I Love Snow! - and other December fun

It came earlier than expected!

Our first real snow this year!

We were just coming out of Stake Conference in Cherry Hill, NJ

and it was already inches deep, and really coming down.

The normally 40 minute car ride turned into a 3 hour adventure.

Thankfully, I hadn't cleaned out the van the day before,

and we were able to find fruit snacks, chips and unopened sodas to snack on.

We did eventually end up eating snow,

but the kids were troopers, and we made it home happily and in one piece.

Two days later, after the roads improved,

I went to the store to buy all 3 kids new boots

and snowpants 

Caleb throwing a snowball at me

Ashlynn eating snow

Our Snowman :)

Well, we've been so busy this month already!

Here are some other things we've been up to...

We picked out a tree the day after Thanksgiving

We decorated it the same day

The two big kids were such a help!

I love how it reflects in the bay window!

So Pretty!

The kids wanted their own trees,

so my mom found these foil ones at the Dollar Tree

I made paper angel toppers,

and the kids used buttons and paperclips for ornaments

We started our countdown to Christmas-

(this year it's our countdown to seeing Daddy again too!)

My Brother and his wife both work at Chick-fil-a

They had a special family event, so we went

It was on a Saturday morning,

we got free waffles and hot cocoa

We also got cow hats, and two Crafts!

Then there was the cow and Santa to take pics with...

and Santa gave everyone a Chick-fil-a Cow

We had such a good time!

Here is one of the crafts, a gingerbread house ornament.

The kids got to decorate the inside

The other craft was a mug you could decorate...

somehow I don't have any pics of that one :/

The other morning we were out of cereal, 

which is everyone's favorite, so I decided to make pancakes.

I love making them "special"

so I ended up making Christmas trees, with chocolate chip "ornaments"

the kids had a lot of fun decorating/ eating them

Here are our footprint/handprint Rudolfs

I think they turned out pretty cute

We're not done getting ready for Christmas yet!

Check back in a while for more December fun :)

I Love Crafting - Caterpillars/Butterflies

We revisited butterflies for Science at homeschool...

This time around we reviewed their life cycle and metamorphosis,

but we also learned about their self defense mechanisms.

Since the new information was slightly over their heads,

I really wanted to make something fun that Caleb and Ashlynn could have 

 to remember how caterpillars turn into butterflies.

And I found a great FREE tutorial online, and I had to share!

Here is the link

Mine are not nearly as cute as they could have been,

but I threw all 3 together in one evening

using scrap fabric from my Mom's basement  -  just sayin'

They actually close up really well on the bottom,

but I wanted to show how the butterfly part

tucked up into the caterpillar body.

just a quick flip, and it's a butterfly!

Ashlynn can't do it on her own, but Caleb and Marigold 

don't seem to have much trouble with them.

They like them, especially Ashlynn during sacrament meeting at church.

Let me know if you try this out!

I'd love to see pics!

I Love Pie! - Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting ready for Thanksgiving is fun,
and the kids make it even more so.
I really enjoy crafting with them,
and it's extra nice to hear what they are thankful for
as we make things together.

Mmmmm....cornucopia snack mix

aka - bugles and runts

the only kind of turkey sandwiches my kids eat...

the cheese ones shaped like turkeys

We made obligatory handprint turkeys,

and picked 4 things we are thankful for to write on the feathers

(Caleb thought the waddles were tongues, and said his turkey needed a blue tongue)

What We're Thankful For:

Ashlynn: Balloons, Food, toys, and milk

Caleb: Daddy, Aunt Harjot and her baby, toy room, and moving to NJ

Marigold: warm clothes, our playroom, holidays, and eternal families

Me: My family, the Gospel, heating, and the beauty of the Earth

As promised, here is a pic of our completed leaf pile...

some are missing, having fallen victim to Ashlynn,

but we read a lot of books!!

Our new book bulletin is already up, 

check back next week to see it :)

***

In our family, the day before Thanksgiving is Pie Day.

We made 14 this year, not all of which are pictured below:

3 apple, 4 pumpkin, 2 Chocolate Oreo, 1 Key Lime, 1 Coconut Cream,
1 Cherry, 1 Carrot, and 1 Sweet Potato with Maple Meringue...
My brother CJ also made a Pecan Pie
(the kids made the name cards to label the pies)

Thanksgiving is always great,

but it was so much fun to work on the meal 

with my Mom and Sister in law, Harjot.

We had 13 adults, and 7 kids for dinner...

it was the definition of the more, the merrier :)

The food was so good, and there were lots of leftovers,
which is my favorite part of the holiday.



Decorating for Christmas began the day after,
we had so much fun working together to get the house ready!
Here's a sneak peek - she's too cute!

I Love Veterans -

This year, instead of taking a day off,

we spent Veterans Day focusing on why we celebrate it, 

and learning about Veterans.

We Facetimed Jared,

and the children asked him about veterans.

I'm so proud of the work he does, and the way he has served, and continues to serve

us and our country.

  

Marigold interviewed my Grandfather, who lives next door.

He served in the Air Force during the Korean War.

We learned so much about him!

Then we took a drive to the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery out past Clayton.

It is beautifully kept, and the kids got to learn about the branches of the Military,

as well as the different wars the Veteran's served in.

Some of the stones listed medals the Veteran had earned 

such as The Purple Heart or Bronze Star

We even briefly talked about POWs

Next, we interviewed my Father in Law.

He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.

It is so nice that Skype makes things like that possible.

We then went to Eglinton Cemetery,

to see the graves of my Great Uncle Earl and Pop-Pop Clement's graves.

They served in the Army, and Navy during World War II.

We saw how every grave that denoted a Veteran was buried there, had a flag.

We talked about the groups that place flags to honor our Vets.

Last, we went to the Veteran's Memorial in Paulsboro, NJ.

It honors the Veterans from Paulsboro would served

in World War I, World War II, and The Korean War.

I was very proud of how reverent the children were when we visited 

the cemeteries and memorials, and of how much they learned.

I honor all of the veterans, male and female, who have served or are 

currently serving.  Especially those in my family, whose names are so numerous, 

I won't list them all.  You know who you are, and we love and appreciate you so much!

I Love Holidays!!

We celebrated Dia De Los Muertos and Diwali 

all in one weekend!

Here are a few pics:

We decorated masks,  

and ate skull and bone candy

Then we listened to some Mexican music and Danced!

We also found a really cute short film found here: Day of the Dead Short Film

It is totally appropriate for kids too!

***

Then, we celebrated Diwali - 

My Sister in Law, Harjot, is from India,

and this is a major holiday there...

I decided to decorate the Dining room with flower rangoli and 

and bowl with floating flowers and lots of candles.

(Diwali is a festival of lights after all)

We also gave her a gift - 

I sure love Harjot!

She is so sweet, and deserves all the best!!