Pumpkin Patch fieldtrip

More Gushing About Neighborhood Preschool

I know I love neighborhood preschools - and I gush about them all the time. But today deserves more gushing! We just got back from the cutest field trip ever. We took our girls to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin. There's a big pumpkin patch that has a corn maze, petting zoo, and hay rides that all of the preschools and kindergartens around here go to. We took our little 5-girl preschool there and we were the only ones there! We had this huge place to ourselves! And the weather was so wonderful - we all went in jackets and one by one they all came off because it was so warm.
When we first got there we did the hay ride that took us past the petting the zoo (they even had a zebra - weird eh?) and all around the farm. Then the girls got to go to the pumpkin patch and pick their own pumpkin. After that they got to go through a straw bale maze - which is such a perfect height for them because you can see them the whole time. Then we got to go through a real corn maze little-kid length (under half a mile). Then they got to do a coloring page and Becca brought a ton of snacks and drinks for everyone. It was such a fun field trip.
But here is why I love these joy schools - because at any given time you could look around and find one of our little girls holding a mom's hand, not their mom's hand necessarily - just a mom's hand. I love that we just all become moms to these girls and these girls are all so loved.

Halloween party

The Joy of Neighborhood Preschool

I have always been the biggest fan of a neighborhood preschool. I did it with Tyler when he was 3 and we had 8 little kids and I loved it - sure, the week it's at your house is complete insanity, but to have 7 weeks off - makes the insanity worth it.
Bailey's in one right now and I just love it. There are 5 cute little girls in it and we rotate houses for school, have holiday parties, and go on fieldtrips. Today we went to Bay's Halloween party and it was the cutest thing. They made crafts, decorated cookies, painted pumpkins, played games ("ghost, ghost, goblin" and "pin the eyes on the ghost") and had a pinata. The girls got to wear their costumes (2 princesses, 2 cheerleaders, and a ladybug), and bring home their weight in candy - all you need for some happy preschoolers!

The Writing's on the Wall

The writing's on the wall - well, the writing's on the floor technically. Saturday something happened that's got me worried. Keep in mind Logan can only roll - there's no crawling at our house - the little guy gets to whatever he wants by rolling. Saturday he was in our family room and rolled into the kitchen. There he found a crayon on the floor - now I would have bet my house that he would have eaten that crayon. Good thing I didn't bet because right now I would be homeless. No, he colored on my floor with it! What?! How does he know how to color? I am seriously worried - rolling should be fairly innoncent - crawling . . . heaven forbid, walking . . . now those are dangerous - but look what rolling's got us. I'm telling ya, the writing's on the wall that I'm going to have my hands full.

Provo or Bust!

Friday morning Derek runs the idea of he and Tyler going to Provo for a BYU football game past me. The game on Saturday isn't until 4:00 so he can easily drive down Saturday morning in time for the game. Then a whole plan evolves . . . he calls his brother-in-law and talks him into going to the game too and bringing his 4 year old son (turned out to be an easy sell!), he plans on walking around campus, shopping the bookstore to get Tyler all decked out in BYU gear, hiking up Y mountain, and then being at the game a good couple hours early. That should all easily fit in eh? At 7:30 Saturday morning the boys are off on their football weekend.
Had we been paying attention we would have noticed the foreshadowing - Friday night it snowed here. This is the earliest in the year snow has been recorded. The foreshadowing was there - we missed it. Off they go and they get 2 1/2 hours down the road when they hit trouble - snow. Derek then drove 30 miles an hour for the next 3 hours! They finally got to Provo with only enough time to hit the bookstore and then get to the game. Luckily for them it was dry and not too cold during the game (and BYU won - bonus when it takes you 8 hours to get to Provo!).
Derek and I had discussed where they were going to spend the night - we have some good options in Provo. We had to take into account that Sunday he had a 4:00 flight to make. We decided getting a few hours closer to home that night would be the best bet. So he and Tyler get to Layton and stay in a hotel.
This morning he wakes up to more snow - so he and Tyler hurry to get on the road. They got past Snowville when the freeway gets closed! He sat there for 45 minutes before he gave up, turned around, and went all the way to Pocatello and back around. What should have taken 4 hours ended up taking 6 hours. About his flight . . . oh, he missed that by a mile. He had to take an 8:00 flight tonight that will get him to San Jose at 2 a.m. with 2 layovers!
All in all they ended up spending 17 hours driving to Provo and back. Like I said, we should have paid attention to the snow Friday night.