Halloween and prep

 This years Halloween was a little more hectic than usual.  Most everything was done the last weekend.  We found a place that does $1 pumpkins so all the kids got two this year.  They were really excited to have two designs.  Kayda and Dillon did all theirs, the only thing I did was draw the outline on one of Dillon's.  Carson still needs help with certain parts of the carving.  The boys aren't especially disgusted with the "guts" anymore.  Kayda still takes great pride in her enjoyment of those guts.

 We went to Maris farms again, third year in a row.  We had to go after school one day in order to make it so Daddy wasn't able to come.  We did everything but the corn maze because I was alone with them and only Kayda wanted to do it.  They still had a great time, it's definitely the best pumpkin patch in our area.

 They absolutely love this thing.  Really all their doing is crawling through a big box but they get a kick out of it.  Kayda's getting tall enough now that it's a little trickier than it used to be.

 Dillon laid down for Carson to bury him, next thing he knew there were two random kids pouring cupfuls on him.  The little girl kept getting it on his face but he had no problem with it, just took it in stride.

Walkathon

The kids' school does a Halloween "parade" each year. This year, the kids got to earn money for the school again. Dillon and Carson both jogged the entire time.  I went over to be with them but ended up just watching them run.  Kayda decided she wanted to walk all but the last 2 laid.  So I got to have some good time with her.  It's always fun to be with them, fun music, costumes and walking!

Carson soccer extras

I forgot we got videos of Carson playing this year so I'm making a separate post.  I talked to Daddy, apparently he kept track.  Carson made 33 goals this year in 8 games.

Carson's soccer and banquet

Soccer season is always a favorite for me.  I absolutely love watching my kids play.  This year Carson didn't get to do the rec league, they didn't have enough players.  He ended up playing in their "micro-academy".  There were a lot of really frustrating things about it but Carson had fun so that's what matters most.  They had a couple training days with all the kids together before assigning them teams.  Apparently his coaches were really excited to get Carson.  From the beginning of the season to the end of the season he was considered the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time).  Honestly this kid kicked some serious butt.  He had one game, the first game, that he didn't score the majority of the goals, (that was the day he was coming down sick and we didn't realize).  After no goals the first game, he ended up with 33 goals the remaining 7 games.  He has an endless amount of energy and can out run and out last every other kid.  His coach, Savannah, would put him back as defense fairly regularly and the other team had a hard time getting past him.  Next year we're planning to play him up a year so he can start playing with goalies.  Pretty sure he'll end up a mid-fielder. 

The last games for all the teams were at the same time, at the football stadium.  They called all the kids' names and they got to run out onto the field before the games started.

Carson made some good friends last year playing soccer.  He ended up NOT being on a team with a single one of them.  We got them all together after the final game though.  Left to right is Madi, Carson (of course), Joey and Ty.

Here he is with his coaches, I honestly have no idea what the guy's name is, he was never really there.  Savannah was really the one that did all the work with him.  She was one of the only coaches in the whole "academy" that actually tried to teach the kids so he was pretty fortunate.

Parent teacher conferences!

We had parent teacher conferences, on my birthday!  It was a great way to spend my birthday because we have amazing kids!

Kayda:
She is keeping her teacher on her toes.  Kayda is sailing through the pre-algebra independent curriculum.  She is well above grade level (statewide) in both English/Language arts and math.  As always, her behavior is exemplary.  Kayda is loving science, everyday that they have it she comes home glowing.  Mrs. O is ready and willing to push Kayda as far ahead as possible.  She is planning to feed Kayda new concepts as soon as Kayda masters them, she specifically said that Kayda only needs to be shown something once or twice for her to get it.

Dillon:
Dillon is, per usual, a quiet influence in his class.  He is always on task and gets along with everyone around him.  The kids earn "Yahoos" for good behavior.  Dillon has received more than many of the kids in the class.  He has earned a lunch with his teacher already, and since he's such a cool guy, has been invited as a buddy by other kids for THEIR lunches with Mrs. M.  He is well above standard in English/language arts, about right where he should be in math on the state testing, which is funny because he's way above standard based on their placement testing for math.  He is above the statewide average.  The teacher has noticed his aptitude for math and it continues to be a subject he loves.  We were told he needs to take his time more for the multiple choice reading comprehension. On any questions that require him to support his answer, he gets them correct every time, but he's not double checking when it's just multiple choice. 

Carson:
Carson's teacher is super impressed with him.  He is almost always on task, the few times that he hasn't been she just has to say his name and he'll straighten up and get right back to work.  He is right where she expects an incoming 1st grader to be.  He knows 100+ sight words, has a great start on his penmanship, spelling and conventions.  He is a math rock star, Mrs. B is really impressed with his fluency in addition and subtraction.  She expects that he will grow by leaps and bounds this year.  One special note is that she described him as kind, compassionate and inclusive. 

We, of course, are incredibly proud of our kiddos.  We're so blessed!  This year we have three great teachers!