Christmas at Dakota City Heritage Village

This afternoon, we went back to 1900 to see how Christmas was celebrated. The boys were able to write letters to Santa, complete crafts, and enjoy simply decorated Christmas tress. 

We enjoyed this nativity scene before going into church to sing some Christmas Carols.

Hair was cut, checkers played, model trains watched, and ice cream enjoyed.

We had fun putting on old fashion coats to have a family picture taken.

Kneeling Before the King

(Not the greatest picture, but it was what you get when kids suprise you!)

Photographer in Training

Science Center of Iowa

We decided to take a mid-September vacation. Not wanting to go far, we decided to go visit our friends the Faust's in Iowa for a few days then head to Omaha, Nebraska.  On our way to the Faust's, we stopped at the Science Center of Iowa.  What a wonderful Science Museum, we did not schedule enough time to be there. There were so many hands on activities, they were not sure where to head to.

Bryce thought the Ball Wall was really cool. He would get a ball started then run from spot to spot to make the ball go where he wanted it to. When, he did succeed in making the ball go where he wanted he would jump up and down with joy.

We also watched a presentation on Crazy Chemistry. Bryce and Micah were each able to help with different experiments. It was fun to watch their faces and listen to their guesses as to what would happen.

We hope to be able to visit the Science Center of Iowa again. This time planning more time for the visit.



Cottage Grove Public Works Open House

Thursday, September 15th Cottage Grove Public Works held an Open House.  The boys loved climbing in the big trucks, pushing the buttons, and talking on the CB's.

Matthew thought it was important to put on his seat belt.

Bryce and Micah had fun driving the front-end loaders.

Matthew fits inside the tractor tire.

Waiting in line can be tough, but the wait was worth the climb into the trucks.

The boys were also able to make a non-toxic cleaner.  I told them I have new bathroom cleaners. (Now, I just have to teach them how to clean the bathroom:)

Morrill Hall

Ideal Open Space

The boys and I decided to finish school after lunch one day and head to the playground.  I am hoping to do this a few more times before the snow starts to fly. The boys had fun exploring the different equipment at this playground.

Climbing was a hit.

Bryce was nervous but he did make it to touching the top.

We had fun. I love the flexiblity that homeschooling is allowing in our lives.

Camping at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

We love to go camping, Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends, you can usually find us camping with Nana, PopPop, the Faust's and/or the Kspeka's.  This year everyone went camping for a total of 8 adults and 7 kids - yes the adults still out number the kids but barely.  We are a big group but it is a great time to be able to relax, visit and let the kids play.  As they are getting older and more independent, we adults get more time to sit around the fire.

The kids loved being able to ride their bikes and running around the playground area.

The adults had fun sitting around the table playing Hand and Foot.

Of course, we had to go for a hike.  These are still limited the kids are not that big - yet!

The kids found a great rock wall to climb  up at the water fall.

Derek tried to get a picture of all the kids - he didn't do bad getting 5 out of 7 :)

Matthew found a friend at the playground with a bow and arrow. He is not shy about asking for a turn.

Derek and Bryce went on a hike by themselves.  Bryce found a cool tree to sit on, some beautiful flowers and took a great picture of Derek and Lucy.

It was a great weekend. We are all ready to go again next spring at Sakatah Lake State Park.

School Happenings

The start of our school year has been really good.  The boys are adjusting to do school everyday again.  They are loving the weekly assignment sheets with time allotments for each subject.  I am loving how they are learning to be independent when I am working with one of their brothers.

Playing with Cuisenaire Rods

Taking a break - well not really - just enjoying freshly baked cookies, while continuing to work hard.

Excited to have completed Hooked on Phonics CD Game.

A friendly game of 7 Ate 9







God and Me

This summer Bryce and Micah participated in the God and Me program through Crossroads church. The boys learned how important God is in their lives. Each week, they made a game to represent different parts of the bible and their relationship with God.  They had a great time making each one and playing it together. This award is also recognized by both the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of America.

Derek explaining the award to the kids at the Crossroads Feast.

The entire group with Pastor Tina.  Abby, Bryce, Daniel, Micah and Justin

Micah with his new award.

Bryce with his new award.

First Day of Our School Year

On August 15,2011 we started our new school year. Although, we do some school year round I try to make a point of doing something different on the first day of a new year. Now, the boys are "officially" in their new grades.  It is also a time for us to get back into a full day of school, as during the summer we typically drop down to one or two subjects a day to allow us more time to be outside.

This year, we ate lunch outside and took pictures after doing our work.  The boys have also asked for a weekly assignment sheet, so they know what is expected of them each day. This will take some more organization on my part but if it cuts down on the arguements about what needs to be done each day it will be worth it.

Bryce our new third grader.

Micah our new first grader.

Matthew our new Preschooler.

Family Camp at Covenant Pines

This summer, we went to Family Camp at Covenant Pines for the first time. It was a wonderful weekend full of a wide variety of activities. The boys had a hard time choosing what they wanted to do the most.

The Red Shark was at the top of every one's list.

Mom and Dad wanted to go for a simple pontoon ride.  We also went canoeing as a family, interesting sums up that experience. No one tipped the canoe but they did do a lot of rocking.

Bryce relaxing on the pontoon.



 We Tye dyed t-shirts with the Sheppard family. It was fun to watch all the adults jump as the kids picked up different colors of dye. The kids were all very excited to see what their creations would look like.

Matthew had fun on the zip line with Arthur.

Gaga Ball was the biggest hit of all the kids at camp. Bryce and Micah played every chance they got.

After getting home and cleaned up, Bryce spent some time reading to Matthew.



Hidden Bluffs - First Half of Vacation

We started our vacation picking up our fixed camper on our way to Hidden Bluffs Resort in southern Minnesota.  Yes, we camped at Hidden Bluffs earlier this summer. On the way home from that trip the axle of our camper broke. Now it is all fixed, so we had to travel south to pick it up. Fortunately, we had no plans to go camping until it was all fixed. As a result, we camped at Hidden Bluffs for 3 nights before coming home to wash clothes and repack before heading to Family Camp at Covenant Pines.

Nana and PopPop joined us for the 4 day 3 night trip to Hidden Bluffs.  It is fun to vacation with grandparents. The boys get to build special memories and we have adults to talk with or in some cases irritate. Derek decided he needed to annoy his mother on more then one occasion. Here he is bringing the fire to her.

The boys loved swimming in the pool and trying to tame the shark.

Hiking is a part of every camping trip.  This time we walked over and through a river.

Sometimes you just need PopPop's shoulder to make things better.

Hiking holing Nana's hand is the best.

Derek decided I needed to have my picture taken too.

Balloon Rockets were a hit while we were at our campsite.