Trick-or-Treat!

From Instant Upload

There are plenty of times when "angel" is not the term I would use to describe Eliana. But today was not one of those days. A package arrived on our doorstep on Saturday; in it was Eliana's Halloween costume, compliments of Uncle Robert. Today it made its debut.

Today, Eliana was an angel.

After she got her hair done, curled, and glittered, got her face made up all sparkly, donned her angel dress, halo, and wings, I took some pictures. I'm her mom. It's my job. (Her dad's job, by the way, is to take her door-to-door on this particular night every year.) So here are some pictures...

From Instant Upload

(Check out the wing span! She took out more than a few kids with those babies today.)

From Instant Upload

(Check out the detail in those wings!! - and ignore the ugly box in the background...)

From Instant Upload

From Instant Upload

From Instant Upload

Yep, she's an angel.

The festivities started in Downtown Bozeman, where we went trick-or-treating before passing out some candy of our own with some other Mary Kay consultants. Downtown is a madhouse on Halloween, but if you start trick-or-treating at 3, when it officially starts, it's much easier to navigate without the crowds!

From Instant Upload

Eliana wanted to talk to everyone, and she got complimented on her angel wings everywhere we turned. She had random people on the street taking pictures of her. She even got interviewed for the evening news.

Here's what she came home with...

From Instant Upload

After spending some time downtown, we came home, had some dinner, handed out some candy to the neighborhood kids, and then Leif and Eliana headed out to make the circuit around the neighborhood. After a while, they came home with this...

From Instant Upload

... A pile of candy and a one tired girl. 

We separated out the milk-candy from the candy Eliana can eat, then she picked one candy to eat before bed. Oddly enough, she chose the one package of fruit snacks she got as her candy for tonight. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

She got to drive the tractor!!

 Do you see who's driving the tractor for our hayride at Rocky Creek?? It's Eliana!! She was thrilled to get to drive for part of the time! And... when her turn was over, she put in a good word for her friend Jaedyn, who got to go next thanks to Eliana's input!
(That's the guy saying... "Which one is your friend who wants to go next?")

Rocky Creek Farm

Yesterday Eliana and I went with our friends Kristiina and Jaedyn to Rocky Creek Farm for the afternoon! As I'm going through the pictures I'm realizing that there will have to be a few posts since we have so many pictures from the day, but here are some of my favorite shots!! We love going to Rocky Creek!! More posts to come, including... the pig pen, the tire swings, the pumpkin patch, and maybe even more!

Happy Fall

We stopped to snap a picture while walking home from school today. After a quick lunch we are headed to Rocky Creek Farm for the afternoon. Happy Fall!!

From Instant Upload

Dentist Day!

Today was dentist day for our family. Some families don't like dentist day, but in our family WE LOVE IT! In fact, Eliana begs to go to the dentist sometimes. She loves it! Today was an extra special visit for her, because she got to have her first ever dental x-rays!

From Instant Upload

Wearing the "apron"...

From Instant Upload

"Bite down on this..."

From Instant Upload

Now for the fun part...!

From Instant Upload

Agh!! What happened?? (hee hee hee)

From Instant Upload

Let's see how well she brushes...

From Instant Upload

Not too bad!

From Instant Upload

Getting those pearly whites all, well, PEARLY!

From Instant Upload

The best part of the whole visit was getting to see Eliana's teeth in the x-ray. In fact, when she saw the images, she asked the hygenist, "Wait... did you take pictures inside my gums??" Yes, Ellie, yes she did.

From Instant Upload

(Top teeth... notice the top teeth forming above the visible ones, getting ready to come through in the next few years!)

From Instant Upload

(Bottom teeth... again, with adult teeth below the surface. How cool is that to see?!) 6 months and we will get to have dentist day again. It's always a fun day for us!

House and Home Threatened

My 5 year old just ate me under the table. We split a pizza. I ate 3 pieces; she ate 5. I'm stuffed. She wants more. Implausibe but true.

Family Tree

Eliana brought home her family tree project last week, so I thought I'd share it!

From Instant Upload

This is the front of the folder. Eliana informed me that she drew herself at the base of the tree, eating an apple. =D

From Instant Upload

When you open it up, here's what you find... The family tree, complete with family member apples, and information sheets for members of the maternal and paternal sides of the family. Here are her maternal grandparents...

From Instant Upload

From Instant Upload

And her paternal grandparents...

From Instant Upload

From Instant Upload

Then on the back of folder is Eliana's immediate family... Including her!

From Instant Upload

Here's how she pictures herself...

From Instant Upload

And us!

From Instant Upload

From Instant Upload

I thought it was a fun project! One of the things I appreciate about Mrs. Miller is that she does projects with the kids instead of sending home coloring/activity pages ad nauseum. They work on projects and then bring home a project every week or two. Much easier to keep track of and I think much more interactive for the kids!

The hat girl...

From Instant Upload

Chilly Fall Mornings...

From Instant Upload

Eliana riding her bike to school on a chilly fall morning. We can definitely feel the seasons changing and FALL IS HERE!! Crisp air, snow on the mountains, and changing leaves!

Leave it to beaver...

The other morning I was snuggling with Eliana and she informed me that she was NOT my pillow. Feeling silly, I said, "No, you're my PILLOW PET!!" She held up her hands, splayed her fingers, and said, "Do these LOOK like hooves to you?" I replied, "No, they look like PHALANGES!" Indignantly, she said, "I'M NOT A BEAVER!!"

Whaaaa? Who knows. We got a good laugh out of it, though.

Somewhere over the rainbow...

From Instant Upload

I'm not sure this post needs any words. What beautiful things the rain brings!

Recitation

Today was the first of several recitations that the Petra elementary students have. Recitation is a time for the students to practice speaking in front of a group, sitting politely while others are presenting, and giving the parents a glimpse into some of what the students are learning in class. Of course, being a kindergarten parent, I videoed the kindergarten presentation. Enjoy!

House Tour: The MUD HALL

Some people have entryways. Some people have mudrooms. We have a mud hall. It isn't visible from most of the house, which is a nice change from our last place, and it gives us a place to stash shoes, coats, and bags when we come in from the car. This is what our mud hall looks like when you walk in from the garage...

From New House

We have a place to hang coats and bags, and a place to stash shoes, and even bins to hold hats and gloves and various other items.

From New House

Our shoes usually just go wherever and we each have a bin for other items. It's nice!

From New House

And right around the corner is a full bathroom with a shower in case you need to clean up actual mud. But that will have to wait for another post.