A "Great" Time! And more....

We are having such a wonderful Fall.  I'm not just saying that, either.  I think this could be one of  *the best* Fall's of my life!!  The colors are gorgeous, the weather is absolutely picture perfect, everyone is healthy, we're having a blast doing what we love.....life is GOOD!!!

First off, I'll give a short school update.  We are loving the Oklahoma history.  We are all learning so much about our great state!  Since our last update we have covered Oklahoma forts, missionaries, the 5 Civilized Tribes (we studied each one of the 5 tribes to compare and contrast their differences), the effects of the Civil War on the 5 Civilized Tribes, Sequoya and other famous Cherokees.  (we have Cherokee ancestors)  We plan on visiting the Cherokee Museum next week, and can't wait to experience the Trail of Tears exhibit.  This study has brought about so much emotion within me regarding our country during this time.  (and today)  I'm proud to be sharing this history with my daughter.

I've come to the conclusion that we are not going to cover science at the same time as OK history right now.  She is so interested and involved in the history/geography/social studies that it just isn't in our groove currently to cram in anything else with our core studies.  So, we plan on trucking along with this until we are done, then we will move on to science.  I think we will continue to school at least part-time over the summer and include lots of science then.  It would be a nice time to take part in some star gazing then, anyway.

We are 2/3 of the way through our 3rd grade math book, and have made such great strides.  BabyGirl has unknowingly mastered all of her multiplication facts and is doing 4 digit addition and subtraction with trading with such ease.  She is actually loving math and likes to sit down and make up her own math problems to solve.  Right Start was the best home schooling investment I have made so far.

We are half-way through our 4th grade cursive handwriting book, and I am so proud of how her penmanship has improved!  It is beautiful!  We have been reading various works including several biographies (which she loves and will request of people she is interested in), a journal of a girl who walked the Trail of Tears, and (in her spare time) she is reading the Prisoner of Azkaban.  She has done several book reports orally and on paper.  Our Everyday Spelling is working out very well.  She isn't bored to tears with it, and enjoys playing on Spelling City after her paper work is done.

Music school continues to go beautifully!!!  Along with her second year of music theory, BabyGirl has been studying music history.  She LOVES these classes!!!  She actually asked me to find her a shirt that says "I heart music theory".  She is so cute.  She is practicing piano with all she has.  Some days she will practice for over an hour until she feels she has gotten everything just right.  I am so excited to see her in her upcoming concerts!  I will try to record one for the next blog.

I am so proud to announce that we have founded the very first Red Cross Club for home schoolers!!!!  We were so inspired after the wild fires to do something locally, but didn't know where to start.  After doing some CPR class research I stumbled upon the sponsorship page.  It really hit home with me.  Our whole family feels a passion with this type of work.  It also works well with our Roots and Shoots group.  We have a wonderful group of children and parents who have joined us, and are looking forward to seeing what this brings!  We will have a monthly theme, meetings and many ways to reach out to our local community.  What an opportunity for our kids to see how good it feels to give freely of yourself.  I can't wait for our first meeting tomorrow!!!!

For art, we just finished Vincent VanGogh.  We were totally intrigued with his story and art work.  I think he is my favorite artist of all time.  I love how thick he applied the paint, and the lines in his pieces just pull me in.  I adore his works.  BabyGirl was a bit disturbed by his demise, but realizes that he did not live in a time where he could receive the help he needed.  Her favorite piece was Starry Night.  Here is her VanGogh inspired painting.  She painted it after a leaf pile afternoon.

Now on to what else we have been doing....

After our trip to the pumpkin patch, we just had to paint our tiny pumpkins!!  Here is BabyGirl with hers.  She made it spooky with a ghost, blood and an eye!

Here is Little Man's "bwoo" one.  I didn't get the camera out fast enough to capture him actually painting it.  :)

Here we are on our first trip to Ollie's with Little Man.  He LOVED the trains!!  Almost too much...he didn't want to sit down long enough to eat!  Although, the Monte Cristo with strawberry sauce was a little too good for him to pass up just a few bites!

We were fortunate enough to get a visit from The Greats!!!!!!  I had been yearning to see them for several weeks before they announced their visit, and was thrilled to get to spend time with them!!  Little Man took exactly 2 minutes to warm up to them (which is AMAZING for him!)  Here are a few highlights from our visit...

Here is Grandma the Great (or as Little Man calls her... MeeMaw) reading to Little Man.

 Here he is playing trains (his favorite) with Pappap the Great.

 Here is BabyGirl and Grandma carving their pumpkins!

 Playing football with Pappap!

