100 Books!

     As of today, Laura and I have officially read 100 chapter books together! And before her 6th birthday, too! Last year around this time I decided to write a blog post to keep track of all the books we have read, and it was around then that I found the wonder that is goodreads.com. I am able to keep track of all the books we have read, all the books I would like to read together, and I even spent a day tediously putting them into a loose, age-appropriate order that I thought would be good (in some instances to coordinate with homeschooling units/ themes/ trips I would like to take, etc).
I'm really proud of her ability to sit and stay focused on something like this. She absolutely loves storytelling in all of its forms. She deeply analyzes shows and movies, is mesmerized by live productions, and really enjoys listening to out-loud stories.
She is really coming along with her own reading, too, and once she has that down pat, I'm guessing she and books will be inseparable. I sure love my little bookworm!

Jamfest!

     Laura tried out a "Tiny Cheer" program with our local cheerleading club a little over a year ago, and then last summer took some recreational classes with Rachel. It was a little too intensive yet for Rachel, but Laura liked it well enough, so we enrolled her in a half-year program on a team of 5 - 8 year olds that ended with a non-competitive competition. We thought since she enjoys performing so much that this would be a fun new avenue to explore. She was a bit wishy washy about going to practices, but she always enjoyed herself once she was there. They spent the first 2 1/2 months team building and practicing skills that they would then incorporate into a routine that they have been practicing since the end of November. 

    Today was the much-anticipated day of their big competition! They didn't have to be at the venue until 4:30pm, so we were still able to go to swimming lessons this morning. We came home and spent about an hour and a half doing her make-up and ringlets in her ponytail, and then we were off! Both sets of grandparents came down to watch and support her, and aunty Danie too. I quite enjoyed watching the more experienced teams compete; it really brought me back to my cheerleading days. So fun. :) 

    The team was able to sit together with their parents while we watched the other senior teams perform, and then they were off to warm up! They had worked so hard, and although it wasn't the best run I've seen them do, they still did great, and nailed all the stunts, including a double base! Considering they had been modifying the routine right up until the practice the night before the competition, the team performed really well. So proud!

     

At the awards ceremony afterward they were given a plaque for their efforts. The other two teams from our club both placed first in their divisions, so all in all it was a good day and a great experience! The whole team was really excited after their performance, and I would love to be able to go again next year. Cheer competitions are so fun!

Poor Rachie was not feeling well, and although she held it together while we were there, she ended up crying the whole way home, complaining of an ear ache. :(

Freeeee!!!!

     Rachel turned 3 1/2 in November and was still regularly having bottles (of a warm almond/ coconut milk mixture) before bedtime. I'm sure, to her, it was the equivalent of nursing - mostly a comfort thing to wind down for sleep. (We did always brush her teeth afterward, though.)
We were hoping she would stop of her own accord, as it isn't beneficial for palate development, etc, but we didn't want to traumatize her, either. However, we "forgot" her bottles when we went away at Christmas. We made sure there was still milk for her to drink from a cup or a sippy if she wanted it, but I think it was the suckling from which she derived the comfort. She didn't really ask for milk while we were away once she learned there were no bottles.
     Also, up until now, she has been unable to get through the night without wetting a Pull-up. We had just run out of Pull-ups before Christmas, so we bought two small packages. We presumed we would use most of one while we were away and didn't want to be stuck without any when we got back. However, we ended up leaving the package of them at my mom's while we went to Josh's parents' house, so we had to buy another package while we were there. If you are keeping track, that is a total of three packages that we now own. And, this is promptly when Rachel realizes she can now make it through the night without peeing. You know, because she isn't drinking 8oz of milk directly before bed. So. Good news: we are free of bottles AND diapers now! Bad news: We own three packages of Pull-ups we don't need!

Anyone need some Pull-ups?


P.S. We were able to return one because it wasn't open, so that was good. But the one that was open and left at my mom's has at least half left, and we also have the one that we bought and opened at Josh's parents' house.

Buddy the Elf is Back!

      Laura, in particular, has been highly anticipating the return of Buddy, our Christmas Spirit Elf, for advent. This morning he showed up riding a new, electric train around the Christmas tree!

Tuesday, Dec. 1

Well hello Laura and Rachel!

I am well rested now and ready 

to spread some more Christmas Cheer 

with you this advent! 

Let's start by visiting the 

special Holiday Train today! 

