Family Tree

Our Morning started with rain, but that didn't stop David from getting up early and catching a handful of fish. He shared his morning with a few Elk having their breakfast. Next if was up to my Aunt and Uncles home for breakfast and then to Red Rocks park.
It was fun but the kids were anxious to get back to our temporary home at the creek, ready to start a day of fishing and playing outdoors.

They didn't catch much but enjoyed trying.
To all our surprise, Jonah decided to go for a dip in the frigid stream. He stripped down to his birthday suit and jumped in.
Then the guys decided that we needed a bridge over to the island and it was quite entertaining to watch. They had to fight the current with this heavy metal grate.
Their determination won over mother nature and they finally succeeded in their quest.... much to the delight of all the children.

And children there were. My cousins came with all their kids. We had a hard time figuring out the whole second, third cousin connections. Josiah proclaimed..."wow, our family tree just keeps getting bigger and bigger."
Here is me with my cousins, Richard, Lisa and Robert.
It was so wonderful to have my Dad around too. The kids had a great day with Grandpa!
We could not have asked for a better day. Full of the wonder of nature and a beautiful Family Tree.

On The Road Again

Yesterday morning we got on the road again bright and early.

We drove Through Wyoming....
Found a few prairie flowers...
Stopped at a few scenic view points...... and saw lots more cows

In the late afternoon we arrived at our destination in Idledale, Colorado. My Aunt Jesse and Uncle Bob have some property on the Bear Creek where we are camping for a few days.I was so blessed to have my Dad there. He flew in From California. I also got to see my Aunt Carmen and Uncle Charlie as well as my Uncle Pete. It was so wonderful to see Family all together after so many years.My Uncle Bob has made the kids quite at home...

He let them Drive a tractor....And a Back Ho!!!Then it was time for fishing in the stream. Josiah caught a little Rainbow Trout.
My Cousin Richard... the Pro Fisherman was giving him a few tips.As it cooled off, we stoked up the fire and warmed up. Josiah was quite diligent at minding the fire. After a good nights sleep we are off on more Colorado adventures today... until later....

The Adventure Continues

After a very cold night, we woke up this morning to a beautiful, bright, sunny day.

The camp ground we are at is in a lovely wooded area and is conveniently close to activities.
Since our first go at Mt. Rushmore was so wet and cold, we decided to try it again.
We were not disappointed. It was breathtaking and awe inspiring.
While the actual monument is quite amazing, God is not to be outdone. The surrounding mountains and valleys are beautiful and the shimmering rocks and crystals are amazing.
It was a great family outing that brought out many interesting discussions about Presidents, current and historical, and how they lived and how they died. I think we all learned a thing or two.

Next we were off to the

1880 Train

Much to the Joy of our Sweet Jonah!

It is a beautiful historical train ride that goes from Keystone to Hill City.
It was an hour long ride, meandering though forest and over streams with lots of wildlife peeking out to say hello. We got off in Hill City to discover a crowd of children waiting for Thomas the Tank Engine who was in town for a special appearance. That was a fun treat for Jonah. We took the return train back to keystone, had a quick snack and then set off for....

Reptile Gardens!
It was a large reptile habitat where we got to pet crocodiles....
Pet snakes....
And see lots of other creatures. They had a bird show, an alligator show and a snake show, all which were thoroughly enjoyed by our budding animal conservationists.

So now we are all just a little tired. The kids are sound asleep and David and I are not far behind. We are so thankful for the beautiful weather, God's amazing creations and this precious time to be together.

Summer Road Trip

Hello to all our friends from South Dakota! The first stop on our summer road trip.

We started our adventure yesterday morning by packing up our rented RV. The kids were so excited and ready to start our journey
We made it to Mitchell, South Dakota last night and started off early this morning. Here is David and the kids at our first rest stop.
They are having fun with the co-pilot job. Josiah loves to narrate the tour and point out passing interest on the road... such as... cows, and cows, oh and look, more cows!

We arrived at the 1880's town and took the hour long tour looking at all the old building and interesting stuff.It was raining and a little cold so we really had to work at staying out of the mud.David and I enjoyed looking at the movie set museum from Dances With Wolves. Then we loaded everyone back into the RV and headed to the Badlands.

One of the first signs we saw said "Beware of Rattlesnakes" The kids took this warning quite seriously and nearly missed the awesomeness of the view because there were looking for rattlesnakes the whole time.Here is Josiah pointing out some possible snake holes!

It was an amazing view though and was a reminder of how creative our God is! I really enjoyed watching the terrain change. Driving through Minnesota was mostly flat farmland. When we got to South Dakota, it changes to beautiful rolling hills... with lots of Cows... Oh, did I mention that already. Anyway on to...
Mount Rushmore!

Josiah, Siri and I made the walk up to the monument while Jonah slept and Dad stayed with him in the RV. Because of the rain, it looked as though the Presidents were crying. But it was beautiful, even in the rain.
They have all the state flags there with and inscription on the marble below them. We were excited to find this one!

We are camping overnight and have more adventures waiting for us tomorrow. Stay tuned for more as Minnesota Adventures explores the country.

If You Give a Mouse A Cookie

Or in our case.... If your neighbor brings you a raspberry bush, you have to plant it ....
And if you plant it, you need to water it...
.... and if you water it, Jonah will think that it is time for water play....
When Daddy comes out to see what is going on,
he may decide to pull some weeds.
When Daddy starts to pull weeds, it will make us look at flowers... And if we look at flowers, we will have to stop and smell the lilacs....

The smell of the lilacs will make us so happy, we may need to spin around...

Of course, boys who have no interest in lilacs or spinning will have to go jump on the trampoline...

....and boys who jump on the trampoline get very hungry..... So we will go inside wishing we already had raspberries to eat!

Hatchlings!

(Try Clicking on the Photo for a closer look)

After weeks of watching and waiting, our baby birds have finally hatched! The mother Robin has faithfully cared for her 4 eggs, one of which still hasn't hatched. The babies are so new, possibly just hours old. They are just little pink wiggling blobs. But we are so excited to watched them grow in the coming days. Josiah and Siri are so thrilled to get to experience nature in such a tangible way.

Are You Smarter Than A Second Grader

As Homeschooler's, we are required by law to have our children participate in Testing every year. So this week we picked up the test and I have been administering it to Josiah and Siri. I have tried to make it as relaxed an atmosphere as possible so they wont get too nervous... The truth is, I am working myself not to be anxious over the results. There are some things that I just know they are getting wrong. (Things that we haven't covered yet in our curriculum or areas where I know they struggle) It is an interesting mix of emotions I find myself in. I want them to do well, in large part because I know that it is a reflection on me as their teacher, not because I really feel that the stuff they are being tested on is that important.
As I watch them make mistakes (and bite my tongue so I wont try to help them) it is good for me to see areas that we need to step it up a little.
But then I also get to see how much they absorb from just living life in our family and playing and exploring. There are things on the test that I didn't teach them yet and they surprised me by getting it right anyway.
We have a few days to go and we will all be happy to put this week behind us.