Picking Pumpkins

It seems like these days, Pumpkin picking has grown to be more about the photo op than the actual pumpkin picking. Our family is no different, who doesn't love the great pictures you get?? But this year we went away from the mainstream a bit and picked pumpkins out of Gigi's adopted garden. I must say, although we didn't get the beautiful fall pumpkin patch shots, the pumpkins are beautiful, they were home grown, and free, there were no crowds, the girls had fun and each loved their pumpkins. So I say ... success!




This one grew outside the garden and sat perfectly on the wall right there like humpty dumpty.

Gipa helping the girls clip the pumpkin off the vine.

Daddy helping the girls carry a big one. Isn't it pretty all lacy green and orange!



Josiah carrying her catch.

Adalie in love with her "little baby Pumpkin" (unfortunately before she got a chance to carve it a "little bear cub" came along and ate it?)

The girls with their picks of the year.

Thank you Gigi for saving us the pretty pumpkins. It was fun.

A Mini Escape

It is Sunday afternoon and our family needs to escape, a few minutes away from the busyness of life, a few minutes to root ourselves once again, a few minutes to breathe, a few minutes to enjoy one another. So we headed up in elevation to the Shadow of the Giants.

After a little picnic lunch we skipped down the trail, stopping here and there for photo ops and oohs and aaahs.

Josiah is getting to be quite the little photographer. She posed us here and snapped the pic.

This was the Girls and my first time on this trail and it left us in awe of the majesty of these trees. They are beautifully enormous.

Just a little reminder that we do indeed have a very Big God.

A very big God that doesn't forget the smallest of details. The lady bug nests were so pretty. They looked like berries until you got close enough to see they were lady bugs.

I love when they look at one another this way. My prayer is that they will have a lifetime of smiles for one another.

Now its is Adalie's turn to tell Mommy and Daddy to say "cheese" Apparently we have a few photogs in the fam.


And just the breathe of fresh air our family needed. Thank you Mister for taking us away for a few hours. I am grateful.

Welcomed

One of the things I really appreciate about Josiah's teachers is that Adalie is welcome in the classroom. I would not be able to spend as much time as I do in the classroom if that were not the case. In fact most mornings Adalie asks if we are going to stay at Josiah's school. So here is just a taste of the privileges Adalie and I enjoy at North Fork School.
We get to check out all the books in the library.
About a dozen a week to be exact!
Adalie is quite the helper at our station.
At Josiah's request, she has gotten to help Josiah be the class leader, pointing to the song letters,
helping with the morning carpet time,
and sitting up front with Mrs. G.
She even once took her nap in the classroom. Talk about being welcomed!


(Thank you!)

Time for Tea

While the fellas were off gathering wood for the winter, us girls did the girliest of all girlie things..... we went to tea! It was the little girls' 1st tea and proved to be very fun.
All the girls had a myriad of questions; "Are we going to have real tea?? And real food?? Do we get to dress up?? Do you call it a tea party?? As you can see most tea parties are pretend, so this was a special treat!
Princesses Josiah and Adalie.
Julie and her tea princess Maddie.
Michaelle and her tea princess Haylie
Our dear friend Lana who taught the girls all about tea time.
Including the proper princess way of drinking tea.... with ones pinkie fingers out of course.




Although they loved the cutsie little sandwiches, the yummy scones, the pretty fruit and scrumptious appetizers....... Oh, how they loved the sugar dish....
These girls were quite the little ladies at our tea party!

A Praise

God has been showing us many positives of our decision to send Josiah to school this year rather than home school and I am so so very grateful!

Adalie and I have worked in Josiah's classroom every Wednesday since the first week of school. And for the first month Josiah was pretty stuck to us, unsure of what to do with her free time (especially on the playground). She was waiting for me to suggest things she should do ("why don't we go play on the swings, that looks like fun" etc). But 3 weeks ago something changed. When it was time for recess, I looked around and only had 1 child, Adalie, hanging close to my leg. Josiah had gone off with her classmates to find her own fun! She appeared confident and at ease. Finally! Hallelujah! She had figured out how to seek her friends and together discover something to do.
It was no secret that I had been concerned for Josiah starting school for many reasons. One of them being that I saw her as a follower. She is a bright girl and doesn't miss a beat. She is capable of seeing a person's quirks, dialects, habits, words, voice, laugh, anything..... and in a matter of minutes be able to incorporate it into her personality. And it scared me!
But last week, I saw her in a whole new light. I went to school a bit early and just watched the children play. And there I saw my Kindergarten daughter with 7 or 8 other girls, all ranging from Kindergarten to 3rd grade, and she had her clipboard and pencil writing each of their names down because they were in her "Gymnastics Class" and she was their "Teacher". I saw my daughter as a leader, not just of the children her own age, but of the older girls too. In a matter of weeks she has blossomed into the place with her peers that she has always held in our family.
And many more times over God has shown me this quality in her; today as she leaned over another girl's shoulder to patiently help her figure out her work, Monday at recess as she developed the "Strawberry Club", and on and on. I am grateful for His mercy.

I can't wait to see the new things He will show me about this beautiful little girl!
We are so very blessed!

Days of the Week

It seems like everyday something fun and exciting is happening in Josiah's classroom.... Here is just a taste
Monday - Computer Lab

Tuesday - Music with Mrs. Florey, she is a crack up!


Wednesday - Share and Tell (I love how they hide their object behind their backs!), and Soccer Practice




(had to get a few picts of Adalie practicing with the team... for one, she loves it, two, she is easier to catch on camera than Josiah and 3 she is so darn cute!)
followed by an evening with Amma and Grandpa while Mommy and Daddy have Bible study.

Thursday - Craft Day (these are just a few of the crafts they did for October) and Mono Indian Teaching
Followed by Gymnastics practice.

Friday - Cooking,

Library,

Gardening, I Love to Read and Treasure Chest.

Wow! Busy girls!!

She Can Read

That's right!! Josiah is officially reading!! It is so exciting. Watching her sound out words, I suddenly realized that somehow we went from a jumble of hieroglyphics... to sounds.... to words! It is amazing!
We are all enjoying this new accomplishment!!