The Photo Page has been updated with the pictures from the 3 teams last night that participated in the MNO: Scavenger Hunt! Go check them out here:
Photo Page Update
Author: jayhox
Last MOPS of 2013/14!
Come for a social hour & hang out on the last MOPS of this year! Before the year ends a few reminders:
- Meal Schedules are all posted on the Members Tab (it is password protected). If you’ve forgotten that password, please ask your table leader! There is a new meal schedule on their which will occur over the summer!
- The Park Play dates will be starting in June. The schedule for the park play dates is on the calendar tab
- This will likely be my last post on the website! If you need website help, additions, etc. contact Danielle or Emily 🙂
Buffet Help Needed
Thank you to those that have already volunteered to bring items in for our last MOPS. So far we’ve got:
Abbey Kraetsch – main dish
Iris – quiche (main dish)
Danielle Fernandez – muffins
Hilary Marshall – croissants
Claire Laverde – clementine oranges
Yun – fruit
We’re still in need of at least 2 more main dishes. If you can assist on this front, please contact Rebecca Krum (click her name) to let her know!
Evans Creek Preserve: Hidden Gnomes
Thanks to Kari Feistner for telling me about this!
Some people have been prowling the hidden nooks and crannies of Evans Creek Preserve and playing a little game of “hide the lawn gnome.”
The activity has at least one member of the Planning Commission wondering how the practice got started.
“Who is the gnome master?” asked Brad Connor.
Who, indeed?
Conner and his 2-year-old son, Brody, were out in the park in late August or early September of 2013 when they first noticed the little gnome, similar to the kind seen in the ads for Travelocity.
The gnome was tucked away a few feet off the trail. When the pair investigated, they found a small tag had been attached on the bottom congratulating them for finding the gnome and encouraging them to hide it themselves.
Connor said he’s out in the park regularly and is fairly certain he found the gnome for the first time fairly soon after it started.
The pair did so enthusiastically, and Connor said the gnome helped make him want to make more use of the park.
“It encouraged us to walk the whole course,” he said.
Then, in the fall, the gnome went missing.
Whether someone took it, or it was covered in falling leaves, or it was simply using some sort of gnomish invisibility trick, Connor couldn’t tell.
“There’s all these little, unique nooks and crannies and gnome homes,” Connor said.
So, Connor replaced the missing gnome with one he went out and purchased. Then after he placed it, he discovered another gnome, different from the original (this was in 2013).
Now there are at least ten gnomes in Evans Creek Preserve, and there may be more. Kari Feistner found 10 & suspects they didn’t find all of them.
“It’s just fun, and it adds a bit of character to the park,” Connor said. “It brings the community together.
Parks Director Jessi Bon said the city doesn’t know how it got started, either.
“It just kind of happened organically,” Bon said.
She did ask that people hiding the gnome try to keep it within five feet of the trail. Evans Creek Preserve has some ecologically sensitive areas, and its best to keep them free of humans tromping around.
“Just enjoy the park and be respectful.”
Kari said her last venture on the trail they found 10 gnomes. Why not go add your own gnome & have a fun adventure right here in Sammamish! Just be sure to attach a tag or use a Sharpie to give your gnome a name & ID yourself as the donator of the gnome. We My daughter named our gnome “Silly Sunshine” in case you run across him…
Save the Date: Winemaker’s Dinner
Last year several of the MOPS mom’s attended MQP’s inaugural Winemaker’s Dinner & Auction. It was an evening filled with wine tasting, silent auction bidding (think vacation rentals, art work, meals, etc.) and a live auction over a catered dinner. Plan to join fellow MOPS mom’s and other community members at the 2014 Wine Tasting Dinner & Auction.
October 25, 2014
6:00 – 10:00pm
Mary, Queen of Peace ~ Social Hall
1121 228th Ave SE
$50/person
Further details to come, or you can keep up to date by checking MQP’s website for details on purchasing tickets in the future for the event! See you there…
Parenting Event: How to talk so your kids will listen
In two weeks (Tuesday, May 6 at 8:40 a.m.) the Bear Creek School will have a Parenting Topics and Tips seminar at their Sammamish campus (located just down from MQP at Pine Lake Covenant Church). This talk with be with Kellie Anderson on “How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Your Kids Will Talk.” Anyone is welcome to join! Below is the link to register for the event. Registration is free. Register Online: parentingtopics-listen.eventbrite.com
Animal Learning Exercises
Here are some fun online play resources on animals for the kids:
Land & Sea Animals
For kiddos: 2 to 3 years old
We have a link to a download for little ones to cut and paste animals in their natural environment.
Thanks tlsbooks.com for the free download kids are sure to love!
Nocturnal & Diurnal Animals
For kiddos: 4 to 5 years old
We have a link to a fun, free printable worksheet by Maureen spell at spelloutloud.com.
Something (else) To Do
MOPS Int’l publishes a monthly calendar on their blog. It’s full of great ideas (when you’ve run out of your own) of things to do on any given day, strange days (National Garlic Day anyone?). So, if your short on ideas…try out the MOPS Int’l’s monthly calendar. It can be found on the MOPS Int’l Blog.
Welcome Home Soldier!
If you’re like me & you’ve had empathy for Denisse and her sweet girls as they waited month upon month for Drew’s return…the wait finally ended at 1:09pm at SEATAC when Drew stepped off the plane:
Here’s the photos of his arrival:
mqpmops.com 