The Last Few Days

Some of the boys received "new" bicycles, so we took a family tour of the local nature trail. Snacks were included, and a good time was had by all. Then it began to rain... Christmas was a whole bunch of fun.

The older boys went Coot hunting with Poppins. They bagged their limit, cleaned them, cooked some, and froze the rest.

The Girl enjoyed holding another little visitor. Aren't they both adorable?

We were invited for a meal with a family who owns a strawberry/peaches farm and a bakery. The father gave instruction to Stennes (and cousin Levi) concerning soil, composting, etc. to help them on their upcoming project competition.

Now for a lesson on pruning...

And to put it into practice...

We again visited a well-loved family, and The Girl and Branch helped groom the horse.

We also visited a park. A bit cool outside, but enjoyable...

Can you see the dock in the background? The big boys went fishing while the little ones played, but the tide was out, so they came on back for snacks. Chocolate bars are almost as much fun as fishing, ya know...

ChubChub rounded up a wild (concrete) giant turtle. It was a struggle against nature, but he managed to subdue the beast.

We also visited a marine lab for a fun hands-on experience. The Girl isn't quite sure what's going to be in this big tank... Anders the Brave is taking the plunge...

And now The Girl is definitely going out of her comort zone...

Poppins is on vacation this week. We've had good times so far. Today the four older boys are out participating in the national Christmas Bird Count; ChubChub and The Girl are playing a game in the other room; Mean Ol' Mama is about to enjoy her restaurant leftovers from our double-date last evening with Dr. Peter and his wife; we were able to hand out small bags of food in two really poor trailer parks on Sunday; the weather is a bit warmer; God is good.

More Busy Days

Josiah interviewed a retired DNR biologist for his upcoming competition on Game Birds of Georgia. It was very interesting to hear the two of them discuss so many different topics.The kids have been on a roll with playing games. Even Poppins joined in. The older kids helped make crafts for the annual 4H Christmas Craft project. They all had a nice time. A few days later, they presented the crafts to local nursing home residents after singing carols, for which the boys played their instruments. Nice touch...

More games...more memories...

Josiah mounted his bobcat skull as part of his DPA project for competition. The hide he tanned turned out well, also. Stennes and Levi cut up pumpkins to include in their project portfolio. They helped bake and scrape the pumpkin, and then desserts were made to share at the homeschool meeting. Josiah used the seeds to make suet for his project.

ChubChub and The Girl made cards to hand out to the nursing home residents.

Stennes also made paper as a demonstration project. He sprinkled seeds in as well, so the final bookmarks can either keep a page handy or be planted in the garden. Neat!

Isn't this a cute photo?

We were invited over for supper at our Very Special Cousin's house, and we really had a fun time. The fellow in brown is a nice young man who spent the day with the boys.

The truth be told, she had invited us over so the boys could eliminate a very destructive fox from her yard, but a 'possum was the unlucky animal that evening. He was destructive, too, so now only one critter is left for the boys to deal with.

We spent Sunday afternoon with friends in Florida, and it was one of the most enjoyable days in our memory.

The boys played for a long time, made their way inside for a snack, and discovered hunting magazines. What boyhood bliss!

And then back out to play...

The older 4 boys had an interesting field trip to a family-owned saw mill. They had a good time seeing his machinery.

Taking life a bit easier this week...

News Flash

http://bainbridgega.com/news/publish/article_7820.shtml

Brrr...It's Cold Down Here!

The older four boys rode in the 4H wagons for the local parade. They enjoyed throwing candy to the crowd.

Just look who came to visit Mean Ol' Mama. He's soooo cute.

Then Anders went and brought in another cute pal...

Caleb, Levi and Stennes (just a bit...) made soap from last week's lard. It didn't turn out quite as planned, so they're going to try again soon.The egg on the left is what happens when the two older boys do a science experiment on osmosis. And when it finally broke, yuck!!

Mean Ol' Mama just had to take a picture of her most satisfying and enjoyable meal lately: freshly-baked wholemeal pita, smashed chickpea, fried onion and peppers, curried squash, and Dr. Peter's delicious sweet potatoes. He and his wife joined us for supper and laughed giddily with us for hours. Good memories...

Branch was incognito. And completely blend-into-the-crowd. Hmmm...

Monkey see, monkey do... Josiah and Anders were given a few new chickens.

The benefit concert at the College went well. The kids all did a great job, and some funds were raised for one of the local ministries, so everyone went home with a cozy heart. And the kids below? Are they praying? Nope. We did pray, of course, but in the photo they're playing a game before the concert begins...

And another game...

Whoa! This is a big place!

Stennes is standing in the background on the right. He and Levi (on the left) played a solo.

Josiah played cello (third from the left) with Port City Strings while the band took a break.

And afterwards, the relief was so great that the big kids decided to initiate ChubChub by throwing him off the stage, much to his extreme delight! In fact, he was a bit upset when they didn't actually throw him...

And a final sweet moment with the family. They're growing so quickly.

The rest of this week will be filled with 4H activities, interviews by the older boys, ringing the Salvation Army bell at WalMart (Stennes), Marine Biology for the older 2 boys, Homeschool Day on Friday, a MAJOR camping trip Friday and Saturday for Poppins and the boys, and whatever else manages to be accomplished! Breathe, Mean Ol' Mama, breathe...