Summer Activities

A Machine from the Arts and Crafts Festival It takes corn and makes corn meal and Grits

A Sample of some of Zeke's Art from Class

Spanish, Gymnastics, and Art. Caden loved his Spanish class, and was sad to see it end, but was not too upset to be finished with Gymnastics -- LOL. Olivia LOVED her Gymnastics class and was finally really opening up to the teachers and other kids -- On the last day. I will definitely enroll her again (eventually). At Olivia's last gymnastics class the coolest things happened. There was a lady in the class who had twins ( a boy and a girl). The boy was "healthy", and the girl had Down's Syndrome. She was still learning to eat on her own, doesn't talk, and just had her trache removed recently. She is trying to walk but had only taken a step or two here and there. Amazingly while we sat there waiting for class to start she kept trying to pull away from her mom towards me. She actually walked 8 or 9 steps all the way across the mat to me and then I sent her back and she walked to her mom. It was SO COOL. She was such a happy friendly little girl. Zeke finished up his art class as well. He had so much fun. He built a little clay statue and did some chalk drawing etc. . .He is taking a 5 day art camp in July and is pretty excited about it.

We found a really cool farm that has a lot of U-Pick fruits and have been spending quite a bit of time picking and eating and baking berries. Strawberries and Cherries so far. Next week starts the Raspberry and blueberry season. The kids are really enjoying picking it and learning to cook all sorts of new things. Plus U-Pick is so much more affordable than the grocery (about 65% less) We have made Pies, and smoothies, and shortcake, and eaten them plain etc . . . Of course during all of this we had the opportunity to discover that Olivia and strawberries don't get along. No more strawberries for Olivia. So now it seems for the time being we have to keep her away from Pineapple and Strawberries. Such a shame too because she really loves both of them -- right up to the mass vomit point.

I decided a couple weeks ago that it was silly for me to have lived in this little town with so much history and so many cool things for three years and yet I have seen none of it. So I began asking friends to walk the town and try out restaurants with me. First, I went out with Kristin, and we checked out the Mediterranean place. They have awesome Spanakopida. Then, I went for a walk with Beth (another Homeschool friend) and we checked out a local Japanese/Thai place. I LOVE THAI FOOD and it was OUTSTANDING. I was unfortunately disappointed by the local bakery. It looks so nice and trendy and upscale NY like. The foods even look good but the taste is . . . well . . . I won't be going back. Not sure which is next on the list but I intend to try out all of the eating establishments . I also want to actually venture into some of the stores. Especially the Peddle and Paddle and the new Running/Walking store next door to it.

Since Russell has been home he has begun running with me and Zeke. Sometimes we all run together which requires me to push the jog stroller, but more often than not we swap around and run some together some alone or with different partners while the other watches the two little ones. We have been having so much fun. Zeke even saved his money for an Ipod and the day I loaded it with music he took it out on a run. He was so excited he ran 5 miles. LOL. Our times right now are getting pretty good, and we are looking at running another race soon. Yesterday Zeke and I ran together and logged 4 miles in right at a 9 min/mi pace.

Russell had his first voluntary workout with his new football team Thursday and LOVED it. They all seem like such great kids. It was so pleasant to be around them so uplifting and mature and motivating. Unlike so many (pretty much all) of the other teams he has been on. I'm so glad he has the opportunity to play with other Christian Homeschool kids -- What a difference it makes. There are no sagging pants. There was no slang being thrown around, no "teenage" attitude. It was so nice to be around all of them.

This week we attended two festivals : The Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival and the Potomic Celtic festival . They were both really neat. Zeke, Caden, and Olivia had a lot of fun watching all the crafts men at the Arts and Crafts Festival. The two they liked the most were the Potters and the Glass Blowers. We did also get to listen to some Blue Grass music, and watch a blacksmith, leather carvers, leather burners, weavers of baskets and cloth, candle makers, soap makers, quilters, wood carvers, wood burners, painters etc. . . They learned so much. Then at the Celtic festival we learned a bit about the different clans and where they are from (not just Scotland and Ireland ). We learned about battle field medicine and surgery from 200 years ago. We learned about how and why they dressed the way they did. We watched them do demonstrations of old games etc. . . We walked around for about 4 hours and left coincidentally about 10 minutes before the rain came.

Chris is over half way through with his deployment and everyone is excited for him to come home -- I have a few things planned -- Unfortunately I can't say here because he reads this and IT'S A SURPRISE. LOL