Triathlon Success!

If Halloween week was busy at school, Triathlon week was even busier. I spent 16 hours at school helping out this week, since I'm on the board of the school's Foundation that puts on the Triathlon.

Here, Violet is helping the grownups advertise the school's biggest fundraiser with chalk promotions on Wednesday morning.

The third-graders were first out on Thursday morning once the event got going. After participating in a session of karate, the children took part in an obstacle course.

Here, Cora and Vivian are touching all the little cones as they run past.

Next, it was time to dance, as a local dance company provided the third activity for our triathlon.

The event raised funds for the school by the students seeking out donations sponsoring their participation (though every child participates!). It's fun for all involved, and all the funds stay at the school for technology and extra enrichment classes.

After dancing up a storm, the students were told to "strike a pose," which apparently meant falling on the ground and laughing.

Later, Violet's classmates had their turn at the obstacle course...

...the karate...

...and the dancing.

The students all enjoyed orange slices and water after their activity. Here, Violet is having her snack with Sophia, Danica and Bellina.

While the other grades were taking part, I was in a room with the volunteers, counting the donations. After school, while Cora and Sophia had their final softball practice of the season, Violet and I went to the bank and deposited the money. It was a long but productive day, all for the good of the school and the kids.

Halloween Fun!

Stace and I made our annual trip to Magic Mountain's Fright Fest, to visit our favorite friendly witch on Friday night. This time, we brought Jim and JT for their first experience of all that Fright Fest has to offer; it was fun to share the evening with Colleen and Rigo, too. We all had a great time together.

JT's parents had their children, while Grandpa kept Cora, Violet, Lucas and Liana.

Saturday was Halloween, and after Violet's baseball game, we got ready for the annual Halloween party at our friends Jen and Jason's house. We all had a good time eating, drinking, chatting and playing games with many of our school friends.

Cora wrapped up her buddy Trent like a mummy; she and Trent have known each other since they were 2-year-old Skippers together in Pioneer Club. They are classmates again this year.

Violet and Stace wrapped up Vivian...

...And then the toilet paper war began.














Then, it was Cora and Sophia's turns to be mummified.

When darkness fell, we headed home to trick-or-treat in our own neighborhood with David and Chris. Auntie Mel and Uncle Nick came along, too, and some other friends of our family.








When we were finished collecting candy, we watched a bit of the baseball World Series game and Toni and John's house. Then it was bedtime for the girls, and Stace and I watched Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow film, which is pretty much the only scary movie I'll watch.

A very pleasant Halloween was had by all!

Tidbits

Violet has been counting down the weeks to her birthday - not her 6th birthday, but her half-birthday in late October. One day in kindergarten after a birthday child shared how she had celebrated, Violet asked Mrs. Hawthorne if the class also celebrates half-birthdays. Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask, right?

On her special day this week - or half-special day - Violet made this star badge to pin on her shirt. I really wish she had written in ink instead of pencil, and the tape she put over it all to make it sturdy and waterproof doesn't help the photo either. But, she wrote "5 1/2 Birthday" and safety-pinned it to her shirt, all by herself.

We also measured Violet's height, and since her birthday, she's grown an inch and a quarter. Yay! She's now just shy of 40 inches tall.

In class this week when I was helping out, Violet got to do a special "word work" activity during the quiet reading time. Several children are chosen each day to do "word work," and Violet's activity involved matching upper case and lower case letters. Some letters were written on clear spoons, and the others on white spoons.

October is the season of "booing" your friends. It's a fun new tradition that involves secret gifts left at the door, a doorbell ring, and running away quickly. We were "booed" twice, by Vivian and Sam and Riley (kids aren't good at keeping secrets).
Violet chose to "boo" a classmate of hers, and decorated the gift of treats with these spiders.

This week was Red Ribbon Week, where the school puts on different activities to discourage drug use. One day was Crazy Hair/Crazy Sock Day, and Violet was happy to participate. She has many pony tails, and some sprayed on hair color, in addition to her fun socks.

Cora wore two different pattered knee-highs, and agreed to spray on hair color on her non-crazy pony tail. That was going out on a limb for Cora.

When I picked up Violet on Thursday after helping out at Cora's class party, I entered the room just in time to see the students modeling their new class T-shirts and spider hats. They are so adorable!

Kindergarten Party

On the day before Halloween, Violet and her kindergarten classmates were allowed to wear their costumes to school and parade around. First, they sang a few songs and paraded for the parents. Then, they walked through every class in the school. Violet decided she would be a zebra for the school dress-up time.

When they had returned, Christina and I had set up the Halloween party, with help from the other parents. She and I are sharing the room mom duties for Mrs. Hawthorne.

The children went through three stations during the parties. They put together a snack, with a tangerine "pumpkin," half banana "ghost" and pudding cup graveyard scene. They also made a craft, and I led a station of reading Halloween books.





