fall festival, field trip, football, fairy tales and facebook - a SUPER-post!

We have had a busy couple of days.  In truth, that's a ridiculous understatement.  I'm not sure how we could've done more in the last 4-5 days than we did.  Here's what we've been up to!

We started Wednesday night with the Fall Festival at our church.  Sean was at Wyatt's football game and Kellen was working the event (eek - is he that old?), so Elliott and I were on our own for a lot of the evening.  And this is the one picture I took of her:

Doesn't it look like she's having a BLAST?  Actually, she woke up, Kellen finished his shift, Sean and Wyatt came after the game, and we had a great time with our friends. 

Friday, GCDS took a field trip to Big South Fork.  We took the BSF Scenic Railway in Stearns to the old Blue Heron mining town, where we got to listen and learn about what life was like there 75-100 years ago.

At the General Store before we boarded the train.

At the Blue Heron mine, below the tipple.

Hike up to the tipple.

 The coal processing/railroad loading facility.

 On top of the tipple (why is everything always a race?)

Entrance to the mine.

Inside the mine.

On the train on the way back (doesn't Kellen look thrilled?  We had an unwanted "friend" that kept trying to get in our pictures - another kid on the trip.  Kellen wasn't all that amused.)

Part of the Barthell mining town, which you can see along the train ride.

The train passing through the tunnel - woah.

After our train got back, we also took a short hike out to the Natural Arch.

The arch is gorgeous, and there's no good way to capture how huge a structure it is.  

Here's a pic from the backside of the arch (where it's possible to back up a bit to take a pic without falling off a cliff).  Gives you a better idea of how enormous it is.

Speaking of cliffs, is it possible for a boy to pass one without jumping off it?

 

 Elliott, of course, was not going to be outdone by her brothers.

On Saturday, we had another Fall party - this one at Sean's mom and dad's house.  We had hayrides (not-so-scary to the pumpkin patch, where the kids each got another pumpkin, and a haunted hayride for the older guests), a bonfire, and a really good time with lots and lots of friends and family.

Sunday, Wyatt had his last regular season football game, where he played like the champ he is, scoring one TD and putting up some impressive rushing numbers (he primarily plays running back).  We're excited about the playoffs, which start tomorrow.

Elliott and I spent Sunday afternoon with our favorite friends Emma, Ava and Adrienne  at the "Princess Wishes" Disney on Ice show (to which we scored FREE tickets - yay!)  The girls LOVED it - well, except for the part with the pyrotechnics at the end.  I'll be glad when Elliott outgrows her fear of fireworks.

The Princess and I.

The girls were mesmorized.  They looked like this pretty much the whole show.

All the princesses together for the finale - with Mickey and Minnie, of course.

We finished off the weekend with what has now become a tradition - our 4th year of trick-or-treat in Forest Brook with some great friends. 

The whole crew in front of the Schwalb's home.


The little giffords - Officer Wyatt, the World's Girliest Pirate, and Facebook.

A few action shots:

It was a great weekend, but I can honestly say that I'm THRILLED that it's Monday...  Whew.

a great read

A lot of folks who know us know that we're planning (and have been for a while now) an extended trip to South America for missions work.  The exact shape and timing of this work keeps morphing, but we know it'll happen... it's just a matter of when God's timing is right.  In the mean time, we've been doing what we can to prepare.  One of the things I've been doing is (trying) to simplify our lives, to help us find ways to do more with less.  In keeping with that goal, I'm loving this book:

A new homeschool mom friend of mine read this book and was singing its praises, so I got a copy from the library.  I have since come to learn that, in addition to being a book, Simplicity Parenting is an entire online community.  The full title of the book, which you probably can't make out in the picture above, is Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids.  A lot of it is based, at least loosely, on the principles of Waldorf education, which isn't anything new.  But the book presents the ideas in real, usable ways, and more than that, emphasizes why these things matter.  You may have heard of the book or read it already.  If you haven't, I'd encourage you to pick it up.  Really, really good stuff if you ask me. 

first day of school

I already posted that Wednesday was our first day of school, but, since peeps are always asking me what a homeschool day "looks" like, I thought I'd update with a few photos.

Kellen and Wyatt are stoked about their new laptops for doing work. 

The first day of school is always "pajama day."  Awe, who am I kidding?  Half our school days are pajama days. 

Elliott was helping me teach from her mini whiteboard.  She was in a very butterfly-ish mood that day.

I have to show you some of the classroom revisions I'm so stoked about.  Come on girls - which of us hasn't complained about the boring, fashionless options available for office supplies?  My friend Amye wrote a very thoughtful article once for DICTA (the Knoxville Bar Association's monthly mag) in which she decried the lack of choices, and how the pale manila folder doesn't do favors for any girl's complexion.  Well, ladies, Hobby Lobby heard our cries.

You can't really see them all in these pics, but I got notepads, an accordian file, file folders, a notecard holder (which actually holds our curriculum CDs), cork board push pins and even a coffee cup, and they all coordinate with the fabric I bought (also at Hobby Lobby) to make the table cloth.  I used some matching dot ribbon to cover the ugly aluminum trim around our big whiteboard and to trim our cork bulletin board.   Add 2 tubes of coordinating acrylic paint to give some new life to Elliott's old whiteboard easel and for our school letters, and voila, our classroom makeover!

Three cheers for GCDS!

GCDS2.0

It's been an action-packed 24-hours for this prego.  We started yesterday with an early morning ultrasound.  Then we took in a midday movie with some super cool peeps, Kellen's sometimes-twin Alex and his mom and sister.  (Warning:  if you're going to see Charlie St. Cloud, take tissues.  I had already read the book, knew exactly what to expect, and bawled like a baby anyway.  Thanks for the tissue pack, Beth!)  I finished off the day with late night coffee with my BFF and didn't get in bed til almost midnight!  

Cramming so much fun in one day can only mean one thing - summer's closing and school's firing up.  True enough - today is the first day of school at GCDS!

We're really excited about GCDS2.0.  We've revamped the classroom, gotten new interactive curriculum, and ordered these T-shirts, which we love.  I mean, you gotta show a little school spirit, right?  Here's what the back looks like:

A little tongue in cheek, but perfect for this bunch of learning-loving hillbillies.  (Oh we're hillbillies, all right.  Just ask my family in other parts of the country.)  

What was that?  Think I heard the school bell - off we go!