Halloween

We didn't grow a new bush in our yard...

It's Dallin!

I told Reeses to lift his leg, but he's a loyal pup...

 

 This is Dallin's pumpkin that he carved. I think it's a ghost flying over a graveyard.

We went to our neighborhood chili and cornbread dinner and saw lots of friends, and then Jarom took the kids around trick or treating. I walked home and passed out candy. Dallin went to our next-door neighbors in his bush costume and got candy, then he came home and changed into a ninja costume and hit them up again. They told him that if he would put on Morgan's costume, they would give him even more candy. Apparently, this kid can be bought! I can't believe he did it, but here he/she is!

I guess it was a good ending to a day that wasn't so fun. He has a nasty skinned knee that's infected with impetigo. It has spread to lots of places on his legs and he could hardly sleep last night. We had to go to the pediatrician today to get antibiotics. Then he had an appointment at the dentist to get four fillings. His acid reflux makes him prone to cavities. Luckily they were all baby teeth. He did great and he said it didn't hurt a bit.

Dallin was on the news!

Cory's Corner: Extra Innings East Valley Part 3

He is at the beginning of this segment in a line of kids and then again at the very end. Look right over Cory's shoulder. The kid in the helmet in the next batting cage over is Dallin!

I got an email  from a friend this morning saying that this new business needed kids to come to their batting cages for a news segment. I woke the kids up and they got dressed really quick and we drove down there. Sean had a lot longer camera time, but they didn't put a link to his segment on their website. Sean was hitting off of a tee and he kept missing the ball! My parents taped it for us to see. Carly and I were on there too, but nobody needs to see that :)

School time

So...what do we do with all the time we have together all week?? Here's an idea of some of our activities.

We went to the Arizona Museum for Youth on my birthday recently.

We found out that Dallin has the wingspan of a Canadian Goose.

They have a room where you learn to write in Chinese calligraphy. This was Dallin's favorite part. He was really good at it.

We went to the Riparian Wildlife Preserve in Gilbert. Dallin was observing birds to pass off a requirement in his Scout book. The kids loved it and want to go back. They should have a lot more variety of birds in the winter time, so we will make another trip there.

And we try to go to our homeschool group's park day every Friday. Dallin has met a lot of new friends and loves to take his bike and scooter to the different parks around the valley.

And what happens when recess is rained out?? You strip down to your skivvies and run in the rain! I don't know why exactly, but I can't say I was surprised.  We had made boats out of pool noodles for a Cub Scout activity and they were put to good use. The boys raced the boats down the gutters all the way to the end of the street. 

These are just a few of the things we've done, but I have to say most days are a lot more tame. We do our reading, writing, math, and lots of crafts. I pick up about a billion crayons a day from off the floor. Many days I feel like a cafeteria worker preparing 3 meals a day and cleaning up after them. The house is usually in chaos, but they are getting really good at doing chores. So far, I think we are all still having fun!

State Fair

We spent the day at the Arizona State Fair on Thursday. We had free field trip passes and the kids got 3 free rides each for reading 3 books. We got there nice and early--I think we were the 3rd car to arrive! The first thing we visited was the petting zoo.

Dallin loved the wallaby. 

 This is a baby wallaby in a pouch!

The first ride we went on was the biggest Ferris Wheel.  

They were a little freaked out by the height.

Dallin begged and begged to go on the crazy scary rides, but luckily he's not tall enough yet. 

So we settled for the tame stuff like a giant slide...

...And then the log ride. They spotted this from the Ferris Wheel and the 3 big kids rode alone. I had to stay back with Carly who wasn't tall enough to ride. There was a big drop and I could see from the looks on the twins' faces that they were freaked out. Everyone was all smiles when they got off though!  

We played some games and rode more rides and they were all wanting to win a big stuffed Pikachu, or a minion, or a fluffy unicorn. I was able to convince them to just have fun playing and promised them we could order any prize they wanted on Amazon. That kept the tears at bay. Everyone had a fun time and tired feet by the time we were done. We were exhausted and left before the big crowds came in the evening. 

First Day of School

August 7, 2013 was the first day of 4th grade for Dallin. A lot of changes happened this year. We decided to do part time public school and part time home school for our kids.  That means that he had to switch schools to one that offered a part time curriculum. There are several reasons for the change, but mostly what prompted the decision was the needs of my son Sean. I knew that Dallin could thrive in any environment so I wasn't too worried about him. I could never have foreseen the incredible opportunity for growth that he has experienced! I now think that Dallin is the one benefiting the most from having the flexibility to study what interests him and to be challenged to really dive into studying rather than be spoon-fed information from his teacher.  He is really happy with the change and every time I drive him to his school campus he tells me again how much he loves his school. That makes my heart happy because I really agonized over this decision and prayed I was doing the right thing.