Doniphan Doozies

Kylee received a special honor at school this semester.  Mrs. Wise, her teacher, nominated Kylee as a student who was helpful and kind.  Based on Mrs. Wise's nomination, Kylee was chosen as the first grade recipient of a special recognition ( called a Doniphan Doozy).  She filled out a form about herself (including her favorite book title (My Dog Ate My Homework), favorite sport (soccer), and what she most enjoys doing (sharing and caring)), which was then displayed on a bulletin board at the front of the school.

Traits that are exemplified by Doozy recipients are listed on the board

In the words of Grandpa Carlson, we have always known that Kylee is a doozy :)...and we are so proud of her for being the loving and caring person that she is to her classmates!

WAY TO GO, Miss J!

December

In early December, we attended the Alexandra's House Christmas party.  The kids had the opportunity to visit with Santa.  Hadley wasn't too sure about whether or not Santa could be trusted, but the big kids were very brave and shared a few items from their wish list with Old Saint Nick.

Hadley and I made the rounds at Connor and Kylee's school Winter Parties.  Hadley has become the unofficial Alexandar Doniphan mascot. :)  It was hilarious to see the way the kids gather around her, particularly in Connor's class.  She ate the attention right up.

In the center of the action!

We were very ready for Christmas break at the Carlson house.  While we love having fun things to do and participate in on a weekly basis, the constant activities and obligations associated with extra curricular activities, work, and school (let me give a shout out to my husband who aced his first semester in his MBA program!) had worn us all out, and we were eagerly anticipating the break in the routine.  The kids and I were happy to waltz out of school knowing that break was beginning.

Our Christmas preparations included assembling and decorating a Gingerbread house.  Uncle Craig assisted us with the design effort:

The finished product...and a glimpse of the beautiful anniversary roses my hubby gave me (12 years, folks)!

Fall Festivities

We capped off Connor's flag football season with a trip to Arrowhead to watch the Chiefs.  We tailgated with other families from the team and had a great time.  Here's a shot of us out tailgating.  Unfortunately, the Chiefs didn't fare well in the game, but experiencing the environment in the stadium was fun and we had beautiful weather.

We also hosted a Pampered Chef party for Connor and Kylee's former kindergarten teacher, Miss Mac.  Kylee and some of her friends got in on the cooking action and had a great time:

We had a blast!

Halloween

Halloween 2011 was a crazy, but fun, night.  We made a trip around the Square here in Liberty, followed by a spin through Trunk or Treat at LCF (our Church) and then some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

Prior to Halloween, we decorated pumpkins for the front porch.  The kids had a great time scooping out "the goo" and being creative with their jack-o-lanterns.

Connor was a Chief's football player, Kylee was a gypsy, and Hadley was supposed to be a princess...but the toddler refused to put on her costume on Halloween night.  Fortunately, the kids dressed up prior to Halloween to attend Cara's birthday party and Daddy was able to snag some shots of all of them in their costumes:

Daddy also made the rounds at Doniphan, attending Connor and Kylee's Fall Parties.  Here is a pic of Kylee's class all dressed up:

The kids made quite a haul on Halloween night.  Here they are, taking stock of their goodies:

Sugar rush, anyone? :)