Up and Going

Saturday got off to a busy start around here! There was a hike with Joshua's Cub Scout den at 9 am. Dave (Den leader) and Nick (Den Chief) taught the boys how a good Scout respects the outdoors. They also learned about tree rings, compasses, and what to do if you get lost. They finished up with cocoa back at the trailhead.Home by 11 and we squeezed in some pumpkin carving before Alyson had to leave for work. I think they did a great job--although Nick's kind of creeps me out. (I haven't seen that movie because I don't want to see sweet Heath Ledger being so evil...)

No time to waste, though! I've got to get down to my craft room and finish Nick's Dr. Seuss hat!

Sunflower Farm and Friends

Today Joshua had the delightful opportunity of going to a sunflower farm with his dearest friends, Meara and Addison.

Here is the story in his words:

First we got out of the car and then we went and saw that there was a scavenger hunt. The first sign said, "Walk beyond the sheep to find the next clue." Then we found the next clue. Then we found the third clue in the sunflower house. Then we found clue number 4, clue number 5, clue number 6, and then we found clue number 7, and it said, "Find the boo and you will find the last clue." Then we found a boo on a ghost but it turns out it wasn't actually the one.

Then I remembered that we found a clue earlier that we thought was number 2 but it was number 8. We went over and looked by the chicken pen and it said, "Congratulations you found the end. Now your scavenger hunt will start over again." And that's the whole scavenger hunt.

Then we went in this huge pumpkin house which turned out to be wood. We played in it a little.

We were in the sunflower house and we saw the cotton. We picked a bunch. Meara had a lot in all of her pockets. Her front pockets, her back pockets, her side pockets.

Then we left and we went to Meara's house and played. Oh, and we met a dog named Ruby. She was really nice and followed us around.

Thank you to Meara and Addison's mommy for taking Joshua on such a fun trip! We are blessed to have them as our friends--and yes, betrothal has been discussed.....we'll just have to make sure the Army keeps us close as the kids grow up!

More fall

As you can see, the job of raking is not for the feeble-bodied around here......
Someone I know said to me once that she couldn't believe that people would actually CHOOSE to live out here.

I guess this is probably one of the reasons why they (we) do....

Fall

I told someone who lives far up in the frozen tundra that I would post some pictures of how pretty fall is here in MD. Here is one from our window: It's raining outside-again- so I can't take any more right now. This week is supposed to be sunny and beautiful, though, so I'll try to take some more. It's really breath-taking, driving down the highway to our neighborhood, and then down our street. God is awesome.

Harvest Party

Yesterday we got to go to the home of some sweet homeschooling friends for a fall harvest party! Joshua was so excited--the rain washed out the first date and he was anxious to see his friends from co-op.

Sheri, the party planner extraordinaire, is such a fun, creative mom. She had games and activities planned, her house and yard beautifully decorated for fall, and warm cider waiting for us as we arrived. We even left with a goodie bag full of all the ingredients to make popcorn balls! If you haven't checked out her blog in the links on my sidebar, you really ought to. It's called Purely His and it follows her life as a homeschooling mom and Army wife, celebrating the blessings given every day by her Savior. And as an added bonus today, she has even more pictures from the party! :)

apple picking

Here are some pictures we took last week when the boys went with me to pick apples. We found a great place to pick all kinds of produce. It's about an hour away but very worth the drive. They have produce available from strawberries in the spring through pumpkins in the fall and everything in between.View of the farm, looking back to where the pumpkins, spinach, berries, etc. are. Someone's legs got a little tired. Good thing he had a willing brother for a free ride!Some of the best-looking apples were way up high in the trees and required some cooperation to pick!SUCCESS! Getting ready to conjure up some apple-y goodness....boil, boil........Oops! I forgot to take a picture of the wheelbarrow full of the results of our hard work! We picked 33 pounds of apples--enough for all 6 of us to eat and eat, and still enough to can 8 quarts of applesauce! I think we may make one more trip to get some to freeze--apple pies would be wonderful next month....

Gettysburg

This is Dave's birthday weekend! We celebrated with cake and presents last night (and a nice breakfast out in the morning-just the two of us....AND a Tarheel win in the afternoon) and then today continued the celebration with a trip up to Gettysburg.

We couldn't have asked for better weather! It was amazingly beautiful, with just a bit of a crispness in the air. The fall colors were just emerging and the views, especially from the hilltops, were gorgeous. We hadn't been there before (except Nick, who went with Scouts) and are so energized to go back and spend more time. It's only about an hour and a half drive from here! The only downside of the day was that because of a big commitment she had yesterday, Alyson wasn't able to go with us. Instead she stayed home and figured out the coefficient of variation....(I have no idea what that means...)

We saw a film on the battle, viewed the incredible cyclorama, and explored the museum before heading outside. There are 10 square miles of park. We drove a lot, walked a lot, and even hiked.

I'm not going to put a lot of narration so I can get the photos loaded tonight. If you really want to know about it all, you'll just have to come visit us and we'll take you there. :)

This is the High Water Mark:Looking out over the open field. The Union soldiers were lined up where we stood, looking down at the Confederates at the far tree line.Little Round Top:Wedged in at Devil's Den:There are over 1300 monuments and memorials at the park:Eagle eye view from the top of a tower:

Joshua took on a big task at the park. He wanted to become a junior park ranger. He had a lot of requirements to fulfill--both inside the visitor's center and outside at the various areas of the battlefield. He (and we!) sure learned a lot while he completed his requirements. Here he is showing the fruit of his labor. He got a junior ranger patch and a certificate. It was a wonderful day and a fun way to spend a birthday, I think! :)

Too cute

I think this kitten is spoiled.....
pay no attention to that caterpillar on Joshua's leg. I haven't decided if it can stay yet...it looks very similar to the luna moth caterpillar and I am still traumatized by that event...

Sight & Sound Theater

The other day a friend and I had the opportunity to take our children to the Sight & Sound theater in Pennsylvania to see a production of "In the Beginning." Nick went along, too, but chose not to pose for our picture. :)

We had a great time together on the drive up and back and everyone loved the show. It was a musical production of the first chapters of Genesis-from Creation to the death of Adam. There were live animals, an incredible set, and animatronics that were simply amazing. It really was something else. I've been wanting to go to the theater for some time now, but tickets are really expensive ($54 for adults). They offer homeschool pricing once a year, though, and we were able to snag our tickets for only $10 apiece! We are most definitely planning a trip back next year to see "Joseph."

You can find out more about the Sight & Sound theater here

Busy weekend

As usual, the weekend flew by at a feverish pace. There was work, babysitting, an Army function, a football game, a birthday party, a new church to try, and Cub Scouts!

The only thing I have pictures of is the Cub Scout Pack picnic, which was yesterday afternoon. Joshua is so excited to be old enough to be in Scouts now. In his ongoing quest to be just like Nick he has been counting down the days till he could join.

We had his first den meeting this past week. Dave and I are leading the den and we are so excited that we have such a great group of kids and parents.

Yesterday the entire Pack got together for a kick-off picnic. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The highlight of the afternoon was shooting bottle rockets. The boys spent a full hour shooting them before we even got around to eating and most went back after dinner to shoot some more. Those bottles were really flying! I bet they were 50 or 60 feet in the air!

They had a welcome ceremony for the boys who are new to the Pack. They got to run down a gauntlet while the 'veteran' scouts yelled for them. It was a lot of fun!

Up this week: Jarrett comes to visit and the family plans a field trip to..... ?