PARTYING...KINDERGARTEN STYLE

Here are some pictures from Aidan's fall class party. Mrs. Cox is doing a great job teaching them self-restraint and good manners. It had to be the most tame congregation of five and six year-olds that I have ever witnessed. After making a craft, they all waited patiently to be served their snacks before anyone even touched a bite. This is something we rarely see at our own dinner table, so to see it come naturally to twelve kindergartners was interesting. Then, before they dug in, they said in unison, "Thank you, moms and dads, for bringing all the good snacks. They look yummy!" It was too cute.

There's also a picture of the Frankenstein jello cups we made for the party.

PUMPKIN PATCH

A couple of Saturdays ago, we spent the day at the Center Grove Orchard north of Ames. It was the most awesome pumpkin patch that we've visited. We actually had so much fun with all of the peripheral activities, that we ran out of time to go into the patch to pick our pumpkins. We ended up just choosing a few of the ones already brought in from the field.

The boys rode on a train with individual cars made from 55 gallon drums, "milked" a fiberglass cow, visited a one-room school house and the three little pigs' houses, watched goats, chickens, roosters, etc at the petting zoo, rode pedal tractors, climbed on a retired field tractor, played in the corn pool, maneuvered their way through a straw bale maze constructed inside a straw bale castle, attempted walking on stilts, practiced their lassoing techniques (with a little demonstration from Dad), and scrubbed a tub full of gourds. It was definitely a full day!