BAOTAP

BAOTAP stands for "Books Are Our Thing At Parkwood." BAOTAP is a robot that encourages the kids to read. Benjamin got his patch for reading 100 books this month. Here he is with his certificate. They have an assembly each month to award the kids their patches. This is Ben's 3rd. We sew the patches on to their school shirts. It is really cute, and it sure gets Ben reading!

Thanksgiving

We went to the Dawson's for Thanksgiving dinner this year. They have a variety of pets that we are going to model for you in the next pictures.

Benjamin with the corn snake (a constrictor)

Emily with Angelita (a tarantula)
Emily really loved these animals. She held them for the longest, and kept begging for more.

Joshua with a spider for a hat.

And finally, me with the snake, tarantula, and rabbit. The rabbit I enjoyed holding. He is very soft. The snake I could tolerate, although it was a stretch. The spider was way over the top. I am smiling in this picture, but I am also hyperventilating. Even Dave admitted that the spider made him feel a little nervous.

Photo Shoot

Benjamin, 6 years old
Emily, 4 years old

Joshua, 2 years old

I bribed the kids with McDonald's this week, and they agreed to sit in front of a bush so I could take their pictures.

Falling leaves

All those trees that we loved so much when we bought our house have started to drop their leaves. The yard is beautiful with lots of different colors. Raking has begun in earnest. Fortunately, everyone in our house likes the task in some form or another. Either actually picking up the leaves, or at least raking them into a pile and then jumping in it. Another popular activity is scooping leaves onto the trampoline, then jumping them off again. Good times.

Here are the kids working in the far corner of the yard.

Resting after their labors.

Chicago with Kids

The first weekend in November found us in Chicago. My sister-in-law, Kristin was there from the Virgin Islands for a conference, and Benjamin, Emily, and I drove up to meet her. David was on call; he stayed home with Joshua. We all had a good time. Chicago in the fall is a beautiful city. Here are some of the highlights.

Eating at the Rainforest Cafe

The Chicago Zoo (very fun, and free)

The Museum of Science and Industry, one of the few world's fair
buildings to survive the Chicago Fire.

Riding the giant ferris wheel at Navy Pier.

We had a fun trip. Thanks Kristin!

Halloween

Halloween was a big hit with the kids this year. Benjamin was Batman, Emily was Sleeping Beauty, and Josh was a cow (again). I wasn't sure if Joshua would understand the whole concept, but he caught on quickly, and still carries his pumpkin bucket around saying "trick or treat."

The kids went with friends for the first time. Dave followed along behind to supervise and watch Joshua. It was a fun day.