Fall Fun

I've been brooding over some serious thoughts but before I do anything else serious, I'd like to share some of the fun we've had around here. Some days, you just have to cut loose, and last week we had one of those cut loose days. After school and chores were finished, I told the kids to go outside and get as muddy as they wanted to. It had been drizzling for days and they had not gotten to play outside. They followed the instructions to get muddy by grabbing the hose and wetting down the fallow garden patch, then digging "tunnels". Here are the results...

Have you ever seen two kids so tickled with their own mess?

A little bit of science... Carter found several roly pollies in the mud. He was thrilled with them.

My two monsters...

The piece de resistance... This is only a mild shot of the filth that they gathered. Thank the Lord for washing machines!

Daniel helped the kids make Indian hats to wear to the homeschool Thanksgiving banquet (put on by a few other moms and me). Then, he took them outside for an experiment. They dipped a rag in a solution of half alcohol half water, and lit it. It burns without burning up. This is the way torches were used in caves.

A happy Addie in her Indian hat with the flaming rag nearby. You can't really see the flames in this picture, but I assure you that it is on fire.

Carter wearing his Indian headband and holding a hose nearby in case of an emergency.

Addie prepared for the feast in a dress that my mom made for me when I was little. She makes a great Indian princess, does she not?

Carter and Addie enjoy the feast.

We have been looking forward to the cooler weather that sets in this time of year, but fluctuates back and forth with warm spells until about December.

Addie hoping for cold, cold weather soon!

Carter and Addie enjoying one of the first fires of the season.

We do one or two chores a day. The picture below shows Addie preparing to help vacuum. She hates the noise of the vacuum cleaner so she always puts on her daddy's protective earmuffs before this chore. I always get such a kick out of it!

I guess that's all for now. It's a joy to watch my children grow, understand the world around them, and play together. The friendship blossoming between them has deepened since we brought them home from school and for that I am grateful. I hope to have more fun things to share soon!