Here's a fun video from the week Henry attended St Therese's Camp in Wasilla.

"I want to take something apart. What can I take apart?"

How about this old iron?



No school for several weeks means more time to visit friends, museums, sledding hills, and skating rinks.

Halloween was on the warm side this year (25 degrees), though cold enough for ice and snow.The pumpkins froze on the porch and the lids would not separate from the top. So the candles went in through the mouths.



Dressed for a sizzling 25 degrees in Oceanview.



Fish #3 is doing well. #1 and #2 are in heaven.We believe the secret to the new fish's success is using store bought water rather than tap water and treatment solution.

STEM day at UAA was planned as a 2 hour trip, but 4 hours later at closing time there we were. From open to close these kids loved it.


The "Rogers Park 3" - Henry, Abel, and Isabella.

These kids are growing much too quickly. 2nd grade is here, the final year of pre-school has begun, and dance and cub scouts never fails to fill in the cracks where free time used to live. No complaints.

On the bus ride home from the first day of school Henry stumbled off in a cluttered ball of excitement.
"I pulled out my front tooth!"
And there it was in his hand.



Piper was a less excited case on the first day in Ms. Nancy's class, but it succeeded all the same. Thankfully we own the book from that first day's lesson (The Kissing Hand), and were able to reread it that evening.



Byron Glacier with Pack 11:

Piper's three year old Preschool Christmas concert was today. Expectations were measured and guarded. Her dance recital earlier this week yielded a stoic and tearful Piper very uncomfortable with being on stage in front of grown-ups. The young ladies at dance class were spread out, so perhaps she felt a bit too isolated there.

We've heard all of the concert songs plenty of times at home, along with any required hand motions. She knows it all. Would she show it at the concert? Would she tense and cry at the concert?

Unfortunately there was little to no singing at the concert, but Piper stood calmly still while the songs clanged away. I believe she found comfort standing so closely to her classmates. In the video below Piper (the sun) "melts" away the snowmen.





She did great right up until the last song. As expected (by anyone that has attended these programs before), Santa made an appearance after the last song. He told the kids just how wonderful their singing was and how Merry a Christmas next week would be. Most kids found this delightful.

Looking at the photo below and noting where the kids are gazing, you'll conclude that Santa is to Piper's right, which explains why her tears and terror are aimed away and to her left.





Full set of videos and photos here.

I don't know if St Nick's day is a Catholic thing, a Midwestern one, a Polish one, or just a bungalow belt Chicago tradition. I know that I have always loved it and thus we expose our young Tureks to it. It's an easy way to get into the Christmas spirit and an opportunity to receive a small gift; their participation is a slam dunk.

Last year Piper flopped on the floor and cried when she noticed foreign objects in her boots. This year she just held her bear and reared back apprehensively, eventually settling in a corner of the couch eyeballing the boot. After some breakfast she was ready to give the Little Mermaid items a try.



It all worked out just fine, but it's clear that fiddling with her shoes is some degree of deep violation.



I still do some software support for a BP north slope application, so we were able to join in on the BP night at the zoo. The dark zoo is filled with holiday lights, hot chocolate breaks, and lots of familiar faces ("I remember that guy from floor 3." "She was always in the elevator going higher than me."). It's easy to get spoiled when you mainly visit the zoo on nights when it's closed to public.