Pumpkin Patch

We went with Maize Virtual Preperatory School to our favorite pumpkin patch one very, very cold Friday a week and a half ago. It's almost an hour drive for us, but so worth it. The activities the pumpkin patch offer are so much fun. Roger was able to go with us, and two families from church who are also involved with mvps were there, so that was fun. Plus, mvps paid the admission for our family, and the kids got a free pumpkin! I was not able to get as many pictures as I wanted because my camera batteries were running out, but I got a few.

Rock Climbing

This week in homeschool PE, Lauren climbed to the top of a rock wall for the first time! I also took a video of Evan, (although this was not his first time).

Calli the Butterfly

Randomness

Just a few odds and ends...

First of all, I can't believe I never posted a new school year pic of the kiddos. Evan is a 6th grader now, and Lauren is a 3rd grader. This was taken on our first day of returning to our beloved homeschool co-op. Evan is doing something new for school--it's called Maize Virtual Preparatory School. I really hate the name because it gives everybody a false impression that he sits at the computer all day doing his school work. That is so totally NOT true. We received all of his curriculum books so I am still the teacher. The only thing he does on the computer is look up his assignments, do check points when he has completed an assignment, there are enrichment activities and videos to watch, and once in a while we get to have talking discussions with his overseeing teacher through the computer, and he will soon be participating in a book club with his fellow students through the computer. Also, we don't even have to use their curriculum for every subject--we don't even have to enroll for every subject. If I wanted to just enroll him for science, I could. We still enjoy another math curriculum different than what mvps has, so we are doing that instead, and for composition, he is attending live classes with his overseeing teacher (who lives in Winfield, but travels up here to conduct the classes), instead of doing the composition curriculum mvps provides. Now, since this program is considered part of a public school district, he has to take the state assessments in the spring. This will be something new for him. However, I kind of don't care how he does on these tests. Homeschooling is such a unique way of schooling, that we don't "teach to the tests" like public schools have to, so I'm not putting any pressure on Evan for these tests at all. Also, since we are not doing the mvps math, I will be enrolling him from that subject, so he will not have to take the state assessment for that subject. So many of my fellow homeschooling friends have such an eskewed understanding of this program, and it is so different, and a little difficult to explain, that I really can't. All I know is that I knew about this program for over a year before I finally felt a godly nudge to look into it. When I did, I fell in love with it. Once we started it, I hated it.  Trying to adapt to this new way of teaching was very difficult, but God told me I was not to give up. So, I didn't and now Evan and I absolutely love it! We all have different roads to take in our schooling, and God lead us down this one, and I was obedient and followed, and so far, so good. Lauren is not enrolled in mvps. She will continue to do the homeschool curriculum Evan used through 5th grade, and then when 6th grade comes, we will see if mvps will be right for her or not. Just because it's right for Evan, does not automatically mean it will be right for her. We will figure that out in a few years.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair." Lauren loves this new staircase set up in our new home. She tied a long scarf to her ponytail and let it hang down to pretend she was Rapunzel up in her tower.

A couple of weeks ago we took the kids to see the Broadway musical The Lion King. Totally, awesome, and fantastic. The costumes were amazing! Thankfully we had bought the tickets several months ago because otherwise we would not have been able to afford them after buying the new house.

One of the best things we have bought since moving into the new house--walkie-talkies! Now the kids take one with them when they go down to the neighbors houses to play, or walk to the other side of the pond. Plus, I don't have to step outside and start hollering for them when it's time to come in, and they don't have to run all the way back home to ask something. It's worked out beautifully.

"Mom, I Hate Being Sick!"

Oh boy! Something is going around making people sick. Evan woke me up at 2:00 in the morning Tuesday to tell me he threw up. His bedroom is in the basement and he sleeps on the top of a bunk bed that has a futon underneath. Thank goodness he woke up in time and felt this was going to happen and he made it down from his bunk to his bathroom in time to get most of the junk into the toilet. I was awoken by his flashlight shining in my face. I got out of bed, set up the couch upstairs for him to sleep on for the rest of the night, and got him a trashcan just in case. Then, bless his heart, he told me that he hadn't quite gotten all of the yuck into his toilet, but I could clean it up in the morning. He was just trying to make things easy on me, and I thanked him for that but told him I needed to go clean it up now. After I did that, I went back to bed, and heard him run to the bathroom. Yep, number two. We went back to bed again, and yep, not long after that, third time. Finally, things calmed down until a couple of hours later, but by this time it was just dry heaves because there was nothing left in his stomach. About 8:30 that morning some more dry heaves. He didn't eat or drink anything all day. Around noon I made him go to his room and take a nap. I told Lauren to go upstairs and watch some movies so I could take a nap on the couch downstairs. Evan's was 4 hours long and mine was 3. When Evan woke up, wow he looked and acted like a whole new kid. You could tell he had some energy back. When he woke up Thursday morning, he was 100% normal again.

Last night at 2:30, Lauren woke me up telling me she had just thrown up in her bed! Oh my goodness, talk about a MESS. I stripped her bed and dumped what I could into the toilet then threw everything into the washing machine. She told me that she had gotten some in her hair, but had tried to wash it out before she woke me up, bless her heart. I smelled her hair and whoa--we needed some shampoo. So, we stood at the sink and washed the area of her hair that needed it. Then I set her up on the couch with a trash can, and guess what--number 2 of throwing up. We got her settled down again and she said she could still smell everything. I sniffed around and discovered it was still her hair, though faintly this time. I went and grabbed the baking soda and we headed back to the sink and used that and shampoo to clean her hair again. That did the trick. She was able to sleep until 8:00 but then was experiencing dry heaves. Obviously she was not going to be able to go to the painting class, writing class, and field trip we were taking with Evan's school today, so a call to Roger to ask if he could do that stuff with Evan. Evan had to miss the painting class but Roger was able to get off work in time to go with him to his writing class and field trip. I had to drive Evan up to the school to meet up with Roger and on the way back home, Lauren's body was trying to throw up again, even though there was nothing in her stomach. We got back home, and I discovered I had forgotten to bring something up to the school that Roger needed to give the teacher, so back in the car Lauren and I climb. I had brought along some crackers and told her she could only have 2 to eat. After dropping off our thing at the school, the car dings telling me I need gas. We go do that and on the way home, Lauren's stomach decided to reject the 2 crackers she had eaten. Don't worry, we had brought along something for all that yuck to go into. Right now she is cuddled up watching a movie before I make her go take a nap. I am hoping that she wakes up tomorrow morning feeling 100% again.

It's been a couple of long nights for the kids and I this week. Now, I'm just praying that Roger and I don't get this yuck!

Celebrity Soccer Referee

Merril Teller, one of our local senior weathermen from TV, was Evan's referee at his soccer game this past Saturday. I didn't really recognize him until he started speaking and then right away I knew who it was. Cool!

Then, since the game was on the other side of town and we hardly get out that way, we went to Red Robin for lunch (we don't have one on our side of town). Evan is kind of growing out of eating off of the kids' menu, so he went for a larger meal. Yeah, he had to bring some of it home. There were a total of 7 riblets, coleslaw, 2 pieces of Texas toast, and mac and cheese. He asked the server to substitute the coleslaw for fries, and they brought out a basket for him in addition to the slaw. His eyes were huge when he saw all of the food on his plate. I don't think the picture does it all justice.