Pumpkin Carving

To top off an already busy weekend we carved pumpkins today. Unfortunately my pumpkin was already soft so I did not get to carve one this year. I attempted to draw on a face, but it looked dorky. If I get a chance this week perhaps I'll go get another pumpkin and Paige and I can carve it. Below are Scott's and Paige's pumpkins.

Carving pumpkins is messy. Note the pumpkin seed in Paige's hair.

Scott's pumpkin during the day.
Scott's pumpkin at night.
Paige's pumpkin during the day.

Paige's pumpkin at night.

Birthday Party #2

Well we survived 10 little girls and one little boy for Paige's birthday party with her friends. Paige wanted them to all come dressed up in their Halloween costumes. We had several princesses, Mulan, a pirate, Tinkerbell, and the Statue of Liberty. Everyone seemed to have a good time. The craft was arranging silk leaves, pumpkins, and acorns in a basket. It made a cute fall table centerpiece. Next we set up a couple of games around the room for the kids to play, then we cleared that out and played musical chairs. After some cupcakes and Dibs the kids played freely about the house. We decided to follow the latest trend and wait to open presents until after the party. She has opened everything and played with each toy/craft already. Her real birthday (Tuesday) will seem like a let down. She still has a few presents to open then and we are going to go see High School Musical 3 with a friend. I think we've had enough goodies though so we'll probably just have a few left over dibs instead of another cake.

Below are the pictures from the festivities.

Amy

Paige wanted mommy to get dressed up too. My sister Kim made the dress.

Craft time.

Playing musical chairs.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

Group shot of the kids.

Extended Birthday

In the Fravil Family it is a tradition to make the birthday celebrations last at least a week, two if at all possible. Paige began her birthday celebration on Saturday, a full week and a half before her actual birthday. Last Saturday we celebrated with Scott's family with pizza, cake, ice cream, and presents. We topped off the day watching my nephew play football and watching our eldest niece twirl her baton for her last halftime show. She is a senior and this was the last performance of the football season.

Paige asked for a baby doll for her birthday so on Tuesday Grandma and Grandpa Harris, Paige, and I went shopping to find just the right doll. We went to a wonderful place called the Doll Hospital and Toy Soldier Shop. They let the Paige touch, feel, and hold the dolls, they put each of the outfits Paige picked out on the doll she choose to be sure they fit, and let her walk out the door with the doll in her arms. I could not have asked for a better experience! I did not have enough hands to take pictures at the store, but below are a few from the fashion show we had once we got home. She decided to name her doll "Dolly".

The celebrations will continue this Saturday as we have 11 children over for games, crafts, cupcakes, and Dibs (chocolate covered ice cream bites). The finally next Tuesday is her actual birthday and we are going with a friend to see a matinee of High School Musical 3. Phew! I'll need a vacation after all this partying.

Below are some pictures of the first of the two celebrations.

Amy

Blowing out the candles on cake #1

Cool gifts from the family.

Dolly modeling her Christmas dress.

Dolly modeling Pajamas

Dolly all ready for bed

A Fun filled weekend

We've had an action packed weekend and the tired child (and parents) to prove it! Saturday we had our Families with Children from China Autumn Moon Festival. It was scheduled three weeks ago but got rained out by the remnants of Hurricane Ike. Before hand we killed some time at Michaels, a local craft store. I had some trouble with the kids as you'll see below. At the festival Paige painted a paper lantern, made a mask, played games with her friend Sophia, and after dark did a lantern parade with all the kids’ lanterns lit with glow sticks. She was asleep 15 minutes after being put in the car.

Today the park next door had their annual Harvest Happenings. We went on a hay ride, did crafts, and had cider and doughnuts. Paige went on some kid inflatable things, went through a gymnastics obstacle course set up by her gymnastics academy, and rode a cute pony named Mouse. The event gets bigger every year and is really a great community event. We saw many of our friends and neighbors while we were there.

Below are some pictures of our weekend.

Amy

Are those kids sword fighting in the store? Where are their parents?

Don't believe the smile, believe the horns.
Here are the lanterns drying. Paige's is the one on the lower left.
A group shot of the festivities. Paige is in the dark pink coat on the left.

