Parent Teacher Conferences

Last night I went to parent teacher conferences.   I was very pleased to hear what all the teachers said about the kids.  Dillon is doing very well (he was the one I was most concerned about because he is so young).  Hi teacher says he keeps up with the class, is improving on his handwriting, listens and follows instructions very well, and is very nice to be around.  Zane is also doing very well.  He is learning to read and really enjoys it.  His handwriting is aso getting better and he is a good speller.  She says he is a good listener and very good in class.  Makenna's teacher says she is an amazing student.  She is an excellent reader. 2nd graders are supposed to read 50-60 words per minute and she tested at 159.  She is in 3rd grade reading and goes 3 times a week with one other student to a special reading class.  Her teacher says she is also good at art, story writing and math, and she is an excellent speller.  Maddi's teacher also had good things to say.  She enjoys Maddi and Maddi is a good student.  She too, is in a special reading group with advanced readers.  She also goes three times a week to a special reading group.  She said Maddi is good at art math, story writing, and english.  All the kids got A's on their report cards and they all seem to really like school and their teachers.  Anyways, it was all things a mother loves to hear about her children!  I am very proud of them and all the work they do.

Halloween Party Number ?

There is a Moms Club here in Sioux Falls that I have been looking into.  They had a halloween party this morning that I took Zeke, Olivia, and Sam (a little boy I was babysitting) to.  They had fun.  They got to dress up again which Olivia loves.  There was balloons, fun music, lots of kids, decorations, prizes on the tables, pizza, apples, cupcakes and drinks.  There was also trick-or-treating.  It was held at some fancy country club in which I felt totally out of place, but oh well.  I met a few people - not that I can remember their names.  Some were very friendly, others well... Overall we had a fun time and I would like to go to a few more activities to see what it's all about.

Trunk-or-Treat

Last night we did trunk-or-treating at the church.  They had games set up in the gym that the kids got to play.  They had a lot of fun.  At first Olivia was a little wary of playing the games but once she figured out that she got a candy afterwards she was dragging me all over the gym playing all the games.  After about an hour of playing games we got to trunk-or-treat.  It had started raining so we didn't actually get to go out to the cars, they just came in and lined the hallways and set up in the class rooms and the kids went from person to person.  The kids didn't seem to mind but I felt bad for the people who had decorated their cars and trunks.  Anyways, it was fun for everyone.  Last night as we were putting the kids to bed, I went in to Olivia's room to help her and found her in the floor with her bag of candy.  She was planning on taking it to bed with her!  She got very upset when I took it away.  Can you imagine - a little girl with a bag full of chocolates and sticky things in her bed!  Her problem would be that she had so much candy she would open one and take a bite or a lick and then put it down and want to try the next piece.  She would've been totally stuck to her bed the next morning - that and completely wired for the next week!  I love this age when they first figure out trick-or-treating.  Maddi's first time we went to one door and they gave her two big handfuls of candy.  Her eyes got huge and she said "I love you!" and went running off the porch.  That brought many laughs.  Zane would get a piece and then want to sit down and eat it straight away.  They have all done funny things and I love watching them figure it all out and get so excited.

Will it ever end?

This morning Zeke woke up with another fever.  Not too high, just over 100, but he just layed around complaining of his cheek and eyes hurting.  Eventually the Tylenol kicked in and he livened up a little, but still, I am SO sick of having people sick!  Olivia has now developed a cough and spends half the night coughing and rolling around in her bed.  Zeke started coughing during lunch and almost threw up.  I'm still coughing too.  Everyone else seems to be okay.  Makenna didn't feel good Sunday afternoon.  I gave her Tylenol and that seemed to perk her up and she's been fine since then.  It's going to be a long winter if this doesn't pass over us soon...

Play group

Today for play group everyone came to our house for a little halloween party.  Some of the kids dressed up.  We played, went on a wagon ride and decorated cookies.  The kids enjoyed eating the candy more than putting it on the cookies.  I was okay with it - their moms would have to deal with the sugar highs, not me!  It was fun and we were glad it was a nice day out side so we could enjoy the wagon ride!  We were glad Michael agreed to take us too:)  I even got to drive for a little while.  The horses were being knot heads though so I only drove for a little bit.  One started running towards the ditch so Michael took over and got us home without any wrecks!

Spiderman?

Dillon made this cute hat at school.  He got off the bus wearing it and we of course had to be afraid and run from the scarey spider.  Isn't he cute?

Fun Times Together

We spent the morning today out and about here on ranch.  The kids got to paint pumpkins (taking us up to 18 lining our front porch), get their faces painted, go on wagon rides and play on big inflatable toys.  We spent about 2 hours out there.  The weather was supposed to be sunny and in the 50's but it is cloudy and around 40.  The kids still enjoyed it.  They also got to spin some wheel and get a prize and put their names in a drawing.

Last night Michael had to work so I took the kids to the gym that we belong to.  They were having a halloween party there.  The kids dressed up - Maddi and Makenna were rock stars, Zane was spiderman in cowboy boots, Dillon and Zeke were cowboys and Olivia was a cowgirl the pirate costumes were dirty).  They had carnival games to play, pinatas, inflatables, popcorn, a magician and other stuff.  Afterwards we went to McDonalds for supper.  It was another fun time together.

Jack-o-lanterns

Tonight we carved the pumpkins that we got earlier this week.  Actually Michael carved.   I helped scoop out the insides.  They turned out really cute.  The kids had fun making the faces and watching as Michael carved.  Now our front porch is decorated with 6 painted pumpkins and 6 jack-o-lanterns!  Watch where you step if you come to visit!

One More Classroom Visit

Today Zeke, Olivia and I went to Zane's class to read.  He has been waiting a long time and was very excited for us to come.  I was greeted by a huge hug and got another one when we left.  It was fun to go to his class.  They got really in to the stories and the coloring afterwards.  We had some pretty scarey haunted houses being colored in there!

H1N1

No, we don't have it.  At least I think we don't.  In all honesty I have given up on going to the doctor and we haven't been.  But, there has been a confirmed case here on the ranch I guess.  All the kids walk around with the little white masks on their faces.  We have been keeping to ourselves so hopefully it won't spread across the road here.  When Michael is around them he is outdoors so hopefully that helps for protection too.  We've had three deaths here in South Dakota related to the swine flu.  I must say, it makes me a little nervous.  Not freaking out nervous, but a little.  They say it is hitting the younger generation - 25 and under - the worst.  Lucky for me, I had a birthday so I am no longer in that generation:), but the kids are.  Anyways, for now we are almost healthy and hopefully we will find a new doctor soon so we can have someone we feel good about to go to when we need to.