Can I hear an amen? Are the heavens overflowing with gratitude (just from the southern states alone) for this fall-like weather? Whew, we are in love with this small change in temps. My girls were so funny this morning, they were out playing in the yard before eight o'clock. They had to be asked to come in by ten...there was math to be done. It is the joy in the little things.
Another little thing, but huge to me was finding four lipsticks in the bargain bin that had been discontinued for a newer better kind....but me, I like the old kind. And it made my day! So it is the little things.
And then it is the four little things that are running through my house squealing with delight at the fun of the chase. It really cracks me up. It is kindof like screaming on a roller coaster makes it even more fun.
It is the little things like hearing your kid read with such inflection that you are amazed with her abilities...and how she so sweetly cares and teaches a younger one in ballet class so that she can move with confidence too. I love the little things.
And another little thing that is big enough to move a mountain, is my youngest praying each night "for the angels to draw their swords, to protect us and guard even our property... to stand in the night for us." She is growing up...but she is still one of my little things.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Cultured....sorta.
Our homeschoolers went to Orlando to get cultured this week. Grandparents can give a sigh of relief now that they know Sumter county kids do get exposed to more than roadkill, boiled peanuts and a wad of chew. Seriously, it was a fine day. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra each year does a Youth concert for minimal cost and it is pure artistry.
The kids went on a walk with nature through music. Some of the highlights were seeing the ballerinas from the Orlando Ballet Company dance to a song from Swan Lake. Another was the ladies singing opera and in French. We were glad it was translated on the big screen. Did you know jasmine is pronounced jasmine in French? Hmm...now you are cultured too.
One of the songs, a favorite of the kids was "On the trail from the Grand Canyon"...they liked the hee-haw of the donkey and the clippidyee clop of the shoes too. The master violinist was amazing. We really enjoyed the song of the Elephant's waltz on the large bass....it was so low and deep. The selection from Holst, about the planets and stars was amazing. It was very familiar, I even commented that it reminded me of a Star War's type piece. Steve agreed. Yep, he got to go on this field trip with us....a happy dad was he.
Great group of kids!
This was the second show, and the house was full!
We missed seeing the percussionist at work, but the orchestra was completely awesome.
So, they took a bow. The conductor is bowing, he was so genuine at drawing the kids into the selections. Hats off to him.
Pretty girls. Alma arrived later, (after this pic) and had tissue for anyone in the closest three rows that might need some, it was a large roll of toilet paper!!! During the concert she whipped it out and started unrolling it....a couple mom's almost lost it, they were giggling so hard. What a fun memory!
The kids went on a walk with nature through music. Some of the highlights were seeing the ballerinas from the Orlando Ballet Company dance to a song from Swan Lake. Another was the ladies singing opera and in French. We were glad it was translated on the big screen. Did you know jasmine is pronounced jasmine in French? Hmm...now you are cultured too.
One of the songs, a favorite of the kids was "On the trail from the Grand Canyon"...they liked the hee-haw of the donkey and the clippidyee clop of the shoes too. The master violinist was amazing. We really enjoyed the song of the Elephant's waltz on the large bass....it was so low and deep. The selection from Holst, about the planets and stars was amazing. It was very familiar, I even commented that it reminded me of a Star War's type piece. Steve agreed. Yep, he got to go on this field trip with us....a happy dad was he.
Great group of kids!
This was the second show, and the house was full!
We missed seeing the percussionist at work, but the orchestra was completely awesome.
So, they took a bow. The conductor is bowing, he was so genuine at drawing the kids into the selections. Hats off to him.
Pretty girls. Alma arrived later, (after this pic) and had tissue for anyone in the closest three rows that might need some, it was a large roll of toilet paper!!! During the concert she whipped it out and started unrolling it....a couple mom's almost lost it, they were giggling so hard. What a fun memory!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Egpyt mania
This past Friday, we had another day of ACE. Ancient Civilizations Explorers followed life along the Nile River and pretended to be mummies. They feasted on foods grown in the area, wrote their names in hieroglyphics, and make clay pots. It was more fun than one should ever have when it is called school.
This of course was the last picture of the day, it will make sense later. Maybe. We did not recycle all of this, I know, we are bad very bad...but who would want to?
These were the special standing mummies, not in coffins and without masks...they were just common folks. All organs were still intact and there was not any salt used in the preserving of the bodies.
It was quite the process. No moving. At all.
They wanted to see what was going on so bad....even tongues were used to try and escape the wrappings.
Guess who moved? Guess who was the most fashionable mummy in the bunch? Guess who's paper came off first out of all the group. Yes, all answers are OLIVIA!
They played pass the mummy...aka Hot Potato. The funniest part was it was played to the tune of Walk like an Egyptian. Great one Ms. Light.
