Queen of the Jungle

Teresa was recognized at school on Friday for her reading. They have an A.R. program where they set goals and read books and take tests. The points they get depends on how well they do on the test and the size of the book. A Harry Potter book is going to give you over 20 points and a small Dr. Seuss book is usually .5 points. So Teresa had 173 points for the first quarter and got 100% on all her tests she took. Which means her comprehension is awesome ;) She's always been a good reader, and she's always loved books. I have to tell her to stop reading. Some nights I go in to check on her and she is on the floor reading by the night-light. This is after I have put her to bed and given her time to read. Right now she is loving real event books. There is a series of books that are called diaries. They take real encounters and stories from events. Right now she's reading one about the Titanic, before it was Pearl Harbor and the Gold Rush. She's also started Little Britches and Jane Eyre, but those aren't going to give her credit for AR, so she has to put them down for now - sad huh!? Oh and she is finishing the Lemony Snicket books. There are 13 total, I think she's on 10. They are a good quick read - a break from the higher level books.

This is Teresa with her teacher, Mrs. Plotner.



She gets her name and picture on the board at school and credit toward another star to go on her letter . They also had a nice little gift pack for the kids this time. She got a movie and some goodies.

Oh, I should explain the Queen of the Jungle thing. They have a theme every year and this year it is Wild about Books. So the kids who were recognized were either King or Queens of the Jungle.

Halloween

We had a full day



First some scrambled brains and monster fingers to start our day


Then off to Michael's for some goodies and crafts

Time to dress-up

Mother Nature

Spidey-Man

After we all got ready we went to trick-or-treat at James and Amanda's and then grandma and grandpa's house.

Then home to hit the neighborhood. Sean and Serina came over too. It was nice to have company

Pumpkins!

I know - another post! We've done so much this weekend. This should be it until next weekend :)

Sunday evening we carved our pumpkins. Ty and Michelle drug their tired family over to join us, and I'm glad they did. It's always more fun to create together(Sean and Serina were just too tired, they had a long day - we missed you guys!)

Here is everyone carving pumpkins

Teresa and Ian working on their pumpkins

Nathan with his finished product (obviously, dad helped him)

Nathan's happy jack-o-lantern, and Teresa kitty

Ian's, Jason's, Ty's, Nathan's and Teresa's

Apple Pie Jack

Nathan has been asking to make apple pie for weeks. I'm not sure what sparked this interest, but I thought I would indulge him.


I like these two pictures because they are helping each other. Teresa held the bowl while Nathan mixed and then without being asked, Nathan held the bowl while Teresa mixed.



Here Teresa is giving our Jack a nose


Here's the finished product

Fall Festival

We went to the Riverwalk Park to say hi to a friend who had a booth at the Fall Festival that was going on. I wasn't sure the kids would be too thrilled about it, but it turns out they had the most fun. They had tons of stuff for the kids. Face Painting, games, crafts and a spooky maze that Nathan wanted to go in SO badly.



This was one of the crafts, a cute orange bag they decorated with stickers. There was a scarecrow craft too, made using a paper plate.


Face Painting - Nathan just kept pulling me until he found the place to get his face painted. And then he knew exactly what he was getting - Spiderman, of course.



Destiny got a warewolf


Teresa got a spooky ghost and her kitty.
The guy who did her face was doing some awesome things.

Storybook Land had more crafts, and a place to blow bubbles, an art station, storytime, and a few other games. Then on your way out you got a little goodie bag.

An obstacle course

The Mad Nathan

Everyone posing with SpongeBob (Teresa, Destiny and Nathan)

Pumpkin Patch!

This was supposed to be last weekends event, but I came down with a nasty cold, that knocked me off my feet for a couple days. So we had to squeeze the pumpkin patch in on Friday evening. The guys got off early from work so we could go before it got dark. We weren't there for very long, but it was fun. I love this pumpkin patch too. (Banducci's Farm)



The Family



My kids!


Jonathan took this of the pumpkin patch. I took the one of the wagon. A really nice pumpkin patch.



Nathan and his pumpkin - plus one

Teresa and her pumpkin

This is Ryan. What a sweet boy!

This is Sean's pumpkin, plus Sean and Serina in the background

Look at this silly boy!

The donkey whisperer

Nathan and Teresa Jonathan and Nathan

Welcome Home Teresa

Teresa was at camp KEEP all week. She had a great time, but is glad to be home.

We are glad she's home too. I will have her post some pictures on her blog this weekend. Here are some from yesterday's homecoming.

Teresa posted pictures on her blog

http://throughteresaseyes.blogspot.com/2009/10/trip-to-camp-keep.html