Other news

In other news lately, Annie won her class spelling bee and got to go on to compete in the school-wide bee.

 She was pretty nervous the night before, but Rachel told her how it all worked from her experience in 1st grade, and that helped.

 Annie made it through several rounds and ended up getting 2nd place in kindergarten after she missed the word love. She spelled it L-U-V-E. Just like it sounds, plus the silent E she knew was at the end. :)

 We were glad we got to go see her do so great.

 And yes, Megan is wearing socks with her sandals. and pants and a skirt under her skirt. That girl is definitely 2 and has a very clear opinion about every piece of clothing she wants to wear. And it's not worth fighting over. I'm just glad she's dressed. :)

Ryan earned a trip to Trail Dust Town for good listening (though since we've gone his listening skills have dropped off dramatically). The carousel is always a favorite.

 We all took a ride around the place on the train, and stopped at the sweet shop right where the train departs from.

 Most pictures we tried failed due to poor lighting and a mediocre phone camera. But Annie Oakley's portrait turned out:

 It was a fun night as always at Trail Dust Town, though the kids were sad we didn't stay for the stunt show. Maybe when their cousins are here for Christmas...