Merry Christmas!

I am NOT ready for this...

She's only 15 months old. I hope this was just a one time thing. I'm not ready for her to be in a bed!

More Pictures from our Budding Photographer

I may be partial, but I always enjoy Ben's photographs. Whether it's one of his many self-portraits or other random things, I love seeing our life from his point of view. He's quite good at landscapes as well. The last few days he's been on another photography streak, clicking away at himself and his siblings in a series of lovely portraits.  

 

 

Pioneers and Gingerbread

On Fridays our local Catholic homeschool group gets together for playdates, field trips, or service projects. This Friday was a field trip Friday, which we spent at the Mormon Trail Center Winter Quarters learning about pioneers and their journey west.
A pioneer tour would not be authentic without the proper attire, so everyone began at the dress up trunk where they chose their outfits.

Although the displays focused specifically on the Mormons' journey from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah with their winter stay and the hardships faced at Winter Quarters (in what is now North Omaha, NE) much of what they went through was faced by all pioneers. The children were able to see a covered wagon and experience making choices about what to bring and what to leave behind. They learned about the weather conditions (and the MUD!) the travelers had to endure. Some of the earlier Mormon pioneers used handcarts which they pushed and pulled themselves, across all those thousands of miles. Emanuel had a chance to help pull one (and I didn't get a picture- grrr!). The children also got to fit themselves into the tiny replica log cabin that an entire family would live in all winter. We thought we  were crowded in our small apartment, but really it is quite luxurious compared to that cabin!

Emanuel loading a wagon with supplies.

After the pioneer tour, we went to the lower level of the Mormon Trail Center to see their gingerbread house display. Wow! There were so many great gingerbread houses. The kids all did a scavenger hunt through the houses, looking for certain houses on their list. Emanuel posed for me in front of his favorite gingerbread creation... a ship!

Photo of the Day

Lapbooking

We just finished making our first lapbook. Everyone had a lot of fun and learned so much!

Since Benedict is fascinated by Native Americans, we used In the Hands of a Child's Let's Learn About American Indians Project Pack to learn more about them. It was a great choice for our first lapbook. There were several pages of facts about Native Americans at the beginning of the book, along with a list of books we could check out from the library for extra reading. There were also several extra activities thrown in along with the little books and activities which went into the lapbook.
The boys learned what the American Indians ate, wore, and used to make homes. They also learned why they painted their faces and the most common meanings of the colors used in face painting. They made little model tepees, "turtle shell" rattles, and of course, headbands. It was a great unit, and we can't wait to make more lapbooks!

Thanksgiving Crafts

The Saturday before Thanksgiving we spent doing crafts. Julie and Abuela Georgina came over to help us. It was a lot of fun!

Isabel's first time finger painting.

Emanuel, Benedict, and Julie have fun finger painting, too.

Abuela and Benedict working on their tepees. Since Emanuel can't let a holiday go by without making some sort of cookie house, we used sugar cones, frosting and candy to make these tepees. (I got the idea here from Family Fun.) The kids thought they were quite delicious.






We used toilet paper rolls to make these Pilgrims and Native Americans.

Emanuel traced his hands and feet (with a little help) to make this colorful turkey. Cute!



We had a lot of fun making our Thanksgiving crafts. Can't wait for Christmas craft day!

Diva

Grandma gave Isabel a feather boa to wear. She loved it! She knew she looked great as she strutted around the house in her new fashion wear.

An Addition to the Ranks

The knights of Castle Nunez were in the middle of a serious battle when a new recruit joined the fray. Turns out she's a master and so impressed her comrades-in-arms that she was given some armor of her own.

Her Thoughtful Spot

Only the coolest babies hang out in the bathroom sink.  What better place is there to relax while reading The Scarlet Letter and sucking on your brother's toothbrush?

Halloween

Aaaargh! He be a tough lookin' pirate.

What a cute puppy! This costume brings back memories of baby Em.

It be a sad business, this pirating.

Enjoying a beautiful Halloween day with Abuelita.

A New Twist on an Old Phrase

So, you've heard the phrase, "My dog ate my homework," right?

Well, after yesterday, Ben's version is:

"My sister ate my homework!"

His homework just looked really tasty, I guess. 

A Glorious October Hike

Yesterday there was a break from the cold wet weather. It was beautiful! The boys begged me to take them hiking, and I agreed. There's no better way to spend a day! I decided to fit Outdoor Hour Challenge #2 into the hike. So during our drive to our favorite local hiking spot, Platte River State Park, we talked about using ears to hear, eyes to see and hands to feel while we walked. We also talked about some of the things we might see, hear, or feel. They were very excited to get started.

The first sound we heard was chirping crickets. The loudest sound was crunching leaves as we walked over them. We also heard (and saw) a hot air balloon and two trains!
Benedict felt tree bark. Some was rough, some was really rough and some was smooth. He noticed that the tree with smooth bark was much smaller than the others and concluded that tree bark must get rougher as the trees grow bigger. Emanuel felt squishy mud under his shoes. He also got to feel something new and exciting. Under the leaves he found some soft, fuzzy green moss. Of course, they weren't just listening and feeling during our hike- they were using their eyes too. They saw many different trees and leaves, a daddy long legs, and of course, the hot air balloon.

For this hike, we decided to try a different trail than usual. We were so glad we did. It was beautiful! After hiking through the woods on a bluff above the Platte River, we descended the bluff and came out in a meadow filled with leaves! The boys rolled in the leaves and threw them at each other. It was a lot of fun! Then

we crossed a bridge and walked along the river and train tracks for a few hundred feet before heading back into the woods. We finally had to turn around and head back because the sun was setting, but none of us wanted to. It was such a beautiful day for a hike and a great location. We cannot wait to go back to explore this trail further! In the meantime, here are a few more pictures.