"Turkey Day" at Indian Lake

Today the students at Indian Lake celebrated Thanksgiving with class programs and a family turkey dinner. We joined Mary Grace in her Kindergarten class this morning to watch the class perform a poem and songs they learned about Thanksgiving. It was so cute! Earlier this week the children took a little bit of class time to draw Indian symbols on a homemade Indian vest, make a beaded Indian necklace, and make a feather Indian headband. Each student was asked to complete 8 skills such as counting to 100 by 10's and tying their shoes. Each skill earned them one feather for their headband. Mary Grace was so excited to earn all 8 feathers. So, for the program this morning, the kids dressed in their Indian vests, necklaces, and headbands. We continue to be blessed by the amazing creativity and hard work that Mrs. Seigenthaler shares with her Kindergarten class. She is a wonderful teacher and it is so clear that she loves each one of her students dearly. After the morning program, we headed to the cafeteria for a yummy turkey dinner. Mary Grace was so happy to have all of us, including her grandparents, join her for this fun event. It was a great day! Carolyne was once again thrilled to visit "sissy" at school. She is really looking forward to her Kindergarten "turkey day".

Roller Skating Sisters

Today we took the girls to Sumner Skate Zone for their first experience roller skating. We had so much fun! I was a little unsure about how the girls would handle being "on wheels", but they really did great! Mary Grace started out skating with Jason. It took a little time, but with each loop she became more brave and started taking a few steps on her own. Carolyne started out with a pair of Fisher-Price skates that fit over her shoes. She had no problem at all keeping herself upright and even braved it a little bit out on the rink on her own. So after some practice, Carolyne upgraded to the big girls skates. She had no fear. Even with the big skates, she was pulling her hand away so she could skate by herself. By the end of the "Wee Skate" time, both girls were skating on their own. They had a blast! Mary Grace now wants her very own pair of white roller skates with hot pink wheels. I can actually remember wanting the same pair when I was a little girl. After skating for about an hour, both girls enjoyed a cherry icee and had fun playing ski ball and air hockey. The girls are really looking forward to our next trip to the skating rink.

Our Favorite Halloween Party

Every year our friends, Cecili and Chris Smith, host the best Halloween party. This was our fourth year to attend. In fact, their party has been a part of our Halloween festivities every year since Carolyne was born. So for her, Halloween is not finished until we have celebrated with Cecili, Chris, Carleigh, and Tucker. This year's party was the best so far. The kids had their pick of lots of fun activities. They took a trip to the "pumpkin patch" where they picked out their very own pumpkin to color and decorate with stickers. They also colored a wooden mask of a bat and skeleton. They danced to their favorite music played by a great DJ and also played freeze dance for prizes. I think one of the most entertaining events was watching all of us parents compete in a dance off to fun songs from our past. Needless to say, I could barely move this morning. I should definitely leave the dancing to Mary Grace and Carolyne. After all of the crafts and dancing, we headed out back for a Halloween egg hunt. We were surprised to get a visit by the Wicked Witch of the East from Wizard of Oz played by Cecili's mom, Patti. The kids loved it! Then we went back inside for more dancing, a visit from Spongebob, and a trip through the Haunted House. Mary Grace and I gave the Haunted House a try, but after a few steps in the door, we decided we were not quite ready for it this year. We finished the night with the trick-or-treat line. We brought home even more candy than we collected the night before. The kids had SO much fun... and the grown-ups had a blast too! It was great to see a lot of the parents in costumes. Our favorites... Ben Talbot dressed as "The Man in the Yellow Hat" and the youngest Talbot, Brandt, as Curious George. I only wish I had a picture. Thank you, Chris and Cecili, for making Halloween so much fun. We look forward to your party every year!