All Saints Day

On October 31st, the girls' school celebrated All Saints Day with a big Carnival.*  Emily dressed as St. Francis of Assisi and carried a basket of animals with her and Elizabeth dressed as St. Thomas the Apostle.  As a fourth grader, Elizabeth was required to write a paper about her chosen saint and give a presentation to the class.  She chose St. Thomas the Apostle because he is the patron saint of architects and she wants to be an architect when she grows up.  She did all of the research herself (although on the computer, not at the library, which is so weird for me); she then organized her research and dictated her paper to me.  I made intentional spelling and grammatical mistakes and, as much as it pained me, did not correct any of her mistakes. She then proof-read her paper several times, spotting all of the mistakes ("Mommy, you are not a very good speller") and changing sentences that didn't sound right.  She then rehearsed her presentation for us several times, working on eye contact, reading slowly and using a loud, strong voice.  She also did a great job with her costume, pinning photos of famous landmarks to her religious outfit.  We don't know her grade yet, but we are very proud of the hard work that she put into this project.  As a crazy coincidence, her friend Ethan in New Hampshire also made his very first presentation (about a historical person that took a chance) on the exact same day!  Janet and I exchange several nervous texts on Thursday morning but both of our kids did great!

Thomas and Francis 

 It was dark when the girls left for school and dark when I got home that night, so taking good pictures of their costumes proved a bit difficult. 

Some of the photos pinned to Elizabeth's costume - the Notre Dame administration building was displayed prominently. 

Serious apostle. 

Laila and Elizabeth 

Emily and Kayla 

Some of the fourth grade saints. 

Elizabeth, presenting to her class.

 
*Why on Halloween, and not the actual All Saints Day?  Well, All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation and all students are required to wear their formal uniform to mass.  And because the school is Catholic, their principal does not allow Halloween celebrations.  So having an All Saints Day Carnival on the actual day of Halloween is really the way to go.

The Flute

Fourth grade is the year of the musical instrument.  After being introduced to the recorder in third grade, fourth graders may select an instrument and join the band.  We were very surprised when Elizabeth decided to play the flute.  It seems like a very complicated instrument to me, frankly.  After about a week of simply blowing air into it, however, Elizabeth's playing seems to have really taken off.  She generally practices for ten minutes every night and is learning that practice really does make perfect!

 

Same song, two weeks later.

Halloween Parties

It's not even Halloween yet but the girls have been very busy with Halloween parties.  Friday night was the school Halloween party and they both had a blast.  Emily, in particular, was in her element, as she loves to dance and sing with her friends.  Saturday night, Elizabeth's soccer coach had a party for the team at his house - tons of activities, food, music and fun kept the entire team busy late into the night!

Emily went as a Cleo-denial - a Monster High Doll.  If you've always wondered what she would look like with black hair and bangs, well, now you know. 

Hermione. 

Emily shows off some of her moves. 

Emily and her besties.

Emily and her friends dancing to ROAR.  God help us.

Pumpkin Carving

We immediately carved our pumpkin on Saturday afternoon.  And by "we", I mean Lee, who does it every year, under the watchful eyes of Elizabeth and Emily.  No fancy designs for us, but he does a great job.  We also roasted the pumpkin seeds, which all of us love.

The girls helped pull off the seeds. 

The finished product.

Pony Rides

The hi-light of our trip to Lyman Orchards was definitely the pony ride.  Both girls took advantage of the opportunity to ride a pony.  Elizabeth, in particular, was thrilled beyond belief.

Visit to Lyman

This past weekend, we had a few hours between soccer games and decided to get a pumpkin with the girls.  We didn't have enough time to travel to Pumpkinseed Hill (over an hour drive each way), so we headed up to Lyman Orchards instead.  It's not quite the same experience as heading out into the pumpkin patches to pick out the perfect pumpkin, but it was good enough for us this year! 

Our pumpkin!

Bracelet Makers

A few months ago, my friend Karen told me about a new bracelet maker that she had purchased for her daughter.  I took one look at the video and said no way am I getting that for the girls.  No way.  Fast forward a few weeks - we faced the last two weeks of summer with no activities planned and two quibbling girls.  I bit the bullet and ordered the Rainbow Loom from Amazon.com and when it arrived, I told the girls that they had to figure it out themselves (If you know me, you know that I am the least crafty mom on earth!).  With the help of YouTube and various designs they found at craft stores, they were quickly pros.  Before school started, they made bracelets for all of the girls in their classes, as well as their teachers.  Once school started, they were bringing home orders for more.  They love making bracelets and learning new designs.  They get a bit frustrated - still haven't been able to successfully make the starburst bracelet - but overall, it's a great way for them to spend their time.

Working away.

This is what the sunroom floor usually looks like.

One of Emily's masterpieces.

Another creation, she texted this to me one day.

The batch of bracelets that we mailed to the Boucher Family.

Monster High Doll theme - these were all the rage in Elizabeth's class.

This is my everyday look.  A few weeks ago, I was in a meeting in New York City and noticed, as I looked around the room, that almost everyone present was wearing at least one rainbow loom bracelet - men and women.

Emily made (and wears) this cool ring.

Bridging

Last week, both Elizabeth and Emily "bridged" in their respective Girl Scout troops.  Bridging awards mark a girl's transition from one leadership level to the next.  In order to bridge, each girl must earn the awards and complete the activities for her particular level.  Emily bridged from Daisy to Brownie and Elizabeth bridged from Brownie to Junior Girl Scout.  We were so lucky because they both bridged during the same ceremony; I worked from home so that I could see it, not just Lee.  The troop leaders, especially Julie, did a great job of putting together a meaningful ceremony, and each girl walked over a bridge as she transitioned to her new level.  Both and Elizabeth and Emily were thrilled to pieces.

Emily is one of two second graders that was part of the Daisy troop (traditionally made up of kindergarteners and first graders); both girls bridged from Daisy to Brownie. 

Presentation of the colors. 

Daisies, Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts reciting the Girl Scout pledge together. 

Elizabeth escorted Emily over the bridge, as she became a Brownie. 

Her troop leader helped her take off her Daisy vest and put on her Brownie sash. 

Emily and Hanna - new Brownies! 

Elizabeth crossing the bridge from Brownie to Junior Girl Scout. 

Getting her new sash from her troop leader. 

New Junior Girl Scout troop! 

Our scouts!