Harvest Happenings Photos

Here are the pictures from Harvest Happenings.

Paige riding a pony named Mouse.

Sliding down the inflatable slide.
Fire girl Paige driving to the scene of the fire.
I love powdered doughnuts!
I can make it through the straw maze by myself.

Romance and Rest Areas

Okay, so I admit Scott and I are big fans of the TV show "The Office". Tonight Jim finally proposed to Pam, at a rest area. Now how did they know that a rest area is the most romantic place to propose? They must have talked to Scott who proposed to me at a rest area near Paw Paw, Michigan. Of course, there was no rain for us to add to the romance, only a bit of chill in the air (It was the day after Thanksgiving). So now there will be more people proposing at rest areas, the most romantic location to propose!

Now since most of you are here for pictures of Paige, I've included a few from our trip to the Zoo last week.

Amy

I thought this was a neat shot of Paige with my reflection and the turtle.

How to ride a Rhino.

Hitting our Stride

Well we are finally getting the school routine down and our mornings are running smoother now. Paige continues to enjoy school and gymnastics so we'll keep the routine up for now. When Paige is not at school we are enjoying the warm afternoons outside. Last Thursday was a beautiful day that we spent touring a local historical home and their gardens. There is a program here through the libraries that you can get free passes to many historical sites and museums in the Detroit area so we tour places at least once a month. Paige has been asking to go back to the Detroit Institute for the Arts (DIA) so we'll do that next month when it might be too cold to be outside for a long period.

Paige has been going through another growth spurt. The new sneakers I bought her for school are too tight already and she only wore them a few times. The past two days have been spent shopping for new sneakers. I kid you not, we tried on 23 pairs of shoes in 5 stores before finding the right shoe. They were of course, the expensive ones. Part of the problem is she has a long narrow foot. Many sneakers don't stay on her foot, a problem made worse by the fact she walks on her tip toes most of the time. You can see the winning sneakers below. The green hearts glow in the dark which Paige said would be perfect for Halloween. Smart kid.

Amy

Paige with her "Get to Know Me" poster for preschool.

She did the photos and stickers, I added the names of those in the photos.

The new sneakers match the sparkly gymnastics leotard
The winning sneakers! The green hearts glow in the dark.
Just a cute shot of a cute kid.

Back to School

Paige's first day of 4 year old preschool was Monday. This year there were no tears as I left, but she was a bit nervous. There are 10 kids in her class this year, twice as many as last year. Knowing 5 of her classmates from last year and having the same teacher has eased the transition.

We are having a bit of an adjustment to the new morning schedule. Paige does not like to be rushed and rushing her makes for a very tearful morning. This morning was especially bad. Of course it could also be because she needed a nap, which she is taking now.

Below are some pictures from Monday.

Amy

All dressed up for school.

She wanted her picture taken with the flowers on the porch.
Photo op outsider her school.
Hanging up her cool Hannah Montana backpack

A visit to the Fravil Family Farm

Our last tip of the summer took us to New York to visit my parents. I was also able to visit with my friend Patrick and my friend Jill whom I have not seen in many years. It was a wonderful few days despite being sick. Paige finally got to go fishing, something she has been asking to do all summer. She and my mom caught three fish, Scott and I each caught one, and Patrick did not catch any. Mom offered him her lucky pole, but he refused. I guess he'll have to come back and try again.

We spent a day at the New York State Fair. Hillary Clinton was there the same day, but we did not see her. It was very crowded though. Paige enjoyed the 4-H building the most where they had lots of crafts and activities for the kids. It was like a stroll down memory lane since I worked in the 4-H building when I was a teen.

A fun time was had by all and Paige was crying when we left because she wanted to stay. Hopefully we can get in another trip in the fall and make it back to Cooperstown to see my grandfather.

Summer is now at an end and Paige will start preschool on September 8th. She is excited to be going back. We have been stopping in at her school and talking to her teacher. Paige has been practicing writing her letters and is doing really well. The only letter she has trouble with is "S". She can write both her first and last names as well as spell mom, dad, and mei mei without help.

Below are some pictures of our trip. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Amy

Grandpa, Paige, and Grandma

Scott, Patrick, Paige, and grandma fishing
Grandma and Paige with the first fish they caught. Paige would not touch it.
Paige and Patrick fooling around

Three years ago today

Enjoy this clip from August 15, 2005, the moment Paige was handed to us and we became a family.

