pumpkins and greed

Greed comes in all shapes and sizes.

This little moocher ate not one, but two pumpkins.

Yes, greed comes in all forms.

sticker charts

At our house we pursue obedience and good behavior in every avenue possible.  One thing that has been particularly successful has been the use of sticker charts.  Madelynne completed one in October and got to go to the store and pick out a new toy.  It took her from about May to October to earn all the stickers, so she worked really hard to earn the Littlest Pet Shops she picked out.  Since Madelynne needed a new chart I decided now would be a good time to introduce Jackson to the wonders of the sticker chart.

Madelynne' sticker chart.

Jackson's sticker chart.

happy halloween

Happy Halloween!

Love,

Madelynne and Jackson a.k.a Ariel and Firefighter

mama catena's ristorante field trip

Madelynne's Pre-K class took a field trip to the local pizzeria.  They learned how to make  pizza dough and then got to create their own pizzas.

First, you wash your hands.

Then, you spread the dough out on the pan.

Add some sauce and choose your toppings.

Bake it and devour.

While their pizzas were baking each child got their own dough to practice their kneading skills.

Jackson had a harder time waiting then most and ended up dumping a glass water all over Mommy, but other than that he did really good for a two year old.

father's night

Madelynne's preschool hosts a Father's Night every Fall.  Madelynne was ecstatic to get to spend one on one time with her daddy all on her own.

Daddy and Madelynne got to work on a couple of projects together.  One was a special key chain for daddy's keys and the other was a puzzle frame to place a special picture of Madelynne and her daddy.

A bonus of the night was getting to spend time with her friend, Madelyn and her daddy.

After eating tacos and making projects the girls danced the night away.

Pre-K girls, named Madelynne have the most fun!

happy birthday daddy!

Happy 32nd Birthday Daddy!  We love you the whole wide world much!

eddy's fruit farm

Madelynne's first field trip of the year was to one of the local fruit farms.  Jackson and I got to go too!  It was pouring down rain on the day of the field trip so the children did not get to pick their own apples, but they got to see other things around the farm.

First, the farmer, Mr. Eddy, showed the children around the farm shop.  They discovered different gourds and fresh produce as well as apple cider and delicious looking homemade pastries.

Then, the children got to see how the apples are sorted with this huge piece of machinery.

Madelynne was completely enthralled with the sorting machine.

After that the children got to see what was behind this door.  A. great. BIG. refrigerator.  Farmers have the biggest 'frigs ever! (from the book of Madelynne anyway)

There were plenty of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes.

Mr. Eddy demonstrated how the fork lift works and how it helps the farmer move things around on the farm.

Time for a story with Johnny Appleseed.

Jackson did not want to be confined to his stroller and was bribed with Starbursts to stay in his stroller and not escape into the orchard on an adventure of his own.

Apples are good-licious and even better when they are free!

We bought some apples to take home and bottled our own apple pie filling.  Yummy!

family pictures

back to school

Watch out Pre-K here she comes!

The gang is back together:  Madelyn, Evan, and Madelynne

The two Madelynnes were inseparable the first day.

Jackson got to come to school on the first day.  The only problem with that is he now thinks every day is his day to go to school.

Life is good when you are in Pre-K.

more wise words

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

                            -Melody Beattie

tiaras and tool belts

Madelynne building a bug box while wearing her tiara at a Lowe's Build and Grow clinic.

Jackson wearing a skirt and heels while playing trains.

tiaras and tool belts...

bonjour! butterfly

A few weeks ago we got to visit grammie and grampa.  Grammie took us to see the Butterfly House at Cox Arboretum.  One of our favorite books to read  this summer Fancy Nancy Bonjour! Butterfly by Jane O'Connor came to life before our eyes.