blue bands on her braces!

Reflections Gallery Night

Last night was our Reflections Gallery Night at school. I was the coordinater this year so it has been a long process to get to this event. The theme this year was "WOW" and the kids could express this through Visual Arts, Literature, Photography, Music, Dance or Video. We held a workshop in Sept. for the kids to brainstorm and start a project. Entries were then due Oct. 3 and I went to judges throughout our community to judge our 140 entries. Last night we honored each participant with a certificate and the top 3 placements with a trophy. The top winners per category will now go on to represent our school at the district level. I guess we have some talented kids, cuz they were both winners(yes, it was fair and square). Allison won 3rd place in photography for this turtle photo she took at Sea World this summer.


Taylor won 1st place for the photos she took at the Wild Animal Park in August and she won 3rd place for her Literature entry describing the Roar and Snore experience at the park. Her giraffe photos will go on to the district level.

There was such amazing talent this year and it was fun to view at the Gallery Night. Some of my friends helped me get all of these displays up so the families could come in to view.
We played classical music as they browsed through the displays and had a table with juice and cookies.
I overcame my fear of public speaking and got up in front of all of the families to describe the program and honor all of our participants. I stressed about it, but I'm glad I did it and can put it behind me! Next year's theme is Beauty Is.... and I look forward to being involved again.

Green Acres is the Place for Me!

Allison's Brownie troop headed to Green Acres Horse Ranch to earn the "Horse Care" Try-it. Although they weren't allowed to ride the horses, they learned how to groom them, feed them, measure them and name some of their markings.
Allison really enjoyed brushing Grey. The horses were so sweet and loved any attention they were given. She loved the feeling of the horse nibbling a carrot out of her hand!
Although Taylor isn't part of the troop, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to join in. She had a close encounter with Sam and loved learning all about him. It was a very informative tour and we survived the 96 degree day!

Grandma and Papa Spend the Weekend

Grandma and Papa flew down for the weekend to spend some time with us and catch a few soccer games. I think Allison's team lost 14-0 (it wasn't pretty), but she got a donut for snack, so she was happy! Taylor's game was a nail biter, winning 1-0.


After a nap for Allison and some afternoon down time, we headed to Peltzer Farms in the wine country. It had some of the prettiest pumpkins we had ever seen. We loved these cool gourds.

Throughout the pumpkin patch were all of these fun signs. We measured the kids- Taylor is almost 4 1/2 feet tall and Allison is just under 4 feet.

The girls couldn't pass up taking a break in the graveyard. What a cute idea!
Taylor spent about 30 minutes with this bunny. Although the sign said "Please don't pick up the animals", she just couldn't resist. We also loved the turtle, turkey, duck, chicks and goats.
Allison loved having the goats nibble feed out of her hands.

After a stop on the tractor and Taylor finding the perfect pumpkin, we headed to the corn maze. Papa even joined us for the maze and helped us find our way out. Dinner at Outback Steakhouse and some shopping at the mall were next on the agenda. The girls were happy to get some long sleeved shirts and long pants. I hate to admit Fall weather is here because I love the heat, but it was a fun way to spend a fall weekend. Thank you for a fun visit!

Award Winners!

Both girls were called up today at Friday Flag Salute. Taylor was honored as an extraordinary Young Author for a desert paragraph she recently wrote. The paragraph was judged by participating teachers and she won 3rd place. Way to go Taylor! Allison was honored as Trailblazer of the Month for Enthusiasm. Her award said, "Allison is on the pathway to success for enthusiasm. Allison comes to school everyday with a smile on her face and a cheerful, enthusiastic attitude. She loves learning new things, contributing to class discussions and is always eager to help others. Allison is 'paws'-itively a shining star!" Way to go Allison.
After flag salute, we headed to the annual Jog-A-Thon. Allison's class was named the Cruisin' Canines and had these cute shirts and paw print ribbons. I was able to get this cute class photo of her class, but forgot the camera when it was Taylor's turn to run. Her team was the Blazin' Bolts and they did a great job. I think Taylor ran 36 laps and Allison ran 25 laps. The school is trying to raise $25,000 for school activities and if they do, Mr. McTasney will have to dye his hair blue and silver. I hope they made it!!

A Day Full of Surprises

Well, today I turned 34! I expected a normal Wednesday full of carpools, work, Brownies and soccer, but my husband had other things in mind. When I woke up, I was sent on a Scavenger Hunt through the house. Clue #1 led to a gift and Clue #2 and so on. By the end, I had been up and down the stairs, in the garage, pantry and linen closet and under the recliner chair and our bed. Matt was so creative in his clue writing and gift selection. For example, Clue #4 said "Maui, Vanuatu, Australia and Samoa all have this in common. Look inside to find a tasty, well prepared treat." Any guesses? Well, it was the kitchen "island". See what I mean-creative! The gifts included a shirt, tank top, 2009 calendar, Stephanie Meyer book, Maui Revealed book(for our upcoming trip), panties and a sweater. What a good shopper!

After coffee with some friends and some errands around town, I headed home for what I thought would be a typical afternoon. But again to my surprise, I came home to a house decorated for a party and Matt preparing dinner for our family and about 6 other families. He had steak, chicken, corn, beans, salad, rolls, cake and drinks for all. Unbelievable! Apparently, everyone was in on it all along. What a great birthday surprise! Thank you! Thank you!