Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was extra special this year. 

For nearly a decade Mel and her family have not been able to be home for Thanksgiving. 

So, this was our first Thanksgiving all together in EIGHT years! 

and we took advantage of our time together the only way we know how-

 eating, farming, and just being together. 

To the Barn!

The Trick Rider:

My Dad was showing me his slick moves on Thanksgiving Eve. I love his expression, one he has often that, of pure joy and happiness not to be outweighed by mischief. And, I was so very impressed by his skills and maybe even a little jealous of his fearlessness on this creature...

Family

Just the three of us

- by one of my favorite things- hay...

The Grands. 

I don't think we have one photo of all of the kids- in nearly 8 years- 

where everyone is happy, smiling normally, looking at the camera, 

not mad, not sad, not pouting, with open eyes, and looking in the general direction of the camera. 

But, if we actually had that shot it wouldn't be the same. 

This is real life. These are real kids, 

who love each other, their grandparents, and the farm with all they've got-

 and that means its gonna be messy- even in photos.

This is probably repetitive, but I always leave the farm so refreshed, 

as though I have been on a relaxing weekend getaway. 

This trip was no different. The weather was beautiful, the views breathtaking,

 the farm life fanciful, and the memories so very lasting. 

Our family is blessed beyond measure 

and there is no better place to realize this...

Annual Grands and Greats with Grandma:

Halloween 2012

We love Halloween. Not all of the hairy and scary behind it- but the fun surrounding it. The cooler weather, changing leaves, warm soups, hot cocoas, family nights, and simple traditions. Jett loves to plan his costume. This year he even did research online. 

He knew exactly which costume he wanted and how much it cost and which store had it! 

Costume shopping is always fun. 

Some sword fights might ensue, I might find a blue wig just to my liking, 

and a little boy will be transformed by his imagination and a little dress-up:

such a serious batman- love the attitude and little scowl. 

 To help pass the time before Trunk or Treat, we decided to make Black Cat cookies. I think they would have been really tasty, if only I had pulled them out of the oven about 3-5 minutes sooner. What can I say, new recipe, distracted, and not really following directions. Jett said- more than once- "they look really good Mom. but they don't taste that good." I couldn't even really taste them because they were too crunchy to even bite into. But, hey, now we know and next years will be just perfect. 

 I love that batman came to help place the finishing touches on our little friends. 

He s such a great helper. 

  They do look great! Better than any other attempts
I have made over the years to be cooking crafty.

 If we can just nail down that baking time and prevent rock formation...

We headed to Trunk or Treat to start our evening. It's always fun to see friends, admire some creative costumes, play a few games, and get a hay ride...

Jett was excited to get back home and go Trick or Treating in our neighborhood.

 But he also LOVES to hand out candy to everyone that stops by. 

We got home just in time for both...

Jett asked me to wait at the driveway of most of the houses we visisted. He wanted to know if he was "big enough" this year to walk to the door alone while I waited somewhat out of site. And, so I did.

 But of course I had to get a picture...

 Perfect ending to an almost perfect Halloween. 

Family Fall Party!

All of us look forward to our Family Fall Party each year. I think this is the fifth year we have had a big fall family night and October just would not be the same without it! We have a campfire, tell ghost stories, eat some great treats, reminisce about past Halloweens, and carve pumpkins. The last few years I have even been a little crafty. We have made spooky spiders, spooky trees and this year- 

thanks to Pinterest, Jett and I made spooky bats!

You grab some empty toilet paper rolls- who doesn't have plenty of those lying around? 

I don't think boys even know they are disposable. It seems like I am always the one finding an empty or near empty roll. So, naturally when I saw this was the main supply- 

I knew this was a craft for us!

Anyway, Paint your toilet paper rolls black. 

We used spray paint- and of course added glitter. 

I want some sparkle on my Halloween. 

Then you cut out black paper in the shape of wings and fold it back and forth 

to give the soon to be wings some character, some battiness. 

  

Then you have to figure out how to smush the wings through the toilet paper holder. I think these holes might be beneficial to address first and then paint and glitter them all up because sticking black construction paper that had been glittered through a spray painted and glittered roll was very messy and tougher than necessary...

But, in the end it worked out and we made four bat friends that hung in our "spooky trees" we made a couple of years ago. That yes, I kept and yes, I moved and yes, I do really like. 

Thanks Martha Stewart for the Spooky Trees:)

 And, now to the Great Pumpkin Carving!

Thanks to the Lingos we were overloaded with beautiful, unique, and gigantic pumpkins. I don't think its possible to have too many pumpkins and gourds. I love pumpkins. I put them everywhere. I could go broke each fall buying pumpkins. I had already loaded up on great pumpkins at Ruby's by early in September. But the Lingos had so many pumpkins they graciously invited our family out to the patch to help themselves to orange pumpkins, cinderella pumpkins, white pumpkins, green warty pumpkins, ghost pumpkins, mini gourds, massive gourds, even Maize- which was beautiful. 

