Advent Spiral

Today Q's school had an Advent Spiral.  There was a spiral made from pine branches with a candle in the cetner.  The kindergarten and first grade teachers lit the main candle.  Each child walked with their parent (and siblings) in turn with their own small candle.  They walked into the spiral, lit their candle off the main candle, and then walked back out, placing their candle on a silver star along the spiral. 

The children had made their taper candles--they had broken up old candles with hammers, melted the wax inside canning jars in a crockpot of hot water, then dipped wicks in the melted wax to form the taper.  They carved out the center of apples and polished them as holders. 

Here is a picture someone took of us taking our turn.  Beck was super interested in all the fire and trying to blow everything out like crazy!  Quinn was all business.  She knew exactly what to do!

 

Here are some other pictures I took of her classmates. 

 

 

Then the two teachers sang Silent Night and O Christmas Tree in German and we sang the additional verses in English. 

The point of the spiral is to start off the Advent season with the reminder that as we prepare our hearts to remember the time Jesus entered the world, the closer time came to his birth, the brighter God's light became  as the "true Light" entered the world.  We are going to celebrate Advent as a family for the first time ever this year.  I've been preparing our plans for this season and the spiral was a great way to start us off!

After the spiral was, of course, snacks and playtime!  There were nuts and dried fruit, cranberry-walnut bread, and wassail.  We had so much fun playing with all the other children and there were some good teachable moments to give Beck his first lessons in standing up for himself.  Another little toddler had it out for him and kept running up and pushing him down.  This little guy also kept taking away anything Beck was playing with (like his prized sticks).  We've been working on the words and sign for "My Body/My Work" and it was a proud moment when he told the other little boy this several times.  I think the other little boy really just wanted to play with him and didn't have the skills or words yet to initiate this.  I stepped in a bit and we ended up having the best time playing with dumptrucks, buckets, acorns and our new little friend.  Made me really miss my days of teaching toddlers.  :)

Don't look, Dada.

Q has a pretend makeup set that Oma gave her (and taught her how to use....she has the vocabulary down pat!).  Beck loves to open and close the compacts and even better enjoys when Q pretends to put make up on him.  He loves the feel of the little brushes on his face. 
 

At least he wears camo for his makeup sessions, right??

Saying buh-bye to Megan and Matt

We've had a great two weeks spending time with Megan and Matt (who Q has decided to only refer to as "Police") and we were very sad to say goodbye to them tonight.  We are all looking forward to them being stateside by August. 

Here are Megan and Q doing their version of no-shave November.  Or maybe just being silly.
 

 

How he rolls....

Beck prefers to take care of "business" during meals.  At least one eating experience is complete with the red-faced grunting boy and an interruption for a diaper change.  And for the record, it was Daddy who took this picture.  I would do no such thing.  :)

Beck loves Q's school.  He toddles around on the playground like he owns it.  He always finds himself a mouth full of acorns and a pecan or stick for each hand.  In the mornings he always makes a beeline for the picnic table to get an apple slice from Ms. Kelsey. 
His latest accomplishment is mastering the tall stairs on the climbing structure.  The first step is really high, so he's never been able to get up on his own.  One day this week I looked out from the classroom (where I was helping Q put her things in her cubby) to see him proudly standing at the top.  He loves climbing up, turning the steering wheel, walking to the edge of the slide, and then laughing and stepping away.  He's a slide tease.  :)

 

And his pants (shants?) are probably our most used baby item.  Q got them for her first bday from a sweet friend, and the started out fitting her as pants, then capris, then shorts.  They still fit her as shorts since they are made with an elastic waist and stretchy material, but I decided today it was time for them to go to Beck. 