Love, Buddy

This ended up actually being kind of a bust because the kids couldn't see the performance past the adults standing in front of us and subsequently became crabby. We ended up leaving after a few songs, and as we were walking away, realized the view from further back was actually better. But the girls had committed to leaving already and didn't care to stay. I was disappointed and upset because I had put a lot of effort into planning and executing this activity to avoid meltdowns, and apparently still failed. Ah well, such is life sometimes, I guess.

Wednesday, Dec. 2

Good morning Laura and Rachel!

I thought it would help us 

get in the Christmas spirit 

if we made some snow globes today!

Yippee!
Love, Buddy

We made these with kits and they were a fair amount of work (for me!)
but they were fun and turned out cute. :)
Rachel made a pink Clarice (girl reindeer from Rudolph) and Laura made an elf girlfriend, Noa, for Buddy.

Thursday, Dec. 3

Hey Laura and Rachel.

Why don't you write to Santa today

and tell him what you'd like for 

Christmas this year? 

Love, Buddy

Laura ended up asking for something else than what she had said she wanted a few weeks ago when Santa had already ordered her gift, so I had to remind her to include that in her letter, too! ;) And then went out scrambling for some other stocking stuffers!

Friday, Dec. 4

Laura and Rachel,

Christmas is about spending 

time with your family.

Tonight lets stay in, have pizza, 

cuddle up, and watch a

Christmas movie together.

Love, Buddy

     Josh wanted to watch Home Alone together and eat pizza, so that was what we did tonight. We put on our jammies and made our own pizzas so we could each put on it what we wanted. It was really fun, and everyone was excited about it and enjoyed it, so that made it even better.  

Saturday, Dec. 5

Dear Laura and Rachel,

Christmas is a celebration

of the story of  of the birth

of Jesus Christ. 

Today we're going to go

for a special walk

to learn about that story.

Love, Buddy

    I had been to the Bala Trek to Bethlehem once as a kid, but I didn't remember much of it, so it was a fairly new experience for all of us. I didn't really know what it was going to be like, and frankly, had fairly low expectations after the Holiday Train experience with the kids. We brought Grandma and Grandpa along though, so the girls were more entertained and better behaved, and the actual tour was really well done. Josh is fairly anti-religion and was skeptical, but even he enjoyed it. Well done, Bala!

We weren't allowed to take photos, I stole these from the internet.
These were the tax collectors. They hassled Laura for rolling up her
paper she needed stamped and asked her for more money! haha
They were so great.

Again, not my photo, but here are Mary and Jesus and Joseph
that we met at the end of the trek. 

Sunday, Dec. 6

Hi Laura and Rachel,
Wasn't it fun learning about 

the Christmas Story yesterday?

Today I thought we could learn 

about another holiday that happens

at this time of year - Hanukkah!
Love, Buddy

    Trying to be careful to educate and not appropriate, we read several books from the library about the origins of Hanukkah and how people celebrate today. We listened to Hanukkah songs and made Star of David ornaments, made food that people typically eat during Hanukkah (latkes and applesauce, brisket, and sufganiyots), and lit the menorah. On the last night of Hanukkah, we gave the girls a gift (chocolate coins) and played the dreidel game while the eight candles burned. We all really enjoyed learning about this holiday. 

Monday, Dec. 7

Oh hi Laura and Rachel,
I was just doing some shopping here 
and thought you guys might like
to go shopping too to get some things
to take to the food bank today.
Love, Buddy

Tuesday, Dec. 8

Help!
Laura and Rachel, I've been captured
by Woody, Jessie, and Buzz!
They didn't like that I suggested
you guys donate some of your toys to 
kids who will use them more.
Love, Buddy

Wednesday, Dec. 9 

Laura and Rachel,
Good morning!
I was just borrowing your mommy's
new computer to look up some ideas
for a gingerbread house.
What do you two think we should make this year?
Love, Buddy

Laura suggested a gingerbread train like the Polar Express, but Rachel suggested we make Pinkie Pie's house (from My Little Pony). I googled it and it looks like a challenge!
It took us several days, but this was what we came up with:

Thursday, Dec. 10

Dear Laura and Rachel,
Christmas is a time for giving
and today I have brought you some gifts!
In turn, perhaps you could take
a gift to the neighbours.
Love, Buddy

     I heard Rachel let out a squeal this morning to find presents under the tree; she thought Santa had come already. haha. Laura quickly corrected her and told her the presents were from Buddy, and then she attempted to read his note. Their gifts were ornaments for the tree and they were both really happy with them, and also excited to take gifts to the neighbours. 

