Photos for Thanksgiving

I'm giving thanks this year for the birth of a beautiful, happy baby boy who has not only brought immense amounts of joy to my life, and the lives of everyone who loves him, but who gave me a new appreciation for my older girls. He has helped me to see them in a different way, and to love them even more. I am thankful for my older girls, who love their brother with such purity that it makes my heart swell. I am thankful that they love him so much they fight over who gets to hold him, or sit next to him in the car. I am thankful they are so helpful, and ready to teach him new things. I am thankful for my oldest dd's wonderful, unique sense of humor and her very own true to herself sense of style. I pray she will be able to hold on to those things as she grows. I am thankful for my younger dd's giving spirit, and her incredible empathy. I am thankful for my wonderful husband, who has shown me what true love, and devotion can do for someone's soul. And, I am thankful for the beautiful foliage we have here this year, despite the worst drought in recorded history.

I hope you all will have a wonderful thanksgiving, and look upon all the small things in life you have to be thankful for. Here are some pictures of my family, and our fall foliage!

My Future NFL star right there! LOL

Week of November 12 (from the backside)

It was a productive week. We got school done each day, and attended a nature class through the parks and rec department. We had a great Girl Scout meeting in which all the age levels looked back on Veteran's Day, and we sent a large package to some soldiers (letters and cards). My girls learned how to fold a flag, and helped put together some packages for Operation Christmas Child.

Some of you may be waiting to hear about the art show....we ended up not attending. We had a major meltdown that day, and it prevented anything further from happening. So, we just stayed home. I was bummed, but what are ya gonna do? Some day, she'll outgrow these meltdowns...or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Here is a photo of our Mercury Lapbook! I'm so excited about it, and I can't wait to finish up our Venus one. I'd like to do a Thanksgiving one, but we'll see if that happens this week or not! I have lots of other things we need to do....cooking, baking, crafts. We'll see how it goes.

I was trying to figure out how to put up a "Thankful Tree" this year. It's a project we've done in the past, for several years now. It's just a paper tree on the wall, and each day we write down something we're thankful for on a paper leaf, and add it to the tree. Well, this year, I have a toddler who thinks it is GREAT fun to rip down any posters I have put up. Thanks to the ladies in my Homepreschool and Beyond group, we put it up on the window (why didn't I think of that?) If you look closely, you'll see we have some turkey's in our tree this year! LOL

After watching "Atlantis Squarepantis" (yes, I'm hanging my head in shame...BUT it did inspire them, that has to count for something!), my girls drew up a map and packed a bag and went on their own "expedition" to find Atlantis. Here they are:

The littlest student, has mastered standing up from a sitting position this week. He used to fall, then have to crawl to something he could pull himself up on. No MORE! Now he can stand up from sitting in the middle of the floor. He's growing WAY too fast.

Oh, another story I wanted to share. My youngest daughter (the one on the left in the above photo) has a birthday in a little over a month. She has stopped telling people she is 7. If you currently ask her "How old are you?" Her reply is always the same...."Almost 8."

Week of November 5

This week, we're beginning a unit on "the science of Autumn". I found a great book at the library titled The Nature and Science of AUTUMN by Jane Burton and Kim Taylor. I decided to start with seeds and berries, and their purpose. We've looked at a diagram of a seed, we learned the vocabulary, discussed the difference between a dicot seed and a monocot seed. Yesterday, we disected an apple seed and identified some parts. The girls REALLY liked that part. We began an experiment. And tomorrow we'll be going on a nature walk, and trying to find some more seeds and berries. We'll also be watching this great video, which goes along with this Krampf science experiment. I HIGHLY recommend the Krampf group (you don't even have to join to access the messages. They do one experiment a week, and it's a great group to "search" if you're looking for a quick experiment about whatever subject you might be covering.

Our first webquest went, ok. Aside from the writing assignment, it went great. And, overall it was a good experience as I learned that my children need a lot more help with creative writing. I hadn't previously realized how much they struggled with that, so it was an eye opener. They enjoyed the other tasks though, and we'll defineatly do another webquest soon!

We've finally finished the Mercury side of our lapbook, but the battery is dead in my camera, so I'll update later today with a picture of that. Then we plan on starting the Venus side, finally. I hadn't anticipated the review of these two planets taking so long...but oh well! They really know their facts about Mercury! :-)

Today is our "out day". We spend most of the day each Wednesday, out. We normally do the park, and library. Park first, so that my younger dd is calm and able to behave in the library. Today however, we are participating in a Homeschool Art Show. Luckily, it is right across the street from the park. So, we'll do the art show for awhile, then the park, then lunch, then head to the library. Today is also Homeschool Story Time day at one of the libraries....not the one that we normally go to, but we skip our normal library once a month for this special time. It's really a great thing! It's for kids 6 and up, and they read a book, do a craft, and sometimes there is music, etc. The librarian in charge of this program is fantastic, and my kids look forward to it.

For lunch, I think we'll be hitting Pizza Hut to use our Book-It certificates! Woo hoo. It will make for a LONG day...because the art show, and library are far enough away (but nicely enough close enough to each other) that we won't be coming home between any of our "out" activities. Hopefully, my baby will manage to get some sleep anyway (he likes his own bed at nap time....so all day out is hard). I'm thinking I might drive around long enough after the art show that he'll fall asleep and sleep in the car while the girls play at the park.

I will edit to add more later, including art show photos!

Halloween Pictures