Gingerbread house making party (a.k.a. all-you-can-eat candy party)

We attended our second Parker Family gingerbread house making extravaganza the day after Thanksgiving. (See pictures from our first here.) Kate ate candy of every color, but stuck to her theme for her house. She does love pink. James also ate a ton of candy. He opted for a more traditional look. Thanks Dad for all the help and thanks for the cars to complete the product!

Happy Thanksgiving

As luck would have it, Ben's family and my family are on the same every-other-year Thanksgiving Day schedule -- meaning all of my siblings are with their in-laws this year and so are Ben's. Next year we'll get to choose from two Turkey Day dinners, but this year we were on our own.

We filled our morning with play and a quick visit from cousins. Then we had a family hike to Ensign Peak. Although the view was hazy from the top, James and Kate were still able to make out some of their favorite SLC landmarks. Kate said her legs were too tired to walk down, so I suggested she get in the Baby Bjorn and I'd carry her down. I meant the idea to be a joke, but Kate loved the idea, actually still fit (sort-of), and I did end up carrying her two-thirds of the way down before I called it quits and made her walk the remaining distance.

Since I LOVE to spend the day (or even just an hour) in the kitchen, we decided to go out to eat for our Thanksgiving Day feast. We were able to get a reservation at Tuscany and enjoyed a lovely traditional dinner as a family, accompanied by Grandma McAdams. The absence of a lengthy clean-up process was notably appreciated.

After the dinner, we went to Grandma McAdams' house for dessert and were joined by a few more family members. It was a lovely day.

At dinner we talked about what we are thankful for. Kate is thankful for trains. James is thankful for train tracks. (Both are referring to the GeoTrain toy they have been enjoying since their birthday.) Dad is thankful for his family. Mom is thankful for Dad. Kate said that Robert is thankful for Mommy.

Parent-Teacher Conference

James and Kate have been going to a Spanish immersion preschool since early September. The first two weeks or so were a little shaky, but they seem to really be enjoying things now. They adore their teachers and they each have a favorite friend in the class.

Each day starts with group singing, the calendar, the weather, and feelings. Then they split up into two groups. One group does a cooking activity in the kitchen and the other group does an art project, then the groups swap places.

At first Kate would refused to go in the group without James, but eventually the teachers were able to get them to go to separate groups, which is great, because Kate seems to prefer talking English to James and English is not allowed. In fact, if English is spoken, the whole group chants, "Uno, dos, tres, no Ingles!"

I'm so pleased with their progress. Having lived in Austria and learned to speak German, I know how tough it is to be dumped into a new environment with a new language. I can only imagine, however, how that might be for a child who doesn't understand why he/she doesn't understand anything. I stayed the first couple of days and wanted to translate everything for them. (Although I only caught half of what was being said.) I felt so bad for Kate when the teacher asked her what color paint she wanted to use and Kate just stared back at her. "Pink. She wants pink." I wanted to say. Instead, I just watched on as my kids' faces returned blank stares to the teacher.

Leaving them on their own was hard those first few days. In fact, the first day I left them, I just sat in the car outside the school for the entire three hours. I knew James and Kate were confused and would struggle, but patience and perseverance on every one's part (especially the teachers!) seems to be paying off.

Parent-Teacher conferences were last week. James and Kate are both doing great! The teacher kept telling me about things they were doing/saying, and I'd say, "He says that in Spanish?!" "Of course" was the teacher's reply. You can see their cute class in the photos below and also some of the specifics one of the teachers wrote on their report. I'm so darn proud of my little three-year-olds!

President Obama

After the election was called tonight, I went down to make sure Kate and James had fallen asleep. James was still awake. I was sort of happy because I had some great news to share with him. I told him that Barack Obama was going to be the President of the United States. "He will be Kate's President?" "Yes, James." "And Mommy's President?" "Yes." "And Daddy's President?" "Yes, James." "Oh, okay. Barack Obama. Like on Daddy's show." (You can tell what Ben's been watching.)

For me, this is about a belief that President-elect Obama will be a strong leader and improve foreign relations, not about race, but I am happy that my children will grow up in a country that has elected an African American as President. Next milestone to achieve: a woman President.

Robert's blessing

Robert was blessed in Sacrament Meeting at church today. Ben gave him a beautiful blessing. Among the highlights were that he would be true to what he believes, be confident, and reach out to peers in need of a friend. Robert was lucky to have great grandparents from both sides of his family in attendance, two grandmas, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. We all love you Robert!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

The long anticipated day finally came. James and Kate have been so excited for trick-or-treating this year. I don't think Kate could dream of anything better than a bucket full of candy. It was a lot of fun for me to take them from door to door around our neighborhood. Clearly Robert had a blast tonight too.

Second Bi-annual Judd Girls' Vaction

My family is quite spread out -- currently from Pennsylvania to Hawaii -- so it isn't often that we are all able to get together. Two years ago, the Judd girls (my mom, sister, 3 sisters-in-law, and niece Sierra) started a tradition. The plan is to meet up in some fun location and have some time to relax and bond. No kids allowed -- unless you are eight or older or too little to stay home. Two years ago we met in NYC. We enjoyed shows, food, and late nights. No kids (except for mine, but we couldn't really kick them out of their own apartment). This year we met up in Palm Springs with four babies in tow! I have no pictures of the beautiful home we rented, its beautiful pool, the good food we ate, the new clothes I bought, or the lovely ladies themselves. However, I do have a priceless gem of Asher letting Grandma know that he did not want to sit in that d*&# highchair. And I finally met Nohea -- my newest niece that came all the way from Vietnam to join our family. (We missed you Karen!)