Friday, Dec. 11

Hi Laura and Rachel!
Let's visit my buddy Santa today,
and take some pictures.
Don't forget to smile!
Love, Buddy

Saturday, Dec. 12

Good morning, Girls!
Dashing through the snow
in a one horse open sleigh - 
that's what we are going to do today!
Oh, what fun!
Love, Buddy

     Other than the fact that we still have no snow, this ended up being about as magical as it could have been! We arrived and there was no line - always a bonus when you have little kids with you. There was a quartet of carolers singing nearby while we waited for the wagon to return, and they made me happy - they were quite good.  Everyone was in a good mood and once we got on the wagon, Laura started singing Christmas carols because that is the kind of kid she is. The people who ended up on the wagon with us were such good sports and started singing along with her, even the men. It totally made my heart swell.

Sunday, Dec. 13

Dear Laura and Rachel,

Today you're going to hear

lots of Christmas songs

at mommy's cantata at church!

Monday, Dec. 14

Hello Laura and Rachel,
I just have some craft stuff out here
and thought it would be a good
day to make some Christmas gifts.
Love, Buddy

Tuesday, Dec. 15

Hey Laura and Rachel,

Wanna go for a drive

after dark to see all the 

pretty Christmas lights?

Love, Buddy

Wednesday, Dec. 16

Laura and Rachel,
I was trying to be helpful 
and do some wrapping for you guys,
but it looks like I need some help!
Can we do it together?
Love, Buddy

Thursday, Dec. 17

Good morning  Laura and Rachel,
The best way to spread Christmas cheer
is singing loud for all to hear!
Today is Rachel's Christmas concert. 
I'm so excited to hear her sing 
and spread all that Christmas cheer.
Love, Buddy

     Buddy accompanied us to Rachel's Christmas concert today because he was so excited to hear her sing, and she did a great job! 

Friday, Dec. 18

Oh, good morning Laura and Rachel,

I was just sewing you guys some aprons

so you could make Christmas cookies today!
Mmm!

Love, Buddy

Saturday, Dec. 19

Dear Laura and Rachel,
I overheard you reading 
about the Nutcracker this week
and thought it would be fun
to go to the ballet today!
Love, Buddy

Sunday, Dec. 20

Hey Laura and Rachel, 

Did you know that candy,

candy canes, candy corns, 

and syrup are the elves' 

four main food groups?

Today let's take a well-balanced

meal to our friends 

with a new baby.

Love, Buddy

Monday, Dec. 21

Hi Laura and Rachel,
Let's show some Christmas Spirit 
and catch the men who collect the garbage
and recycling every week to give them a
Christmas gift. I'm sure they would like 
some appreciation for what they do!
Love, Buddy

Tuesday, Dec. 22

Hello Laura and Rachel,
As of today the days will be getting longer
and we will be able to enjoy more sunshine!
Let's celebrate the solstice today!
Love, Buddy

Wednesday, Dec. 23

Dear Laura and Rachel, 
We've just caught Buddy the Elf
in this bucket of candy canes here
because we wanted to make a suggestion today!
Why don't y'all be candy cane fairies 
and spread some Christmas Cheer?
Love, Tink, Periwinkle, and Rosetta

Thursday, Dec. 24

Dear Laura and Rachel,
Tomorrow is Christmas!
It's practically here!
And now that advent is over,
I, in my cap, will be settling down
for a long winter's nap.
Here is one last gift for you
to remember me by.
You two did a great job
of spreading Christmas Cheer this year.
Love, Buddy

Laura actually cried this morning when we read his note. She is sad to see him go. I, on the other hand, am exhausted and am looking forward to my own long winter's nap! Merry Christmas, All!

Dinner Z

We have reached the end! A little bittersweet, but I'm sure we'll come up with other fun projects to do in the future. To finish off the alphabet, we were planning on having zoodles, but after I did a little more research I realized there were more interesting and healthy options for Z, so we ended up having:

zinfandel

zesty ziti with
zucchini
chorizo

zabaglione
(an Italian custard-type dessert made with orange zest and we used zinfandel in it, too)

Not bad. It was noted at dinner tonight that in the beginning, there were cute crafts pictured to highlight the letter of the meal, and now... well, now there is just wine. ;)
We had a lot of fun doing this and expanding our palette (and comfort zones!) Thanks for the idea, Erin! :)

Dinner Y

We're nearing the end! This dinner was a lot of work, but pretty yummy!


