Fall Crafts

 I came across a really cool website with 40 fun preschool pumpkin activities. We bought 4 mini pumpkins, and I let Ian select how he wanted to "decorate" them.

Not surprisingly, the first choice involved hammering nails into a pumpkin

 ... and then "weaving" white and green yarn in a pattern on the nails.

 I was very curious about the second one. Ian helped unwrap old crayons and hot glue them to the top of a pumpkin. (Ian used the hot glue gun and Kim attached the crayons so that Ian stayed far away from the hot glue!)

 The best part was using a hair dryer to melt all of the crayons.

 The pumpkin turned out very cool!

 I didn't get a picture of Ian decorating the third pumpkin. He wanted to paint it using tempera paints. Turned out sort of like a patchwork quilt. For the last one, Ian chose another one that involved hammer and nails ... nailing buttons to the pumpkin.

 He was especially excited to nail a "propeller" to the top of the pumpkin ...

 ... and meticulously nailed nails through all four holes on some buttons. What a fun idea this was!

 Just yesterday, Ryan and Ian worked together to gather a gazillion acorns in our yard. On some website (I think Imagination Tree??), I had seen an idea to use the acorn "caps" to make prints. Both boys could do this, though Ryan was only interested for a few minutes. :)

After Ryan was all done, Ian and Kim also dipped whole (capless) acorns in paint and blew them across the page to see the paths they would make.

Fall (even in warm Texas!) is wonderful. :)

Fall Festival

A nearby church was offering a fall festival to the community. We had gone last year with some friends, and it was a blast! So, we returned this year ... with many of the same friends! Despite Ian and Ryan being a little sick, we still had a great time!

pumpkin bowling

beanbag toss

catapult the frog

train full of friends (the same one we rode a bunch at Garden Faire) -- Kati & Ethan, Caleb & Ian, Caleb, Matt & Ryan, Christopher

Kati & Ethan

Caleb B. & Ian with Caleb L. in the next car

Ryan & Daddy

riding a ferris wheel for the first time (with Caleb L.)

Garden Faire

While Matt was on a retreat with the other CLHS administrators, Kim took the boys to the Mercer Arboretum Garden Faire. We've gone the past three years or so, and it's always a great time ... plus, it's free!

We started out by doing some of the free crafts for kids ... like leaf prints,

getting a picture of yourself as a dragonfly,

and getting a hat made

(which you can then decorate ...

...and wear!)

We, of course, had to ride the bucket train four or five times. Ryan seemed to enjoy it quite a bit as well.

The boys really liked it when they could wave and laugh at each other when the train was turning in circles.

The boys' favorite activities seemed to be the train, seeing the Schnauzer dogs up for adoption, and playing on the playground. Ian's favorite playground activity was this fun tube. He used the footholes to climb up, peeked out from the middle, and then slid down the other side.

Ian also attempted this tricky rock wall,

while Ryan was a big fan of the rocking Clifford toy.

What a fun morning! :)

Ian's funny feet and new skills :)

 Do you have as many good childhood memories as I do of making leaf rubbings with crayons? I was so excited to help Ian collect various leaves and show him how to make a leaf rubbing. He may have not been excited as I was but liked it. :)

 This week was "F" week at Ian's preschool, so Thursday was "Funny Foot" day. He enjoyed getting his shoes all decorated!

Here's Ian singing some color songs he learned at preschool.

And one funny Ian quote... One recent morning, Kim set her vitamin bottle on the kitchen table. While trying (unsuccessfully) to untwist the child-proof cap, Ian said, "How does this know I'm a kid?" Make me giggle! :)

Ryan is 17 months old!

 Our littlest boy is at such a fun age ... it seems like he's making a new discovery each day!
Here's the month in a nutshell:

PHYSICAL/DEVELOPMENTAL:
*2 new teeth (the 4th molar and 1st incisor make teeth #12 and 13)
*still loves climbing or being "up" on everything
*spent a bunch of the month sick (cold, cough, runny nose, fever-type stuff) :(
*loves walking along curbs (or hoses), usually while holding one of our hands

*is getting better at going up and down curbs on his own
*enjoys hitting a ball off the tee (though it's more of a karate chop "swing" of the bat)
*enjoys closing doors that are open and asking to open doors that are closed
*loves throwing ANYthing ... often right at someone!
*most loves walking while. pushing or pulling something


SOCIAL/VERBAL:
*follows directions well (at least when he wants to :))
*loves copying what we say. Especially loves to copy when Ian says, "Uh-oh, Ry-o!"
*can definitely communicate "no!" when something happens that he doesn't like
*is learning more of his animal sounds

*very social with other babies -- spent his first Toddler Time at the library walking around between various moms and babies, smiling and interacting. He also enjoyed dancing and clapping to the music.

Dancing as Ms. Aquila leads Toddler Time

Friend Ethan and Ryan mainly  just watched while the older toddlers played with a parachute

*new words this month include: Abby (ah-mee), Andrew (ah-dew), acorn (a-doh), mower (no no), sausage (wah wah), trash (rash), Craisins (ray ray), up, down, hot, ant (at), bug, bubble, car (tah)
*starting to ask to nurse (nuh-nuh) while tapping Kim's neck ... definitely time to wean!
*can identify many of his body parts

DISLIKES: same as last month (getting nails trimmed or hair cut, getting wiped up, being in the church nursery)

FAVORITES:
*rolling vehicles along high surfaces (tables, windowsills, bathtub ledges) as well as on the floor
*dump trucks
*pick up trucks
*getting lifted up and down to the song "The Grand Ol' Duke of York"
*Mega Blocks (both putting together and taking apart)

 *bathtime with Ian

 *his stuffed puppy (that looks very similar to the puppy that Ian was attached to as a toddler)

 *dogs of any sort
*when Ian reads to or plays with him

*playing Ring Around the Rosie  ... will say "Ashes, ashes!" when we tell him what we're going to sing

*enjoys listening to books and loves to point to and identify objects on the page (one of his favorite books is "Pat a Cake")