Happy Halloween!!

Halloween is SO MUCH FUN in a school.  I almost wish it were twice a year... Halloween in April, anyone?

My teaching buddy, Holly and I dressed up to celebrate with our Kinder Kids. 

Miss A was Super A. 

Miss G was a rainbow butterfly.  The Big Kids in the school put on a great Halloween carnival for the Little Kids, and Miss G had her face painted there!

My Classroom Pumpkins

I told you that I would show you my classroom pumpkins.  We PAINTED them this year!

It was the best decision I ever made... carving pumpkins with a large group of kids is hard work!

Pumpkin Time!

On Friday, I decorated six pumpkins with my class... I forgot to take pictures of the finished pumpkins, so hopefully tomorrow I'll have some to share with you, because I think they are really great!

Eli bought me some pumpkins for my class, and the girls picked out their own pumpkins at the same time.

We promised the girls that we would carve pumpkins on Saturday, and we kept our promise. 

Miss G wouldn't let us forget, anyways! 

Can you see that is is night outside the window in the drawing? 

It is dark here a lot more, now.

On our weather chart the other day, Miss G asked me where the "dark" picture was for the weather. 

I told her that dark wasn't weather, it was more about time, and in Yellowknife winter means dark, and summer means sun.

She agreed, and settled on "snowing" for the weather, since that is a continuous state outdoors now, too.

We're already two weeks into one-piece snowsuit weather.

The girls helped Daddy scoop out the insides... a bit.

Mommy's Classroom

My girls are so well trained at school.

When the bell rings, Miss G walks over to Mommy's Classroom to bring her backpack and outside gear (and usually Kid Doggie).

Miss A waits on the bench outside Mrs. F's classroom for me to come once all of my students have been picked up by their parents, and then she carries her things to Mommy's Classroom, too.

You see, the perk of having Mommy as a teacher is Mommy's Classroom, and all that comes with it!

Every Thursday, there is early dismissal for staff meetings and professional development.

The girls LOVE it when they get to stay in my room on their own on early dismissal days. 

I pack them a tasty snack, put on a movie, and they get to have fun.

Sometimes, other teachers' kids come to play, or the girls go play with them, and other times, they play on their own in my room.

I lock the classroom door from the outside, and they stay inside unless they have to use the washroom (right across the hall) or go to see the secretary in the office for help for very important things like for crayons or tape, and sometimes stickers or balloons.

Bus Tour of Yellowknife

On the last weekend in September, in between Eli's two back-to-back work trips, we took the girls and Papa on a bus tour around Yellowknife with another family we've met two ways...

The two men of the families work together, and their son, Mr. A, and our Miss A were in the same preschool together last year, and now I teach Mr. A!

The girls were PUMPED about the bus tour.

As children of a teacher, the girls don't get to take a bus to school, and so, of course, they covet the school bus.

This bus tour was on a school bus, which was perfectly fine with them!

Mr. A and Miss A loved giggling and playing together and bouncing from seat to seat whenever they had a chance.

Autumn Craftiness

Autumn brings out the craftiness in us.

It also brings out snowsuits and parkas... back to the front closet. 

They are there.

The girls had them on the other day.

Today, it snowed, and the kids in school were pumped, but it melted before recess... Our days are, quite literally, numbered.

Actually, we are pretty crafty any time of year, but the autumn here is cold and grey, so crafting it up inside is always fun.

Now, the girls have a pretty good base on crafting, so now they usually come up with the ideas based on things we have in our craft drawers or that we find in our outing to the store (Walmart... we work with what we've got, and Walmart has great craft ideas!).

How Gramma Got Her Groove Back

Gramma's got a new hip!

This was another big event happening in Yellowknife within the past two weeks.

Gramma got a new hip on September 25th.  Eli was out of town for work, and so was John.  I was happily able to go to the pre-surgery appointments with Gramma (to be an extra set of ears), but could not come to the hospital for the surgery itself.  Luckily, her pastor's wife, Lisa, was able to bring her to the hospital, and I was able to stop by the hospital several times that week.

Here is are some excerpts from the family email I sent out following the surgery:

Miss G's Great Race

Holy Busy, Batman... 

Eli has been away for the past two weeks, with one day and two nights in the middle at home, which really just messed up any sense of irregular regularity I managed to establish.

The girls have been busy with school.