This looks like a room in the museum artifacts room. This air-dry clay was great in making the clay pots of old!
The younger ones make a crocodile out of an egg carton and oh it was so stinkin' cute. The older ones wrote a small story about living along the Nile, and the animals who lived there too.
Cutting takes such concentration!
Ms. Keen shared with the group all about the food of the region. They all were so attentive it was a great idea to take the time to recognize how their bread many times included grains of sand. YUCK!
This of course was the last picture of the day, it will make sense later. Maybe. We did not recycle all of this, I know, we are bad very bad...but who would want to?
These were the special standing mummies, not in coffins and without masks...they were just common folks. All organs were still intact and there was not any salt used in the preserving of the bodies.
It was quite the process. No moving. At all.
They wanted to see what was going on so bad....even tongues were used to try and escape the wrappings.
Guess who moved? Guess who was the most fashionable mummy in the bunch? Guess who's paper came off first out of all the group. Yes, all answers are OLIVIA!
They played pass the mummy...aka Hot Potato. The funniest part was it was played to the tune of Walk like an Egyptian. Great one Ms. Light.
This looks like a room in the museum artifacts room. This air-dry clay was great in making the clay pots of old!
The younger ones make a crocodile out of an egg carton and oh it was so stinkin' cute. The older ones wrote a small story about living along the Nile, and the animals who lived there too.
Cutting takes such concentration!
Ms. Keen shared with the group all about the food of the region. They all were so attentive it was a great idea to take the time to recognize how their bread many times included grains of sand. YUCK!Notice all the tie-dye shirts they are all wearing? Those were done at the last ACE meeting. They will turn some heads!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
September makes me...
EXCITED about Autumn. It is my favorite season and my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving happens. We are busy deep in the deserts of Egypt in school, counting syllables, dividing too many numbers, reacquainting ourselves with Robert McCloskey and gobbling up apples as I dream about a coolness in the air.
Each afternoon we have two old but young friends coming over to our house when the bus drops them off, and it is nice to share our day with Dylan and Tara. I once watched them both when Dylan was almost two and Tara was a newborn! Now he is 6 1/2 and she is 4 1/2. He feels right at home, many times checking out the frig if I am not quick enough with the afternoon snacks. They both love Mr. Steve, and everyday ask about playing the guitar. The girls are getting their first paychecks since they are helping out so much. Tithing, taxes, savings and spending has been a great lesson.
Today they bought the new Barbie movie and how funny is it that they are being so careful with it so it does not get scratched or lost. Ownership. Love it!
We had a great weekend celebrating Sept. birthdays with some other couples. We went to KOBE Japanese Steak house and used a great coupon...check it out if you are going. Then we headed to SAK Comedy Club in Orlando, which was a well spent $12.00. (Thanks Aunt Rhonda for watching the girls, they always feel right at home.) Make a date of it if you can, it is a blast. Funny people.
I am still searching for a great point and shoot camera, if you have any ideas please share them.
Each afternoon we have two old but young friends coming over to our house when the bus drops them off, and it is nice to share our day with Dylan and Tara. I once watched them both when Dylan was almost two and Tara was a newborn! Now he is 6 1/2 and she is 4 1/2. He feels right at home, many times checking out the frig if I am not quick enough with the afternoon snacks. They both love Mr. Steve, and everyday ask about playing the guitar. The girls are getting their first paychecks since they are helping out so much. Tithing, taxes, savings and spending has been a great lesson.
Today they bought the new Barbie movie and how funny is it that they are being so careful with it so it does not get scratched or lost. Ownership. Love it!
We had a great weekend celebrating Sept. birthdays with some other couples. We went to KOBE Japanese Steak house and used a great coupon...check it out if you are going. Then we headed to SAK Comedy Club in Orlando, which was a well spent $12.00. (Thanks Aunt Rhonda for watching the girls, they always feel right at home.) Make a date of it if you can, it is a blast. Funny people.
I am still searching for a great point and shoot camera, if you have any ideas please share them.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Camper trumped by Hotel
The idea of going to Disney and staying in the Coronado Springs Resort was a BIG hit! We went with the Symonds family, as a last minute reservation since our camping plans were abandoned. Because our daily temps have not been out of the 90's for EVER, camping in the woods with no water nearby to play in did not seem like fun for any of us. 
In this picture, you can see Emma's swollen right elbow that we think got sprained the night before on the playground.****UPDATE**** EMMA"S ELBOW IS BROKE, NOW IN A CAST!!!!!!!! She was a trooper and was tough enough to enjoy the rest of our stay and endure the pain. 
This huge ziggurat was part of the scene down at the pool. The kids loved climbing on it, and it was so fun that we had learned about them this past week at school. Apparently these stone pyramid type structures were built as temples by the Mayans as well as the Mesopotamians, 5,000 years ago.
