Halloween

 Allison has been reading Little House on the Prairie at school and decided that she wanted to be Laura for Halloween. It was our second year of literary costumes. I made our dresses, aprons, shawl, and bonnet. 

We used our basket to carry our candy. 

It was warm (22 degrees) and we spent the afternoon in costume at a classmate of Allison's house for a birthday party and then trick or treated through our neighborhood, before having dinner and trick or treating with our pastor's family.

Allison took the no-smiling rule for old-timey pictures very seriously.

Fall Activities

 This afternoon we had a church picnic at Loose Park. Allison loves to climb this tree.

On days with good weather, we stay after school (along with a dozen or so other families) to let the kids run on the field and play on the playground. We were early today and Allison and I had fun posing with a branch we found on the ground.

Our new carpet arrived today! We've been slowing putting together our sitting room. Our furniture was delivered in July, coffee tables came in August, and now we have a rug!

This is how I found Allison this morning - trying to get the cereal down to make her own breakfast.

Allison went to a classmate's birthday party. I bought the classmate a gift card to a local bookstore, but since it was an American Girl doll party, I wanted to send a little extra gift with it so I made a jumper and white shirt out of fabric I had from an old skirt of Allison's.

Allison found my old Boxall sweatshirt in her closet of hand-me-down's. I love seeing her in it.

Sugar Cube Pyramid

 The sugar cube pyramid project is the the ultimate activity in 2nd grade. Allison talked about this project all through the first grade. I was able to go to the school to help the kids put it together. It's used as a way for kids to learn how to square numbers (1, 4, 9, 16, etc). Using only icing and sugar cubes they make a pyramid. 

The kids did a great job. Allison was very proud of finishing first - but then she had nothing to do but sneak bits of icing.

 

Homemade Zipline

 Allison and Nathan were too quiet in the yard. This is what I found them up to.