Perler Beads

Have you heard of them...? Connor discovered them at his after school program a couple years ago. It is an easy process. You have a peg board that you put plastic beads on. Once the creation is completed, you put a parchment like paper over the beads and iron them on a low setting to melt the beads together. Then you take your creation off the peg board.

The boys were home with their dad yesterday for Fall break and since it was pretty cold they were looking for things to do inside. This was the activity of choice! I went home at lunch and they had just started. When I returned home at 5 they were still doing it!! They took a little break in there to do a few things outside, but returned to their creations once they came back inside.

They really are good for hand eye coordination and also patience! You have to be careful not to bump the peg board or the beads will fall off! We have different peg board shapes and books that show different designs. This was the first year that Carson really got into it and followed the pictures in the book to make his creations. Davis just took a fish and turtle and put the pegs in randomly which still looked cute and it was his own! It takes quite a bit of time so I was really impressed with his patience. Connor was excited about the KEEP OUT sign to hang on his bedroom door!

In a house of three boys, there tends to be a lot of wrestling, running, throwing things etc. so to find a quiet activity that keeps them occupied and away from the TV...I am for it!!



Even dad got in on the action!


These were their favorite creations.

These are the items that kept them occupied for hours yesterday!

Trip to Michigan

This weekend the boys and I traveled north to Michigan to see my sister, Heidi. It took us 5 hours to travel up there. Thankfully, the boys did a great job traveling. Not sure what we did prior to DVD players!

My sister has two dogs, a cat and a bird. Needless to say, the Wagoner boys that only have a guinea pig, were in animal heaven at their Aunt Heidi's.

On Saturday, we went to Greenfield Villiage. It was a chilly day, but the boys had a great time. They got to ride a caurosel, Model T car and steam engine train. I think those were the highlights of their day! All of the historical buildings and homes were very interesting to the adults.

On Sunday, we got up and went to the cider mill for cider and donuts. Wow, was it ever good. It was the perfect fall day for a warm cup of apple cider and a spice donut. Probably a good thing I do not live in Michigan...I would probably be a regular at the mill!

It was a great start for the boys and their Fall Break, now they get to spend a couple of days with Dad!

Thank you Heidi for a great weekend!

Field Trips

This fall I have been able to go on field trips with the two older boys. I went to the Stuckey Farm with Carson. It is a pumpkin patch and apple orchard. They got to pick a pumpkin for their classroom, try different apples, watch cider being made, and learn about honey bees. It was a great day and great weather.

For Connor's field trip we went to the zoo. In third grade, they pick a specialty animal that they will research the entire year. The trip helps them choose an animal that they would be interested in! Connor has picked the Leopard Gecko. He likes to learn about reptiles! Such a boy thing, I was thinking more in the line of a cuddly koala. We did see the otters and they sure are cute little critters, but he is super excited about studying the leopard gecko. Guess that is all that matters. It was also a nice day for his field trip. A little cool but no rain. The animals were actually pretty active.

I love to share their field trips with them. I figure I better go while they still think it is "cool" to have their mom tag along!

I had to include the picture of the zebras. I just thought it was super sweet!

Superbowl Champs!!

Well, Connor's team pulled it off. They won their Superbowl game on Saturday! They got to play at the Colt's practice facility. They even had a loud speaker that had a play by play announcer. Connor was so excited that they called his name a few times. He had one of his best games all year. He got to play quite a bit and even had in Connor's words "a touchdown saving tackle"

He had his own cheering section. My dad, mom, sister,aunt, Vanessa and Jim's mom were all there cheering him on! It was fun to watch! Great job Connor on a great football season. I was proud of the effort you put forth this year.

No rest for the weary...we are now into basketball!

Happy Anniversary

Today Jim and I are celebrating our ten year anniversary. It is hard to believe that it has been ten years since we were married at First Church in Columbia City with a limited amount of lighting!! We were engaged for almost 2 years before we got married and at the time contemplated not having a wedding so we could get a house...well we had the wedding, in 3 months bought a house and a little over a year later our first son was born! It has been a wonderful and crazy ride. I could not think of anyone else I would want to do this with!

Jim, thank you for a wonderful 10 years, hopefully the next 10 with be even better!

Love You
Tara

Crazy Hat Day

Today at school the boys had Crazy Hat and Hair Day. They chose to do the Crazy Hat day! We went to a Halloween shop last night to check out a wig for Connor's halloween costume and this is what we left with!!

This morning Connor was a little hesitant to wear his, but Carson could not wait. Hopefully, once Connor gets to school he will see a bunch of others with crazy hats and will be okay with it. I think it is fun!

Go Packers!!!

Not the Green Bay Packers, but the ZYFL Packers! Connor's tackle football team has made it to the Superbowl game this Saturday. They are undefeated this season! Connor continued to play center all year. It is not his favorite position, but we try to emphasis to him how important of a job he has as the center! Honestly, I do not blame him...not sure how much I would like to hike the ball and wait for a huge nose guard to come barreling my way!! I kept those thoughts to myself and only shared with him the positive things on playing center. He also is the first substitute in on defense. He really likes to play defense. We are super proud of him and the team! They really have worked hard this year.

Let's just hope they do not pull a New England Patriots and choke in the Superbowl! Sorry Trent... We will be doing a lot of cheering on Saturday. They get to play at the Colts practice field. How exciting for 8 year old boys...I am so excited and I am just watching. Guess that is the sports nut in me!

Good Luck Connor and the Packers!!!

B - I - N - G - O

Games are an essential part of the Wagoner household. We really like to play games and all sorts of them. Last year for Christmas the boys got a Disney DVD Bingo game. They love to play it and I love that it is a game appropriate for all age levels. They can all play together without any disadvantage to Davis only being 3. The game shows the image of a Disney character on the TV so even Davis, who does not know his numbers, can look on the TV and try to find the Disney character on the card. I even like to play with them, but I also like it that if I am busy I can put the DVD in for them and they are occupied at least for awhile!

Hopefully they will have good memories of playing games together with their brothers and as a family!