November was a fairly uneventful month, with a standard level of busy. I’m actually pretty indifferent about November. It’s cool and all, Thanksgiving is nice. And I love the time change along with the dark, gloomy weather. Really. The way people complain about this weather is how I feel about summer weather. Not that I don’t enjoy a sunny day, only with restrictions. No more than 72 degrees, sunset by 7pm, and three sunny days in a row, maximum. How cool would that be if we could special order the weather?
But November just happens. And it happened again this year. I’ve been feeling pretty indifferent about working on November’s post also. So, let’s get down to brass tacks, how much for the ape? I mean, let’s get down to pictures…
NOVEMBER, IN PICTURES
Particular Baby. This kid is funny. She has to separate and group everything. Even Veggie Sticks. Halloween candy eating was interesting… all sorted by color. She does this with non-food items, too. She’s also pretty impressed with herself when she puts raspberries on her fingers.
Movie night. We’ve been movie-ing lately, with the early dark days. I think it’s only about a 10-minute window when they’re all interested at the same time.
$24 of play-doh. Well, the cheap—probably filled with deadly chemicals—play doh. I used to buy the good stuff or attempt to make it on my own but at the rate we go through play doh, it’s easier (and cheaper) to buy the Dollar Tree stuff.
Snow! November brought some snow. I love when it snows. We haven’t had any since… get with it please, weather.
Snowy playgroup. We were set to meet up at a playground for our Monday playgroup. The big kiddos didn’t have class this day and tagged along. It was a productive Monday… after playing, we lunched with Katherine at Red Robin, and then went to Target to take pictures of what the kiddos want for Christmas.
That homeschooling thing. Proof we do stuff at home. Sometimes, haha. It’s not always fun and games (although more often than not).
Gadgeteer’s Club. Or as Laine calls it, Engineering Class. This is a program all kiddos should have an opportunity to do. Taking stuff apart, putting stuff together, creating new items from old parts, working with different kinds of tools… this is a huge hit around here. They’ve each selected a project they’re working on each week and will display at a Maker Faire in March.
Shoe shoppers. I had taken Blaise and Laine to buy shoes the week before. Laine’s shoes were such a hit since they light up, the little ones wanted some also. Back to Nordstrom we went, and also another lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. It was literally the exact same outing I had with Blaise and Laine. And with the little ones, I’ve stopped using the stroller as much and it’s going well… or I just don’t care as much anymore if a kid takes off in the opposite direction. Which is extremely possible.
The Tortoise and the Hare. Laine is my theater fan, always asking to go see plays and musicals. This month, we went to see the Tortoise and the Hare. Blaise decided to tag along since another friend was going. He’s still not a theater fan but suffered through the show, on my lap. He’s not going to want to sit on my lap much longer so I’m milking it while I can. It was a cute production. After we went for pizza, cupcakes, and then to a Maker Faire at Barnes & Noble. It was a fun day.
Blaise in his natural habitat.
Baby reads. Not in a Baby Genius way or anything… she likes to look at books all.the.time. She went missing from downstairs one day and I found her upstairs, quietly reading.
Fidget Laine. Laine made her own fidget spinner. Which will likely get lost like her other three we bought. I think she’s tied with Brian on how many wedding rings he’s lost. Ha! Well, technically two since we found one of the lost ones in the spare change jar years later. I don’t even know why he bothers wearing a ring… it’s only going to get lost again. And I couldn’t care less if he wears one. I haven’t worn mine in years. Back to Laine, she used some spare LEGO parts and a ball bearing she found. She problem solved well… the LEGO parts are a bit big and clunky which made it hard to grip and spin. To fix this, she cut a straw and stuck it in the center of the ball bearing to hold while spinning. It works well!
David Sedaris. This is becoming an annual tradition every November. I think this was my fourth time going?! How ever many times it’s been, he’s always enjoyable. You have to be cool with topics like blasphemy, bad language, abortion boats, and so on if you go to one of his shows. Hearing the crowd laugh as often as I do makes me love Seattle even more. (I don’t think I could ever leave the Left Coast.) He is highly entertaining and I leave laughing long after. I’m already looking forward to 2018.
Toddler time, years later. It was probably 2013 the last time I went to a toddler time. And if not for our playgroup, I doubt I’d go again. I enjoy toddler time and like the concept, I’d just rather the kiddos play outside than indoors. It was super busy, kids galore. Baby hogged a police car. Anyone who even looked her way was given the side eye. Thankfully they have about 10 police cars. She eventually let the police car go and ventured over to the slide. Saige made the rounds and met several new friends. She’s all about friends these days. It’s pretty cute.
We take dental health seriously. I found Saige and Baby brushing their stuffed animals’ teeth one morning.
Like old times. Blaise, Laine, and I spent Black Friday at Farrel-McWhirter with friends. You know, the older they get, the more important I think it is they spend time outside. And the more I enjoy watching them play outside. Their imaginations are endless.
Annual Gingerbread House event. Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we attend the KidsQuest Gingerbread House event. It’s glorious. They have the houses prebuilt, have candy buffets in the room, and frosting fairies who bring you frosting. The mess stays there, and bonus, they clean it all up. This is the first year Saige was somewhat into decorating her house, although the candy was still more popular with her. Baby couldn’t believe there was a buffet of candy and that she could eat it. I think that’s all she did. We didn’t even need to confine her. She was more than willing to stay put with candy on the table.
That was November. We did more but without picture evidence, I have a hard time remembering. I’m not sure if this is getting older or having kids. The memory is shot.
Wait, a November video. Saige was diving for seashells in the ocean. I love how she takes a deep breath before diving in. Ignore the ocean being on our floor… we’re between bed frames.
Jumping Raccoons 