Cooking Me a Turkey

Last week Phoebe and I were downstairs when she came up to me carrying this Turkey Beanie Baby.... She told me it was a chicken.  I then let her in on a little secret.  "Actually that is a Turkey", I said.  "They can be very big birds and have pretty feathers. Look."  And, I showed her the feathers on the Beanie Baby's wings and tail. I went on to explain that lots of people eat Turkey on Thanksgiving day.  The next thing I knew she had gone out to her little play kitchen, plopped that bird into a pan and was cooking it!  She turned the burners on and very seriously watched it while it cooked.

When she determined that it was all done cooking she smiled and then promptly served it to me in the pan.

Thank you Chef Phoebe for the pre-Thanksgiving Day Turkey and one of the most funny Hendrickson kid moments this month!

Papa's Pumpkin Patch 2013

Last Saturday we went to Papa's Pumpkin Patch, north of Newton, KS.  This is the patch that we have gone to for the last three years.  It is family friendly, has tons of things for kids to enjoy doing, and is very affordable.  There is no admission charge.  A local band out of Newton, The Book of JEBB, was playing when we arrived.  They played bluegrass and folk music for all to enjoy.

The big white slide is always a favorite for our girls!  This year Phoebe decided she was going to go down the slide by herself because she is big... And she did go down the slide by herself... over and over.  

Silas tried the slide a few times too,  with Daddy and Mommy.  I am not sure that he liked it... each time he went down on my lap he grabbed onto my arms very tightly.

Silas ~ 14 months old

Phoebe ~ 3 1/2 years old

Sarah ~ 6 years old

Measuring to see how big they each are...

Silas really liked riding in the pumpkin wagon.  Each time we tried to put him into his stroller he would yell and cry, but in the pumpkin wagon he was happy.

Phoebe and Sarah both enjoyed playing on some fun old farm equipment turned into a play area for kids.

Out in the pumpkin patch looking all around for the best pumpkin....

Phoebe helped cut the one we picked.

Sarah liked picking these small pumpkins out of the field.  She especially liked the little striped pumpkins!

It was a good day. Perfect weather.  I love to spend time with my husband and my children all together.  Thank you to Sarah for taking the picture below of Eric and me.  (She is getting better and better at taking pictures and getting us both in the picture!)

September Schoolwork

Sarah continues to do well in 1st grade.  In September she studied all about apples in science.

She worked on vowel and consonant skills, and learned to put words into ABC order.

Her class talked about the past events of September 11th, 2001.  She brought home this worksheet to be completed with a parent.  She and I worked on it together.  It was supposed to illustrate where Eric and I were on that day twelve years ago.  (Sarah told me her teacher told the class that she was in the 8th grade when this tragedy happened here in America.)

Ending and beginning sound sort...

Sarah has Reading and Math homework every week.  She brings home a Reading contract and a packet of Math worksheets to be completed and returned on the last weekday each week.

Me: How have you been doing in Reading?  What do you like the most about Reading?  What do you like the least?

Sarah: "Well, when I don't know how to do things it's bad.  So, bad.  But, I raise my hand and ask for help.  We read stories in there and we have stations.  Mrs. Hilyard is funny.  She calls Savannah, Savannah banana and Hannah, Hannah banana."

Me: What is your favorite season?  Why do you like that season the most?
Sarah: "Winter because you get to build snowmans and throw snowballs and Spring because babies hatch and in the Spring the weather feels good."

Me: What have you been working on in Math?
Sarah: "Penny games, time, adding and subtracting."

 

Me:  Tell me about your sticker chart.  How do you earn stickers?  What happens when it is filled up with stickers?

Sarah: "You get stickers for being good.  And, if someone is being loud and you show them the quiet signal you get a sticker.  You have to fill it up and you get little coupons that you can pick for a prize.  And, I picked a coupon that said Wear No Shoes All Day In The Classroom."

Full of Frogs

When Eric was mowing about a week ago, we discovered we have a window well full of frogs of all sizes!  When he finished mowing he climbed down in there and got out one big frog for Sarah and one small frog for Phoebe.

Sarah doesn't mind touching and holding frogs and toads one bit.  (She does not get her love of frogs from her mom.)  Phoebe is still a little unsure of them.  She took a close look at the big frog, but did not want to hold any frogs.  (Now, that is more like me.)

Phoebe would gently touch the back of the big frog.  (This is even more than I would ever do!)  And,  Eric put the little frog into their bug catcher container for her to carry around.

Silas wasn't too interested in the frogs.  He looked at them and tried to poke the big frog with his finger a couple times, then after licking his finger that he poked the frog with, he was done and ready to move onto something else.