Emails

For those of you who receive my blogs by email, I apologize if you received multiple copies today. I have trouble remembering to click Preview and make sure everything is right before I actually publish the blog. I had some trouble with spacing text and pictures correctly today, so, well... I just boo booed!
Forgive me for cluttering your inboxes!

Art Wednesday

This morning, we were experiencing technical difficulties with our Switched On Schoolhouse program, so while I worked those issues out, the kiddos got creative.

Kole received a small acrylic painting kit as an early birthday treat last week, so he was finishing up his first still life painting.

Here is the original:















And here is Kole's version:















Kole did use the original as a visual guide, and I sketched the basic forms in for him, but he did the rest completely by himself. I thought it was pretty darn good for (almost) 8 years old!

Riley's piece for this morning is entitled "Fall Tree". She loved how her sketch lines seemed to pick up a little more of the paint a show faintly through the other color on the page.



For Nathan, I pulled out this cool little palette. I bought 3 of these a few years back and the kids and I absolutely love them. All the little "bowls" around the edges hold the paints and you can use the middle to blend your colors. Of course, Nathan is not much into blending yet, but the older kids really utilize this feature. Another benefit is it saves my paper plates - except on mornings when I'm not paying attention right away, like today. Can you say "ADD"?






And finally, Nathan submitted this abstract piece for my viewing pleasure. If you study it closely, the yellow blob in the middle closely resembles a brontosaurus, or "wong-neck", as Nathan calls it.





I almost had the computer issues resolved by the time they finished painting, so after clean up and lunch, it was back to the grindstone. For an otherwise chaotic morning, I think it was a pretty good way to just chill and let the juices flow. Some days you just gotta go with the flow. You never know when the next curve ball is coming.

Prime Time

Thanks, PaPa and Grammy, for a GREAT time!

Ordinary Friday

Just thought I'd shoot a few pics today and give you a peek into a typical, laid back Friday at our house. The one atypical thing about today is that it was raining - YAY!!! We need it so badly, and are very grateful for any moisture we get, even if nasty coldness comes along with it. I don't know if it's just a girl thing or not, but I like these long, cozy days cooped up in the house with my 3 favorite people ~ once in a while, that is.

First thing after breakfast this morning, Riley started on her school work on the family computer while the boys worked on a puzzle of the good old U.S. of A.


I love it when they work together.

And I love those cute little hands!

I also love the fact that as they put the pieces in, Kole was reading the name of each state, and the name of each capital city. That's what I'm talkin' about right there! Big brother teaches little brother, and without even realizing what he's doing. Rock on!

A little later, I helped Riley weigh the apple slices she's had drying for the past 3 days. Her assignment was to record their weight on Tuesday, just after we sliced them. Then, she was to leave them out to dry for 3 days and weigh them again to see how much water was lost and calculate the approximate percentage of water in them. These apples weighed 137 grams on Tuesday, but only 32 grams today. Wish I could lose weight that easily. I'd gladly lay around on a paper towel for 3 days :)

Next in the experiment lineup of all things water was water solubility. For this assignment, we were to test the solubility of 4 substances: salt, sugar, sand (we substituted cocoa powder due to inclement weather), and cooking oil.

Salt and sugar cooperated very well. We knew going into it that oil wouldn't cooperate. Cocoa looked promising, but try as we might, we could not get it to dissolve.

See? It just won't give in!

Well, all the stirring and pouring and observing and recording data just got Riley in a tizzy to do more experimenting in the kitchen. Lucky for her, she caught Mom in a good enough mood to say, "Sure! Go ahead! Just clean up when you're done." And then I went back to my quilting.

After a little while, her brothers joined in the fun. They were just so cute, I couldn't help myself. I had to video. It just had to be done. They'll forgive me some day. Or not.

"De-fense!"

Way to block that shot, Ri-Roo !!!

Basketball

Did you know that we have a basketball lover in our home?

Did you know that the basketball lover is 10 years old?

Did you know that she's a girl?

Did you know that she's the cutest, smartest, bestest basketball player - EVER?

Well, we did!

And here she is .........

A Very Long "Field" Trip

On February 7, 2009, the kids and I embarked on a long, long, looonnnng journey to Van Buren, Arkansas. It's a quaint little town just 5 miles east of the Oklahoma border, right on the Arkansas river. The population is not large, nor is the town much of a tourist attraction, per se, but for us, it's a special place because our very dear friends live there - the Deckers.

We first met the Deckers right here in Brownfield, where we live. Blake, Jenny, Evyn, and Elijah attended the same church as us, and as stay at home Moms, Jenny and I found ourselves to have a lot in common. We both love to sing, bake, and feel like we're right where we are supposed to be in taking care of our families. When Blake landed a job in Van Buren and they moved, our friendship only grew. Nearly every day finds Jenny and I on the phone together at some point, chatting away about our childrens' antics or what challenges that day of homeschooling has brought, or just sharing recipes. It seemed only natural for us to plan a trip to spend some special time learning and playing together with this sweet family.

We visited two places while we were there in Van Buren where the children were able to get in some really great learning time as well as tons of fun. The first was the Fort Smith National Historic Site. If you ever get a chance to go there, I guarantee you'll walk away knowing a lot more about the U.S. Marshals, Hanging Judge Parker (his courtroom and gallows are still there), the Civil War soldiers (Confederate, of course) and get to tour an actual Civil War prison . There are also cannons on site, as well as another authentic Civil War building - a commissary.


Riley and Nathan just had to try out the beds in the jail. Not very comfy!!
Nathan is not so sure about jail. It doesn't look like a fun place.

Kole was shocked to learn that ALL the men in the prison shared one cup to drink from and two small basins to bathe from. YUCK!

The cannons were an obvious favorite as we imagined the huge noise they would make and how far the cannon balls would fly!

We said goodbye to Fort Smith on the steps leading out of Hanging Judge Parker's courtroom. We are very glad we didn't get in trouble and have to visit Judge Parker!

Next was the Janet Huckabee Nature Center. It was about a 20 minute drive, but very well worth the brief trip. We learned all about native wildlife and took a short walk on the nature trail. It was a little too cool and our tummies were a little too empty to complete a tour of the whole park that day.


Ready to go in - why is Nathan always making that face, I wonder??
Five little birdies in a robin's nest.




As you can see, fishing was the favorite activity at the Nature Center. After landing our catch, we measured and identified each species. Our behavior was very good that day, so everyone got to choose something in the gift shop. What a treat!!

We are very thankful for this time spent with great friends. We hope to visit Van Buren again someday. The kids want to take Daddy along to join in the fun. Thank you, Decker family, for welcoming us into your home and being fabulous hosts! We will treasure our memories always.