Homemade Christmas Party

We decided to plan our own Christmas party for school. Last year we were able to get together with other homeschoolers from our church for an activity, but this year we are still getting to know people. So I told my kids to each plan one game themselves, then I found a book at the library with a few games in it. This was Colby's game. He set up the "course" all by himself. I thought he did a pretty good job. I took my turn and it wasn't as easy as it looked. The rocking chair at the end of the "course" is mine from my childhood. I also have to say having this big space for our school room is great for things like this.

We used our imagination for this ring toss game. The seal actually became Sonny the Reindeer for these 5 minutes in history!!

A paper snowball fight. They each had seven "snowballs" and 60 seconds to try to get them all on the other person's side.

Giant ink pens for prizes!

This was a game where you had to blow the "snowball" into the trash can on the other side. They were not allowed to go around to the side of the table to accomplish their goal. It wasn't that hard to do, but they still had fun.

Dalayna and Colby actually tied at this game.

Our last and final game was the "Stocking Relay". They had to take pieces of Dalayna's food, run down and stuff them in the stocking, then run back till the food was all gone. Colby beat Dalayna by a second or two, then I beat Colby.

One of our prizes was a candy cane full of M&M.s. This is one of Dalayna's favorite candies. I also figured Terry would be glad to help eat the prizes since he loves chocolate!! Dalayna did not beat Colby at any games, as you may figure, but I gave her prizes for her intense effort at trying to win. You may notice Dalayna's pretty purple shoes. I wore those in my cousin's wedding years ago, and they are her favorite shoes to wear around the house!!

We ended our party with painting Christmas suncatchers and eating junk food. Isn't that the way every kids Christmas party ends, with lots of sugar and junk?

Snow Fun!!

I have to admit I have dreaded the snow coming. I know that the seasons changing and snow falling is all a part of God's plan as stated in Genesis, so I have tried to keep that in my mind, and now that it's here, it's not so bad. In St. Louis I complained because it seemed we never got any, but last year I saw more snow than I have ever seen in my lifetime,not to mention the coldest temperatures I had ever felt in my life. This is actually the 4th snowfall since we moved here, but it is definitely the prettiest, and today we got out and enjoyed playing in it. I like to call this a powdered sugar snow because it lays on everything so perfectly.

This house actually sits on a hill, making it a perfect spot for sledding. We made it slick and it was perfect for a quick ride down the hill. Terry and I even took our turns. No pictures necessary for that though!!

My snow angel Dalayna!! She insisted on wearing a sweatshirt that was too big, which makes her coat look too small. She also loves Colby's old Mizzou hat. She didn't complain one time about being too cold though!! So I guess she knows how to dress to play in the snow!!

Dalayna started the "body sledding", as she called it. She is fearless I tell you!!

Colby had been taking running jumps and sliding down the hill on his stomach, but at the last second, he changed his mind and went down on his feet. It actually worked, and he didn't land wrong side up!!

Bear Week

This week was "Bear Week". Colby also had "Bear Week" way back when. I just added some to it with Dalayna. All the stuffed bears we have in the house get to come to school for the week, then we do different activities, all centered around bears. We also read a lot of factual books about bears. I had to laugh at one book, though. It claims bears evolved from dogs. Ha!! This was our "muffin tin" meal with bear food. I only have one muffin tin, so Colby got it and this plate was just more colorful. We have chicken in the top left corner to represent tree bark. Next to that, we have gummi bears, just for fun. Next, fish crackers because bears like to eat fish. The left bottom corner is peanuts and sunflower seeds, because they like to eat nuts. And finally, berries, because everyone knows bears like them, too!!

Dalayna got to sort gummi bears, then eat them after she finished her graph. She also had to determine which color had the most and least. We both enjoyed eating the gummi bears!!

This is Dalayna's bear cave. Ok, so it's not made of dirt or snow, but it will do, right?

Here are all the bears Colby and Dalayna could find to bring to bear week. Colby was a wonderful big brother and helped Dalayna find as many as possible. Can you pick which is my cuddly bear?

