Pumpkin Patch

Time to pick the perfect pumpkin...

 ...and the perfect pumpkin picture!

What's So Funny?

Don't know what they're reading, but it must be good!

Butterflies and More

Always looking for a good field trip opportunity, we visited the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest on our trip to Branson.  The rainforest was full of free-flying butterflies.

 And they didn't just have butterflies - Naomi and Johnathan were thrilled to find a basilisk lizard, because we just read about those for science!

 The big kids got up close and personal with the butterflies using magnifying glasses and binoculars.

 Ezra was just happy to tromp around in freedom and push this bee ride-on toy.  He led us on a merry chase through the paths!

What's that on my head? 

Branson

We took a fun fall getaway to rendezvous with Grandma and Grandpa Boaz and Aunt Karla in Branson, Missouri.  We stayed a a pretty B&B right on Lake Branson.  Ever eaten breakfast on formal china with a 16 month old in your lap?  It's an adventure!  But we survived and managed somehow to not break anything, though the sweet lady's dining room floor may never be the same!

The kids loved playing on the double swing and "sketching" rocks on the lake.

 We had a wonderful time checking out the town,

 hanging out with our family,

and we made it to a few shows, too. 

The big one we wanted to see was Sight and Sound's Noah: The Musical.  It was amazing, with a wrap-around stage that opened up so that it was as if we were inside the ark, filled with real and animatronic animals.  Even Ezra made it all the way through the show, with the help of multiple snacks!  Kevin and the big kids also went to a Chinese circus, which inspired Naomi and Johnathan to tumble their way through the rest of the week.

Upwards

 It's football season... flag football, that is!  Johnathan is playing flag football through the Upwards program, and Kevin is fulfilling the dream of coaching his son!  Here they are at their first game.

The team takes a time-out while the tiny cheerleaders do a cheer.

 Johnathan gets pointers from Coach Caffey

Ezra and Naomi had their own chairs to sit in, but somehow Mommy's is so much more comfortable. 

Go, Johnathan, go!!

What Ezra likes...

At 15 months, Ezra likes...

Cheerios for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Being included in what the "big kids" are doing

Toy cars and trucks

Reading books to us and pointing to the pictures

Doggies (or "doddies," as he pronounces it) 

Brushing his teeth

Running out any open door

Greeting Dada when he comes home from work

And, as pictured below, running through the house with nothing but his towel on his head after getting out of the bath!

Our happy boy is 15 months old!

International Food Day

Part of the fun of homeschooling is the ability to spend extra time pursuing the specific topics that interest the kids.  In our first book we read for social studies, Naomi was most intrigued by the section about the different kinds of food people around the world eat.  So we planned a day of trying out new foods we've never had from different continents!

 Breakfast in east Africa - mandazi (there's a donut in every culture, I think!)

 Lunch in central and South America - fried plantains and empanadas

 Dinner in northern Thailand - Kao Soi Kai, a dish that is popular in the region where our Compassion-assisted friend lives

We found a book at the library called What the World Eats.  It shows 25 different families from all around the world with a week's worth of groceries laid out in their kitchen.  Fascinating and sobering.  We are so grateful for what God has provided for us!