Making Ghosts and Choosing Pumpkins

Here is some of Riley's school work from the last week.  I think his art work is my favorite.  It's so much fun to ask him each day what his drawings are and what he wrote (sometimes I have trouble figuring it out!) Example: TADR=Tractor 

"Tractor"

Skulls for The Day of The Dead

What great words!

"Some flowers are pink.  Some flowers smell good."

Friday was Lily B's big Fall Fundraiser, the Walkathon.  I went and walked with Riley's class and it was a lot of fun!  We walked through the neighborhood around the school.  Riley had fun walking hand-in-hand with his buddy, Keller.

The school is pretty smart and they know that the KG kids would have trouble doing the full walkathon, so about halfway through they stopped on a side street in the neighborhood and let the kids blow bubbles and draw with chalk.

I discovered a few things while walking.  1) Riley really needed that break because he complained the entire way back about walking.  2) A KG girl named Lola has a crush on Riley.  3) Riley does not have to change teachers this week!  So much learned before we reached the finish line!

The third item was the most exciting.  We had been prepping Riley for the fact that he would have to change teachers when a 4th KG teacher was hired,  but because so many new kids came into the school after the school year started, Riley got lucky and did not have to change anymore.  If you can't tell from the class picture below, he's pretty sweet on Mrs. Barrett.  That's Riley on the left, back row, right next to his teacher!

Justin picked up the Friday Pals (Riley. Ellie &; Keller) after school on Friday and took them to ride the train, where they had this hilarious conversation about a grasshopper:

I picked up Atticus and Carter from school and we all met at the Speed's house to go to Family Spirit Night at Lily B.  This totally free event for Lily B families had food, bounce houses, face painting and confetti eggs.  I was exhausted trying to keep my eye on both Riley and Carter (Chad was at a KWC show) that I only managed to get this one picture of Carter & Mattie eating dinner.  Before we know it these two will also be in the same grade at Lily B!

On Saturday I woke up bright and early to help set up for the 6th Annual Jake Remembered Softball Tournament at LMRA.  It was cold outside, but 6 teams showed up and played their hearts out.

Nana and Papa were not at the tournament this year.  While we were at the softball fields they sent us these photos from my cousin Tyler's wedding in North Dakota.

From left to right: Johnny, my cousin Ryan, Nana, my uncle Dana

Chad & I still managed to make it to yoga on Saturday morning and it was a much more pleasant experience than the week before.  Riley was excited to go and Chad printed him out cobra pictures to color.  When we got there he also saw that they had decorated the door with tissue paper ghosts and he asked how they made them, remembered the instructions and asked me to re-create them at home.

Of course, then they had to decorate the door.

On Sunday, I looked ahead at the week's weather and it looked like it might be raining this coming weekend so I moved up our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.  Some years it's been hot and muggy, but on Sunday it was cool and Fall-like and we had a great time.

Carter found this pile of small pumpkins and loaded up our wagon with 6.  He kept saying "I got these!"

Riley really liked playing on the tire maze and both boys enjoyed climbing the ramp to the slides.  They are both growing up and it was fun to watch them really enjoy the pumpkin patch activities.

 

Carter didn't quite understand the concept of putting your face in the hole.  He thought you just got behind something wooden and said "cheese!"

For the first time ever, we did the corn maze this year.  That corn was super tall!  Carter kept saying "Let's get out of here!"

 

Dead End!

When we got home Riley needed to decorate a pumpkin immediately.  Thankfully, I had gotten supplies at Target so we painted a pumpkin black to make a pumpkin bat.

 

Riley did not have school Monday (feels like FWISD is always having a day off!) and so he spent the day playing with Haha.  He brought home this "craft" for us to make.  Thankfully, it wasn't too hard!

Yesterday, Grammy had her surgery to cut out a cancerous lump, as well as her voicebox.  On Tuesday, I went over to visit with her and Chad brought the boys over too.  Uncle Kip fed the birds when they got there and they stood to look out the window and watch them eat!

Thankfully, Grammy's surgery went well and she is at the hospital recuperating now.  Hopefully, she'll be released in about a week to go home.

Today was the funeral for Riley's PK teacher from last year.  She was 76 and died of a sudden illness.  The class parents from last year banded together to get her a flower arrangement and I think it turned out perfect!

On a final note this week, I really don't know what to do about Carter's recent sleep habits (or lack there of).  This past weekend, he climbed out of bed, and went up to Riley's room, while Riley was sleeping, played with all of Riley's toys, and when he got tired he climbed in the glider and fell asleep!  Here is how Chad found him when he went up to take him to bed.

I've tried the getting mad tactic and my latest tactic is to ignore him and hope he grows out of this phase.  It's hard to get too mad at him....he's so darn cute!  And he sings now!  Check this out: