November Recap

November was a full and wonderful month:

Cora had a preschool mini-program where the students got to take turns putting on a small puppet show for parents. I've started volunteering in her classroom each week and am really enjoying getting to know the other students. I'm very impressed with her teachers and the program.

 Great-Grandpa Peter Buteyn passed away right before Thanksgiving, which meant that we got to remember and celebrate his life with lots of family. It was extra special to see Grandpa Bierma and Uncles Doug, Greg and Ryan for a weekend.

 Cora lost her first tooth! We noticed it was wiggly and within the week it was dangling by a thread and she finally asked Daddy to pull it out. Only about three days later the tooth next to it was very wiggly and she swallowed that one while eating a snack! Here is her last picture of her full mouth of baby teeth:

 And the picture of her after she lost the first one!

 We had a warmer and wetter November that what is probably normal for here. We ended up having a lot of play time inside since it was both rainy and cold and dark after Peter's naps. Here Cora is playing with "Ooblick". At least that's what I called it when I was younger. Cornstarch and water mixed together make a fascinating texture activity. Or repulsing! Cora loved it, Peter hated it.

 We also attempted home made finger paint (thanks to Pinterest). It was fun, but the texture wasn't great for painting. I'd call it "Finger Globbing" rather than "Finger Painting". Again, Peter wasn't crazy about this tactile adventure while Cora was engrossed in mixing colors and squishing it between her fingers for over an hour.

 The leaves finally finished falling from the trees. It seemed like a very long, gradual progression of leaves changing colors and dropping off trees this year. It truly was a beautiful fall! We managed to get some hiking in while the fall leaves were still nice and crunchy! It's amazing to see the ground completely covered with a blanket of red, orange and brown leaves...and to actually be able to see through the trees for more than 10 feet.

I also had a doctor's appointment that confirmed that I really AM pregnant with our 3rd child! We were able to hear the baby's heartbeat and later had an ultrasound to verify how far along the pregnancy is. We can expect to see this baby around the first week of June!