November & Thanksgiving

The end of the year always flies by. November was a busy month, but I am so grateful for all the days and moments.

Early in the month, my parents flew out for Baylor's baptism. They stayed a few extra days and while Paige and Baylor were at school, we did some adventuring despite the bad weather. I got some free passes to the Railroad Museum through the library so we went and checked that out. It was a really cool museum and had so many fun kid friendly things for McCall to do.

Then even though it was pouring rain, we made a quick stop to see Snoqualmie Falls. 

The next day was a beautiful fall day so we went and walked on the Soos Creek Trail. It was wonderful though I didn't get any pictures. 

I have really appreciated Saturdays for the month of November. In October, we had something every Saturday and November we haven't really had anything, so Saturdays have been slow with getting chores done and just some quiet family time which has been needed. One Saturday, Nate worked on making a rocket with the girls and then we had the official launch and it was way cooler than I expected.

Getting it all set up for take off.

3...2...1.... Blast Off!

It was a successful take off and we were even able to do it again later in the day with Nona and Pops.

Sunrises like this just remind me of how much Heavenly Father loves me and created such a gorgeous world just for us to live on.

Paige has been busy all month with gymnastic practice and finally had her first meet right before Thanksgiving break. She did the vault for the first time and did great. She did beam and stumbled a bit more than she is used to and it got in her head. It was sweet as a mom to see her friends and teammates rally around her and comfort her and make her smile before she did her floor routine. She did amazing on floor and tied for the highest score on her team. She is so graceful and fun to watch, and I'm excited to watch her grow and compete the rest of the season.

For Thanksgiving, we drove down to Hillsboro to be with Mike and Christy and their family and Nona and Pops for the holiday. The girls did great on the drive down and slept most of the way. We made a quick stop at a thrift store and the girls had fun with Myla and playing Wednesday evening.

Thanksgiving was filled with prepping food, I went on a wonderful walk with Christy, doing a puzzle, and enjoying family time. We had a wonderful, traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was so good!

That evening, the girls got to enjoy some time in the hot tub and it was late evenings watching shows and being with family.

We got home Friday afternoon and Friday and Saturday we got the house all decorated for Christmas. 

It was a wonderful month and I'm so grateful for my sweet family that I get to do life with.

Letter J

 Letter J was a fun one! We had a craft and an activity to go with the letter J for each day this week.

Monday, McCall made a jellyfish out of a paper bag. She first painted the bag the color she wanted her jellyfish. We let it dry and then after lunch is cut the tentacles with a little help from mom and put on googly eyes and drew on the cutest little smile.

Then we did some juice taste testing. We had apple juice, orange juice, and mango juice. Her favorite was the mango.

Tuesday, she created a jack-o-lantern. She cut out of big pumpkin and the face pieces then together we glued them on.

Then she did a jack-o-lantern matching game. I printed off a lot of different faces and she had to find the matches. She would give me a thumbs up when she found one. It is her new thing to agree or say good job and it's the cutest.

Wednesday, we started with a jewel craft. First, she traced the uppercase and lowercase J and then we have these cool jewel stickers that she put on the J's.

Then I got the musical instruments out and we played them while we listened to jazz music.

Thursday, she made a cute jaguar craft out the letter J. I cut out the J and glued it on and then drew the different pieces. McCall cut the pieces out and glued them on. Then I got some blank stamp ink out and she used her finger to put the dots of the jaguar. Then she added the cute face.

Then after lunch, she played in Jell-O. I got some cookie cutter out, a spoon, a small spatula, and a butter knife so that she could create, cut, and eat the Jell-O. She really enjoyed this and it was a fun tasty treat and a bonus is that she got to play with her food.

Friday, she did a jet craft. I cut out and glued on the lowercase j and then she cut out the different jet pieces and the clouds to finish her picture.

And our last activity of the week was jellybean sorting and counting. I put a pile of jellybeans on the table and then I had McCall sort them by color. Then we counted how many jellybeans were in each pile. Then of course we got to enjoy eating some of them and trying all the different flavors.

What a fun week! McCall loved preschool and is always ready to learn and try new things. Next week we will take a break with it being Thanksgiving and lots of time with family.

Letter I

Letter I: Monday, McCall made an island out of the uppercase I. I cut out the I and then McCall cut out the leaves and water, and I helped a little with the leaves of the palm tree. She added a sun, some fish, and coconuts to her final product.

Then, Tuesday we talked about igloos and what they were. Then she created on with marshmallows and toothpicks. She had fun with this one and got to enjoy eating some of the marshmallows.

Wednesday was an insect day. She used her fingers and dipped them in stamp ink. Then she looked at a picture and added legs and eyes to the different circles to create lots of different insects. 

Thursday, we did some fun ice activities. First, I put a whole bunch of ice in a pan and then I let her paint them with watercolors.

Then I put some ice in a bowl and water in a bowl along with some insects to play with. I gave her tongs and a spoon and just let her use her imagination and play. It kept her entertained for quite a while.

Friday, we made some puffy paint and then she created an ice cream cone.

