Halloween

I hate Halloween. The only thing I like about Halloween is getting together with our friends and being able to catch up on things.

This was the 5th annual Halloween get-together with our neighbors Kayla and Travis (and baby Ansley). Melissa and John were able to come too! (with the twins) The house was swarming with children!



Andy was a pirate. Arrrr matey!



Isaac was a baseball player- no surprise there! But he did choose to be a Reds player, which may have broken Joe's heart a little.



Abby was a ladybug. Or a red and black princess, depending on her mood.



Abby and Andy sitting at their fancy table at Kayla's house.



Kayla holding Ben. Matt was being fed. I neglected to get a picture when he was done. I hope this doesn't cause him to become emotionally stunted.



Baby Ansley causing havoc on Kayla. The hat caused her to misbehave. Arrr, Mommy!

Joe and I took the kids on one lap of the neighborhood before we called it quits. They all had a blast! They loved going up to each door and saying "Happy Halloween!" It wasn't the expected greeting, but it was good enough for them to get what they wanted. :)

Unfortunately, we didn't have as many trick-or-treaters as we were expecting, and we have TONS of candy left over. I've been taking the chocolate to school to share with the teachers during our faculty meetings and professional developments. Teachers will do anything for chocolate!

Grammy and Papa Delk

Joe's birthday was October 30, and Grammy and Papa Delk came to visit and celebrate! I honestly don't know what the kids were more excited about- seeing grandparents or having a party!



No party is complete without presents! Each of the kids received a teddy bear!



You had better believe that candy was taken away very quickly! We have a gallon sized baggie full of candy that the kids get to have a piece out of when they eat all of their dinner. I might have had to sample some of the chocolate, just to make sure it was fresh. :)



After the grandparents left, Abby pretty much commandeered the teddy bears. No one can be as good a mommy to the bears as Abby!



I'm glad the boys were feeling photogenic! Not sure what Abby's problem was.



Here's Abby showing off her sticker creation. Each of the kids also got a Halloween card complete with stickers from Grammy and Papa!
All in all, it was a fabulous party for the kids, and we're lucky that Daddy was born so we could all get together!

Thank you, Grammy and Papa Delk!

Catching Up

Sorry, it's been a while. Let me catch you up on a few things that have been going on in the Delk house.

1. My school blog has gotten some recognition!

You can read the article and my blog post about it HERE. My students love knowing that people outside of school are wondering what they are learning. Most days I hear the question, "Will that be on the blog?" at least twice.

2. Isaac is doing extremely well in school! He has been coming home with a smiley face in his behavior folder and gets stickers for his good deeds.



One thing about Pre-K that he loves is when Ms. Cherri sends home a literacy bag. The bag has a book, a notebook and crayons for an extension activity, and usually a puppet or stuffed animal that goes along with the story.

Two weekends ago, Ike brought home the 3 Little Pigs bag, complete with pig puppet. We pretended to be different characters all the way home, during dinner (and we went out to eat that night!), and all throughout the weekend. The only thing that was missing- a Big Bad Wolf puppet.

Well, I used to be creative at one time. I figured, how hard could a puppet be? I got out my felt, scissors, sewing kit, and an oven mitt.
Yes, an oven mitt. I traced the mitt on one side, then flipped the mitt so I would have a 'thumb' on either side. I hand stitched those suckers, and voila! A Big Bad Wolf puppet!



Two sided, cause it looks neat. I couldn't figure out how to make a mouth that looked good, so no mouth for this Wolf!
The kids had the best time playing with the puppets! I sent the Wolf back to school in the literacy bag so others could play. I might make another puppet for the kids though cause they loved them!

3. The twins are potty training. Andy is better at it than Abby at this point, but that doesn't stop her from trying! Today she went to daycare with 'big girl panties' on. She didn't even last until 8am. Oh well. We are going to keep trying!