Camping - the easy way

Last weekend we went "Camping". No we did not sleep in tents in the woods or even stray too far from civilization, but it was great fun. We went with other families with children from China to a local YMCA camp. Paige kept referring to our accommodations as the "hotel". It was actually a dormitory style building with shared bathrooms and a big common room. We took our meals in the large mess hall a short walk away. We arrived Friday night, got our beds made, and went exploring a little. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of a calm lake and a very colorful hot air balloon just over the trees. After a few crafts, get to know you games, and a review of camp rules we turned in for the night. At 5:30 am the next morning a little voice asks "Mom is it time to get up yet?". Some one was very excited about camp. When I finally answered that it was time to get up (6:45am), we got showered and dressed and headed for breakfast. After a wonderful meal we headed for the Zip line. I'll be honest and say both Scott and I were a bit disappointed. It was a great setup, but it was over too quick. We did get to go twice however.

Next we returned to main camp to do tie dye shirts. Paige did one for her and a onsie for Mei Mei. I did the rubber bands and Paige did the dipping. You can see our results below. After removing our gloves we had a quick lunch before participating in a kiddie carnival with water balloon toss, face painting, obstacle course, and pony rides. Paige did not want to ride the pony, but did all the other games.

After playing around we were ready to go change into our swimsuits and head for he beach. After a quick dip we took a canoe out on the lake. This was Paige's first Canoe trip and she loved it! She did a good job sitting still int he bottom of the boat while Scott and I paddled. Hopefully I can take her out again soon. Our boat ride was cut short as rain moved in. We were supposed to have a campfire after dinner, but it got rained out. Instead they built a fire in the fire place and we sang songs and roasted marshmallows that way. We danced off the S'mores doing various group line dances. Paige had a great time even though she missed most of the steps.

After our experience maybe next summer we'll try to rent a cabin for a few nights and go a bit more rustic with our camping. I don't think you'll ever get us to tent camp so we'll just have to enjoy our nature by day and a comfy bed by night.

Amy

Our room

Lake view with hot air balloon
Tie dye
Scott on the zip line
Amy on the zip line

Dragon Boats and Broken Dishes

It's been an eventful weekend here! Saturday Paige and I went to a picnic sponsored by our local FCC (Families with Children from China). There were fun games, face painting and relay races. One of Paige's favorites was fishing with your feet. It was a large tub of water with bubbles on top. The kids had to sit in a chair, put their feet in, locate a ball, and pick it up with their feet. Paige though it was a blast! I can see that it will be a new one for bath time. We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and making new ones. Scott meanwhile came home to a mess. One of our kitchen cabinets fell off the wall breaking plates and glasses all over the counter and the floor. He had the floor cleaned up before Paige and I got home and when I came home we finished rescuing and washing what was left. What a mess!! The insurance man will come sometime this week then we'll have to get estimates for getting a new cabinet as the old one was in pieces on the floor. Fun fun fun!

That's all from here. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Amy

Moving marbles with chopsticks

Blowing the "Dragon Boats"

Racing Dragon
Swinging my friend

The mess we came home to.

Spelling lessons in public bathrooms

Paige has become fascinated with spelling words. She can write her letters so she'll often ask me to spell words for her. She is also learning how to spell words by sounding them out. Yesterday we had a lesson is spelling in the ladies room at our local mall. Here is how the conversation went:

Paige: Mommy somebody wrote on the wall.

Me: That wasn't very nice.

Paige: What does F...U...C...K... spell (muffled laughter from the stall next door)

Me: (Pause) Luck, it spells luck. Lets go! (full laughter from the stall next door)

Phew that was close! The language in the bathroom is not always nice so I'll have to keep her distracted now so she does not read the walls.

On a lighter note Paige and I had a great day on Friday with Scott's family. We spent the morning with his parents tour a little zoo, the afternoon in her cousins pool, and the evening playing little kids games to help raise money for the local high school football team. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Feeding the Swans with Grandma and Grandpa

She pet the baby bunny and I have the picture to prove it!

Checking out Grandpa's new lawn tractor