On Saturday, we finished up the eat, and made some homemade ice cream. McCall and Baylor wanted to make some, so they mixed their ingredients in a small bag. Then we put them in a larger bag with lots of ice and squished them around. It was taking longer than we wanted so we ended up putting the bags in the freezer.

Later in the day, they got to enjoy their delicious ice cream!

Letter H

Letter H was fun! We started Monday with an uppercase H that we made into a horse. I cut the H out and drew the different pieces. She cut where she could and I helped in some areas and then she glued all the pieces on.

Tuesday, we did Helping Hands. I helped trace a few of her hands on a large paper and then I let her trace her own hand. We talked about how our hands can help and we talked about how what McCall can do to help. The cute thing was that I wrote on each hand and then my ideas was to have McCall draw a picture of each one but then she did her own writing and "re-wrote" each of the things on the hands.

Wednesday, we talked about and cut different shaped and then she created a house out of the shapes. Then she colored and added more details like clouds, birds, a cat, grass, and flowers.

Thursday, she traced the lowercase and uppercase H and then she stamped hearts all the way around the H's.

Then we played hide and seek which was fun and she loved it. The first few times, McCall would just hide in the same spot I would hide so I had to remind her to find new places to hide and to be really quiet. She got better and got pretty good at it. It was fun to see her cute, little smile when I would find her.

Then she had a hot dog for lunch.

Friday, she made a hat out of a paper bowl. She painted it and then once it dried and since it was red, she wanted to make it a Marshall (Paw Patrol) hat and wanted to save the day.

And to end our fun H week, we enjoyed some hot chocolate.

It's Great to be 8!

Baylor turned 8 and chose to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her birthday happened to be on a Saturday, so she had a birthday and a baptism on the same day. What a beautiful and wonderful day!

In October, in preparation for her baptism, we went up to the temple and took pictures in her baptism dress. She looked stunning! Paige did her hair, and I took a Book of Mormon that I painted to add in for some of the pictures. She looked so grown up and had a glow about her as we walked around the temple grounds.

This is the start of her own covenant path and her next step with be going inside the temple one day. She will grow, learn, and develop in the meantime. I look forward to being part of this journey with her and watching her love of Jesus and the gospel grow.

The baptism was beautiful. She wanted all girls to be a part of her program besides Dad baptizing and confirming her. She had her cousins say the prayer, Grandma and Aunt Christy do the music, Paige and I were the witnesses, Aunt Anna gave the talk on baptism, and Nona gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. 

I was busy on Friday and Saturday morning, making cookies and making sure I had all the details for her baptism and birthday. We had lots of family in town, and it was a wonderful day celebrating Baylor.

She was nervous and excited. Nate and Baylor looked perfect in the while jumpsuits. I loved the little moments in the locker room with Baylor. She was glowing and she was radiating joy and goodness.

The baptism and program were beautiful. A friend from school that Baylor invited that isn't a member of our Church attended, and it was the sweetest thing. I didn't realize she was there until the opening song, and I looked back and saw Abigail and she gave me the sweetest smile. I let Baylor know her friend was there and it was the most genuine, exciting face from Baylor that brought tears to my eyes. Her dad and brother came to the baptism with her, and it was such an amazing thing that they showed up and supported Baylor. She also had friends and leaders from church support her and family. Mike and Christy even drove up and drove back home all in one day for Baylor. The baptism was sweet, and I loved being a witness. She got dressed super quick and even beat Nate getting dressed. Both the talks were sweet and perfect for Baylor. I loved listening to the confirmation and the blessing that Nate gave her. The things that I remember about it were how she will be a good friend and example to those around her. She will be a light to her world. I'm glad I warned her beforehand about this, but she was not a fan after the confirmation having to go around the circle and shake everyone's hands. Most everyone was a good sport and gave her a fist bump but her face the entire time was not happy about it with quite the squishy, faced scowl. Then Bishop gave his remarks and talked about a Kit Kat and how KAT is to remember your baptismal covenants. (Keep His commandments, Always remember Him, and Take His name upon you). He asked if she liked kit kats, and she straight up said no, which was kind of funny and true to Baylor. She is true to herself, and I hope she always stays that way.

I wish I would have gotten a big family picture of those that attended but I did get some immediate family pictures in her pretty baptism dress. It was funny that I said it was time to take a sisters picture, meaning my girls and Myla jumped in and wanted to be in a picture. She just wants a sister and I'm glad that she came because Baylor loves being with her.

Then we had a wonderful family birthday dinner and party in the evening. She got so many fun presents, and I love watching Baylor open presents because her face says it all. 

Paige worked hard most of the day and had grand plans for Baylor's cake. She wanted to do a drip cake which worked out pretty well. We put the whipped cream on top too soon and it melted down. Paige was pretty disappointed but I'm glad my mom was here to help her with the process. I know that she learned a thing or two but claims she never wants to frost a cake again. It tasted delicious and Baylor was happy with it!

Happy birthday Baylor! It was a big day for you, and I hope you always remember how much I love you and how immensely your Father in Heaven loves you. You received the best gift today that you will use for the rest of your life. I'm grateful that I get to be your mom and celebrate life with you!