Backstage at the Nutcracker

I volunteered backstage during Lily's second Nutcracker performance so I got to help get her and all the other lambs into their costumes. It was loads of fun and I actually got to take some pictures of her!



Tomorrow we will do it all over again for the last time this year...

HeartWarming

Noah helped Lily with her reading yesterday...



It's long and the volume is a little low but it's so sweet that I had to post it.

Ballerina Lily

Lily is taking ballet again this year. A couple of times a year they have parent observation days so here are some shots from her class.








The lighting in the room was horrible and I was sitting in the worst spot for it too. I didn't want to use a setting that required a flash since they were distracted enough by our mere presence so the pictures aren't that great...the black and white helped though.

I especially love this one...

She's Never Serious for Long

I was just messing around with my camera having fun the other night...

Carving Pumpkins

The kids and Luke enjoy carving pumpkins together and this year they decided to do it a little differently. Instead of your run-of-the-mill jack-o-lantern, they chose templates. Noah went with his favorite theme, Star Wars, and picked out Boba Fet and the Rebel Insignia as his templates, while Lily went with a cute little kitty (which she later named "Whisker Fet").

So, after the kids cleaned out their pumpkins, Luke worked very diligently at the carving. Since they were pretty detailed the kids mostly watched. They were all very happy with the end results and I was very happy to take pictures of it all :)

A Very Interesting Video

Timeless

Suppose
by Phoebe Cary

Suppose, my little lady,
Your doll should break her head;
Could you make it whole by crying
Til your eyes and nose were red?
And wouldn't it be pleasanter
To treat it as a joke,
And say you're glad 'twas dolly's
And not your own that broke?

Suppose you're dressed for walking,
And the rain comes pouring down;
Will it clear off any sooner
Because you scold and frown?
And wouldn't it be nicer
For you to smile than pout,
And so make sunshine in the house
When there is none without?

Suppose your task, my little man,
Is very hard to get;
Will it make it any easier
For you to sit and fret?
And wouldn't it be wiser,
Than waiting like a dunce,
To go to work in earnest
And learn the thing at once?

Suppose that some boys have a horse,
And some a coach and pair;
Will it tire you less while walking
To say, "It isn't fair"?
And wouldn't it be nobler
To keep your temper sweet,
And in your heart be thankful
You can walk upon your feet?

Suppose the world don't please you.
Nor the way some people do;
Do you think the whole creation
Will be altered just for you?
And isn't it, my boy or girl,
The wisest, bravest plan,
Whatever comes, or doesn't come,
To do the best you can?

I read this poem to the kids this morning and thought it interesting that children across the ages are all relatively similar. I am sure I have said the same kinds of things on countless occasions to my own sweet boy and girl. And I do not doubt that my own mother admonished me in the same way as well. When did I learn this contentment and diligence and put it into practice...or have I actually?

What was really funny though was the moaning and groaning and giggling that came from the couch as they listened and understood that, though we don't drive a coach with horses or have dolls whose heads can break, this poem applied just as well to them and actually sounded very familiar. Phoebe Cary was just a whole lot more creative with her lectures than I am...

Promises

Pictures II

Scenes of Homeschooling

Handwriting together

Science: Making a model of blood




A pretty common site around here these days :)

And here are some "just because I have a new camera" pictures

Goldfinch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sleeping Jasper

Leaf-peeping out my dining room window

Pictures

I got a new camera! A couple of years ago my friend, Michelle, was so sweet and gave me her old camera when she upgraded because mine had stopped working. It was a great camera and served me well but, as is the way of most technology, it went kaput too. Now I have been able to upgrade to a much more involved piece of equipment so that I can, hopefully, take much better pictures and have a little more fun doing it.

I had to beg and plead for the added cash it would take to accomplish this but, with the sale of our trusty old Explorer, it wasn't too hard to get the go-ahead from Luke (yes, the Explorer was reduced to a worth that didn't exactly cover the cost of a camera...we do know how to drive our vehicles into the ground).

So, I've been playing around with the new camera and trying to figure out how it works and so far I am very pleased. I feel like I may be able to indulge in a little bit of a hobby here.

Today is an absolutely beautiful, crisp fall day and Noah had a soccer game this morning so I took the camera to the field and captured these:

The coach was away for this game so Luke was assisting the assistant coach :)

The camera has a high-speed burst feature that captures multiple images in rapid succession so I got some shots of Luke throwing Lily up in the air (which I heard is necessary for a child's normal developement, so, moms, just relax when you see your child being hurled through space with enormous grins on their faces...it's all part of the natural order of things).
You can speed up the slideshow to get the full effect.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, my camera is a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1, which was recommended to me by my sister, Melissa.

"Coincidence"

I love it when coincidences happen...

Today we read about the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the beginning of the Dark Ages for history. Here is Noah's narration of the reading:

There was a Celtic king named Vortigern. He asked some barbarians called the Angles and the Saxons from across the North Sea to come and help him fight off the other Celts that were attacking his tribe. He said that, if they did, then they could live in his kingdom. So the barbarians fought off the other Celts and settled in Britain. There were so many barbarians that the Celts had to move up into Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Like the Celts, the barbarians did not write so we do not know what they did in every day life. These times are called the Dark Ages.

We then read a portion of Beowulf, the Hero, which is the best known of the stories that the Anglo-Saxons passed down (instead of writing their histories the bards sang their stories and passed them down through the ages).

