Time flies when you're busy!

Well, it's been a crazy couple of weeks!  I am having a great experience student teaching this time around despite all the difficulties that the university strike has created, but my cooperating teacher is a very dedicated and very organized woman, so she has been keeping me running!  Between my schedule and the kids there isn't much time in the day to sit down let alone anything else, and weekends are often just as bad as we try to get caught up on the everyday chores that we missed all week!  I find myself really looking forward to Friday night so I can relax a bit and enjoy a glass of wine...a trait I am finding repeated in pretty much every teacher I have met!  Good to know I fit in!  Ah well, busy is good as it makes the time go faster.
Last weekend I was busily sewing to try to get the kids Hallowe'en costumes done in time for the big day!  I was seriously questioning why I had chosen to make costumes this year most of the day on Sunday, but by 10pm on Sunday night the costumes were finished and the pumpkins were carved and I had two very excited kids trying to fall asleep!  I have added a few pictures of the noteworthy events of the weekend...you'll notice Claire REALLY did not enjoy cleaning out the pumpkins!  Some of the pictures were a bit blurry but just needed to be added because the look on her face was priceless!  Enjoy!

Getting to work!  Claire pretending she is actually doing something.

Alex still working hard while Claire wastes time! 

Alex still working, Claire telling Alex how to do this correctly.

Claire accepting I'm not going to do this for her...

Alex showing how much he can grab in one handful!

On your mark...

Get set...

GO!!!  (This is my favourite picture)

Thoroughly disgusted!

The Peanut Gallery

Alex contemplating the face he will create.

Claire jumped into this task without hesitation.

Claire's finished product!

And Alex's finished Jack O'Lantern

Ready to go!  My little Veterinarian and Pirate are set to hit the streets!  Happy Hallowe'en!

Pumpkin Patch!!

Well, with the feel of fall in the air (and happily not the feeling of winter just yet) the kids and I decided to make the most of a sunny Saturday and visit the Pumpkin Patch about 30 mins west of Brandon.  We managed to get there early and avoid a lot of the annoying crowds, so we all had a great time.  There were a lot of things for the kids to do, and we brought home two great pumpkins to turn into our spooky jack o'lanterns for MUCH less than we would have paid at the grocery store!  You can check out some of the picture highlights if you'd like!  Now, the question is, what do I do to keep them occupied today so that I can get the house cleaned up, unit planning finished for tomorrow and start their Hallowe'en costumes?  Suggestions are always welcome!  :o)

Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch!

Coming out of the slide from the hay bale pyramid

Claire (trying to look innocent) and Alex posing for pictures!

Zip Lining - ready for take off...

Claire screamed the whole way...then went again!

Never in a million years did I think Alex would do this, let alone TWICE!

Firing the Corn Cannon!
Claire yelled through her hearing protection, "DAD WOULD BE SO PROUD!!!"

At the tip top of the Hay Bale Pyramid

Posing with what Alex is sure must be the World's Biggest Pumpkin

A Great Finish!

It's been a hectic week!  Between deployment starting, the university on strike and cooler weather we've all been a bit on edge this week, but we finished with a bang when Alex got to present Valleyview School's food collection to the FCC with Larissa today.  He did a great job with his little speech and is thrilled by his 101.1 The Farm shirt and fleecy blue FCC mitts.  We can't wait to check the paper tomorrow to see if the Brandon Sun photographer pictures will appear there!  On mum's side of things, I was really pleased to actually get to see the kids do something at school.  Both Claire and I were really proud of Alex, and his whole class for the hard work they put in to raise more than 500 lbs of food for the local food bank this fall!

Great work Alex!