Her acting skills just come screaming out when she is around her Dad. Besides this being a holiday weekend for Labor Day, we celebrated Steve's birthday too. I liked that this pose was her idea...if he would have had the video camera, we would have a film of it too!
This big head cracked me up! There was no beach, but we still got some sand.
We took advantage of the All You Can Eat shrimp feast and the girls got the treat of petting a live lobster. It made their night.
Like everything at Disney, beauty and the amenities were in abundance. We rubbed those nickles together and squeezed out all of the fun. We even went and visited the Wilderness Lodge and its pool because their water slide was a little different than the one at Coronado Springs resort.
With only a few channels in the rooms, most of them were advertisements of things to do while on the DW property. This did not seem to bother the girls they still were glued to the screen (because it was big and flat).
Such a great fun time. It really is a magical place...you feel so special to be there and if you are careful, you don't have to empty your bank account. But be assured, those opportunities are there if you feel so inclined.
This huge ziggurat was part of the scene down at the pool. The kids loved climbing on it, and it was so fun that we had learned about them this past week at school. Apparently these stone pyramid type structures were built as temples by the Mayans as well as the Mesopotamians, 5,000 years ago.
Her acting skills just come screaming out when she is around her Dad. Besides this being a holiday weekend for Labor Day, we celebrated Steve's birthday too. I liked that this pose was her idea...if he would have had the video camera, we would have a film of it too!
This big head cracked me up! There was no beach, but we still got some sand.
We took advantage of the All You Can Eat shrimp feast and the girls got the treat of petting a live lobster. It made their night.
Like everything at Disney, beauty and the amenities were in abundance. We rubbed those nickles together and squeezed out all of the fun. We even went and visited the Wilderness Lodge and its pool because their water slide was a little different than the one at Coronado Springs resort.
With only a few channels in the rooms, most of them were advertisements of things to do while on the DW property. This did not seem to bother the girls they still were glued to the screen (because it was big and flat).
Such a great fun time. It really is a magical place...you feel so special to be there and if you are careful, you don't have to empty your bank account. But be assured, those opportunities are there if you feel so inclined. Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sniff sniff, aaachhhoooo!
And this is why I have not posted this week. I have been laying around (in my dreams) nursing this awful sinus end of the summer cold trying not to breathe on anyone I love. It about whipped me. The only saving grace was some easy dinners and lunches I had prepared for, short but complete lessons in school and a husband who covers and picks up the slack.
We are still knee deep in all these "projects" for Courtney and Carly. I feel like they are actual members of our family since a portion of each day is devoted just to them. Now people, they are just the dolls! They are not real. This week we have endeavored to sew some tu-tus and long skirts so they too can practice their dance moves. A dear friend, thank you Rachael, crocheted them (all four girls) caps and they are about as cute as can be...and Sunday at church Olivia had a great idea....she went to her Aunt Sam for help. This is what she said.
"Hey, Aunt Sam, when you are done with your Reunion cup today (aka communion cup) can you save it for me? It would make a great smoothie treat for my girl." Her mind is always working. Of course she got it. But, just in case, she had also approached her Dad with the same idea, so we are in abundance of "reunion" cups around here.
My last comment is my new obsession, thank you Netflix. HEROES. Yes, the show. And now that it is coming upon season 4, I am watching numerous episodes to get caught up and soon I might begin to speak Japanese. I cannot even fold laundry when I am watching, I might miss a subtitle. I found myself trying to figure out what superpower someone "might" have the other day....yes, I am addicted, and I have friends who are so glad.
We are still knee deep in all these "projects" for Courtney and Carly. I feel like they are actual members of our family since a portion of each day is devoted just to them. Now people, they are just the dolls! They are not real. This week we have endeavored to sew some tu-tus and long skirts so they too can practice their dance moves. A dear friend, thank you Rachael, crocheted them (all four girls) caps and they are about as cute as can be...and Sunday at church Olivia had a great idea....she went to her Aunt Sam for help. This is what she said.
"Hey, Aunt Sam, when you are done with your Reunion cup today (aka communion cup) can you save it for me? It would make a great smoothie treat for my girl." Her mind is always working. Of course she got it. But, just in case, she had also approached her Dad with the same idea, so we are in abundance of "reunion" cups around here.
My last comment is my new obsession, thank you Netflix. HEROES. Yes, the show. And now that it is coming upon season 4, I am watching numerous episodes to get caught up and soon I might begin to speak Japanese. I cannot even fold laundry when I am watching, I might miss a subtitle. I found myself trying to figure out what superpower someone "might" have the other day....yes, I am addicted, and I have friends who are so glad.
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