Here's some happy for you!
After my last post, my friend called me and told me I "sounded sad." So here's some happy for you!
I had so much fun shopping with Mason and Hannah Kate for their shoebox gifts. I was so proud of them! They did a great job picking out much needed gifts and even some fun things for their boxes. We found some really great treats this year.
We had our annual Shoebox Packing Party at church last weekend. Mason and Hannah Kate did a great job wrapping their boxes.
And then it was time to fill their boxes. We usually end up having a hard time getting our tops on the boxes because they are so jam packed!
They spent some time writing a special letter to the children who will receive their boxes. We always include our address and are hoping that one day we might receive a letter in return!
Even Ellie got in on the fun. I was so excited about the gifts I found to include in her box. She was, too, obviously. I probably should've gotten her one of everything!
My most favorite thing was this little dollie. She's so soft and cute and colorful. And, apparently, she's the "it" thing. Hannah Kate was impressed that Momma picked out a ring-around-the-rosie doll. When I asked her about that, she proceeded to explain to me in detail about the dolls that you hold hands with and ring-around-the-rosie.
This year our Children's Ministry at church packed and collected 50 boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We also collected $1,334.00 to donate and sponsor even more boxes. So exciting!
This isn't a great picture because it was one morning before school, and we were in a hurry and Mason was not excited to see the camera. In case you can't tell (because I know you can't), he's holding the FIRST PLACE ribbon he won in the science fair! His project won 1st place in the Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering category. Yes. I know what you're thinking. I better start saving now for his college education! On a side note, a year or so ago I read an article that listed the top five careers of individuals with dyslexia. Engineering was number one. Dentistry (which he has been saying since he was 4 years old that he wants to be a dentist) was number five.
We spent some time researching science fair project ideas. It just so happened that we found one about hot air balloons. We'd recently been to the Louisiana Hot Air Balloon Festival, and Mason really loved watching the balloons. He was intrigued by the different shapes and sizes and colors and very inquisitive about how they worked. So that's what sparked his interest in his project.
The purpose of his project was to find out if the size of the balloon affects how long it can fly. We used a dry cleaning bag for our balloon and a toaster as our heating source. We tested with five different lengths. Of course, the biggest balloon stayed in the air the longest. His display board turned out really cute, too. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it before we turned it in. And now we won't get it back anytime soon because his project is going to the district competition. I don't know yet when that is, but I don't think it's until January or February.
Once we turned the project in at school, Mason had to go before a panel of judges and give a verbal presentation of his project. I just can't tell you how proud I am of him!
And I'm proud of this girl, too! She's quite the artist. I don't know where she gets it from. I can't even draw stick people! She is all the time crafting and drawing and coloring and cutting and taping and pasting. Lately she's been drawing pictures from some of the books we have. Here's the first one she did:
Remember this?
Last Wednesday parents were invited to attend the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast. The kids were encouraged to dress as pilgrims or Indians. Hannah Kate was so excited to wear her daddy's old Indian costume.
And this girl . . . y'all, she is a MESS! There are not enough hours in the day to tell you about the many ways she makes us laugh!
She loves books and is always crawling up in our laps to read. She loves music and loves to dance. I guess she gets that from her brother! She loves baby dolls and purses. Usually she has a baby in one hand and a purse on the other arm. She's a firecracker, too. She wears her emotion on her sleeve always, and she will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to get her way. She throws more fits than Mason and Hannah Kate ever did! So I'm already a little concerned. But she is so full of love and joy that it's just contagious.
She loves shoes. She gets it honest. The other night she walked in to the bathroom wearing Hannah Kate's shoes. She'd even rolled up her pants!
So, yes, there have been lots of happy days! And now that Thanksgiving is here and birthdays are right around the corner and Christmas is quickly approaching, I'm looking forward to even more happy!
