Harvest Assemblies

It's time for the harvest! This year each class celebrated the harvest by years. The theme of course is thankfulness, the first harvest of the year, and blessings. 

Lucy's class recited a poem, and shared in a breakfast together. I love this age, they are still so giddy that we are their watching them, and sharing in what they are doing. Breakfast was amazing. And they were so cute. 

Clark's class carved pumpkins, roasted seeds and had a shared breakfast. The amazing thing is that only one other dad in Clark's class has ever carved a pumpkin so it was very exciting for the kids and families alike. Phil took the lead and carved several pumpkins that morning. We lit them and the parents kept asking me if this is exactly what a "jack-o-lantern" is? We then roasted the seeds and flavored them with salt, garlic, and cinnamon. Yummy!

Piper's class did several songs, and she played the rain stick. She was happy to sing but more excited to get to use the rain stick!!! They had an amazing spread of kid-made apple strudel and muffins along with a harvest art wall, where they displayed their work. She was delighted and excited all morning that mommy and daddy were coming to school.

Love that we got to celebrate and usher in the harvest!

Happy Birthday Phil!

I love this man. He is an amazing husband, father and friend. He is quick to laugh, serve and walk with all thru life. All who know him are blessed. I am so grateful for this man and what he brings to me. He loves me well. Lucky are we.

Happy Birthday Phil!

football!

Clark has gotten more excited this year about soccer, or as he calls it, "real football."  He's been playing  once a week after school for his club, as well as Saturday mornings.  This year he's old enough to take part in the school team too, so his first game was a few weeks ago.  He did a great job and looked good out there!

pumpkin farm - part 2

We gathered some friends and off we went out to the country... again. It was a beautiful day and an amazing day on the farm. We picked our pumpkins and spent the day in the sunshine eating soup, pony rides and chatting it up with friends. The only thing missing were the Syvertsens. Miss them. 

 Year 5 girls

 Nina and Andre... both expecting??

pumpkin farm -take 1

We headed to our beloved pumpkin farm out in the countryside with Piper's class. We had a fabulous time. We dug in the sand pitch, ran through the pumpkins, ate pumpkin soup, ran thru the corn maze, and shot the pumpkin catapult. We actually put tennis balls in the the catapult and it was so funny to watch the kids as the balls came flying out - they were cheering and laughing as they tried to catch every one of them. Piper and Millie collected as much corn as possible - it is not eating corn but they were determined to bring the finding home. It was a great day and Piper loved it!

good days!

I always know when she has had a great day at school. Her hair is bonkers, she has glue and paint all over her clothes, her tights are usually torn, she had mud in her fingernails and sand filling her shoes, and her eyes are a little wild with delight!

Welcome baby Eliza!

We got to host a Sip-n-See for baby Eliza and her mama Melissa. We all snuggled the baby, ate and enjoyed showering our love onto the Hunt ladies. We are excited to welcome her into our little family here and to watch her grow. What a blessing. Sadly I didn't even get a picture of her she was being doted on! It was especially sweet for me as I reflected on Lucy's birth - and then as I watched her act as such an amazing hostess that morning, I was so struck at how she has grown, how proud I am of her, how much her birth has changed me and how truly blessed I am by her and Clark and Piper.

Legoland- Germany

We had a school break and headed to Legoland Germany for a couple of days. The Pokludas met us and we had a great time. Michal had never ridden a roller-coaster before so it was great fun watching him and Piper enjoy them. They were crazy - they just wanted to go on them over and over again! This place is amazing - we had fun exploring the rides and little villages all made out of legos.

 We got soaked on one of the rides and they had this amazing body blow dryer

 I think the little guy will win

This is what they looked like all day

 Biggest ride they have that spins around - Lucy and Phil loved this

Happy Birthday Connie!

We had a great night of celebration to celebrate Connie's birthday. We love her and we are so blessed to have her in our lives. Her girls made a yummy cake and her son Mark played some songs on the guitar. It was one of those nights that everyone was tucked in cozy and it just lingered on and you really never wanted it to end. Happy Birthday, dear friend!

field trip to stromovka park

Piper's class took a field trip to the park to look for nature items. We had a beautiful day to be out in the park and these kids are so fun. Love watching them run around and play with each other. We collected walnuts, leaves, sticks and pine cones. It was a very exciting afternoon. 

swimming

Piper has started back up with the Riverside sharks swimming club and she loves it. Miss Renata continues to teach her and Piper seems to be improving each week. She already can swim by herself but they work on stroke work and different swimming techniques. They also play a lot of swimming games and she gets to go with lots of her favorite people so it is a favorite after-school activity!

the beginnings of the year

The school year has started off great and here is a little glimpse into it. It has started with movie nights with friends

 playing with bunnies at the US ambassadors residence

 inviting friends to have tacos who have never eaten one before... I think they liked them!

and just getting into the routine of day to day life....