The Unknown Photographer

I was going through my phone the other day and found a whole set of pictures, probably about 50 or so, that I know I didn't take. I had to scroll through them to solve the mystery of the Unknown Photographer...

Ah. I might have known... I should know better than to leave my phone somewhere that Irene can get a hold of it...😆

Fall colors 2018

 Usually, when this time of year rolls around, we try to take a ride up to the mountains to get a view of the leaves as they change. Unfortunately, as the kids get older and our schedules get more full, it's hard to get that time away.

 Rebecca, however, is super-diligent about taking walks and remembering to take pictures (I'm AWFUL at remembering...), so she managed to snap a few shots around the neighborhood and city.

No question: Fall can be a time to watch in wonder at God's creation!a

AHG Fall Family Camping Trip 2018

 Every spring and all, the American Heritage Girls Troop has a family camping trip and this fall, it was held at Fairy Stone Campgrounds in Virginia. These trips are always a fun time of fellowship for everyone.

 Everyone loves gathering around the campfire for worship and fun.

 and smores, of course!

 The campground was beautiful with lots of rolling hills, woods and water. There were streams and a lake nearby.

 One afternoon, every got together to take a nature hike and explore, looking at and talking about the plants and animals in the area.

 The buddy system is critical in a group like this. Even with all the adults along, it's easy for someone to get overlooked if they step off the path a little way. Fortunately, the girls found friends to pair up with very easily. 

 Ezra took a slip and caught his shorts on a branch. Fortunately, it was just the pants and not him that got hurt. And besides... a little air conditioning never hurt, right?

 On our second day there, we went to a place to look for the "fairy stones" that give the campground its name. They are little basalt crystals that grow in the ground and are washed free by rain and streams. They gave us a sheet that told about the different shapes they come in and how to find them.

 We managed to find bunches of them in the mud beside an area where rainwater runs off the mountain. we found pretty much every shape shown on the sheet. Every had a great time digging through the mud and rocks to find them. 

Trail Life Fall Camping

This year, I got to take the boys (well, the girls, too) to the Trail Life Father/Son Camping Trip. Fortunately It was held at Hagan Stone Park, which we know very well and also, coincidentally had just spent 2 week camping for Sukkot. No...I don't have any pictures of that. What can I say?

 Anyhoo... We had a good turnout and the weather cooperated with us, mostly anyway.

 Gabe and Ezra set up their own tent. Because I had the girls with us, too, I parked our camper at the nearest RV site I could and stayed with them. 

 The dads cooked breakfast each morning. Lunch and dinner were an "on your own" affair. 

We had a theme of "Hitting the Mark", so one of the leaders brought a bunch of slingshots and paintballs. Another one cut targets in the shape of the patrol mascots: a mountain lion, a hawk, and a fox. He drilled a hole in each target just barely bigger than a paintball where the eye would be and told the kids to put a shot through the eye of their mascot. Of course, none of them could do it, even accidentally. This was done to illustrate that nobody is perfect and we all fall short, so that's why forgiveness is so important. 

 Everyone got in on the shooting fun, even the girls. 

Emma wasn't a half-bad shot. She just didn't have quite enough arm strength to pull the sling back very far.

 In the evenings, there was a campfire each night and the boys sat around telling stories.

They also did devotionals and played a lot of games.

It was too dark to take pictures, but one of the dads brought an amazing telescope and we were able to see things like Saturn's rings!

First Day of "School"

It's Fall and so it's time for the kids to start back at EMMA Classes, their Friday co-op. This year, Irene joins the fun as she's finally able to start some schoolwork. It's pretty much art and music at this point, but that doesn't matter to her! She just wants to be part of the fun.

Olivia's starting to prepare for her high school career with Math Review, Intermediate Spanish, Public Speaking/Debate, and Literature and Writing. 

The boys are in most of the same classes, like history, Beginning Spanish, and music. They are taking different art classes this year, tho. One new one they're doing, though at different times, is LEGO Robotics. They are super excited!!!

Emma is moving up from the simple stuff she did last year to take on new things like Historical Heroes, Science, Art, Music and PE.

Even though it's only one day a week, they absolutely love the classes and the other kids they get to see each week.

EMMA Arts and Sciences Night - Fall 2017

Well, another semester is gone and it was time for the EMMA classes Arts & Sciences night! This was the first time we had four kids all in classes. This term, Olivia took Spanish, Chemistry and Physics, and General Science. The boys took Geography, Science, and Art. Emma had an activities class that went for 2 hours and an art class. All the kids took PE and Music. 

 Olivia doubled up on her science this year, so she had to do 2 projects. Her Chemistry and Physics project was to make a lava lamp using water, oil and Alka-Seltzer. It was a fun one, for sure. 

 For General Science, she had to choose a famous scientist and do a presentation about him, so she chose Galileo and did very well. 

 For the boys' Science project, they had to choose an animal from Africa, the Amazon or Australia and make a posterboard. Gabe chose the Green Anaconda, the largest snake in the world. 

 Ezra, however, went more cuddly and chose the kinkajou, which is kind of like an Amazonian raccoon, only cuter and less hazardous to my chickens!

 Emma did really well for her first time taking classes. She loved her teachers and really loved doing her art.  

Kid's got a future, am I right? 

 The boys were also proud to show off their works of art.

  

The highlight of the evening, though, was the play. All 4 kids were in it. The younger 3 were singing in the choir, but Olivia grabbed a small solo part, which she was super excited about. They had such a fun time! If you're feeling froggy, you can watch the whole thing below. Beware! It's half an hour long!

If you're in the GSO/HP area and are considering a homeschooling co-op, I would highly recommend EMMA. The staff and teachers are fantastic and the kids are having a great time learning each week!