Off on an Adventure...

It is no secret that Danny and I love to be outside.  We love biking, hiking, beaching, walking, water sporting, etc., and we love all of the seasons.  Our children have inherited this same love, and they desire to go on adventures with us since they have heard over and over the adventures that we have done as a couple.  So... a few weeks ago, we created an adventure for the whole family to enjoy!

Hannah had her backpack!

And Grace has her notebook with the list of items that we are looking for on our adventure! Can we find all of them? Grace will keep us on track -- that's for sure!

As we got on the trail near our house, Hannah was the first to collect something for our adventure.  She found a brown leaf and then put it into the backpack!  Good work, Hannah!

  

She was also proud to find these acorn tops... the squirrels had eaten almost all of the acorns around here!

It must be a boy thing... my boys HAVE TO HAVE a stick when they go for walks!  They love to walk with it, hit things with it, play swords, and much more!  Life is MORE FUN with sticks!

  

Danny found a walnut and showed the kids how you can crack it open to get the nut inside! They were very curious.  Can you say SCIENCE LESSON?

Treasure hunters!

Some adventures need TWO sticks!

We searched and searched for pinecones... one of the last things on the list.  Grace was the first to find one! 

This one just makes me laugh!

Josiah found one, too!

And so did Hannah!

Danny and the kiddos!

On the way home, Hannah and Josiah had a little leaf fight...:)

 And Caleb needed help to make it all the way back... we are glad Daddy has strong shoulders!

In the end they still love each other...CUTENESS!

The Pumpkin....

 One sunny Sunday afternoon in Iowa, we grabbed our lovely pumpkin and headed outside for some carving.  The children were really excited and so were we!  They wanted to make an animal, and being the good parents that we are, we agreed!  They were thrilled!  We are NOT pumpkin carving experts in this household.  We can follow a pattern, but most of the time the kids want to help.  That makes all of the elaborate plans fly out of the window and we resort to easy shapes which are simple for even the novice carvers in the family!

This year it was a cat....

Hannah was just dying to get in there and get all of the slimy seeds!  She likes roasting them with Daddy... and then they eat them together!  

She doesn't mind all of the messy hands!

 "What IS this, momma?"

Grace is now a professional... she gets in there with no problem and really helps!

Caleb getting down and dirty!

Are you bored, Siah?

When you say "CHEESE" to Caleb, this is the face that you get!  HA!

I enjoyed how even Josiah wanted in on the action!  Here he is taking out the piece of the cat's nose! 

Hannah was pretty proud of it!

The lit pumpkin in our kitchen! :)

Because some days you just need a fort...

It has been cold and rainy here in DSM lately.... no playing outside, no running in the grass, no climbing up the slides, no swinging, no tackling in the grass, no games of chase...

So we have had to improvise or this momma would be totally crazy with four kids running around inside all day.  Last week was just one of "those days"... a "because some days you just need a fort" kind of day. While the kids were running laps in the kitchen and living room, I knew I HAD TO DO SOMETHING....QUICK! I got out some blankets and headed to the girls room. I blanketed the bottom bunk and made a lean to next to it.  I added the kids bean bag chairs and then called to the kids.  They were super excited... all four of them... and spent the rest of the time until naps playing in it.

The girls also enjoyed sleeping in it overnight while Danny was gone...oh, the little things that they find so special!

PS Making forts reminds me of my brother, James!  He was the best fort-maker as we were growing up... I KNOW that he is still has those skills as he builds now for his own kiddos!  Love you, Buddy!

Olympic hopeful?

Ever since Grace started gymnastics 9 months ago, she has talked about getting ready for the Olympics.  I love that about her!  She dreams big and does things big!  She really believes that the sky's the limit... she doesn't understand all that goes into the Olympics, but that's ok!

SHE IS A SUPERSTAR TO ME!  

And here she is in her new leotard from Nanna!  She loves it and gives her super powers -- kind of like new sneakers make you run faster and jump higher!  :)

She has already progressed so much in her abilities and we are so proud of her -- especially for her testimony to her peers!  Way to go, Sugar!

Scientific Friday

When homeschooling, there are times when the curriculum just doesn't fit with your routine or life.  So.. you make changes and get things done as they fit and as your kids have interest in them!  It gives you great freedom to do things that are right for your family when they are right.

This is true for us and science. It seems that I really need to stay on top of what I would like to accomplish for history as it builds on itself.  We do a little each day of the week and are in awe at the results... these girls are REALLY loving history and the projects and books that go along with it. BUT SCIENCE... I have a hard time fitting it into our normal routine -- it is hard to do special activities while Caleb is awake. I have decided to plan our science lessons for Friday... it will be fun to include Danny (who has Fridays off) in our experiments!

We began today with making play dough and talking about the reaction that happens when you heat the "ingredients" together.  It was fun to look at Grace's face when I asked her to separate the dough back into its parts -- flour, salt, oil, water, and cream of tartar.  "IMPOSSIBLE!"  She cried.  We made bread dough on another day and I posted pictures of yeast experiments earlier.

Well... here is all the fun we had... especially with playing with the end product!

This next picture is my favorite one of Caleb....he  doesn't usually give me a great smile while looking at the camera! Oh, I am in love with this boy!  :)