F is for 4!!! F is for Fall!!

With Deacon's birthday fast approaching, I decided to make our letter "F" week a "F is for 4" theme as well as "F is for Fall".  We did lots of worksheets & crafts using presents, candles, & balloons as often as we used leaves, acorns, & pumpkins.  It got him really geared up for his big celebration & excited about the big "4".  He now knows how to write all of his letters through F & got lots of practice on writing the number 4.  My niece Paige was also around for most of the week so she sat in on some of our learning sessions.  Deacon was as excited to be able to help her as she was about getting into our sessions!  Below are some pictures of how we spent our time focusing on F, 4, & fall!

I always let the crazies watch a short video about the letter we are learning.

 We used some leaves to do math -- this week he was introduced to adding rather than subtracting.

Helping Paige color after a connect-the-dots worksheet

K used her fine motor skills to place "leaves" on the tree (m&ms)

We used these leaf cards a lot -- D played the matching game, K paired them up, & we did some color exercises with them

K practiced number sequencing with numbered leaves

A little exercise D did about his 4 years of life

Practiced our shapes making this Halloween cat

Our cooking craft was assembling acorn cookies... so simple!

 The busy artists... I had to place double the kisses as they used one & would eat one.

 Paige was ready to dig into the icing

Turned out rather cute!

A Pajama Partee with Paige!!

I'm a gal from the East Coast who ended up over on the West Coast because of my military man!  We have tons of fun & get to go on lots of adventures & I don't hate my place in this life for one second, but I do miss being near my family back in S. C. to say the least. Well, my sister put herself in the same predicament & was landed in Las Vegas by her Air Force husband about one month before we moved here!  It was a blessing for both of us to receive orders while on the East Coast to move to West Coast within about 2 months of each other!  We are each other's only family way out here & thankfully there are just 3 hours separating us.  She planned to come visit for Deacon's birthday week & my crazies were thrilled -- they are just smitten by her little one, Paige, & absolutely love for Paige to come & see them.  Here are some shots of Paige's first night during her stay on what my crazies named a Paige Pajama Partee!

All of the monkeys have to jump on the bed!

They adore her!!

3 Peas in a Pod!

Painting Pumpkins at the Painted Rocks

In the fall with Halloween approaching, it has become an annual craft to let my crazies paint pumpkins. Well, for anyone who has been to Fort Irwin, you know that a known landmark for the post is the Painted Rocks right before entering the installation gate.  Units come here for training & while here for the month, they take the time to paint their rock with their unit signs or symbols.  It is very interesting to look around at all of the rocks & see the names & messages of soldiers who have come through.  So, I loaded the crazies, the paint, the pumpkins, & a little water to head out to the painted rocks to let the crazies paint their pumpkins.  It made for hassle-free painting session on their pumpkins as well as some exploration time around the rocks.  We all loved it!

A Fort Irwin Landmark -- the Painted Rocks

The crazies getting their painting on!

K, my little artist!

D stays so focused while K is more of the free spirit!

You can see for miles & miles

 D & Dad doing a little exploring

The Start of Birthday Week!!!

So today kicked off birthday week around here -- I cannot believe it.  At all.  My little guy will be 4 on Friday.  He is excited & ready for the big "4" but his momma is still in denial that he is growing or aging at all.  

Birthdays are a big deal at our house & we pretty much celebrate all week long.  The Sunday before the big day we have cook a breakfast that is the b-day person's choice.  Deacon is a fan of eggs with cheese, sausage, & butter biscuit & so that is what we all enjoyed!  And the whole week I try to cook meals that I know he loves, because, after all, it is his week!

We also kicked off our birthday box -- a box of goodies that the birthday person gets to pick from once a day.  I am NOT huge on toys & gifts so it is NOT a box full of toys -- some of the ideas are simple.  For example, there is a coupon that says "You can stay up as late as you want tonight" & so it becomes a late night for him (& also a no nap day for him so that he will still crash before 9:00, haha). There is another coupon that says "You get to pick where our family goes out & eats dinner tonight" & when he names it that it where we go (I know it will be the DFAC as he is obsessed with soldiers right now & wants to eat where the soldiers eat, ugh.).  There is also his favorite drink, snack, & 2 toys that are related to Army stuff.  So, it is just a fun way each day to celebrate the person with a birthday in our family & remind them that this week is all about them!