We also measured the biggest and smallest bears. The white bear is the biggest at 3 feet, and the brown bear is the smallest at 3 inches.

Company Christmas Party

The company Terry now works for has a Christmas party for the children and grandchildren of it's employees. I am sure everyone would agree that very few companies these days do anything for their employees , so I am quite impressed with their generosity, and the fact that the whole party centered around the kids. First we were fed a meal. After we ate, they brought in a man and his daughter to perform a wonderful puppet show, then games and gifts. We had a nice time.

You can't see it very well, but this is a puppet wearing a sombrero singing the song, "The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Big." It is a very funny song!! Colby didn't stop laughing the whole way through!!

Frosty the Snowman and puppets who were imitating Alvin and the Chipmunks. They are of course singing "Frosty the Snowman."

They had a game of Santa Bingo. Dalayna won one round. She received a $1.00 gift certificate to McDonald's. With a Dollar Menu, she can choose from several items. We were hoping Colby would win a round too!!

Santa even made an appearance at the party today. What would a Christmas party be without a visit from Santa?

This is Colby's first and last time to go up on stage and accept a gift from Santa. He and all the other bigger kids were very good natured about sitting on Santa's lap. The rule at Terry's company is you have to be 12 and younger. Colby's gift was a basketball. This is the very same Santa who was at the zoo last Sunday. Apparently, he is a busy man around this area.

Dalayna had her turn with Santa Claus, but insisted I go up on the stage with her.She latched on to my arm and wouldn't let go. She said next year she might have "stage fright" again, even though she will be six. If that is the case, I guess I will never be too big to talk to Santa!! She received a toy similar to the Little Pet Shop toys. She has played with it non-stop since we came home!!

Fun at the Zoo

This past weekend the local zoo had a special event where you could come and see a few animals and Christmas lights. We did it in St. Louis one year, so we thought we would try it up here. It was cold, but thankfully the winds were calm. The zoo sits right on the lake. We wore several layers to keep warm and had a good time!! Here are the goats in the barn.

A very vocal sheep!!

A Sicilian donkey.

These tamarin monkeys were cute, but I have to say (as I show my age) ,they reminded me of the 80's rock star Billy Idol!!

The reptile house at the zoo. It is not very big, but the fact that it looks like a castle is unique. It had just enough reptiles that Dalayna refused to look at much. The rest of the time she buried her face into my back and held on for dear life!!

Mr. and Mrs. Claus were kind enough to pose with our family. Dalayna wouldn't sit on his lap though!!

Colby is standing next to an elephant skull. It was huge!!

This "big cat" was amazing. It was like she was purposely posing so people could take pictures of it. I was also amazed that you could get so close by the glass. Maybe it doesn't take much to amaze me!! God's creatures are amazing!! I would have moved closer to the glass, but I was afraid she would move.

This is a tunnel where the otters are. My kids were able to climb in and watch them play under the water. I went in too, but it's a little too claustrophobic for me. The otters were putting on quite a show for my kids.

It is not the best picture, but I was able to get close to one of the playful otters.

There is the cutest bear statue when you first come into the zoo. You can't see it very well in this picture, but I wanted our picture taken in front of it. Terry got a good picture for me, which you can see below.

Another picture of the bear statue. He was decorated too!!

We are here with our friends Frank and Diane. Frank and Terry work together. Frank is the one who made the sign for us. We were so glad to have them come along with us. A lady volunteered to take our picture since Frank took their family photo.

The zoo also offered free hot cocoa and cookies. I was hoping for some non-chocolate cookies, but that didn't happen. Terry said the cocoa was disgusting. I am glad I can't drink cocoa, so I missed the disgusting cocoa!! It was donated by a popular coffee place, which I won't name, but Colby said nothing good can come from that place, so he wasn't surprised it was disgusting. So you see, Dalayna is busy eating her cookies, and Diane is simply holding the cocoa, not drinking it!!

Colby and Dalayna with Frank and Diane.

Terry (deep down inside) likes me to have funny pictures to post on my blog, and with his sense of humor, said, "Want it to look like I am taking the present from that bear?". I said OK, and here it is. Unfortunately, it turned out a little dark!!