Justus first Book Report

For Justus homework the other week he was required to do his very first Book Report.

He did it on Winnie the Pooh - Party in the Woods.
I thought it was so cute. His picture is of Eeyore when he has the Moose head on his rear end. Too cute!

Madera Wine Trail

Today we spent the day out on the trail with friends Brooke and Nathan. We rode a charter bus to five different wineries with their wine club. The ride was great...toward the end though, it did get a little crazy. But other than that it was great.

We hit up Quady - my very least favorite winery.

Second was San Joaquin. We really liked this one and in fact, when we were on the trail in May we had wanted to stop at this one but didnt find it in time.

Third was Cru, which we had been to, but they have a nice facility so it was nice to stop and hang out.

We stopped shortly at Papagni but they only had a few wines to taste so it was a quick stop.

Last we went to Birdstone which was really nice as well. Great facility with some good wines.

Fun times!

My first apple pie

Yesterday I took on the task of making not one, but two, apple pies completely from scratch. We were having a social at our house and I thought it would make a great dessert.

So first I made the dough - I used a fabulous whole wheat recipe.

Then I rolled it out and put it in the pan

Then I had to peel lots of apples and season them. I also made the filling. (No pictures, sorry)

I added the top lattice work and got it ready for the oven.

Out it came.

I dont like apple pie so I had to rely on the comments from others. My very honest husband said it was really good, the only thing he would do differently is make the crust sweeter.

My kitchen was so very messy by the time I was finished. But it was a great experience and even though they certainly werent picture perfect in appearance - I think it would be a good thing to make again!

Kids Night Out

Justus school has a fundraiser that has parents pay for their kids to be dropped off at the school in their PJs with a sleeping bag and pillow. Then they are fed pizza, popcorn with M&Ms and they can buy treats while watching a movie. When Justus heard the movie was CARS 2, he was so excited to go and kept asking if he could.

So of course I said yes, and of course I did not drop him off, but I stayed the whole time to keep an eye on him and his friends.

It really was a cute time. The kids that were there from his class all know me so they would come up and say "Hi, Mrs Pettit" and some would ask me to help them if they needed help opening their snacks.

Fun stuff!

End of Soccer - beginning of Golf

We wrapped up Soccer last night with the awards presentations. His team, Blue Lightening, got together at the local pizza store to celebrate.

Coach Layne did a great job putting it all together - no detail was missed. After dinner she handed out cupcakes.

Then she had each player stand on the chair while she said great things about them and the season. Then she put their medal on them and let them tell what they liked best about the season.

It was a great night. We had a great team with great players and parents. Thanks Coach Layne for a great season!!!

Today Justus started Golf.

We got there and the coach had them circle up as she talked a little bit about Golf.

They practiced how to hold a golf club and how to stand. Then it was time to test it out.
Justus took a few practice swings and then they had them use the ball. Justus even got 2 hole in ones! Great job Justus!

Before I forget...

Justus the other week said "I like teenagers. Im a fan of them" in the most casual way. It was so funny to me.

When I got up this morning and came out to check on my breakfasting children, they were finished. Not only were their dishes on the counter, but they were wiping off the table and floor. Warms my heart!

Happy Halloween

We were so excited this year cause our good friends Woody, Buzz & Jessi were coming to Trick or Treat with us!

But before they came over, we:

Got our costumes on and posed so some pictures could be taken:

Went to go see Gigi and Papa and got lots of treats from them:



Then our friends came:
Then it was off and running to get some candy.


We checked out our stash once we got home:


Some memorable moments:

- Justus wouldnt wear his mask.

- Havens wings kept getting caught on the other kids as we passed them on the walk ways.

- Justus doesnt like the scary decorations so he would rush up to the door but would bee-line it back to us if there was something scary there.

- Haven got trampled at a door while some bigger kids (none in our group) pushed and shoved to get candy. Thankfully the lady giving out the candy came to Havens rescue.

- Realized that Halloween is a good time to teach about manners and etiquette as it seems no one else uses them.

- Neil stayed at our house and passed out candy - we ran out in less than an hour.