Halloween

Glimpses of Halloween 2009 ...

Carving our Pumpkin ...
Trick or Treating in the Rain ...
Fun with wonderful friends at a great Halloween Party ...

We Are The Champions!

We have always instilled in Devin that winning is not everything in sports. In fact, for the last two years Devin has played on, for the most part, average baseball teams. He has definitely experienced his fair share of losing. You can imagine our surprise and joy for Devin to be on a Fall baseball team that went 7 - 1 and ended up winning the Championship.
For the moment, we have allowed Devin to enjoy the feeling that comes along with working hard and winning, knowing that next season it could be his team that is on the losing end of the Championship game. Another life lesson, victory is always short lived.

Above picture is Devin receiving his First Place Trophy from his Head Coach. Not enough good things can be said about Coach Jeff. Outside of my husband, Coach Jeff has to be one of the most positive upbeat coaches Devin has ever been coached by. Coaching can make all the difference in the world when it comes to a child's enjoyment of a sport. Thanks Coach Jeff for making Devin's experience this Fall a great one!!

Saturday Fun

Yesterday we spent the morning at the ball field watching Devin's baseball team's playoff game ... they won and are now on to the Championship Game! Devin has been working really hard on his batting and got his first Double.

In the afternoon we finally found time to get to the pumpkin patch! I thought with all we had going on this month we were never going to make it there and even thought we might just skip it this year but, the kids would not hear of it. We have been going to Berry Patch Farms since Devin was a baby. The kids love going on the very short hayride out to the pumpkin patch and picking out the perfect carving pumpkin.

Halloween Party

Yesterday we hosted the Halloween Party for our Homeschool Group. For the second year in a row we had rain during the party so all our fun had to be moved indoors. Being inside did not seem to bother the kids who enjoyed some party games and yummy eats.

I think the biggest hit was the donut game. We decided against bobbing for apples in an attempt to prevent spreading any germs. One of the moms suggested a game that was featured in this Fall's Martha Stewart Magazine. It involved hanging donuts from a tree and having the kids attempt to get the donuts down without using their hands. The game provided lots of laughs and some fun competition.

Field Trip to Auburn University Raptor Center

Yesterday the kids were so fortunate to be able to take a field trip to Auburn University with some friends to visit the Southeastern Raptor Center. I hated to miss this exciting trip but, I had cardiac rehab scheduled.

My dear sweet friend Tammy took my three kids along with hers for the trek down to Auburn University. My kids are still talking about all the great birds they were able to see.

They also had the privilege of having their photo taken with the Auburn University Mascot War Eagle. This Golden Eagle flies out during their home games down the field. The mascot's handler was the groups tour guide and from what I have heard they could not have found a better person to teach the kids about the Raptor Center. A big Thank You goes out to JJ, a fellow homeschool mom, for organizing this field trip to her alma mater.

Lexi earns her Appalachian Trail Badge for GA's

Today was Lexi's second opportunity this Fall to earn a patch for GA's. So, this morning, bright and early Lexi headed out to Amicalola Falls to hike and see where the Appalachian Trail begins. Normally, Fall in Georgia is pretty mild but, today, the high was only 47 degrees in the North Georgia Mountains. Lexi definitely worked hard to earn that badge.

As a fun side trip, the girls also went to Burt's Pumpkin Farm. Lexi is still talking about the marvelous pumpkins and the great hayride they went on. We may have to break from tradition this year and take the rest of the kids up to that Farm rather than Berry Patch Farms where we have gone since Devin was a baby, to pick out a pumpkin.

Wordless Wednesday

Weekly Wrap Up

Here is a brief look at what we did this week ... to join in on the fun, head on over to Kris' blog and add your link to the Weekly Wrap Up.

We had an enjoyable homeschool week, which seems to be the case when we are home quiet a bit. We ended up baking twice - once for a lesson on fractions and then for Ava Mae's wrap up to her FIAR book, Madeline.