I roasted a beef roast and we had with it:

yams
yukon gold potatoes
yellow beans
yorkshire pudding

yule log

Happy Hallowe'en!

     Almost two years ago, we were given the movie Wreck-It Ralph (for Christmas from our friends with children the same age as ours), and we loved it. Since then Laura had wanted to be Vanellope Von Schweetz for Halloween. (We didn't do it last year because I wanted to do Monsters Inc. while Rachel was still a toddler).  I thought it would be cute if Josh went with her as Ralph, and he was into that idea, so we ran with it. A few weeks before Halloween rolled in, we had yet to decide on a costume for Rachel. Normally we like to do family costumes, so I was hoping she would be okay with being someone from Wreck-It Ralph too. She had at one point said she wanted to be Pluto, and for me to be Mickey, but I guess she forgot about that. Anyway, we finally settled that she would be Taffyta Muttonfudge, one of the antagonists from the movie, since she looked just like her. :)

     Laura's costume was pretty easy; I found the right colour hoodie and leggings at Target before it went out of business, and grabbed a clearance pleated uniform skirt from OshKosh at some point. They've been waiting in the closet for about a year ;). I also found her some inexpensive black boots to wear, which she can wear for every-day use, too. I wrapped medical tape around the leggings for Vanellope's mismatched stripes, and we sprayed Laura's hair with black hair spray. We already had some candy barrettes, and we supplemented with some sticky jewels. I was worried the hairspray would stain her hair (it said not for light hair on the can), but it came out in two washings (made a big mess in the tub, though!). We also tried to use real licorice for her hair tie, but it didn't work out, so we just used some red pipe cleaners. Pretty easy.


     Rachel's costume was a bit trickier (probably since we left it to the last minute), so we recruited Grandma's help. We had trouble finding the right jacket for her outfit, so we bought a pink sweater/ jacket thing at the thrift store and modified it to look like Taffyta's. Grandma made her the little tunic. I used an old pair of pink leggings that we were going to get rid of anyway and painted the white part on them. We had hand-me-down pink sneakers already (although I did see some fabulous pink sparkly sneakers for sale that I would have bought if we didn't already have footwear - she would have loved those!) I cut the brim down from an old baseball hat that would have otherwise been garbage, and painted it with green and pink paint. To top off her outfit, we made sure she had a lollipop to complete her sassy look.

     Josh's costume seemed easy in theory, but I couldn't find a an orange plaid shirt at the thrift store big enough to fit with the padding underneath, or any overalls. Not even denim ones. So I bought a plain orange shirt and decided to paint the plaid on. That took much longer than expected, so I ended up only painting the front of the shirt (shh). It literally took me probably 5 or 6 hours. Ridiculous. I ended up buying some brown corduroy and winging it myself with the overalls. They turned out not bad considering I had never made overalls before and definitely wasn't using a pattern of any sort. Ahh the gloriousness of costumes. ;) Luckily I got some giant fists last year on Halloween clearance, since we already knew what costumes we were doing this year. ;) We also got him a wig, and convinced him to shave his beard, too. Laura had a medal picked out for him from the dress up trunk, but we forgot to put it on. We had toyed with the idea of going to Josh's parents' house for Halloween this year since it was on the weekend, mainly because we needed to borrow his dad's hockey pads for his costume, but we realized we couldn't really do that because we have swimming lessons on Saturday morning, so we convinced them to come here instead. They're the best. :)

We had also thought about making the girls go carts, but I procrastinated too long with the rest of the costumes, so we ditched that idea. They still turned out cute, though, I think. Fun, fun. 

     We didn't carve the pumpkins until the day of Halloween, because we need a few hours (aka a weekend), and they would have rotted if we did them the weekend before. So Grandma got to help with that. We had trouble deciding what to carve this year. Not a lot of people know the movie Wreck-It Ralph, and usually we keep the pumpkins in the theme of the costumes. We ended up deciding on a portrait of Ralph wrecking a wall which we hoped was the most recognizable image, and a creepy cybug (a good choice because the girls had fun helping paint it.) 

   

     I made mummies and veggie skeletons for dinner before we went out trick or treating. The girls enjoyed them. :)

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!