candy for cuties...

although i'm not really a big fan of halloween, i still appreciate the fun of dressing up and getting candy! last night there was a base wide candy walk and i ran into these cuties along the way.. =)







trick-or-treat!

busy week!

yesterday was pumpkin day...
we cut open, floated, drew and explored pumpkins - ate pumpkin choc chip muffins for snack, and made these way cute pumpkin pieces of art:


then today we took a walking field trip to the base and visited the fire station!
we got to see real firemen and feel their suits and i thought this picture turned out cute..


and here we are with our fire hats!


tomorrow night we have a potluck parents meeting after school.. so the busy week continues! hope you are all having a good week even if it's busy like mine! :)

hi from japan!

well, it's saturday night, and dinner is cooking.
i have been feeling kind of down the last few days... :/
but talking to my husband always helps! even though it's only for a few minutes at a time. i sure do miss him.

it also cheers me up to hang out with this cutie, which i did last night while jen and sam went out to celebrate jen's birthday:


i think i'm getting a little burned out from putting in lots of extra hours at school, these allergies won't seem go away, and i stupidly (accidentally!) let in a few mosquitos this week and have bites all over me that are now starting to itch! :O oops. sorry for venting, but thanks for listening. :) i'm sure things will get better soon.

on a brighter note - it's looking a bit more hopeful that we can come home for christmas! we still don't know for sure, but we are trying to make plans and praying that it all works out. :)

well, dinners ready so i better go eat it! miss y'all.

"bee" happy.

this week for an art project we made bees. the kids and i have been enjoying singing "i'm bringing home a baby bumblebee" (and the variations that i learned from the internet - rattlesnack and dinosaur! haha). so i thought they might get a kick out of making their own bees. they turned out super cute!

here's my example:


and a few of theirs:


we also celebrated national fire safety week with a visit from a few firefighters on base. that was fun and to go along with it, i made this bulletin board


here's a close up of us with our fire hats on:


and, for those of you that asked -- here are a few of my kiddos!








as usual, i'm missing ben like crazy - but hanging in there. we have a long weekend because of columbus day tomorrow. i'm trying to get caught up on some projects and some rest, and trying to kick these allergies that won't seem to go away. i've had a raspy froggy voice off and on for the past week! :O it was basically gone one morning this week at school, and one of my sweet girls came over and rubbed my throat to make it feel better. haha. she said "aww, mrs. graves! your voice!" :) they sure are cute most of the time. ben is staying busy as ever on the ship, and we are just counting down the weeks til we get to be together again!

whatever you are doing this weekend, hope you enjoy the fall weather and each other. miss you!

randomness.

here's a little look at my life these days. (in pictures, of course). :)

this is my cuddle buddy while my husband is away. hehe.


this is what occupies my time most weekends lately.. coloring, abcs, making centers with beans (and other classroom things), trying to read my new magazines that came in the mail (real simple - it's a good one!) :)


lots of baby cards and packages are sent from japan these days, as almost all of our married friends are in the next phase of life. :) (don't worry, not us yet!) we are excited for them and wish we could be a little closer to all the fun!


i get bored easily at night while i'm by myself.... hence silly pictures like this:


it's finally starting to feel like fall, and i'm hoping before too long i can wear this great vest my husband bought me before he left! :) he's super sweet because he isn't really a fan of vests (i am!) but he knew i liked this one, so he got it for me anyway! i sure do miss my thoughtful hubby.


so that's a look at life in japan for kristi right now. my kindergartners are certainly keeping me on my toes and i come home pretty pooped out every day, but so thankful for something to keep me busy and help the days go quicker. they are cuties and i get lots of hugs too haha. :) lately i have been trying to teach them about having good attitudes when they don't get their way, and we have a phrase that i started - "it's ok, maybe next time!" one of them said it all on their own a few days ago and i was so tickled. :) i hope that i am teaching them more than just their ABCs and that i'm letting the Lord use me. you can keep praying for us, for my hardworking amazing husband, and that we still can work out those christmas plans, if you think about it. thanks!!

have a wonderful weekend, dear friends. miss you!