Lastly, we completed a birthday questionnaire with Deacon -- just a list of questions that tell about who it his at the age, what he likes & loves, & what his dreams are for this year.  It is so much fun to do & document the boy that he is & read about in years to come.  I started this with him at 3 & will probably do it until he refuses to participate anymore.  I fill in the answers on a piece of paper & scan it into our photo book scrapbooks as a keepsake.  There are a number of questionnaires on Pintrest -- you just have to find the one you like or create one for yourself.  

So, in 5 days my boy will be 4 & we are going to spend the week celebrating him!!

A breakfast for champions, or a very hungry 4 year old

Digging in -- sweet tea & all, of course he got to pick out his drink too

His birthday questionnaire

The infamous birthday box

Choosing... of course he went for the biggest gift in the box

 Oooooh!!! So excited!!

One happy kid!!

An Accidental Boarder

My oldest crazy loves vehicles.  Love doesn't begin to describe it.  He is infactuated with anything that has wheels & has been as long as I can remember.  He could spout off car makes & models at the age of two & is very aware of everything on the road.  I love this about him & just know he will use this somehow in his future in hobby or profession.

We did not find out what we were having while we were pregnant with him & had a very gender-nuetral nursery when we brought him home.  I have always thought that we would pick a bedroom theme for him once he went to a regular bed because by then we would know what he loves & his passions would be reflected in his room more than mine.  

Well, upon moving to California, we let him pick out what his new bedroom theme would be & of course he went with a transportation theme.  We found the fun quilt & signs & thought we had the room looking good & complete.  Until he found an old license plate in our garage.  Deacon insisted that he wanted it hung up in his room with the rest of the car stuff & well, it turned into a fun boarder for his room.  I found a deal for 12 for $25 on Ebay, bought them, & we hung them at the middle part on the wall around his room & it looks perfect with his transportation themed bedroom.  And Deacon could not be happier... he loves his room!

Still using the letters from his nursery, just repainted

His transportation quilt

a fun nightlight that Meme had in her attic

and the license plates (the flash made them reflect)

Ghost Truffles

This week is an "off" week for me & the crazies.  Soldier man has a 4-day which means it is a 3 day week for me & the kids, but with Tuesday morning Bible Study to attend, we are left just 2 days to ourselves.  So, for our learning we usually review what we have done & take the "off" time to do more seasonal crafts & cooking.  

We got into the kitchen today & made some Ghost Truffles & had a blast!  Oreo truffles are a favorite of mine, but to add a Halloween flare, we dipped them in white chocolate, added some ghost faces, & wha-lah -- we had a dish full of ghosts!  And they were as delish to eat as they were fun to make!

D stirring the melting chocolate with K supervising

A dish of yumminess

We used a wooden skewer to poke & dip -- super easy for the kids to help with

D letting the excess chocolate drip

K getting in on the dipping action 

Abunch of truffles post-drying phase 

How cute is he!?!

Abunch of ghostly truffles

Boulder Creek Pumpkin Patch

We still aren't quite experiencing fall here in the desert -- the days are still kinda warm & we haven't quite gotten to pull out our cooler-weather clothes yet -- if we take the hike into town it does start to become cooler & more like fall.  Over the weekend, we decided to take the crazies to a pumpkin patch. We had NO idea what to expect & became even more skeptical as we rode through neighborhoods with fancy houses & yards full of dirt & rocks.  We finally came upon the ranch that was hosting the event & it was quite a treat!  There was a petting zoo, redneck swings, tons of pumpkins, bouncy houses, a playground, pond, & tons of things to keep the crazies busy for a few hours.  We had a blast & loved capturing some pictures in the "pumpkin patch" where the crazies pushed pumpkins & climbed all over them & just enjoyed being in a wide open place to play.  It was fun to be off the island for the day & especially at a place where it felt like fall, even if it was just for 3 hours.

Family Picture at the Patch

And Annual Thing We Do With the Crazies

 Deacon by the pond & Mini Tractor Racing

Ready, Set, Go!

And D is Off!

K on the Redneck Swing -- she hated it!

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 The crazies in the having fun in the pumpkin patch

 Love these two!!

Playing with the Boulder Creek Train