Thanksgiving Printable

Here is a Thanksgiving printable we are using this year to record some special thanks from 2011. I'm going to pack them away with the fall decor. I think it will be fun to pull them out next year and see what each of the kids was thankful for the year before. Feel free to use it if you'd like, you can find it over at The Printable Share or click on the picture link below to download. Enjoy!

Lightbulb Turkeys

I've been saving lightbulbs for awhile...but I wasn't sure what I was saving them for until the idea to make turkeys with them came to me one day. They were the perfect shape to make turkey heads....

First I hot glued them to the inside of a lid so that they would stand up on their own. 

Then each of the kids painted theirs brown and we let them dry for a day. 

Later we cut out felt feathers and glued them on, as well as the rest of the face. :) I think they turned out pretty cute and the kids had fun making them!

More Fun With Leaves!

After collecting all of our beautiful leaves, we had to think of something to do with them all!

My little ones are always picking up 'treasures' outside...leaves...rocks...sticks...(the occasional bug) and wanting to save them in the house. I don't care much for piles of these things all over inside the house, so my compromise is that if we bring them in, we have to create with them! So we decided to make some beautiful leaf collages and some fun leaf 'people' too!

I had to add these pictures because I find it so interesting watching my children's skills develop and Faith Elaina (3 1/2) has yet to favor one hand when she writes. I snapped a series of pictures as she was writing her name because I noticed she was switching hands between every letter...

I'm trying not to influence her one way or the other, and I think it's so amazing to watch the process as each child figures it out. It'll be interesting to see what she chooses in the end! :)

I love to ask the kids to tell me about their creations and sometimes write what they tell me on them. This one Faith told me "Three leaves are walking in the sunshine."  :)

Joshua made some cute leaf 'people' too.  :)

Leaf Hunt

Let me start by saying I MISS MY CAMERA!!!  :(  Daddy is having to use it for work for the next couple of weeks...I've been without it for a few days now and using a little point and shoot...and Oh! How I miss my other one! But I'm not going to let it keep me from blogging....  :)

So today, after spending most of the day letting a little one recover from a touch of the flu we desperately needed to get out of the house. This evening we went for a leaf hunt and enjoyed some time at the park. I made a printable that I'm sharing over at www.theprintableshare.com for a 'Leaf Hunt'. I had my preschooler in mind when I made it but all the kids enjoyed it and playing in the leaves.

On their 'Leaf Hunt' pages they had to look for 1 BIG leaf, 3 small leaves, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange and 1 brown. I was surprised that the big kids wanted to do it too, it was certainly too easy for them but they enjoyed it.  :) And thankfully, even though we are late into the Autumn season already, we still managed to find some nice colorful leaves around. 

We started by coloring the leaves on our pages and talking with Faith about what we were going to be looking for. Samuel had one too and just colored all over it...he was happy to be doing what the big kids were doing though.  :)

When it came time for 'hunting', the kids found what they needed for each block and checked it off when they had found it. For my orderly, list loving Joshua, he really enjoyed checking things off his page! :)

Faithy (feeling much better than she did at 3:00 this morning) helped me sort some of our leaves by size and she placed them into rows on the bench.

It ended up being a fun activity (that I hope some of you will enjoy also) and was a great break out of the house that my little crew...missing their Daddy...needed. And I've got no complaints about this amazing fall weather we're having, what a blessing it is to me!

Making Wishes

Beautiful weather in November, 'wishing flowers' everywhere...it was a happy day for this little girl enjoying a bit of God's creation.   :)

I'm thankful for my sweet 3 year old who can make me slow down and see wonder in the simple things, even the seemingly ugly....turns beautiful in her eyes. :)

She told me she was "wishing for a tiny unicorn..."

Seattle, WA

Our trip back home to the States has almost come to an end and it has been fantastic! I have taken so many pictures the last week and a half of fun times with all of our family and friends, but I also have taken several of the breathtaking views that surround the Pacific Northwest...God's beauty is truly incredible here!

Anyway, this post isn't so much about our vacation as it is for our friends who haven't had the opportunity to see the Great Northwest before. I grew up here, moved away 4 years ago and it is even more beautiful than I remember! Here is a glimpse for you of the gorgeous Seattle area we've been enjoying...

And to our friends back in South Korea (see you soon!) and you would not believe how fresh the air is here! Every time I step outside I can't help taking deep breaths, enjoying the crisp, fresh, sweet clean air...a very different reaction to our 'home' in S.Korea where we all often hold our breath outside! Even the kids have noticed the difference! If only I could bring it back with me, I would! :)

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

I think they turned out pretty cute! So I had to share a pic...   :)