Three pumpkins from our gluttonous collection were, of course,  just perfect for carving. Jett was so excited and so proud of himself because this year he was able to carve his own pumpkin nearly completely by himself. The gooey part he wanted some assistance with- but he took charge of the designs and made a couple of pretty great jack-o-lanterns. 

Our Spooky Porch- 

The jack-o-lanterns hadn't quite made it to the porch yet. 

But old and wirey Spidey found her way to the window- again! I love her, too. 

School Days

We started Homeschool: year two on August 20, 2012. It took a little encouraging to get started but we did eventually get started and had a great first day, even a pretty good first week. But, this year has been full of triumphs that seem to be nearly outnumbered by pitfalls. Which translates to more days than I had hoped of me wanting to pull my hair out, wanting to give up, wanting to enroll Jett in school asap! But, when I take a step back, I realize the pitfalls, for the most part, are mine. My pride, my temper, my disorganization, my lack of focus on the God who led us into this journey. It took me our entire first semester to realize I had let my priorities get jumbled and out of whack. The more I drift off of the path and choose my own, the worse our days will become. Jett is learning from me and too often it is the behaviors and attitudes that are unkind, unjust, lacking in love and grace, easily angered, quick to speak, slow to listen. It saddens me to type this, makes my heart break, and the tears fall as I imagine what a different semester it could have been had I been focused on the reason we took this homeschool journey and on the God who placed us there. So, as we are starting back to school, I am praying for God to keep me focused...

The Fall was not all gloomy and I was not always cranky. We did somehow manage to sneak in a little fun and these are just a few of the highlights from the first half of this school year:

I love how ecstatic Jett is for his first day of school shot- very unimpressed with me 

and, I think, slightly embarrassed that Mom had him stand 

on the front porch and take a first day of school photo.

 I treasure this photo. 

He is growing up so fast, but when I see this picture, 

I know he is still my little boy. 

This was Jett and Jack's first Sunday in the All-Stars wing at Trinity. They were babies at 620 and toddlers when we moved in here. But they have flown through the 3s, 4s, PK, and K classes and have promoted to the other side. They were both so excited for this day! They couldn't wait to play video games, build with legos, and meet up with some of their "older" friends! And, while they are having more fun than we can imagine, they are also learning God's Word and learning how it translates to their life, even now. 

Lessons and Learning 

We are currently working through
 Classical Conversations Cycle One
 for our History, English, Latin, Science, and scripture memory. 

I am continually amazed at the amount of information Jett has crammed into his young brain.
 But, I am most amazed at his ability to recall this information at the drop of a hat. 

So far, we have memorized the 10 Commandments, the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the Greek and Roman Gods, the Classifications of Living Things, The 5 Kingdoms, Invertebrates, Vertebrates. We have studied Creation, Mesopotamia, The Fertile Crescent, The Rise and Fall of Rome, the Byzantine Empire, 

the Heian Government, and more. 

We have mapped out the locations in the ancient world that we have studied,
 including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

 Jett's still got the skip-counting blues and can't get the tunes outta his head. 

We have had a couple of nature hikes, learned about osmosis, 

learned how Spiders hear with their legs, and even dissected a crayfish! 

We also tried to throw in a little reading, spelling, and math along the way. 

Our favorite read so far is Oliver Twist. 

 School Day Visit! He was our favorite tourist:)

 Possibly, my favorite lesson!

Nature Walk Journal

Love the intense concentration on his face. 

Really, the tongue is key to getting the new stuff to stick. 

First Day of CC

everyone's favorite part- Lunch!

7 Wonders of the Ancient World Project- 

We made a replica of the Great Pyramids at Giza out of sugar cubes. 

 

 CC Field Trip to the Omniplex 

(still can't call it the Science Museum- it just doesn't sound right)

Science Live! 

We all had so much fun at Science Live- lots of loud noises, 

crazy chemicals, and even liquid nitrogen. 

We also met or rather forced this photo op with Nick Collison from

 the Thunder by the jungle gym. 

Our kids were pumped. He, obviously was not as enthused:)

cell membrances, osmosis, semi-permeablility, eggs, vinegar, corn syrup- oh my! 

very cool and so worth the 2 weeks of jars full of malformed, stinky eggs hanging around the house.

Tin Whistles: the Patience Building Instrument

Money Money- and more Money!

School Pictures! I loved these pictures. The photographer was great with all of the kids, the weather was perfect, the sun was out just enough, and these cuties' little spirits were truly captured. 

As we focus on renewal and fresh starts this month, I am determined to let this verse guide me each day:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:2