Here's what we were up to in November.
Mimi and Papa came for a visit, and Ethan was a great helper with the pre-visit cleaning. Apparently, cleaning a mirror is easier (or more fun!) when you actually sit inside the sink. Sadly we apparently didn't get any pictures of the actual visit :(
My hometown has a big shindig every November called The Host of Christmas Past. There are Dickens-esque characters walking around, a plethora of Christmas-themed activities, fun stuff for the kids, and more food than you could ever want. Oddly, this was my first time to go to this festival. In fairness, it got started after I graduated high school and no longer lived at home. And I've never really felt inspired to come back home just for this. But I knew the kids would love it, and they were finally old enough to enjoy it--and not have any major melt downs! So we decided to give it a try, and we had so much fun that we may just have to make it an annual affair for the next few years!
First, there were live reindeer--straight from the North Pole ;) You may notice Kaitlyn gazing wistfully over the fence at the reindeer. That's because they were charging an arm and a leg to have pictures made with the
beast cuddly creature. So we said no to the official pictures, and the kids settled for watching the animals from a nice safe distance. Fun fact: did you know that reindeer shed their enormous antlers every year and grow new ones? Those things must grow fast!
We didn't feel guilty saying no to the reindeer because we knew we had something better in store for the kids later. Pony rides! You may remember back in October when the kids had their first horse experience at Oktoberfest. Those ponies were tied to a metal frame and walked around in a circle all day. These ponies were much better. The kids had to wear helmets, and the horses were led around an enclosure by a handler. It was a pretty roomy space, so I think they got a more authentic experience this time around.
Ethan's horse was the perfect size for him. Love the Santa hat on the pony!
As usual, no fear from this child!
Kaitlyn's horse was significantly bigger. Maybe not a full-sized horse, but a bit bigger than she was expecting. Even though she adamantly denied it, I could tell by her face that she was nervous at first. But after a couple of minutes, she was all smiles and happily chatting away with the young girl who was leading her horse. She is now totally in love with all things horse-related. She's even asked Santa for a toy horse set, complete with a stable, horses, hay bales and fences.
After the pony rides, the kids got their faces painted. It's hard to see Ethan's in this picture, but he has a cute reindeer face painted on his nose with antlers branching out over his eyes. He got lots of "Oh how cute!" from complete strangers as we walked around the downtown square. Kaitlyn's cat face didn't last too long before she managed to scratch it off.
Here's a picture of the kids with one of the costumed characters walking around the festival.
Later in the month, Kaitlyn's
kindergarten class put on a Thanksgiving Program for the parents.
Kaitlyn chose to be an Indian and selected the name Princess Spotted
Horse. Given her love of horses, this was a very fitting name. She waved
to us when she saw us in the audience.
Aren't
those the most adorable Pilgrims and Indians ever? Kaitlyn's come a
long way in her stage performances. When she started Otter Creek preschool, she
wouldn't utter a word or a note on stage, and now she's singing with
confidence. What a difference a few years make!
Her whole class afterwards in their classroom.
We apparently neglected to get any Thanksgiving pictures, but we spent the holiday with my mom in Fayetteville, enjoying some unseasonably pleasant weather. When we came back home, it was time to pull out all of the Christmas decorations. The kids were super-pumped about decorating the tree (although you may not be able to tell it from Kaitlyn's concentrated expression).
Christmas Season, here we come!
