Fall fun

We have been busy lately.  One of the things taking up a lot of our time was buying a house!  We did make time this past weekend to take pictures of Rhett at the park.  This time last year, we decided to take pictures of our baby boy in a pumpkin.  This year, he wasn't as much of a baby, but we decided we wanted to give it a try.  He wasn't happy at first, but with a little bribing with some Teddy Grahams and he was good to go!  Here are some pictures from our fun day!

My little boy this year and last.

Getting so big!

Can't quite reach!

Hat?

Classroom

I have been attempting to make some things I have found on Pinterest for my own 5th grade classroom this year.  Here are a few pictures of a few of the things I've made with a brief description of how I made it.

This is made with file folders and some duct tape.  It's a hanging folder that I can keep referrals and such in it.

 If you are curious how to make this.  Open all the file folders (I used 4).  They will nest inside one another.  I started with gluing the back of my second folder to the back of my first folder (just a little lower).  Then I glued the third one to the second one, then the bottom one to the third one.  I used a bit of duct tape at the top of each folder to have a visual divider.  After they were all attached, I used duct tape up the sides of the folders to close them.  I can't put too much in them, but they work for what I need.  You could add labels (I'm sure I will) and make all different sizes and colors!

This is my "Who's Out" board.  All students are assigned a number and move their magnets to the appropriate box when they leave the room.  It helps me keep things straight. 

I made this using the following materials
-cookie sheet
- ribbon
-scrapbook stickers
-scrapbook paper
-mod podge
-button magnets
- glass floral marbles

I use hot glue to glue the ribbon to the pan.  The numbers are made with scrapbook stickers on scrapbook paper.  That is mod podged to the marbles and allowed to dry.  After dry, I used hot glue to attach the marbles/paper to the magnets.  It has been great so far this year!  Kids love it.  I have it right by my classroom door and it's been a good classroom management tool.  

Last year's Pumpkin pictures

Last year, in early October, we decided to take Rhett's picture in a pumpkin.  He had just turned 5 months old and it was a lot of fun.  We are trying to decide what to do this year.  I'm not sure we can find a pumpkin big enough for him to fit into (though we may try!). Below are some pictures from last year- I can't believe how big my little boy has gotten in less than a year! Wow!

Just sitting in a pumpkin...

Baby blue eyes!

MMMMM!!! This tastes good!!

Loved the water.

So happy!

Sweet boy.

Baby legs!

Baby Books

Over Rhett's first year, we took SO many pictures!  We (like probably most people these days) don't really print many pictures unless we are hanging them up.  I remember the days where I had photo albums everywhere full of photos.  Now, I have some pictures on my phone, and the ones on the computer, but it just isn't the same.  Jordan and I decided that we would create books to document Rhett's first year.  We made a book every 4 months including many milestones and big events in his life.  Here is a short preview of the books that we made.  We used www.snapfish.com and it was VERY easy to make them.  They also have specials frequently where books are 40% off or buy 1 get 2 free (we got a couple extras for grandparents for Christmas with that).

These are the 3 books we made for year one.

First 4 months

Next 4 months

Last 4 month

The last page in the last book.

I am so glad we made these books.  They were a bit expensive, but not really in the long run.  We went over the 20 pages in all 3 books, but the extra couple of dollars was worth it to add a few more pages. 

A few other projects- colored pasta and sensory bottles

There are a few other projects that we did this summer (that I took pics of and can remember!)

I colored some pasta noodles.  I used a tiny bit of vinegar and some food coloring, put it in a bag with some assorted pasta, and shook them all around.  I let it sit in the bag for several hours before dumping it.

I made several "sensory bottles."  This one has blue water, oil, and glitter.

One of these was filled with colored rice, then Rhett added different objects.  As you move it around, you can find the objects hidden in the rice.  The other is water with glitter, a bit of soap, and some random objects. 

He loves shaking them up and watching the glitter settle.  I have learned that super fine glitter settles MUCH slower than regular glitter.

California 2012

We got back from our California trip on Tuesday and it was a long, exhausting, but fun trip.  I was worried (ok very worried) about how Rhett would do on the flights.  We had a 5.5 hour flight (that was delayed on the tarmac for 45 minutes) and a 2 hour flight.  He actually did an outstanding job.  He didn't really sleep at all (until we were landing on our second leg) and even got his own seat on the second leg. 

We spent a lot of time at the beach while we were there.  Here are some of my favorite photos of him at the beaches (Aliso Creek Beach and Laguna Beach)

We also went to Sea World...

And we went to Disneyland!

We had a great time!  Rhett enjoyed the trip so much, which made it easier on everyone.  He did wake up at about 3-4 AM every day and went to bed by 5 PM, but he was a happy kid!