Thanksgiving in New York City

It was another year of our every 5th year tradition celebrating Thanksgiving in the Big Apple. This year, my family was joining us...what a fun treat! :) Here is the WAY condensed version of our trip...

Bagels on the steps of the library

Grand Central Station!

Mamma Mia was AMAZING!!!

My dear friend L was in the city for Thanksgiving too!!!

Our kiddies FINALLY get to meet one another! :)

Balloon Inflation

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Thanksgiving dinner with the fam!!! :)

Ice Skating in Bryant Park

Carriage ride in Central Park

D, Daddy and Grandpa head to the Ghostbuster Fire House while the girls braved Black Friday shopping at Macy's with the CROWD!!!

Family pics in Central Park!!!

It was an absolutely amazing trip!!!!!!! We were so happy the family came with us...made the visit that much more special! :)

Horseback Riding...Belated Birthday Trip

We were finally able to take Little Miss A and Mr. D on their birthday trip horseback riding. It was so wild to see how many places require their riders to be 8 years old! We found an amazing place in the Hill Country and will definitely be going back in the summer to enjoy the rest that the place has to offer! :)

The both had the most amazing time!!!! As soon as our ride was over, they both began asking when we were going to go again. Little Miss A thought we'd be able to go again the same day...sweet girl!

Little. Miss A and Carmel

Mr. D with Tony

Unfortunately, we weren't' able to take our phones or cameras on the ride, since they scare the horses, but as the trail caboose, I had a vantage point of the kids at the front of our family line and they just looked SOOOOOOO incredibly grown up. They both did an amazing job with their horses...turning them when/where they needed to and pulling up their heads when they stopped. We crossed through some of the most amazing sections of the hill country across several streams and creeks. It was amazing!!!!!

We are already so excited to go back this summer to experience all that the resort has to offer including additional horseback riding. :)

Native American Day

We were feeling better enough by Friday to join our friends at school for a super fun morning of Native American rotations.

The kids started the day with War Shields with Dad. Then it was on to several different stations across the grade level completing different activities with their classmates. It was so fun to see their loot at the end of the day.

Since I had classes, I wasn't able to make it, so we don't have pictures. I'll have to take some of the kids with their treasures and post later. :)

Walking Pneumonia! :(

My Little Miss A has walking pneumonia!!!!!! This was so upsetting to me...I thought it was just a cough...poor baby. Staying home with breathing treatments, Nebulizer and sick Daddy for a few days this week. I don't think we've EVER been this sick over at the Caswell house. :(

A Lesson in Giving

We met with our church group and packed backpacks for local underprivileged children in our school district with meals. Each family donated part of the meal for 20 different backpacks. It was great to see the kids all working together for such a great cause. :)

World Cup Champs!!!!

Mr. D's team...Forza Milan WON!!!!!

They are officially the winners of the World Cup in our neighborhood sports association. Mr. D was so completely pumped...we're talking cloud 9!

It was AWESOME!!!!

World Cup Tournament

Mr. D's soccer team had a tournament to determine the teams to challenge each other on Sunday in the "World Cup". Each 5 year old team played 2 games...the winners advance to the games on Sunday. Mr D's team won BOTH games and will be playing again tomorrow in the World Cup! We are so excited to cheer him on!!!!! :) Go D, Go!!!!

Thanksgiving "School" Lunch

We had our Thanksgiving lunch at school, which Little Miss A informed me was actually a "feast"! :)

I was fortunate enough to be able to rearrange my school schedule with my own students in order to be able to join my own little pilgrims for a feast at school. What a fun treat!!!!

I am so thankful for you two!!!!!!

Falling Back

WOW!!!! Who knew that the time change this year (in conjunction with Kindergarten) would have the effect that it did. I thought Sunday night was a fluke...both kids in bed (ASLEEP) at 7:30! BUT, every night since has been the SAME!!!! As soon as I am able to catch up on sleep of my own, I may be able to capitalize on this new found bedtime with a good book. I already have several piling up just waiting. The catch to this new found glory comes the early morning wake up time. Which during the week has been a HUGE help. We're not battling 2 sleepy kids to get up and ready for school like we have been in the past. However, I have been greeted in the morning as early as 5:30! I'm missing my morning alone time a bit, but would gladly trade it for a nice quiet evening instead. We'll see how long this lasts. Hoping if we make this the new standard that we can just continue until we spring forward in a few months and it's light again at 7:30.

Tying One On

The kids are earning feathers for their Thanksgiving headdresses at school. In order to earn a feather, there are certain tasks that they each must do:

read and write their sight words

know their phone number, address and birthday

tell the days of the week and months of the year

AND

tie their shoes!

Now, Little Miss A has been tying her shoes for a while now, but Mr. D was having some major troubles. A lot of it was due to the fact that so many of his shoes do not need to be tied, slip-ons and velcro haven't helped him advance his skills. However, this was just the challenge he needed. As soon as I read him his "checklist" including the shoe tying bit, his eyes lit up and he ran upstairs to get his old lace up sneakers. He brought them downstairs and I repeated the same shoe tying technique options we reviewed in the summer before school started. This time he had incentive and that was seriously all he needed. He picked up his shoe and after seeing one demo from me and did it on his own...PERFECTLY! So glad to finally have that battle conquered. Through practice he'll get to be as fast as his sister. I think my shoe tying days for my little monkeys are finally a thing of the past. :)

Star of the Week!

