Navigating the hilly terrain of motherhood
I am thankful for so many things this year. I am thankful for a husband who is willing to build an igloo outside in the dark, and two little girls who find great joy in doing this with him…
I am thankful for a family that is full of love, and is not afraid to show it…
I am thankful for two sweet girls who laugh together and take care of each other, and make me laugh every day (see Grace's turkey beak?!)…
I am thankful for our little part of the Maine woods, this beautiful place we call home.
Tess may not be the queen of hula hooping (not yet, at least), but she can throw that monkey (named Bobo) with the best of them. I just wish you could have heard the song she was singing as she danced and tossed around poor Bobo. I also wish I had been able to catch part one of her act on film — she was dressed up as a fairy and sang a very sweet fairy song. I can't wait to see what she comes up with for our first annual Christmas Eve family talent show (the rest of you family members had better be ready to face some stiff competition next month!).
Today's obsession was hula-hooping. It started at school, then continued at home, where Grace practiced a show up in her room, then suddenly appeared wearing a swimsuit and fancy (clip-on) earrings. That child is a master hula-hooper (hoopist?). She can do it around her neck…
And around one arm…
And while signing the entire alphabet…
She even takes requests (I believe Tess asked her to hula-hoop while standing on one foot)! I think the kid would have kept going all night, but it was bedtime. Thank goodness there's no school tomorrow — more time for hula-hooping!
Grace and Tess put on a show for us on Friday. It had a couple of different acts, the best of which was the Peacock Dance. Grace made up her own song about a peacock, then made a mask and held her peacock feather while dancing… like a peacock! It was very creative. The second act (pictured below) had something to do with a frog. As usual, Tess was the announcer and the backup dancer throughout. Those two make quite a pair.
We spent lots of time outside this weekend enjoying the beautiful weather — I promise! We raked, played baseball, got ready for winter, etc. But we also spent time inside experimenting, using simple science kits a friend gave us. The girls made bubbly water, wrote with invisible ink, and made pepper flakes shoot away from a toothpick (very cool!). Then later, while Grace and I went to visit our neighbors, Adam helped Tess make a boat out of aluminum foil, clay, and paper. It was seaworthy! Hooray for experimentation!!
Tess made this it school, then came home and did a play about love. Oh, the sweetness. See how big the pink heart is on that little person? I'm pretty sure Tess's heart fills her whole body, too.
Every Tuesday, the first- and second-grade class gets to spend time with the kindergartners. They call this "K time." For the past two weeks, they've played parachute games. This was sweet enough without adding on the fact that my girls get to be together. They look forward to this time, and feel extra-special since they are the only siblings in those classes. So sweet.
Adam and Grace went to New Jersey last weekend to visit family, and Tess and I stayed home and played together. We played superhero, and restaurant, and horseback riding, and babies, and we played with Playmobils and Calico Critters. Oh, and we made applesauce and molasses cookies. We had a wonderful time together. I love my supergirl (her sidekick is pretty cute, too).
Yesterday at school, Tess had her first real lesson on how to read. She came home armed with a simple book and a popsicle stick, tremendously excited to show off her new skill. Words cannot describe how awesome it was to witness her excitement, and to watch her "read" to her dad the very moment he walked in the door.
Today, parents were invited into the 1-2 classroom for a writing and science celebration. The kids have been working on stories and had the opportunity to read them aloud to parents. They were fabulous. Grace's was about carving pumpkins at a friend's house.
As an added bonus, we also got to see their final projects for their science unit on habitats. Each kid had studied an animal and created a physical project about its habitat. Grace's was the owl. She made a very cool owl habitat out of a box and a paper towel roll, plus some felt and pine needles and such. She made her owl out of clay and and hung it from the top of the box. Very creative.
Next we got to see the display of their imaginary creatures. Each kid made up a creature that could live on or around the island, and took photos of possible habitats for that creature. Grace's was a Merowl – cross between a mermaid and an owl. Merowls love to drink lemonade. Awesome. I love that school.
Travelingjenny 
