Katie marched in with the other second graders. She got to carry in one of the christmas trees that helped to tell the story about the christmas tree that didn't feel very important (because she was small and not very fancy) but became a very important tree in the end.
I always cry at school programs. I don't know if it's just because I'm a pathetic emotional crybaby, or if it's because I'm sad because my kids are growing up so fast. :-)
These are happy memories now. Fall at our place is busy with LOTS of leaf-raking, lots of outdoor work, and this year--a fair amount of lawn mowing. We had beautiful days interspersed with rain until the end of the fall and, of course, our acre of lawn was green and growing!
Bret spent some time reducing the leaves by shredding them in our shredder/chipper. Don't worry--he is still quite far from the blades. Does look scary though!
This is what our fifth grader looks like on most evenings during the school year. Every night we have at least 1 hour of homework. He also has to read. He points this out often and uses it to justify the sometimes 3 hours of reading in the evening! :-)
Here's my puppy. Schwarz is about 5 1/2 years old now. He stopped chewing furniture and shoes and slippers after about 2 years. We are enjoying our middle-aged dog.
What we didn't expect is the many partially formed "baby eggs" that one chicken might have (up to 7 or 8) of varying sizes waiting to be ready to lay!
We felt very farmer-ish, harvesting some meat for the winter. Our process was planned out in advance (thanks to good advice on the internet and in a book on homesteading we had at home). It went very smoothly, although it took pretty much the whole day to butcher 14 of our chickens!
It was a good learning experience and we were glad we did it. The chickens went right into the freezer, except one which waited in the fridge to be dinner the next day. I was pleased at how humanely and kindly we treated the chickens. Bret made fun of me for singing to them so they would be happy up till the last moment. But, I think it helped them--and me--remain calm and peaceful! :-) We don't know if we would do this again. But, I think it gave me new respect (as a meat-eater) of the process of how food gets to the supermarket. (The kids were away at school--although they did know what we were doing.)
These Fifth Graders were put to work today. Their assignment--Rendezvous with a Comet! They spent half their time in Mission Control and the other half travelling into space to intercept a comet. While on this dangerous and exciting mission they managed to "discover" a new comet which they named Holmes2009 (after Mrs. Holmes, their mighty leader). Above, August is recording data about some meteor samples and using the information for further discovery.
Oh, no! The humidity in the space capsule is decreasing--causing static electricity. August suggested that if someone takes a shower that would increase the humidity. ;-) Instead they use a humidifier--a little better for the computers in the room!
Below the kids are in the space shuttle. August's job was to weigh some meteor samples and use a robotic arm to move the rocks onto the scale. He then needed to record the data and give it to the Data personnel
All in all a successful rendezvous! The kids really enjoyed the opportunity to learn about space and to be in command of the vessel. It was totally up to them to work toward the goals of the mission! August enjoyed the robotic arm! They had to learn words like eccentricity, velocity, ellipse, coma, among others. A great learning experience. It made me wonder if I'm smarter than a fifth grader??? 
This quilt was my latest project. I have a nephew on the way and it was a fun way to connect with the little guy since his parents live far away. I got to pray for him and bless him, even though I won't be able to see him or snuggle him when he's born. Babies are such a blessing!
