Monday, October 29, 2012

We have a new 11 year old in the house!!

 Happy Birthday, Gracie!
We are so proud of the very beautiful young lady you are becoming, both inside and out.
 The "cake" request was pumpkin pie

 Becky was in charge of the whipped cream.
 For some reason, the kids want ONLY Becky to put the whipped cream on their pie.
Some kids, (not to be named) forego the pie altogether.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

It's time to carve the pumpkins!

 Thanks, Becky and Laura, for all your pumpkin carving help!












Read-Aloud Revival = October 2012

 Sarah, over at Amongst Lovely Things began The Read Aloud Revival and this is our first month of joining in.  You can find out all about the Read Aloud Revival at this link.
I wanted to join into this challenge because I know how important it is to spend time reading aloud to my children.  I also know how easy it is have this special time fall by the wayside as the commitments in the large family crowds our time. 
 
Sarah posed some questions this month:
What are some ideas for keeping little folks happy?
Although I no longer have this problem, I remember the days when my first 6 kids were 8 and younger (but I have to admit these years are sort of a blur LOL) and sitting on the floor reading picture books as little people crawled, and toddled around.
My oldest kids fondly remember me sitting in the hallway after everyone was in bed....this was the time for chapter books.  I can remember reading the Little House on the Prairie series, Roald Dahl books, and many, many others. After these first six kids, 4 more came along at a much slower pace, and I found that chapter books were read while an older child (teen) would watch the babies and toddlers.
How are you doing on your read-aloud goals?
When my older children were little we spent much more time reading aloud than we do now with the youngest kids.  I don't want them to miss out on this special family time....so I have taken the challenge.
 
As you can see by our chart,(which you can print from this link thanks to Sarah)  we started out with a bang.....in fact, we started out with a 4 hour drive to a wedding, while we listened to the first Harry Potter on cd.
 
We then settled in to our regular school schedule....I am pretty discouraged about our numbers, but I see I estimated the time for reading accurately.
I plan on increasing our goal for the month of November to 2 1/2 hours a week---mainly because I enjoy the books as much as the kids do.
 
  Week three my lovely Amy came home from Christendom College for the week...we were busy having fun, but little school or reading got done.
What did you read aloud this month?
The chapter books we completed were:
The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley.
This was a very fun read for all ages.
This book was so good we read it in two sittings.
We are about halfway through Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry.
I thought that maybe only the girls would enjoy this, but even Luke likes it.
 
Everyday we also read a few picture books.....ocean life was the theme of our calendar time this month, so many of the picture books revolved around the ocean.
I also pulled out many seasonal books about autumn, apples and pumpkins.
Gracie and I have been reading a couple books about the election process (suggested by Sarah!)
and
 
Both of these books are very informative but doesn't overwhelm my little students.


Friday, October 26, 2012

The perfect autumn day....

 Daddy is on vacation, so we ditched the books on this glorious morning and headed to the nearby state park....The temperatures are in the mid-70's today...our last warm and sunny day in the weather forecaster's outlook.
 All the leaves have fallen and I understand we need to prepare for a hurricane, but there is still fun to be had at the lake.
 The traditional bendy tree pose.
 Kimberly-6
 I am so happy that Becky still loves to accompany us on outings!
 Laura, this photo is for you and Becky. LOL
 

 Daddy and his three babies.
I call this, "Mommy's feet in the backyard".  Hopefully the hurricane blows all the leaves away, and then we won't have to rake.



Thursday, October 25, 2012

Friday, October 19, 2012

Our Pilgrimage to the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville

 Being homeschoolers we don't usually get to ride in a bus, so today was the first bus ride for both Luke
 and Kim.....They loved it.
 The Coliseum.   The large church build in a circle with four altars in the middle
 Saint Isaac Jogues..Today was the feast day of St. Isaac Jogues and the other North American Martyrs
 In the Kateri Tekawitha museum, they have the canoe which served as an altar.  I couldn't fit the canoe in the photo...but I could fit the photo. LOL!
 A rosary made from tree branches.
 The North American Martyrs.
 The very spot believed to be where Saint Isaac Jogues as martyred
 Whose having more fun in the rain, the boys or the girls?
 The Pieta....believed to be the location where the heads of St. Isaac Jogues and St. John Lalande had their heads displayed on stakes. St. John was martyred on October 19, 1646 when he attempted to recover the slain body of Father Jogues from the paths of the village.
 A stained glass image of Saint Kateri Tekawitha
 The entrance into the Shrine at Auriesville.
 The Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekawitha....
Kateri was born in Auriesville, but when the village was destroyed by an enemy tribe, the village moved to Fonda, where Kateri was baptised.
 The chuch at Fonda is beautiful, featuring on all the beams of the church the life of Kateri.