The Grand Pre (schooler)

While everyone else was out seeing Star Wars, I was home enjoying the company of four lovely little ladies.  We did lots of fun stuff.  First we built towers out of the cardboard blocks, knocked them over and made videos out of the falling structures in slow motion.  Very funny stuff.  Then we did races around and around the circle center of the downstairs.  We started off with Teagan in her new toy car.  Then we moved Piper to the toy car, and put Teagan into the baby doll stroller.

These pictures don't do justice to the action and excitement of the races.  Those kids were flying down the straightaways, whipping around the corners, and, as it turns out, slicing hundreds of deep grooves into the hardwood floor.  Oh well.  2016, here we come!

How to trap...

not these guys, it turns out.

Tim and Dan went curling with Dan's friends last night.  They were out pretty late.  While they were gone, the ladies of the house built this blockade with the new cardboard blocks that Piper and Teagan got for Christmas.  We expected to hear a giant crash in the wee hours of the morning, but the crash never came.  When we woke up, we found the same blockade in front of the door from the laundry room/garage (the only entrance available to the boys since neither had a front or back door key) and there were two sound asleep curlers nestled in their respective beds.  Puzzle that out.

Foiled by the guy with the engineering degree and the guy with the genius IQ.

Teagan, the proud homeowner

A land of wonders

Today we met Piper's friend Kellan and his little sister Calliope and their parents at the Mall of America to spend the morning playing at Nickelodeon Universe.  Piper and Kellan have been at TenderTime together for a few years now, and they are great friends.  Kellan is a very adorable kid- he's kind and respectful.   And he's so sweet on Teagan.  He just LOVES her.

This is Piper at the Lego store.  It's insane in that place.  

This is Calliope, Piper and Kellan with Dora and Diego.

Everyone had a great time, including Teagan.  She wasn't feelin' the giant cartoon character photo op, but she did go on her  first amusement park rides!  She was very brave.  Piper and Kellan had a blast going on rides too - their favorite by far was the Log Flume.  By the time we left, everyone was worn out and ready for naps.

The snowmaker

Piper, queen of the snowflakes, creates her icy castle!  By that I mean our home is dotted with trails of snowflakes everywhere you go - it's actually very festive.  I'll have to make sure to put her to work on the decorations committee next year :)

Hello, Mr. Snowman

The Venetian

Piper's friend had her birthday at this fancy water park within a Holiday Inn.  You can only get in if you're a hotel guest or party guest - you can't otherwise pay your way inside.  So it was a big deal to go!  Dan accompanied her and Piper had a blast - she spent most of her time conquering these big floating rocks.

Dan said it really did look like Venice in there.

What makes a Christmas elf cry?

Boring homework, with no candy for motivation.  Poor elf!

It hurts me more than it hurts you...

Tonight, because she was not listening as I was trying to get her lotioned and in PJs after her bath, Piper was tasked with doing these two things on her own while Teagan and I went downstairs.  This is what came down the stairs about 5 minutes later. I was too afraid to look at what was under the jammies.

In the girls' bathroom I found 3 towels that were covered with smeared lotion - she must have been trying to get it off her hands.  There was also a spot on the wall that where she must have leaned. 

As is often the case, I wondered who this was really punishing.

Happy St. Lucia day!

Don't ask me, I'm not sure.

A Christmas angel

Piper, at her nativity production at church today:

Gingerbread house of awesomeness

Piper made this at school.

Trimming the tree

All smiles

Giving thanks

Teagan at the kids' table.

Happy Thanksgiving from Room 107!

Fall festival

Today I volunteered at Piper's kindergarten fall festival.  It was fun to be at school with her.  I was in charge of a Thankful Turkey station, where kids traced their hands to create turkeys and then wrote what they're most thankful for.  Piper and her bestie Sadie got their faces painted.  Sadie's mom and I were waiting to pick them up at the front of the school together, so I snapped a quick pic of both of the girls :)

Daddy daughter reading time

How cute are they?

 

Piper's math group

50s day at Kindergarten

They listened to 50s music and danced around.  And had snacks.  Gotta love theme days :)

If you give a girl a marker...

and that girl is Teagan, you can plan on this:

And you can also plan on marker being on her clothes, the sofa, the floor, the walls.  Piper never did this - either because she had no desire to or because she was never out of our sight during the first 3 years of her life.  But we're trying to get used to a kid who is dangerous with ink and color.  Our house is now a washable-markers-only zone.

Sister against sister

WWW-Mini championships!

Rub-a-dub-dub

Two crazy sisters in a tub.

A table for two

This is all part of a plan to make Teagan feel more comfortable and in control while eating.  And to stop Teagan from throwing things off the kitchen table.  Turns out, the thrill is still there - even if the table is 4 feet shorter.  In fact, from this location things are even more entertaining - you wouldn't believe how many appliances the applesauce could hit on its short descent!

Oh my!

Dream a little dream of teddy bear land!  Piper and Dad went to Costco today :)

Cutie pie

A Fall portrait

Piper in the lobby of TenderTime.

Nov 3rd and we're... reading outside?!?!?!?!

What amazing weather! Piper's class was given the opportunity to spend a massive amount of time outdoors today.  Rush Creek really believes in exercising those rugrats whenever possible.  Her class even did their reading outside today!  Piper's the one off to the right in the pink skirt :)

What better way to cap off a day at the playground?

You've run, you've sweated, you've panted and paused and then run some more.  What to do when your little sis goes down for a nap?  Polish off your Halloween cookies!  I mean, they're not getting any fresher...

 

A new playground!

Maple Grove has a new playground, and we headed there after church today.  It's fantastic.  To get on it, you go down this huge, super-fast slide!  It kind of spits you out at the end, so I almost fell onto my face.  Had I, I'd have landed on a soft, spongy turf, so no harm done.  (There is also a set of stairs, for the frailer of body or spirit.)

 

There are tons of fake rock walls, and weird balance,climbing and swinging things for bigger kids.  And they also have a great little kid play area including the modern day version of a merry-go-round (kids today really miss out on some things - on this version you couldn't fall off, or get your leg stuck underneath if you were the one pushing).  They even have little bridges to walk over.  So cute!

It was a nice day to play.  It set us behind on our nap schedule but sometimes you've got to be a little crazy, am I right?

Piper on a rock wall

Teagan going down a rollie slide.  The whole way down she made an 'ahhhhhhhh' noise because the bumps of the rollers make your voice come out funny :)

 

Do don't be alarmed.

She's not screaming.  Or at least not out of fear.