Our Kinder classes at school each have a Star of the Week. This week was all about Mr. D is Ms. A's class. He was so excited to pick his pictures that he wanted on his poster. We had so much fun looking back through our adventures. I loved hearing him recount events...I am always completely blown away by his amazing memory!!! :) We went to the store so he could pick his favorite color poster and extra supplies to make it totally what he wanted! He helped me cut the pictures with fun scissors and place everything around the board then he was done. He fell asleep shortly after , so I finished after he went to bed. He woke up to the final product and was grinning from ear to ear at all of his pictures. He was so excited to take it to school and show all his friends. It's going to be a great week!

Six Years Ago Today...

6 years ago today our lives were changed forever in the most amazing way!!! I can't believe that our sweet little punkins are six!!!!! Where does the time go? Although, having said that, I think back and can't really even remember what our lives were like before their arrival November 3, 2004.

Little Miss A is the sweetest girl. Always so caring of others, super kind and considerate. She loves to take care of her family and friends...wanting to make sure everyone is happy all the time. She is so thoughtful and always wants to do the right thing. We are so lucky to have her!

Mr. D is our little funny man...he has the most amazing sense of humor. He loves to laugh and make others laugh as well. His laugh is contagious...completely infectious! Like his sister, he loves for everyone to be happy and is more than willing to share his laugh and silliness to make people smile. We are so lucky to have him!

I am happy to report that the bug they had yesterday was completely gone by the afternoon so they were able to spend their special day as we regularly planned. We had an early release day at school, so the kids had the best of both worlds...school with friends and a nice long afternoon of fun as well.

The kids woke up in the morning to the traditional birthday song. We learned when we split them up to their two separate rooms when they were 2, that we needed to sing loud and have them both come to the great room for presents together. (Not quite the same as my childhood where the whole family walked into my room singing the birthday song carrying presents, but we can't be in 2 places at once.) After a shower of gifts, the kids began to get ready for school. I headed out to Starbucks for our traditional birthday morning pick me up...hot cocoa. A little bit farther drive in the new house, but a tradition we can't possible give up. :)

At school the kids had their names called on the announcements...birthday wishes from the principal. As all of my students heard their kids names, they came to my class passing on birthday wishes, some of them even made cards for them...how sweet is that? Little Miss A and Mr. D thought that was so cool! They were both line leaders for the day sporting their birthday crowns from their teachers for the day...

The kids picked special cupcakes to share with their classmates:

(Princess)

(How to Train a Dragon)

We celebrated both birthdays in the cafeteria as one great big group. Which meant the boys in Little Miss A's class were able to enjoy dragon cupcakes/rings and the girls in Mr. D's class got to have princess cupcakes/rings. :)

With an early out at noon, I took the afternoon off to spend A & D's special day with them doing something exciting and fun! After a few changes in plans, we ended up at the Main Event. (A fun indoor play land.) We ironically bumped into some of our old playgroup friends, so we were able to join lanes and bowl together. :) After a few hours of bowling, the kids and I headed to the arcades to play some more. What a fun afternoon.

We left the Main Event and met Daddy for dinner...A & D's choice our old traditional Mexican favorite. I think we've celebrated their birthday dinner there for the past 3 years now even though we've moved. :)

In maintaining that tradition, the kids fell asleep (AGAIN) on the way home and we ended up having birthday cake the next day instead...

What a great day with two AMAZING kids!

Happy birthday "babies" we love you!

Sick the Day Before the Big 6!

Poor punkins wee sick, sick, sick today! Mr. D woke up this morning to a violent vomiting fit at 5 am. I heard Little Miss A's frantic footsteps upstairs shortly after...running to her bathroom too.

SICK DAY!

By 3:00 this afternoon they were both doing much better. What a way to spend their last full day of FIVE! I'm crossing my fingers and toes for an uneventful night and a regular birthday...school half day tomorrow! :)

Winning Bookmark

Our librarian has a bookmark contest every year for student to submit bookmark creations. The winners of the contest have their bookmarks copied and added to the years supply of bookmark option for the entire school to use. Both Little Miss A and Mr. D submitted their designs, and neither one spent more than 5 minutes creating. Mr. D however, had his bookmark selected as a Kindergarten winner. He was so excited when I saw him after school asking "Mommy, did you hear my name on the announcements? I won!"

Here is his design. We are the Rattlers, so Mr. D decided to draw a really LONG rattler and write "Read 4 a LONG time" across the top.

Little Miss A drew a rattler as well, but covered every space around it with hearts and wrote "LOVE 2 read!"

Cute ideas!!! Totally them! I love it!

Happy Halloween

We started our day with the last and final arrival of the Halloween Witch. The kids came running down the stairs, way too early, to find the treasures the witch left.
We spent a nice morning playing with our treasures, while Halloween shows played in the background. We took advantage of Halloween landing on a weekend and too the day to slow down a bit.

Pumpkin carving on the back patio, baking in the kitchen...it was TOTALLY fall! As the great pumpkin scoop out progressed outside, the kids began to find germinated sees inside the pumpkins. In fact, ALL of the pumpkins were growing pumpkin plants INSIDE them, leaves and all. Is that bizarre or what?

Pumpkin carving at the hand of Mr. D. Daddy and Grandpa had to help him finish it off.

Little Miss A and her famous LIPS!

This is her hand drawn pumpkin face...

After a nice lazy day, we began the wind up for a super fun evening. Little Miss A and Mr. D dressed up as characters from Pirates of the Caribbean...Elizabeth and Captain Jack Sparrow.

Grandma and I began the trick or treating and Daddy joined us at the halfway mark. A good time was definitely had by all!!! Sure wonder how things are going to play out next year when Halloween falls on a school day!