Sci-Port Discovery Center

The day before Thanksgiving we went to Sci-Port to play and catch an IMAX movie. Evan always enjoys going there, but Sydney absolutely loved it! She played in the water, made Gloop (like Silly Putty) and rode up in the 'Pump Yourself Up' chair. It was a good thing we bought a membership because Sydney is going to want to back again and again. They are supposed to have a cool program on New Year's Eve that we hope to go to.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

During some free time after dinner, we decided to hang out with the girls outside and look at the sun setting and the moon rising. It was so pretty. The girls started playing Simon Says, and before too long they were mimicking Michael Jackson. It was so very funny!

Good Morning!

The girls all had breakfast in Evan's bed our last morning at camp. We packed up, cleaned up and then rounded everyone up for a group picture. These girls' ages range from 6 to 9, but they all get along quite well. Evan discovered Brain Quest cards and fell in love with them.

The Camporee Hike

After lunch we went on a hike to a nature pavilion. The guide taught the girls how to make bird feeders out of pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed. Some of them then hung them on the trees. Evan had to bring hers home to hang in our trees. The campsite had four dorms with a common area and 10 bedrooms. We even had satellite TV!! There was a nice dining hall and an awesome playground! Besides the hike, I think the girls enjoyed the playground most of all. The camp was pretty poorly planned, so all the events were about 30 - 45 minutes behind. We were supposed to have a bonfire with Christmas stories and s'mores, but that didn't happen. We all had fun, though. It was nice spending the weekend alone with Evan.

Girl Scout Winter Camporee

Evan and Jayda

Pretending to drink hot chocolate on the pier

The weekend before Thanksgiving Evan and I went to the Jimmie Davis State Park for a two night Girl Scout Camp. We met up with our troop about 45 minutes away, and then drove in together. I was following my GPS for directions, and we ended up at the end of a dirt road with dogs barking and running after us. Feeling like we were about to have a "Wrong Turn" experience, I turned around in the middle of a chicken farm. We got back on track a made it to the camp around 9pm.
The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast burrito. Funny how food always tastes much better when you are camping. Of course, it has been a long time since I've been camping. The first part of the day was filled with crafts. The girls got to make a cute apron, chocolate spoons, cool ornaments and reindeer food.

Making a Gingerbread House

We skipped this tradition last year because we ran out of time, so
this year I was determined to fit this activity in. The girls enjoyed
it, and Sydney loved licking the candy. I'm sure the candy will
disappear if I don't put it out of her reach.

First Visit with Santa

Sydney started pitching a fit as soon as she saw that strange man in
the red suit. I haven't heard that desperate a cry since she was
first handed to me a little over 5 months ago. I made her squat with
me beside Santa so we could record this moment for posterity. We have
Breakfast with Santa scheduled next week, so we'll see how quickly she
gets over this fear!

First Haircut in the US

Sydney got her first real haircut yesterday and hated every minute of
it!! She cried eventhough she was sitting on my lap. Of course that
meant I got hair all over me! She finally stopped crying but then
ignored everyone because she was mad. A trip to Baskin Robbins next
door fixed everything, though.

1st Grade Thanksgiving Feast

The 1st graders had a Thanksgiving Feast complete with little turkeys. Don't these girls make cute little pilgrims?

Sweet Child

Sydney has been such a blessing to our family. In nearly 5 months, we have moved from being strangers whom she would barely tolerate to being the family she loves to see. She can be quite an affectionate girl. She lights up and starts laughing when we pick her up from daycare, she runs to us when we return home, and she even runs across the yard when she sees Uncle Bob outside. She loves to raise up her arms so he'll pick her up and give him a big hug. She has a warm, loving personality and simply adores her big sister! We are so thankful for this special little girl who has been through more than we'll ever know.

Evan's Fake Birthday

Evan's birthday is November 26th, so it sometimes falls on Thanskgiving - but it ALWAYS falls around Thanksgiving! Her friends are usually gone for her party. The last few years we have started throwing her friend party a few weeks before the actual day. This has turned out to work perfectly. She decided she wanted to have a sleepover with pizza, decorating cupcakes, dancing - and lots of it, playing Barbie's and watching movies. Evan had such a great time and loved being with her friends.

A Champion

Evan has been taking gymnastics for several years now and loves it. She's really pretty good at it and always keeps her toes pointed. I used to dread the thought of her competing and traveling on the weekends. But now I think it would be a lot of fun. She might decide to compete as early as next year.

More Competition

Evan's 1st Mock Competition

The gymnastics competetive season is about to begin, so Evan's gym had a mock competition to help the team get ready. Evan's pre-team group was invited so the girls could see if this would be something they would like to do. Evan did a great job. I thought she would be shy and refuse to perform. Not so...she did a great job concentrating.

Mommy's Little Biker Babe

Sydney's Thanksgiving Program

"Who are all these people, Brody?"

Shake your tail feathers!

Sydney's debut as a turkey was awesome! I just knew she would shut down as soon as she saw the audience, but she was too busy taking it all in. I thought about hiding so she wouldn't see me and make a run for me. She stayed on stage, though, and smiled, jumped around and fell (I think. You'll see her disappear for a second in the video). Afterwards was a Sharing Feast, so we sat with Bruiser Brody and his parents. Sydney and Brody did NOT want to take off their feathers. They were so cute! They also didn't want to eat because of all of the excitement around them.

Mike's 2nd Bagpipe Competition

Mike placed second in his division in his second competition. Look at his sporran (the pouch that looks like a fanny pack)! I bought that for him for Christmas last year. I love it!