Vocabulary Parade

Anna's school had a kindergarten and first grade "vocabulary parade" the Friday before Halloween! It was so fun seeing all of the children in costume with a vocabulary word to describe themselves! Afterwards, we had a fun snack in her classroom and then they did Halloween centers. The parent involvement is just amazing at her school, and there were about 12 parents in the classroom all morning. It was so fun!
Maizie, Emily and Anna









This is the snack we brought...Anna thought it was so funny!

Henry joined Anna at her table for snack. She was so excited to have him there, and he was a bit hesitant with all of the big boys in their costumes...

Henry is THREE!

Yesterday sweet little Henry turned three...he is getting so big! Every time I use the word "baby" his immediate response is "mommy, I not a baby anymore!" That has been going on since he started preschool! :) Henry took a special snack to school, and I was the parent of the day. ( I was there with the kids for a portion of the day to play with them.) Then we met Daddy for a birthday lunch downtown where Henry ate 2 HUGE slices of pizza...He is a growing boy!

We didn't plan a birthday party this year since we are in a rental, just moved here, etc...but boy did I feel bad when he was asking when his party was and when his grandparents will be here! He also said that he wanted his party out at Yaya's with Shadow the horse. Anyways, we made his day special, and he will have a few more celebrations when we have visitors the next few weekends! We did have a cake with a choo choo on it...it was his only request for his birthday! I don't think that he even realized he was going to receive presents! Our sweet neighbors came over and celebrated with us! It was fun! :) My favorite thing Henry said yesterday was, "I'm three, and me so excited its my birthday, but i a little sad i not two anymore." We are still working on pronoun usage, but he really is expressing himself and his emotions so well to me.

At age three, Henry's favorite things are:
Everything Thomas the train...his other favorites are Percy and Henry...he loves knowing all of their names!
His sister
School
Reading books and having Anna read books to him...it is amazing how long he will sit still when she reads to him!
New friends Max, Milo, Wesley and Ruby
Cutting with scissors, Painting and Coloring
Riding his trike SUPER FAST
Big Bruder Trucks
Swinging on the big kid swings
Look and find books

One of the funniest things that Henry has been doing lately is cheering for himself! I will hear him as he is doing all sorts of things saying, "Go Henry, go!" It is so funny...he even does it on the potty!

Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch!

Wednesday we went on the kindergarten field trip to a pumpkin patch in Durham. It was so much fun, and luckily the rain held out until the very end. Anna had such a great time with all of her classmates and so did I!

Thomas the tank engine...

This past weekend we drove to Spencer, NC for a Day out with Thomas the Train. We had such a great time. I don't think that Henry has ever been so excited about something! Anna had a great time as well. We saw some of our friends there and all of the kids had a ball. Henry loved riding Thomas, but he didn't like the black smoke that he puffed out!

Anna rode a 5K

A couple of weekends ago, we did a 5K as a family! It was for a great charity, www.supercooperswagon.org, and we all had a ball. We were so proud of Anna for riding her bike the entire way! Henry was in the wagon...pulled by Chad! :) Then they played for hours afterwards...they had bounce houses, games, food, magicians, etc. They even had an awesome pearl jam tribute band and adult beverages on the green. We had a great afternoon and night, and then strolled home around 9pm! It was late, but so fun!

Chapel Hill

Anna before school one day!

Making pizza in our kitchen...love Trader Joe's pizza dough!

Before school on a rain day


Cheering for the Razorbacks! Anna has grown so much that her cheerleader outfit didn't fit anymore! :) She settled on this...

Durham Bulls game!



Here is a quick update...pics to come soon! Anna and Henry are loving our neighborhood with all of the nature trails, parks and bike trails. I feel so lucky that we have made some friends right off the bat! We even had our neighbors over to watch the RAZORBACK game on Saturday night!

Anna has already had lots of playdates with some super sweet girls and boys. She seems to be adjusting so well to her new school, friends, etc. She loves school and we have received great reports from her teachers (who we love). She has started ballet again, and one of her sweet little friends from her class is in the same class. We are actually carpooling, and it is so nice! Some of her favorite parts of the school day are centers, learning sign language in PE, going to the school garden, library, watching the frog news on the smart board in her room, recess, singing songs, etc. My favorite is that they walk through the halls "hip and lip": one hand on their hip and one on their lip to stay quiet and not touch anything...who wouldn't want to see a line of adorable kindergartners walking that way. I am hoping to sneak a picture someday! :)

Henry loves Chapel Hill as well. He really loves his school, and he is dissappointed if it isn't a school or church day. He already talks about a new "buddy" he made. I need to try to arrange a playdate for him. He loves the parks and bike trail...just being outside makes him so happy. We go on multiple daily walks or trike rides with Mocha! I am so thankful that he is speaking so well and so much! We are constantly having real conversations now...what a difference a year makes! :)

Chad is really enjoying his new job, and he is very busy! It is exciting work and we are thrilled for him. I have been so lucky to have friends of friends here that we have gotten together with a few times. We have met some great people in our neighborhood, and the kinder moms even walked up to a restaurant after the curriculum night for a glass of wine! I joined a year long bible study that has some great women in it! I look forward to getting to know them better throughout the year. I am also volunteering at both Anna and Henry's schools. At Anna's school this week I even used a bit of my Japanese! All in all, we miss our family and friends in Little Rock, but if we had to move anywhere...I am thankful that we moved here! Chapel Hill seems to have so much to offer and we are really enjoying it!