I turned 40 today

So what do we do? Go to Disney World for a day at the Magic Kingdom, of course.

Halloween!

First up for Halloween fun was pumpkin carving and roasting seeds. Gracie was very excited to pick a pumpkin and even more excited to clean and carve it until... she put her hand in there for the first and ONLY time! She said, "Clean my hand because this is disgusting!"





So, the carving was totally up to me because Gracie was done! LOL



We went to our friends' house for Halloween festivities. We always go there for dinner and trick or treating. Gracie was princess Jasmine this year. I wasn't very good at getting many pictures because the kids were so excited. Trust me, a good time was had by all.

Pumpkin patch

Today we had to work the church pumpkin patch so I took the opportunity to take some pictures of Gracie in her Halloween dress. It was so hot, like 88 degrees! We took the pictures quickly and then she put play clothes on to make it through the 3 hour shift. It was brutal but she does love the pumpkin patch and looks forward to it every year.

3 years

3 years ago today we met the most beautiful girl in the world and she became part of our family. She has grown and changed so much. We are amazed and more in love each day.

FCC Halloween luncheon

Today we had our FCC monthly luncheon and it is always the most fun of the year. All the children were dressed in their costume finery and there was lots of candy to be had. We had a wonderful time with great friends.

Princess Preschool update

In the summer I ordered a pre-k program for Gracie. I knew from reading the description that it would be a lot of review for her and was okay with that. I thought it would give time work on fine motor skills even though academically she was beyond much of it. Once we started, though, I realized it wasn't going to work. We got a few weeks into it and were still learning colors and shapes. It just wasn't a good fit. Even Gracie was getting frustrated with the lack of depth.

I started looking for other options and found a couple of things that are working wonderfully for us. The first is the Phonics Museum by Veritas Press. It is a 2 year (Kindergarten and First grade) classical program that teaches phonics, handwriting and basic spelling skills. I know Gracie isn't in Kindergarten but she is almost 4 and knows her letters, sounds, etc. and is ready to begin the program. If it gets difficult we will slow down. I love that it teaches italic writing as it will be easier to transition to cursive later. I love the use of music, games, art projects and art appreciation that is involved in the program. All of the letter flashcards are fine art reproductions and the readers are historically based. They are all visually appealing too. The premise of the program is learning phonics in an art museum.


For Math we are using Counting With Numbers by Rod & Staff. It is part of their preschool workbook program. It teaches writing numbers through 10 along with bigger than/less than, grouping, etc. She is doing well with that. She has mastered 1-7 so far. She can also count through 30 and she loves to count out her daily M&Ms. She only gets as many as she can count without missing. Such incentive!

Once we finish that book we will move on to a Kindergarten program for her K-4 year starting in January.

This past week we have done the letter A. Yes, like I said she knows her letters but since the program ties in writing as well as recognizing sounds in words we can't skip forward. This program is very engaging and she is having fun with it so it is good. For A, she did lots of handwriting sheets, painted with apples as well as making homemade applesauce. Here are some highlights from the week.










Up next is the letter M and we will be making muffins.

Blake goes to homecoming

Here is my baby boy and his date before the homecoming dance. How in the world can my baby boy be 16 and a Junior in high school?



Of course Gracie had to get in on the picture action too!