To cover fractions, the kids had a chocolate bar that weighed 11 ounces and they needed to figure out how much of it to use, as our recipe called for 4 ounces. Devin is our math whiz and had it figured out in no time. With that out of the way his job was done and he let the girls handle the rest of the baking process.

We had an Apple Cake recipe from France we were going to give a try for Ava Mae's wrap up to Madeline. I ended up tweaking it a little and it turned out fabulous.

We love this cookbook we use ...
Of course, all this baking in a week when I am supposed to be following a more strict heart healthy diet they want you on when you are in cardiac rehab. Thankfully, I was not tempted too much.

History was more of the same this week, with a more in depth study of many of the Explorers. We did not get around to making a diorama out of our book but, I think that we will be able to fit that in early next week. I am working hard to finish us up where we are, touch on the Pilgrims and then spend a month doing a Lapbook on Thanksgiving, in the month of November.

We finished the book The Birchbark House. The kids were excited to get through this though I will say the ending is pretty sad and brought my kids and myself to tears. Next week we move on to a new book - Pedro's Journal.

Other than our studies, Lexi earned her first badge at GA's on this past Wednesday night for a service project. Devin had an awesome baseball weekend and Ava Mae, she has renamed herself Nim from Nim's Island, her new favorite movie.

The kids and I also spent some more time Fall decorating around the house and our front door.



We also rearranged all the furniture in our Family Room and made a Vacation Jar from beach sand and seashells that we picked up during our summer vacation. I am going to add a photograph or two to the inside of the jar once I decide which ones to use. This was a great idea I found on Martha Stewart's website.

That's our weekly wrap up ... we are looking forward to a relaxing weekend! The kids' did not have Timothy School today and they are enjoying just playing outside. It is amazing how quickly they can awaken, eat, dress and be outside playing when there is no school work for the day.

Fall Baseball

We spent a beautiful Fall day at the baseball fields. The girls and I enjoyed watching Devin go, once again, 3 for 3 with batting and have an awesome day on defense. Daune is helping out with the team by coaching first base. He is enjoying the fun of being an assistant rather than a head coach like he is in the Spring.

Weekly Wrap Up

Week 5 and the beginning of Fall brought a great week of school! The kids were up early each morning so that we could finish our studies and get outside. We found time to plant our pumpkin seedlings ... I know we will not have pumpkins before Halloween or even Thanksgiving but, the kids really wanted to plant these. Next year, we will begin earlier. :)


So here is what we did this week along with our Math and Reading ...

Bible - We are continuing with our book "Our 24 Family Ways" it has great readings from the Bible each day, scripture and discussion time. This week we talked about how God wants us to Honor our Parents.

History - Winter Promise - Week 4 - We studied quiet a bit about Early Explorers with a focus on Christopher Columbus. We are on track to study the Pilgrims and all about the first Thanksgiving in November. I think I am also going to order the LapBook from In The Hands of a Child on Thanksgiving to go more in depth. My kids love LapBooks and I have always found great ones to use at In The Hands of a Child.

Language - This year we are using a book from Queen Homeschool - Language Lessons for the Very Young 2, based on a Charlotte Mason style approach to language. The lessons are easy for the kids to understand and normally take no longer than 20 minutes to complete.

Literature - Continuing on in the book "Birchbark House" - not an easy read but, the kids are captivated by it now and I have learned to just substitute the Indian words for English. We should finish up with that book next week and we will be on to a new one.

Five In A Row - Ava Mae chose Madeline as our book for the week. We learned a little about France and our plans next week are to make an Apple Tart to go along with our 2nd Madeline book we are going to read.

Other than our school work we had a fun week playing outside in the nice cool Fall weather. Devin had a baseball game Tuesday night and was the Player of the Game after having an awesome couple of innings. Lexi and Ava Mae are working hard at ballet and tap - they are learning their dances for the performance of "How the Grinch Found Christmas" that they will perform in December.

This weekend ... another baseball game, church, grocery shopping and cleaning house.

Signs of Fall

Lots of playtime outside ... with cool mornings and warm afternoons.

Dogwood trees with their red Fall berries ... the first to show signs of the changing season.