Halloween 2014

I've been getting to go into Lily's class on Fridays when someone can watch the baby to help with a short craft project.  How fun is that?!  I am also the Room Mom, which has been neat as well.  We are at a school this year that is much more culturally diverse than our school last year.  So I have to say I have really enjoyed getting to know the kids.  Going into the year, I thought that I didn't really know much about this culture (or honestly, feel like I had a heart for it, to love them).  So its been sweet to get to know the kids, learn to pronounce their names- they are really beautiful, and feel the love grow for the kids.  And I want to feel like I had a sense for what's going on with the kids since they are no longer with me for a large portion of the day.  

Yesterday, I got to go in for my usual help in Lily's class and then got to read in Peter's class, too.  :)

I am loving the 'kids in school' schedule!  Can I get an AMEN?!

(or maybe its that this week felt extra luxurious b/c we didn't go to OT & TKD)

Here is the sweet scene after school.  They are always so thrilled to see the baby.

 And can't get enough of him.  :)

 Lily likes to run home lately.  Peter half likes to run too and half the time I can convince him to walk with me and hold my hand. ;)

 We carved pumpkins after school.  We've never been early at things like this.  Add in homework, and Friday afternoon it was.  Peter had the great idea of making his into a "jail" and I quickly jumped on carving some straight lines. :)  Lily mentioned hearts so we did hearts and a cross.  It doesn't annoy me as much as it has in the past but I don't love (at all) how we can celebrate "Halloween" at school with witches, mummies, etc but there is only a "winter" celebration.  I was sure to make a point that ours was a "Fall" party.  So we thought we'd go with a 'cross and love' to be light instead of darkness to our friends and neighbors.  I love the dress up and community aspect of Halloween.

 For trick or treating, we had a pirate, a princess (she hoped to be Elsa, but settled for Cinderella), and a lion.  I found Benny's lion costume at a thrift store for $4 and then made the mane.  I found a hoodie in a box of handmedowns and sewed flannel to it and then cut it into strips.  It was nice to have just a small little crafty part for their costumes.