Up and Running

Thanks to a very nice reader, I was able to delete some old albums. If your looking for blog posts prior to 2010........they may be missing pictures. Sorry for the inconvenience but in order to keep blogging and not pay for more photo storage-it was a must do.

Starting this week I will have some new posts. In the meantime, here's what we've been up to:
-we took a week's vacation in New Hampshire.
-we added 8 new baby chickens to our flock of 8.
-we planted a huge garden and I have lettuce and all kinds of greens coming out my ears.
-our homeschool group has been growing like gangbusters and keeping me very busy.
-my daughter won the division soccer tournament, got braces and grew 2 inches.
-I ordered a whole new curriculum for the two youngest kids.
-this year I will have a 10th grader-yikes.
-my Lyme test came back positive resulting in more health complications. ARRGGGHH.
-I've tried tons of new recipes.
-We have a house blessing coming up in July.
-we will be spending the 4th of July on a boat with friends watching fireworks over the lake.
-I discovered I love my DROID.
-we bought 10 yards of mulch that still isn't moved.
-we've taken several homeschool field trips.

Stay tuned for some posts and some blog changes.

Homeschool Field Trip

This past Friday our homeschool group ENRICHri took a field trip to Pezza Farm. It's become an annual event for us and is always well attended.

I love pumpkins.

We had lots of arts and crafts for the kids.

The kids made pinecone bird feeders.

Some of the parents helped tie on the strings.

Zombies were invited too.

And cute little witches.

The kids played lots of games.

Pezza Farm was great to us and we went down to feed the animals. Each of the kids had to learn to use their "farmer hands". Farmer hands = flat palms so fingers don't get bitten.

Larry hung the strings for our game.

I was too vertically challenged to tie the strings.

We had two trays of bird seed to make the pinecone feeders.

The kids collected pinecones before the field trip.

Melissa made this awesome poster to welcome our new families.

She also made 100 gift bags for the kids.

Kayrn got a black eye.

We didn't play bobbing for apples.

Kids spit in water when you bob for apples.

It's gross.

It's my own hangup.

Okay not just mine.

It's gross.

So we bobbed for donuts.

Now there's a sport!

Thirty six kids lined up to bob....or is it bobb?

Hands behind your back.

You must take at least two bites.

If your donut falls on the floor then you are out.

But you can still eat the donut.

5 second rule still applies.

The chocolate donuts were the favorite.

Thankfully no one ate the string.

At least I don't think so.

There was lots of giggling.

And donut eating expertise.

Even the young figured it out.

And some got help from parents.

And some just pulled the donut off and ate it.

That's what I would do.

And Big Brothers helped little sisters.

Then when all the kids were jacked up on sugar donuts, we went for a hayride.

We had over 80 people attend so it took two hayrides to fit us all.

The kids ate popcorn on the hayride and then went out to

the field to feed the cows and horses.

Give me food.

Even the goats begged for food.

I'm sorry but when I saw these Turkeys all I could think about was a side of cranberry sauce and some stuffing. The male is really ugly with his waddly things.

They had cute pigs too.

Okay they really stunk and tried to eat my camera lens.

Yep, definitely a side of cranberry sauce.

Pezza farm had gorgeous fall mums.

I love pumpkins.

Then these freeloaders showed up tried to get on the hayride.

The bunnies looked a bit chilly.

The kids came back from the hayride and pumpkin field with ....eggplants?

They all were able to pick out a sugar pumpkin.

Libby picked one just her size.

The little pumpkins seemed most popular.

Event the teeny tiny ones found a home.

And sweet babies in cute hats played in hay.

Some preferred to make yarn pumpkin crafts.

Big and small played games.

Parents new to our homeschool group got to know one another.

Lunch was a favorite part of the day.

Smiles were everywhere.

The kids had a hard time deciding on which pumpkin to choose.

I think the trick was to balance it on your head.

If it didn't fall off then that was definitely the one to choose.

The foliage was beautiful.

The horse in the field was more interested in eating the pumpkin then the corn cob.

So was the other horse.

It was a great day. I am so thankful for the parents who helped organize, for the new parents that came and thought ENRICHri was a great place to grow their homeschooling family and to the wonderful families that come in love and in support of their kids.

What fall activities are your homeschooling groups doing this season?