Rainy Saturday Picture Share

The First Day of School!

We write letters to the kids on the first day of every new school year

Liam started to cry while reading his letter ...and when I asked him "what's wrong?" He replied, "I'm just so happy." He really takes after his mom with the feelings... We will be a funny scene at his wedding someday...

9 years of doing this now and I am so grateful for every bit of it. I know it's a common feeling to look forward to sending kids back to school after summer vacation... But I have always had (and have) so much gratitude that we don't have to "send them back" ....and that our days still (and always) have looked like this...

The End of our First Day!

Another school day

Josie always has current paintings on the floor of her bedroom

When your bestie gives you her old Barbie dreamhouse!

Our cool 4th grader

and 2nd grader!

The kids read Farmer Boy as our first Lunchtime read aloud of the year and we made our own apple cider vinegar!

Brooke's Birthday!

Fun Pop Art

I hang their art in the windows

I love the cooler evenings and watching the kids play soccer

More school things

Sometimes, even children's books make me tear up.

My first day of September tradition - Apple Pie!

The boys made an apple banner 

September book shelf 

Fishing

They all still listen to stories.

Water Safari on a cold and rainy day! It was honestly one of our favorite days of the year!

Snow white looked a little unsettled with her living conditions

Eli was a little nervous about the rides at first - So, Ashton rode on the carousel seat with him

I'm excited to have this for our Christmas tree!

Spin art!

Made a trip to Target just to find the Halloween goodies!

Grandma Diane sent us up some special things in September - and guess who loved the hat she gave us?! Thank you, Grandma!

Making Almanzos favorite "Apples and Onions!"

Rainbow Trees

Still bringing me the catch of the day!

Eli's seed hunt

Lunchtime walk

Eli's growing plants

Painting to the music 

More Soccer!!

A walk with Steph and the kids

I like taking pictures - but I never feel comfortable being IN them, haha

First soccer game of the season! It is always such a joy for us to watch them!

Taco Bell and Thrift shopping on a Sunday afternoon

Pratt's Falls with the cousins!

Owl Art

On Tuesdays, Ashton makes dinner!

Halloween costumes for 2021! 3 of them wanted to go the scary route this year. 

Yes, even Josie was excited to be scary!

Ashton is Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat!

Can you guess who Yuki is?!

Fun at the farm park!

Another game!

Another tradition! Visiting the Pumkin Patch each year on opening day! We always get the kids a small pumpkin to paint and put on our porch for the month of October

Back to Archery!

Painting pumpkins and watching the Munsters

Beak and Skiff and Tim's field trip!

First time at Trader Joes! I cannot believe how glorious it was!

Pumpkins!

Sweet potato black bean enchiladas

"The Frost is on the Punkin" Charlotte Mason afternoon. We listened to Tchaikovsky's Autumn Song, read the poem, learned about James Whitcomb Riley and the events that happened in the early 1900's. The kids created their own fall poems and snacked on fall treats! The younger two also did a pumpkin investigation 

Buried by school books!

They really love helping in the kitchen

Shel Silverstein Party!

The kids painted their own snakes

And they created their own Shel-inspired poems

The kids also did "The Giving Tree" STEM challenge - Trying to pile up as many apples as they could on their trees!

The finished snakes!

We made the kids "Falling up" bookmarks to remember the day!

The kids decorated for Halloween

Halloween books

Festive kitty

My breakfast helpers

Each week, Josie and I play a couple games of "Go Fish" with these cards. They have been awesome for memorization of all the famous women in history!

Moonlight Painting!

Fishing after dinner

Sleepy pup

Beautiful sky

Cozy

Math with a Dinosaur

On our way to Malone, NY! First stop - Almanzo/Wilder Homestead!

Off to the cabin! ...This has truly been a dream of mine! 

Grilling hotdogs, haha

Watching Hocus Pocus from the loft!

The drive home was so beautiful

Green Lakes

Chapman park

Fishing/Running with the kids on the canal

Night fishing and running on a different side of the canal

Saturday bowling league is back!

Hafners and a church fall festival!

Mary's 40th!

The fallen leaves!

Josie loves decorating cupcakes!

A walk at the creek after picking up our books at the library

A night out with the family to check out the Halloween lights!

Apples to Oregon Study! Learning about the Oregon Trail.

The leaves!

Tired pup

Walk in the woods

Our "Apple Doll" Charlotte Mason study. We read the book, Carved apple faces, Painted wooden pumpkins, learned about the Iroquoi and Senecas, they did a STEM apple tower challenge and they learned how to dehydrate their apples

Last night - Night swimming at Stephs in the rain!

She has decorated for Thanksgiving already!

I leave you with the kids Frankenstein art!

That does it for me! Looking forward to Halloween and enjoying the rest of this beautiful month. I hope you all are well and know how much we love you!

xoxo, Jessica