Coops Family Blog: November and American Thanksgiving

November kept moving along and before we knew it we were at Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations. It was weird having warmer weather and trying to imagine Thanksgiving which is colder, darker weather, and cozy days inside.

Sylvie enjoyed a field day at school and was super proud to have done well in the running portion.The kids are becoming quite active and really like being outside being sporty. They also started tennis in addition to swimming in term 4. They really seem to like both. It will be fun to see what sports they find an interest in. We are just trying a few things and seeing what takes.

We went to the store after school and the kids had to try on all the hats. They had a good time and we had a few laughs.

Archie and Sylvie both had a field trips at the end of the term. Archie went to Howick Village which is an old timey village where the kids dressed up in "old" clothing and found out how life was in the days of the settlers of NZ.

And of course he had to strike a pose. :)

And Sylvie went to MOTAT (museum of transportation and technology). I was able to go and be a chaperone. It was quite a good trip and I enjoyed seeing all the kids and having them explore.

Her favorite part was learning to fly like a goose in V formation. She had to flap her arms and dive and turn following the lead bird. It was super cool and she loved it.

It was a fun day out and it was really nice being able to be with her. It has been really nice spending so much time with the kids.

Posing with the tram driver and the class.

Checking out engines

And for Thanksgiving, we some friends over for dinner. We did it on Saturday and had a roast chicken (which I can manage to cook a whole lot easier). I made a homemade pumpkin pie which I haven't done since we were in Breda. I even roasted the pumpkins. I may have made a little too much puree but hope to use it to make some nice bread.

And we set the table with my china set. It was something that was given to me by my Grandma Marien. I didn't have a china set and now I am lucky to be able to use hers. It makes the occasions even more special.

Archie wore my hats I made years ago. I can't seem to get anyone else to wear them but I still I bring them out every time.

And after Thanksgiving we put up our Christmas decorations. We hung up our cards from last year to get into the mood.

I even managed to put up the advent calendar. I was really proud of us getting into the spirit and making it festive. I felt like we needed the decorations as it was going to be super different with Christmas in the summer.