Baby's first embarrassing school photo

(I tried to tell her to get in line next to someone funny.)

Tapping tutu-ed Tigger

Casey is doing so much better in tap class now. She tries really hard and taps really hard too. The first day she was slumping over the whole time (until they played Yellow Submarine) and even sat down a few times. Now she has a lot more enthusiasm.

Poor Casey's costume is way too small. We saw it on sale for $5 at the costume bank a month or so ago and just bought it. It is 3T but it looked longer because of the hood. I forgot how many times she'd have to wear it. She doesn't want a new costume though.

Class Halloween party

Can you see little Tigger in the sea of costumed kindergarteners? She is definitely Tigger these days, always always bouncing around. The kindergarten parade was so cute I could hardly believe it. Afterwards the AM and PM kids and almost all of their parents squeezed back into the classroom for a little party. Since I am one of the five room moms (you'd think it would be easier with five but I think it's about the same since I wouldn't have to have meetings with myself if I was the only one) I made a snack (the ghost bananas, which were all standing up at first). The plastic spiders I put in the platter were bigger sellers than the bananas. Needless to say we have been eating even more bananas than usual the past few days.

Casey's on a HUGE banana kick. She won't eat them during the day, (unless in a smoothie) but she HAS to have at LEAST one at night, or she can't sleep. Seriously, sometimes she will even eat two in a row. It was funny because they are talking about health in class and when I was helping out in the classroom last week I overheard Mrs. R reading a book about sleep and she said that if you drink milk or eat bananas before bedtime you will sleep better. Of course Casey immediately raised her hand and said she already does this, and now she's even more determined to eat bananas right before bed. I have to say it does seem to help. Maybe I should go get one, I think it's midnight.

Anyway, I also made a non-competitive pin the face on the jack o'lantern game. There were so many kids I made five of them (and one backup just in case). I should have taken a picture. I made the bananas and the game that morning after dropping her off at school, before running back in time for the parade and the party. I also organized a pizza dinner for some of the kids in Casey's class last week because a lot of restaurants were donating money to the schools if you ate there. Casey had a great time seeing her friends outside of school. I think I'm off the hook until Valentine's Day now.

Family portraits

I can't even tell you how much I love these pictures.

Halloween carnival

Today was the big Halloween carnival at Casey's school. I went early to help set up the games and whoa was it hot out. There were two people in charge and they both kept telling people to go to the other one to tell them what to do. Then they started telling people to go to me for instructions. As if I knew what was going on. And then I got in trouble a few times too! (Needless to say it wasn't my fault.) I've got to stop this volunteering stuff. Seriously. On Friday I volunteered in Casey's class and my first job was to clean a four-sided easel full of paint outside by myself. Yuck.

Casey played lots of games and her favorite was like musical chairs, but whoever landed on the number they called got five tickets. She won it two out of four times so she was very happy, as you can see in the second picture.

Every class has to put together a raffle basket, and kids put their raffle tickets toward the basket they wanted. I made the one for Casey's class, with a gardening book for kids and enough stuff to make four projects (including dirt, shovel, wheatgrass seeds, radish seeds, socks, googly eyes, clear balloons, and a pumpkin). I hope it got some tickets. We put tickets in a lot of baskets too and we're sitting by the phone waiting to hear that we are big winners. Why isn't it ringing?

TGIF

I'm sick again, so I had to miss out on Casey's "tree walk" field trip. Her teacher greeted each kid with "Happy Tree Walk Day!" like it's a holiday. I picked Casey up after school and took her to get a flu shot and a Hep A shot, which is all she needs for our China trip that is just around the corner. After her birthday shots, we started a tradition of getting the post-shot See's Candies. We shopped around a bit and she spent five of her eight dollars on a fancy new pad of paper from Pottery Barn Kids. The girl can't stop drawing and "writing" and is always carrying around a pad of paper and a pencil or markers. She sneaks them into her school bag (they aren't supposed to bring extra stuff) and sleeps with them under her pillow, along with a giant flashlight and other toys.

One of the staff from the YMCA had her last day today so Casey made a card for her. Casey stood at the table last night dictating to herself this whole long letter that started, "I see my friend. I hope you like your new job at the preschool. We will miss you very much." When I looked at the card, it had "I see my" (which is how they start their journals at school) and then the rest looked like alphabet soup. It was so hilarious. She made some pictures and was very proud of the card. She's learning so much at school. At home we're working on handwriting. One letter a day. Her teacher gave us a workbook to use.

Pumpkins

It's not a bus

It may look similar to the school bus / train game but it's school. All of the guys are in school and so am I. Her dog, Cho Cho was writing with a pen in his hand (held by Casey obviously) and I said, "Oh, Cho Cho, you're really writing!" and Casey told me, "Yes. You should focus on yours though."