Busy Days Again

Poppins enjoyed a game of animal matching with the "littles". He's such a great guy. Branch and The Girl finished their second book of Greek. They were very excited.

They tore the pages off the metal binder for recycling. It was a fun job to celebrate their accomplishment.

The Girl hosted A Trip to the Shore tea party. Unfortunately, one of her little friends had to attend a funeral, and the other couldn't come until later. We still had a great time, though, and the food was yummy!

peach boats a-float a sea of blue Jello

savory pastry puffs

pimento-and-cheese sandwiches

a selection of pirate's goodies

beach scene cupcakes with hidden "fish" swimming inside. quite cute.

The girls enjoyed the selection of nibbles.

Afterwards, they made leis of colorful flowers.

Friday-on-Monday class was fun this week. After all the readings, Greek & Latin, the kids played a geography game.

Branch asked The Girl to help him act out a clue (she was a sled dog being "mushed").

Stennes has been very busy working on Mama's Throne, a chair of Cherry, Black Walnut, and Osage Orange. It's going to be very beautiful. Mean Ol' Mama can't wait.

Josiah has also been working on Mean Ol' Mama's Pottery Shelf. She already has big plans for displays.

Just being together...

Anders has been working on Forestry information and cutting out stencils for his mini-booth entry in the Fair.

shhhh...

ChubChub has been spending time doing 30-minute activities, such as puzzles. The change of pace keeps him happy and busy throughout our school day.

He's a sweetie, and so clever, too.

Josiah placed First in the district Forestry Judging competition. We were very proud.

Anders has been busy with his mini-booth project DO count your chickens BEFORE they hatch! Obviously, he's doing a project on egg incubation. The photo shows him checking eggs for fertilization.

shhh....

shhh again...

30-minutes of quiet reading...

Gotta look cool to wash clothes, ladies.

Josiah took this beautiful photo.

Gotta look cool to show off your puppies, too.

We had out-of-town company Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Talk about fun, fun, fun! The kids really had a good time, and the adults caught up on old times and too much food!

Sisters on Swing

Playing "Spoons"

Another family from out-of-state came on Sunday/Monday. They are very special to us.

Good Friends in God's Family

Trying to stay up with everything...

Josiah celebrated his 12th birthday with a very large cake that was an unexpected gift from a friend. It wasn't actually for his birthday, but hey...what a blessing! ChubChub learned how to ride his bicycle without the training wheels and he has been diligently showing friends, foes, and strangers alike his new-found talent. He's quite the guy.

Mean Ol' Mama has been taking advantage of The Girl's eagerness to practice her English reading. She doesn't mind entertaining her little bother...er, brother...at all!

We went preaching at some apartments in Thomasville over the weekend. ChubChub wanted to bring his guitar, too.

Josiah has started tilling one of his gardens for Fall planting. The tiller was a very nice gift from our Celebramos friends. We really enjoy the fresh produce.

He also wanted to show his favorite chicken, which is amazingly colored like his bass guitar.

Branch read aloud during Bible time, and it was such a joy to see his progress.

Even ChubChub "read" a part of the chapter. Interesting. Almost-four-year-olds have quite a unique understanding of God. Perhaps they're more on-target than the rest of us. Unquestioning faith.

Even The Girl was able to read a few verses. This was the first time all of us were able to participate in the reading. We're growing up!

Finally, Mean Ol' Mama enjoyed the following shot: directions in English in a Greek book answered in Spanish. Gotta love it.

We're very busy,working on projects, speeches, performances, school in odd moments, trying to keep everything in eternal perspective...

Finding a "groove"

The Girl shredded zucchini to make bread and cookies. These were a gift from a friend and they made delicious snacks. Stennes read a story during Bible time. He has been working hard lately on a project for Ga. National Fair.

All the boys got on the shop and tarred a few leaky places. It's hard to imagine that such beautiful pieces of art come out of such a cluttered shop.

ChubChub decided to write on the windowsill during Friday-on-Monday class. He was thoroughly repentant and cleaned up the marks with a good spirit.

Levi and Josiah didn't want their pictures taken during the Latin test, so Levi pretended to be working diligently, and Josiah hid behind his Greek workbook.

Stennes just continued writing his test.

ChubChub likes to rest on the handrail before he comes downstairs in the mornings. We wonder what he's thinking. Perhaps he's looking for an empty lap for a little cuddle time.

We enjoyed Josiah's Latin test. The left side was the Latin conjugation (singular) of the "to be" verb; unfortunately, the right side (plural) were the Greek verb endings. He often blends the two languages. It was a good laugh for us all.

The Girl found an empty cicada shell. Yuck. But she enjoyed it.

And just look at what Mean Ol' Mama discovered yesterday morning. ChubChub wanted to spend the night with The Girl, and they seemed almost too content to waken.

Anders is also working on a project for the Fair. He will be doing a mini-booth of the incubation process for chickens. He helped Pop build the big incubator and is showing a few of the chicks that have been hatched.

Branch read a book to ChubChub about sea creatures. We are pleased with his progress in English reading. He can entertain his brother with a book, which is priceless at times.

Mean Ol' Mama began teaching Writing at the College last night, we have company, quite a few performances coming up, many entries in the Fair to begin & finish, daily schoolwork, countless activities and responsibilities...[...sigh...]. Gotta find a steady groove. Actually, we just need to do the best we can and keep on keeping on...