 What a great job!!!!  (and beautiful smile!... on YOU Grandma...NOT the pumpkin!)  :)

 Playing tractors with Pappap.

 The finished products!

 Playing "run, jump, fun!" with MeeMaw!

 Showing Pappap how to work a DSi.

 Showing off Pepper...

 Grandma had to have a turn....shhhhhhhhhhh....don't tell Kitty!

 Grandma the Great and I being silly with our "boom boom hats"

 Little Man throwing boom boom's at MeeMaw and Sissy.

 The day they left, Little Man refused to take a nap!  This is him within 5 minutes of them pulling out of the driveway....

 Here is Grandma's jack-o-lantern...

 Here is BabyGirl's.....

 The day after they left we went to Mimi's house to trick or treat!  Here is the gang walking up to the door...

 After our trip to Camp Cute n Spooky Little Man had no problem dipping his hand into the bowl to get some lollies!!!

 I just can't get over how beautiful the leaves are this year.  My camera cannot possibly do them justice.  But, here is one of my favorite trees in our yard....

 Ready for Halloween!!!  Booooo!!

 The kids have been jumping in the leaf piles like crazy!!!

 BabyGirl loves to cover herself up in them, lounge around in them, and bury animals in them....

 Little Man loves to slide into them, and run and jump face first into them (even after he runs into a stick)  Here he is sliding down his new slide from Deegan and Gabby.  (thanks you guys, you are the best!)

 Burying Pepper.  I remember the first fall we moved into this house.  My Bubba Steven was 9 years old.  He stayed the whole weekend with us for the first time.  We made him a huge leaf pile that he played in.  Before you know it he was burying our Rottweiler, Stormy.  Those are one of my most treasured memories ever.  I think of it every single Fall.  I still miss Stormy so much......and my lil Bub......

 Whee!!!

 Little Man managed to get my camera one day and turn it on.  I was trying to cook dinner so I just let him play with it.  I could hear it dinging and dinging like he was taking a million pics (well....103 to be exact)  Here are a few of the results.... :)

 We went to our first football game ever a couple weeks ago.  It was the Cleveland Tigers!!!  My Bubba Shawn's last game.  :(   Anyway, I never realized how much *fun* football could be!!  (yes, those of you who know me can pick your jaws up off the floor!)  It was a blast!!!  I learned we love to be out in the cold night looking at the moon, rooting for our team, eating hot dogs (or dot dod's if your L), and hanging out with some awesome loved ones!!!

Here I am with my Bubba Steven...  (yes, I did, Bubb......BUT no one you know will see it, AND it's NOT on facebook!!!)   :)   I am so proud of him!  He is rockin' college and loving every second!  Not to mention OSU is on it's best football season EVER!!!!  You know it!!!!!!  Go Pokes!

 Here is the best pic of Bubba Shawn I could get from the stands.  I wish we could have stayed longer so I could have seen him in action!!!  We are all so proud of his accomplishments!!!  We loved seeing him out there!!!!  Go number 11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was at this game that I could really see how big he has gotten.  My littlest Bub is an adult now.  Life is so great, you know?  It's amazing to watch children be born and go through all of the stages.  Each and every one becomes your absolute favorite stage.  You can see them blossom and become individuals.  I cherish it so much, and feel so lucky to have not only my two kids to see grow up....but to also have gotten to experience my brothers grow up.  They are the very best thing my mom has ever given me.

 Here is BabyGirl with her friend at a bestie bday party!!!

 Here I am with my friend T.  I miss her terribly, I'm realizing.  She has always helped keep me grounded, inspired me in so many ways, and kept me rolling on the floor laughing.  I can't wait for them to finish their house so I can have some more T light in my life.....

 Here are our beautiful girls at the party....

 And, last but certainly not least, here is a pic of our Thankful Tree this year.  We continue to add to it...but here it is so far....

If you cannot read each leaf, here is what we are thankful for so far....  Music, Daddy, Levi, Aubrey, Ma, home schooling (and a Daddy who makes sure it's possible), choo choos and vroom vrooms, horses and friends, American Girl dolls and pets, grandparents (and Greats), a car and a truck that run, Harry Potter (and the wonderful world it has taken us to so many times), good food (and our Daddy who works his tail off to make sure we can afford it), Sesame Street (especially on the portable DVD player in the car during really hairy times!), Family and friends, Health (this is *so* taken for granted), Saturdays (because our family is complete), well water (that isn't contaminated with fluoride or other toxins inserted by man).....and the list continues to grow.  Here's hoping you can take the time this month to really notice and be thankful for everything you have.  Until next time.....