Here Comes the Monkey Bus!

On October 21 our baby girl turned 4!  She continues to bring so much joy to our lives.  Her enthusiasm and humor is endless.  I was running errands with her one day and a big purple bus with monkeys painted on it crossed my path.  I HAD to find out what it was all about.  So I looked it up on line and found out it was a school bus that was converted into a play land for kids and it comes right to your house.  I loved the idea so we set the date with the monkey bus.  I wanted to make Mallory's birthday really special for her this year because she was sick on her birthday last year.  Of coarse we had to go with the monkey theme.  It was a gorgeous day!  You couldn't ask for better weather.  We had the back yard set up with different things for the kids to do.  There was bubbles, sidewalk chalk and play dough.  All those things that preschoolers love.  Finally the Monkey Bus arrived.  All the kids lined up in the front yard and waited to climb on the bus.  It was so cool.  There was a small trampoline, slide, ball pit, climbing net and wall, monkey bars and a zip line.  The kids had a great time!  After they were wore out from playing on the bus, we headed to the back yard to open gifts and have cake and ice cream.  We were happy to have lots of family here to celebrate Mallory's birthday with her along with her friends.  It was a great 4th birthday that I hope Mallory will always remember!     

Busy Girls

The Scott girls are girls on the go!  They have a busy schedule to keep up with.  Madison had her bridging over ceremony where she went from being a Brownie to a Girl Scout.  Hard to believe she started Scouts when she was in Kindergarten.  Molly decided to take a break from Daisy Scouts this year.  She has adjusted to being in school all day as a first grader.  She continued on with her music enrichment class this year.  She loves to sing.  We enjoyed her winter program right before the holidays.  Madison also had a holiday performance and her first strings concert.  She is enjoying both chorus and playing the violin this year.  We were the poster family for the Washington Township Rec. Center this fall.  Molly took a Tae Kwon Do class for an hour every Tues. and Thurs. evening.  On Tuesdays, Duane and Madison did the rock climbing wall and I went to the gym while Molly was in her class.  We could all see each other from our different designated areas.  Mallory kept busy coloring and playing with her toys within eye sight of us.  On Thursday evenings Mallory took swim lessons while Molly was in her class.  It was a great set up!  Molly started CCD so both her and Madison go to St. Charles every Tuesday afternoon.  Our schedule worked out for all three girls to go to Twigs.  Madison is giving tumbling a try.  She loves it.  Her sisters are both still in gymnastics.  Mallory was old enough to go to her first Parents Night Out with her sisters.  After the regular soccer season ended, Madison did a session futsol.  It helps her keep up with her skills and have fun doing what she loves.  Madison was elected by her class for student council.  She was so excited to have the opportunity to represent her class.  Molly held her own on the bike track for the first time.  She did a good job keeping up with big sis and staying on two wheels.  I can't put to words hope grateful I am to have the opportunity to volunteer in the girls classrooms and be a part of their school experiences as well as their extracurricular activities.  One evening we took a break from our busy schedule and went to see Disney on Ice with the Ackleys.  Rosanna had tickets and was kind enough to invite us to join her.  We had a lot of fun.  Mallory had never been to Disney on Ice before.  Sometimes you just need to take a break and we enjoyed a girls night together.  We're looking forward to things slowing down with our schedule a little this winter.  That gives us more time for reading books, playing games and family movies nights!         

Fall Fun

We had a busy fall as usual!  The first month of school is always hectic.  It takes us some time to get used to a new schedule and get back into a routine.  We were happy when October came and we were a little more adjusted.  Soccer took up a lot of time.  We were grateful for great weather.  We were happy to squeeze in some of our favorite fall activities that we love every year.  We made it to Wind Mill Farm for the crazy hayride.  Right before Halloween we managed to find our way through Tom's Corn Maze again and watch a pumpkin launch.  I took an afternoon off to surprise Molly at lunchtime and then to help out at Madison's Halloween party at school.  October is a big birthday month in our house.  Duane and Mallory celebrated their birthdays the same week.  Duane spent lots of time raking leaves and getting the house ready for the winter.  We love putting out mums, corn husks, pumpkins and other fall decorations.  The kids made a trip to Treadway gardens to help us pick out some things for the yard.  For Halloween we had Little Read Ridinghood, a jenie and Princess Leia.  I loved their costume picks again this year.  They all really fit the part.  All three girls were invited to a Halloween party at a neighbors.  Then we headed out for trick or treat later that evening.  The weather was perfect.  After trick or treat we went to the Oakes for some fun and spirits.  Another great fall under our belts!    

Tiger Turf II Playground Build

Back to School

This year Mallory started a new year of preschool, Molly began First grade and Madison began Fourth grade.  It'd always hard to say goodbye to summer, but the girls were excited for the first day of school.  We decided to switch Mallory to three days a week this year.  On Wednesday she gets to stay and have lunch with her friends.  Her teacher is Mrs. Hatton.  Mallory continues to love school and her teacher.  Molly went through the typical growing pains that I see every year with my own first grade class.  She was worried about making friends and we tired after a full day of school.  After a few weeks she settled into the routine and had made lots of friends.  Her teacher is very creative so Molly's "out of the box" way of thinking seems to fit well in her class:)  Madison has a busy schedule with lot of responsibilities that she's trying to adjust to as a Fourth grader.  She is involved in Orchestra and Chorus.  She is learning how to play the violin.  Also she is on Safety Patrol and was elected by her class for Student Council.  She has lots to keep track of and it's been a big adjustment. This year I have one of the biggest challenging of my career.  I have 27 First graders in my class.  This is the largest class I've ever had.  It's a wonderful class and we have lots of support from parents and a classroom aide.  Every day is getting easier for all of us.  I'm excited to begin helping out at Madison and Molly's classes on my days off.  We're looking forward to another great year!