Beach Trip 2016

We finished up our first 6 week period of school and headed to the beach to celebrate!

A dozen kids at the beach doesn't sound particularly relaxing but it's become easier over the years.

Boys don't use plastic shovels.

These boys wasted no time in constructing various cities out sand and incorporating their knowledge of history in making a ziggurat, a nazi concentration camp (we just read The Hiding Place) and many other imaginary dwellings.

The upside of arriving just after a hurricane passes through is the sealife (death) washed ashore.

I never knew there was a pink stingray but we found two in addition to jellyfish, a huge horseshoe crab (and parts of many others) and a fish.

Then there was the living: crabs both small and big(ish).

Another highlight was the beach reclamation project going on just down the beach from us.  Another blessing of the hurricane is that work had to be halted temporarily and thus they were not able to make as much progress as projected (meaning we were not displaced or inconvenienced).

Every morning the trucks rumbled along delivering fuel tanks to the squad of bulldozers spreading the sand that was being pumped from offshore.  There must have been some sealife along for the ride because the seagulls treated the worksite like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

I know in my mind that all my children were along for the trip, but sadly, I only have a few pictures and those mainly of the girls.  I forgot my camera charger and had to rely on my phone, but really it was just that I was always busy handing out snacks to hungry diggers and there was little time for photography.

  

The school bell's a'calling - time to head back to real life!

Olympic Glory

 I've never sailed the Amazon, 

      I've never reached Brazil;

 But the Don and Magdalena,
        They can go there when they will!

 Yes, weekly from Southampton
                      Great steamers, white and gold,

 Go rolling down to Rio
                    (Roll down -- roll down to Rio! ).
                      And I'd like to roll to Rio
                    Some day before I'm old!

 I've never seen a Jaguar,
        Nor yet an Armadill --

 He's dilloing in his armour,
        And I s'pose I never will,

 


Unless I go to Rio
                    These wonders to behold --

                    Roll down -- roll down to Rio --
                    Roll really down to Rio!

 Oh, I'd love to roll to Rio
                    Some day before I'm old!

 The Beginning of the Armadilloes by Robert Louis Stevenson

Pinewood Derby 2016

It's time for the 2016 edition of the Pinewood Derby.

What the troop lacks in size, they certainly make up for in enthusiasm.  There was a wonderful display of creativity on the part of the kids and skill and aerodynamics on the part of the dads.

Stephen came away with 2nd place in Best in Show.

It was a well-run race.

December Photo Project: Day 23

Storming the church

December Photo Project: Day 21

Giving Thanks: Cradles of Babies

When the family found out they were going to have a baby, they were all very excited.  

"But where will the baby sleep?" Father asked.  "What we need is a cradle."  That night Father started to build a cradle.  Carefully he measured and he sawed and he hammered.  While he planed the boards and sanded them smooth, Father thought about the ships rocking gently at sea.  He thought about birds rocking gently in their nests at the top of tall trees.  After many days and nights at work, Father finally finished building the cradle.  He stood back to admire it.  The cradle looked solid and sturdy.  It looked so sturdy, Father climbed in.  There in the cradle, Father rocked gently back and forth.  He rested within the smooth, sanded wood.  And he slept just like a baby.

Just Like a Baby by Rebecca Bond

When I was young (2 or 3), my father worked hard to make matching cradles for my sister and me.  My sister's met an untimely death when a male playmate threw it down the stairs.  Mine was used for many years, including some pathetic episodes when we forced our miniature schnauzer into a dress and bonnet and tried to rock him (if a dog could look embarrassed, he did), and then sat discarded in my parent's attic until Josie came along.  Now I find an assortment of stuffed animals and dolls in it, but today she decided it was the perfect spot to nap.  And she slept, just like a baby.

Food Truck

Andrew claimed an issue of National Geographic from a church friend and quickly read it cover to cover.

Stephen was inspired by the spread on various food trucks.  The mobile restaurant offers a selection of sandwiches, pickles, eggs, drinks and a variety of condiments.

WWI Plane

Before church Stephen came to me and asked for a picture of a World War I plane.

I googled it and handed him my phone.

 He disappeared and later we left.

But later in the afternoon, he reappeared with his newest creation, 

complete with retractable landing gear.  This guy is good.

LEGO KidsFest

Longtime readers may remember The Pilgrimage a few years back.  I cannot pinpoint when it happened, but NASCAR slipped from the Place of Honor and was replaced with LEGOs. 

Doug's brother was kind enough to give the kids tickets to the LEGO KidsFest that made a stop in Nashville.  It was a morning of non-stop LEGO madness and enjoyed by everyone in the family.

I have shorted my daughter in the princess department - she did not recognize The Shoe or any of the other princess sets.  It did not stop her from enjoying them, however.

 

The exhibition hall was neatly arranged by theme, some providing interactive games or activities, others with huge tubs for original creations.  Another section displayed life-sized creations of famous characters or scenes.

 

 

 As our blood sugar crashed and the announcement was made to exit the building, the kids finished up their final creations using a new theme called "Mixels" which had a lot of interesting new shapes and designs.

All good things must come to an end, but we had a great time.  Thanks, Wes, for this Gift of Experience!