Q at school

A few weeks back a retired Waldorf teacher from Ohio came to Q's school and helped the first graders build a tree house.  The first graders literally did the majority of the work, besides cutting with the power tools.  It took almost a while week, but this man was patient enough to lead the kids through the project.  I've taught first grade and my most impressive project was making applesauce with the kids, which gave me a headache.  I can't imagine building a treehouse with them!   Pretty impressive.  The kindergarteners are enjoying the new treehouse as well, and Quinn loves the pulley and bucket to raise and lower things from the ground.  And to be true to life....One day last week when I was there to pick her up she didn't want another little girl to come up the ladder so she dropped a bucket on her head.  Argh.  Not a proud moment for me.  We've since had lots of talks about what it means when Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and one of the things we decided upon is that he would NOT want us to drop buckets on our neighbors' heads.  Oh the discussions had with preschoolers.....
 

The below two pictures I borrowed off their school page, so I didn't take these photos.  But here are the "Little Acorns" in line to go inside and eat snack--vegetable soup day!  Everyone brings a veggie each Tuesday and is in charge of prepping it for the soup pot!  You know we've been bringing a steady stream of green beans lately, as our vines are a-producin'!

 

 

Gingerbread House

Shannon gave Quinn a gingerbread house kit.  Q was TOTALLY enthralled by this (as she LOVES the book Hansel and Gretel and immediately said "It's the CANDY HOUSE from Hansel and Gretel!" when she saw the box).  She couldn't wait to make it, so Thursday afternoon while Little Man napped we set to work.  I helped with the frosting--and you should be impressed because I did all of it with a ziploc baggie cut on the end.  I was feeling too lazy to get out, fill and wash icing bags, so we went the lazy way, and it actually worked well!  Q spent over 30 minutes putting the little candies in just the right spots.  When she was finished we hunted up a copy of H&G and cuddled on a quilt to read it.  Thanks for a fun afternoon, SM!

 

Around Here

The kids and I had "pine duty" in preparation for Q's schools' Advent Spiral.  We trekked out to the woods, I climbed through very tall brush and cut pine branches.  I tossed them out of the woods to Q, who was waiting at the edge.  She then stacked them in the jogger.  Little Man ate sticks and looked at stuff.  We came home with the jogger piled high and Little Man had to ride on the handle.  Mmmm they smelled so good!

Beck is really into playing with the hose these days.  There isn't an outside play time that he doesn't end up soaked from somehow finding water in the yard, usually by means of the hose, which he does know how to turn on.  That pile of wet clothes in the background is from an earlier outing that morning.  Sometimes the boy does two-a-days!

Monday night Q rode home from dinner at Mimi's with Daddy (we'd met there and taken separate cars).  She came running into the house, "DAICIA, DAICIA, there's a COON on the roof!"  I felt like we lived in Louisiana for a moment there.  :)  By the time I came out the coon was gone, but that didn't stop Q and her coon dog from searching some more.

One day this week Q decided she wanted green beans for a snack.  So she picked em and snapped em and cooked em (I just filled the pot and turned on the burner--she stirred and watched them) and ATE EM! 

And Beck....bottoms up with the last of this raisin can.  Of course we have a replacement waiting in the pantry. 

That isn't a bloody hand....it's his first candycane! 

 

His faves.

Stick!

Airplane!

Buh-bye! 

 

Poor Buddy

He's trying to get a tooth....complete with yucky nose and rashy face from all the drooling.  Even under teething duress he's still as sweet as can be.  But we've had the largest amout of fussiness since this guy was born! 

There's no love like Daddy love!

 

Nothing like fresh library books!

 

Oklahoma

New breakfast place for us--Beverly's Pancakes.  Pretty terrific.  Thanks for the reccomendation, SM!

Boys brushing teeth.....sorta. 

 

Catching up.....

Bottoms up!  Enjoying our post-nap snack outside now that it's cool enough!
Making a sign for Aunt Meg and Uncle Matt to take to the airport.  She was really into her drawings and did a great job drawing something that actually looked like something!

Making cornbread for Mimi's birthday party. 

Her gift to Mimi--months ago she saw a picture of a pumpkin with flowers all over it.  She announced then and there that she would be making that for Mimi's birthday.  I had completely forgotten, but the week of the party she reminded me, and I forgot again, and the day before she requested a trip to buy flowers for the project.  She chose the flowers.  I drilled the holes, but she did everything else.  It took her about 30 minutes and she was very intent on finishing her task!

 

A little help from Beaux....