Celebrating "Turkey Day" with a Song or Two!

Kayli learned a couple of cute "Turkey Songs" at school, that she couldn't wait to share with me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHFOO7z65ec
and:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xheuyj9WKME
We had a great Thanksgiving, and filled our tummies with lots of yummy food, even though Kayli was quite skeptical when she got her first glimpse of the turkey before it was roasted! This look says it all...

and this...

And, here's a sweet picture of Kayli with her Grandpa and cousin, Anna...

November 16th, We heard that Santa was at the Ba*ss P*ro Shop and ready to greet visitors! So, off we went to beat the holiday rush, AND, begin the holiday fun! Kayli got to write a letter to Santa, mail it, and then see Santa in person to make sure he knew what she was asking him to bring.

When Santa pulled out his candy canes, Kayli engaged him in a discussion about how some kids really didn't like candy canes that tasted "spicy" and "hot" (like mint), and did he know that you could get candy canes that tasted like chocolate or jelly beans? He just looked befuddled...and wasn't really sure what to do with that information.

After our visit to Santa, we headed to the cafe that had a really cool giant aquarium. We had a nice meal there, amidst a glowing fire and twinkling holiday lights. Then, to top it all off, the children's meal came with a $1.00 ice ream cookie that seriously was about as big as Kayli!

I JUST LOOOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!!

The Circle Family

I just had to include this little story, as it makes me laugh now, and merits it's own level of entertainment value to all parents that have been in a similar situation...
Kayli and I were at the ever so popular, W*al*m*ar*t. We were near the entrance of the store, looking through a bin of pumpkins, when a family of 3 walked in. This family had a mom, a dad, and a child. This family all looked very much alike in their short stature and a bit on the "heavy side". I did not notice this family until Kayli yells to me "Look, Mom, it's a Circle Family!" What? One glance in the direction she was pointing, and I knew exactly what she was referring to! Oh dear, before she could say anything else, I quickly whisked her away to another part of the store, where I could explain to her that although "the circle family" might have been a good description of this group, it's ok to think that in your head, but it's never a good idea to say things like that out loud! I guess they've been reviewing shapes in kindergarten! Too funny!

The New Tinkerbell Movie

We recently purchased the new Tinkerbell movie, The Great Fairy Rescue. We brought it home over a week ago, on a Friday night, put on our jammies, made popcorn, and snuggled together on the couch while watching the "World's Cutest Little Girl Movie" I have seen in a long time!!! Kayli has now completely immersed herself in the creative, imaginary world of "fairies". She sets up her dollhouse to make it an inviting place for a fairy to stop in. She folds up pieces of kleenex to make a soft blanket on a doll bed. She has a large dollhouse up in her bedroom, and has a tiny Winnie the Pooh house in the basement that has been transformed into a "fairy house". You never know when or where a fairy might land! Kayli makes sure to watch this movie once a day so she can "learn" all the lines and songs, and per-fect her English accent, which the main character uses in the movie. She comes home from school each night, changes into one of three "fairy outfits", the green tinkerbell dress, the purple leotard with the matching tulle skirt, or the pink glittering flower petal dress. After homework and dinner, I let her put in the DVD and spend some time in the world of magic and fantasy, honing her acting skills, expanding her creative thinking, getting some exercise (she never sits while she's watching, I mean acting!) strengthening her memory skills as she learns ALL the lines with just the right intonation and accent...(she imitates a great English accent!) and finally, just plain having fun!

Kayli Gets Her First "Big Girl" Bike!

I've been talking about getting Kayli a "big girl" bike since summer time, but our lives have been so, so, busy with selling our house, packing, and moving, that we haven't even had a minute to think about looking for that "perfect bike". I finally decided it was time to just do it before we wait so long that there's snow on the ground and then we'd have to wait until Spring and Summer again. We are having such beautiful Fall weather right now that it just makes me want to get outside... and what better exercise than chasing after a 5 year old on a new bike?!!!
Note: Buying this bike also forced me to unpack a few more boxes in the garage as I attempted to locate the required "phillips screwdriver"!

then, when I proudly finished assembling the bike, I discovered that the tires needed air, and of course that would require me to locate the airpump, and that would require me to move a few more things around the garage, and unpack a few more boxes, and Voila, the airpump appeared...of course now it's the next morning...

and then I had to explain to Kayli why she couldn't safely ride a bike while wearing a fairy costume, but she really just wanted to be a fairy riding a bike, so we compromised (after a lengthy illogical dispute) and I made her put on shorts and I tied up the loose ends of the costume (I could just picture them getting caught in the spokes of the wheels) and...finally...the moment we've all been waiting for...

I know, I know, no more practicing until I find the helmet and pads!

Oh, Halloween is Sooo Much Fun!

There is so much fun surrounding the Halloween "season" with the change of weather, beautiful Fall colors, apple picking, pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, hay rides, costumes, candy, candy, and more candy!
First, there's the pumpkin carving...

We got extra creative this year with the spider web design...

There were pumpkin patches...

and "trunk or treating"...

there was a costume parade at school, followed by a classroom party...

then, there was the official night of "trick or treating"...

first we had to get our "pumpkin greeter" and treats out. We decided to go trick-or-treating first, then come back to give out treats.

My little "candy corn" wants me to scoop her up and put her in the candy bowl!

We got to meet a lot of our new neighbors while trick-or-treating...

Kayli refused to go to any house that had "scary stuff" in the yard! She only wanted to go to "friendly houses"... like the one below that had a buddha on the porch, and we ALL KNOW that if you rub a buddha's belly, it brings you good luck!

The highlight for Kayli, though, was not getting the candy, but giving out the candy! She was thrilled to run to the door, grab the candy bowl, and start giving instructions to the "trick or treaters"..."Ok, somebody hold this door open please. Now, everyone can take a couple of pieces." Then, she'd wave them off with a "Happy Halloween!" It looked like we were gettting low on candy at one point in the evening and Kayli said "Mom, we've had plenty of candy tonight. Let's just put the rest in the bowl for the trick-or-treaters." ...and she did!