Here's the craft Violet made: a monster, from various shapes that Christina and I cut out the week before. The children have been learning about shapes, so there was a nice tie-in.

I had a few flashback moments during Violet's party - how on earth has it been three years since Cora had her turn parading with her kindergarten friends?

After school on Friday, we went to lunch at IHOP with a large group of friends, for a free pancake promotion they were offering kids.

With so many children, it was a bit exhausting! Especially after the long few days of partying. We went home for some downtime, before Stace and I were to head out for a late night with friends at Fright Fest. More on that, later!

Third Grade Party

Cora's class had a Halloween party Thursday afternoon, with this fun craft, turning a jar into a jack-o-lantern with mod podge (glue), tissue paper and a tea light. Cora's finished product is on the right.

After crafting, the kids went outside to play the mummy game, turning one member of their little teams into a mummy with toilet paper. Cora was selected to be the mummy.

Here's the team - Trent, Cooper, Cora and Vivian. Trent's mom, Jen, put together an awesome party for these kiddos! We are blessed to have her as the room mom.

After cleaning up the toilet paper, we headed back in for a short movie and a cookie, decorated by the students.

Pioneer Club Trunk or Treat

The week of Halloween Craziness has commenced!

On Tuesday, Violet got to trick-or-treat at Mom2Mom, for the last time. With her late start kindergarten, she's having a bonus year of Mom2Mom, but next year of course she'll be in school and I'll attend alone. (sob!)

On Wednesday evening, we all attended and helped out at Pioneer Club's Trunk-or-Treat event. I helped at the bean bag toss - the ghost behind me with cut-outs for the eyes and mouth was the target.

Ignoring the Hello Kitty and Batgirl costumes we bought, Violet decided to dress as a friendly witch for this event. She put this outfit together on her own - cardboard and yarn "broom," black clothes, green tights, and black and green hat/headband. Watching her color the cardboard strip she cut out for her broom was amusing, to say the least. She is creative!

Violet went back and forth between helping me at the bean bag toss, and helping Stace pass out candy. Yes, he brought the MG, and joined several other classic cars as some of the "trunks" with candy to hand out.

She also went trunk-or-treating with some of our friends.

Cora, meanwhile, collected candy and played the games with Sophia (not pictured).

RLC Halloween Fun

Our church's fun Halloween event has grown bigger and better year after year. This year, the theme was "A Tribute to Lombardi Ranch," because our town's beloved Lombardi Ranch isn't operating this year because they don't have enough water.

We arrived at the same time as Elaine, Vivian and Violet, so we went around the trunk or treat spaces with them on Saturday.












 Some of the spaces were very elaborate; it was fun for these girls to pose with the Wizard of Oz folks, since they were in their 1st Grade Wizard production together as Dorothy and the two witches.









 Our Life Group manned a space for passing out candy, and we also had fun hanging out with Sara and Tony and some other Life Group friends. I even got to cuddle baby Adelina for a bit.
Violet, Vivian, Cora and Violet passed out candy from our booth before heading out to collect their own candy.















Christina, Cami and Melanie came too, so Violet got to see one of her favorite classmates.

The Lombardi Ranch touch was present everywhere - their bands were playing, the hay maze was set up, the train was running on the Real Life Church property, and tiny pumpkins were available for sale.

They even carted over from the Ranch the giant pumpkin, so families like us who visit every year could take their annual pumpkin photos.

It was a long evening of fun, after two baseball games in the heat earlier in the day. But it was a lot of fun, and we wouldn't have wanted to miss it!

Week in Review

On Tuesday after school, we made a quick trip to Juliana and Daryl's house, for a 5th birthday party for Natalia.

Cora was excited to show Maya her new porcelain dolls, two of the dolls from a collection I built when I was a teenager. My mom found them, and offered them to Cora, who immediately adopted them, named them, and created a nice home for them in her room.

Violet and Cora both had fun  playing with all the children at Natalia's party. Violet also loved eating the molded chocolate-covered Oreo cookies Juliana made. As always, she outdid herself in the party/hospitality department.

Wednesday was my day to volunteer in Violet's class.

On this day, the children were using little colored plastic cubes to learn about the number 8, and adding and subtracting to make 8. It seems like a good way to teach the concept, and the children enjoy it.

On Wednesday night, Stace and I helped out in Cora's Pioneer Club class. The children are earning a badge on carpentry, and Stace helped them each cut a plank of wood using a miter saw.

On Friday after school, we met up with friends at the park for lunch and playtime. The weather has cooled off nicely for such playdates.

For a time, the "big girls" sat and chatted on the far picnic table. Thankfully, Cora is still eager to play most of the time, but I know a time is coming when she'll be too old to climb all over the playground.

Violet, meanwhile, was in her element. Someone had brought a plastic gun, and Violet loved shooting everyone with it.