Hazel's teacher provides incentives for her students to take Accelerated Reader tests (like free homework passes if they double their monthly goals). Hazel jumped on the AR train and received several certificates and awards at school for how many points she's already earned this early into the year from taking reading comprehension tests. She and her friend Aarna and one other girl were the only kids in the school to have earned so many points so soon. Todd and I have always worried that she reads so fast she must not understand what she's reading, but AR and other tests she's taking at school prove us wrong. She reads fast, AND she gets it.
We give the kids an allowance. They pay tithing and save half for college and missions, then put the rest in a jar and are allowed to spend it on what they'd like. Still, we are trying to teach them to use their spending money wisely; to plan and save and not just let it burn holes in their pockets or get wasted at the dollar store or the candy aisle. Jack impressed us as he saved for literally an entire year, till he had enough to buy this coveted Lego set, Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle. At $100, we told him we were never going to buy it for him, so he decided to save up instead. We calculated how long it was going to take. He didn't lose sight of his goal. Ever. He asked to watch the Amazon video every time he got paid his allowance, and it helped him stay motivated to hold on to his money. Also, thankfully, we watched the price drop over time, till the stars aligned and it was listed for $60 right as Jack reached that amount in his savings jar. Man, was he excited when it showed up on our porch!
Also, he may come across as shy and reserved sometimes, but Jack is really just a great big goofball. He's been learning how much fun it is to be a "pest" to his big sister, and is getting pretty good at it!
The kids had a day off from school for Veteran's Day, and I could tell they all needed some down time so I didn't plan an outing. They spent the day hanging out together, reading and making marshmallow and toothpick constructions, picnicking in the backyard, and just plain being cute little buddies. It warmed my momma heart.
We like to go to the school on days off as well, so the kids can break all the rules and explore the playground without the yard duty restrictions they chafe at during recess. Todd is training them to question authority, for sure.
I let Jack be in charge of our gratitude tree this year. He gathered some sticks from the yard and put them in a vase. We printed out a bunch of leaves and pulled them out with the colored pencils when we had a handful of kids over to the house for a playdate. Mass child labor, ha! Jack got really into it, labeling easily 30 leaves on his own, but overall, it didn't generate much interest from the girls. I meant to make a family night lesson out of it, but we ran short on time and ti became just something on the table. I've got to do better next year!
For Thanksgiving, we rented a cabin in Arnold, near Big Trees State Park, with our friends, Katie and Ryan George. The place had games in every closet, as well as a sweet rec room, with foosball, air hockey, and ping pong. It was a fun place to spend a few days. We did some hiking and lots and lots of eating, and made our T-day feast there. I think Katie and I had the most fun of everyone there.
We went for a nature walk. All the kids had baggies they filled up with leaves, flowers, dirt, pinecones, you name it. Best quote of the week was from Lucas while we were all outside, in the mountains, surrounded by lovely things: "Does anybody see any nature?"
The cameras just couldn't capture it. So lovely. Some of those cabins had awesome views from their decks!
The kids had a good time climbing around all the enormous Sequoias at Big Trees. It's pretty amazing.
Gemma got really awesome at ping pong. She says she wants to take a class! Funny girl. The look of concentration on her face every time she got ready to smack the ball was really priceless.
Air hockey is still my favorite. Takes me back to my daycare working days. I was slamming those kids left and right! But was humbled when I played Katie. Adults are harder to beat!
Our Thanksgiving feast wasn't missing anything. Katie made turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cooked carrots. I provided stuffing, rolls, cranberry sauce, and a veggie platter. We had pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie. Everything was delicious and we were eating leftovers for days.
The kids built a clubhouse outside, no small feat, considering we were on a serious slope.
Katie and Ryan took our family pictures. I couldn't have asked for a more lovely background. I love how they turned out! Can't wait to print them and hang them in the house. We needed an update bad!
For FHE after Thanksgiving, we picked up our Christmas tree. It was a mad dash to Home Depot after dinner, and a miracle that they had the perfect tree. Lucky us, because it was the only perfect tree they had that met our height requirements! We snagged it and were back home in half an hour, then stayed up late decorating it. Crazy - I like it lots better when we have a Saturday afternoon to leisurely stroll through a tree farm and smell them all, but it was either that or wait a couple more weeks for a day off. It all turned out well. The tree is lovely. We had to set the star near the top, because the actual top of the tree scrapes the ceiling and we didn't want to cut it any shorter. Someday we'll have vaulted ceilings so we can better fit our giant trees!
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