The coincidence happened when the kids started listening to their book on CD, Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer, with lunch as is their daily habit. One of the main characters is a bard and he tells his apprentice the story of Beowulf and Grendel. Noah was quite excited about this and came running to tell me all about it.

I call it a coincidence because I had no idea that there would be any connection between this story and our history reading when I borrowed this book from the library and it makes me think that I am not the only one who has a vested interest in my children's education. I have a feeling the kids will remember well this history lesson.

Roman Ruins

As it is the beginning of a new school year, I thought it a good idea to start it off with a fun project. We are studying the Middle Ages in history starting with the fall of Rome...so we built some Roman ruins out of sugar cookie dough.




Tomorrow, the 'barbarians' will sack them.

More evidence that she is growing up...

...we took her training wheels off.



"It only took me two days of practice!"

MHC Talent Show 2010

The Homeschool Co-op which we attend held its first annual talent show yesterday. Lots of children performed a variety of acts and Noah was one of them. He played two pieces that he has learned this year in piano. I was so very proud of him for actually wanting to do it (it was totally voluntary) and was even more amazed when he barely showed any nerves (I dreaded my recitals when I played piano as a kid and was always so nervous!). He played well too!

Liliana's Last Ballet Class

Lily had her last ballet class last Monday. They had a special "mini-performance", which just means they got to wear beautiful tutus and head pieces and we got to watch them. It was really sweet and Lily had a lot of fun performing to her audience, which included Grammy and Grampy and Great-Grandma, Nina. We definitely will be doing it again next year and that means, instead of just having a classroom show, she'll get to perform in The Nutcracker! Here's to starting small though...

Projects

I finally got back to knitting after a long hiatus and did up this blanket for a friend's new baby. Since I had some extra yarn I thought I'd make something to go along with it.

Last year I had taken a crocheting class at our homeschooling co-op but never did anything with it...I decided to refresh myself on the technique and try a simple project: a stuffed puppy. It was rather fun! I was surprised at how fast I was able to complete it and think I will try my hand with some other crocheted creations.

There is something so satisfying about making something with your own hands that can be shared with and (hopefully) appreciated by others.

Kids Say II

We are studying ancient Rome for history and this week we read about Nero and the start of the persecutions of Christians then Constantine's conversion and the subsequent end to the persecution. I had never realized before that there were 200+ years between the two emperors. That's a long time of persecution!

I was commenting to Noah that it was pretty amazing that despite 200 years of hardship, people kept coming to faith in Christ...that the Truth won out even in the threat of persecution. He replied, "Kinda like the Hydra...you know from Fablehaven (a series we have been listening to)...No matter how many heads you cut off, you just can't kill it."

Nice analogy, Noah! See, sometimes he is pretty smart...

:)

Kids Say...

While watching Noah struggle to tie his jacket around his waist, Lily says to me, "That is a fascinating boy you have there." I wasn't sure I caught that correctly and asked her to repeat it: "That's a fascinating boy you have there. He's really smart sometimes...but not now."

Ah, Lily...

Easter Weekend

...was a busy weekend that left us all exhausted and Lily uncharacteristically saying, "I just want to take a bath and go to bed." But it was a really beautiful, enjoyable, and blessed weekend as well. It started with Good Friday, which Luke had off. We headed out to spend the day with Julie, Patrick, Elijah and Molly. We hit a park which was right on the ocean where we watched a cargo ship head out to sea, saw some swans, biked and scootered around, played in the sand and on the playscape, and basked in the long awaited sunshine. Oh yeah, and we had a picnic too, hit a Five Brothers burger joint for dinner and topped it off with ice cream. It was great to just hang out and catch up with these friends who, even though they've moved 1000's of miles closer to us, we still can't manage to see enough.

And the camera didn't make much of an appearance during the day but I can offer these as proof that we did indeed see the Tanners and the ocean:

Miss Molly reclining at table

Now if there was just some green on those branches, it would be picture perfect...

Saturday morning was spent at a local church for an Easter egg hunt. It was another beautiful day and the kids had a grand time hearing The Legend of the Three Trees, making picture frame crafts, and 'searching' for eggs filled with gobs of candy. Ah, Easter traditions.

Easter morning began for us at the crack of dawn, literally. For several years now we have been having sunrise services in the field near a friend's house and this year we improved upon it by moving it to a meadow complete with babbling brook and a chorus of birds. It is always a refreshing way of celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior and this year it was especially so because new friends joined our usual set and it was much, much warmer than past years. The kids were not dressed in their snowsuits and boots for once.

We joined two other extended families, as is also our tradition, for an Easter feast and spent the rest of the day outside playing and enjoying the company. We went home tired and dirty and fulfilled (and full for that matter).

Lovely. The only thing missing were my sister and brother-in-law, Becky and Charlie, and their kids, Ariel and Alex who had Easter dinner with Charlie's mother this year. While I certainly don't begrudge them the time with their other family, I wished that they could have been with us too.

Finally, another family picture!

A new game Lily devised with Uncle Stan
"I Rock," she would proclaim every time she made contact with the ball. Such humility...

Kite Flying is always the order of the day at Auntie Elizabeth's...it's always windy on that hill!

My dear friend, Jill's, Nana proves she is still young at heart by not only tossing the basketball but even making several shots. We had to record this for posterity!