Pilgrim Place Festival

We went to the Pilgrim Place Festival the other day.  The festival takes place in a sleepy little retirement community in a very nice part of town.

The girls first made crafts with the recycled goods of the retirement folks.

D was overwhelmed and clung to my leg for a bit.

But then he saw the orange medicine containers and he forgot about me.

Afterwards we waited for the choo choo train to arrive. 

They all had fun.

Next stop, face painting.

D loved how he looked.

So did another little boy.

He learned how to get into character soon enough.

What's a festival without treats?  Never mind that I was about to pay $225 for someone's cavity fillings later that afternoon....

D and JH found a baby.  They actually wanted to play with it.

JH, being the good doll father that he is, wanted to read to him about Thanksgiving.

D was ready to conquer the world after such a nice day.

But like all good things, it came to an end.

Time to go home!

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Foray into Film: Homeschool Coop

     I've been experimenting with a cheap used film camera I bought online.  I wanted to take it on as a discipline.  Film doesn't allow me to work a picture by taking several shots at a time.  It forces me to pause and think and frame.  I hope I can incorporate that type of behavior with my digital.  If anything, that alone will save me badly needed storage space and inspire more thoughtful photography.  I started this experiment by taking pictures of the children at the coop I teach at every Wednesday.  A bunch of other wonderful moms and I share the teaching load of extra curricular subjects.  The moms get  help while the children get to understand the dynamics of a classroom environment and profit from a multi-aged peer group.  It's not a rare thing to see little newborns or babies sitting next to mom while she teaches.  We mothers also get to decide the curriculum and manage the school.  It works on so many levels. 

Behind their Fortress

 The girls made a fortress of old sofa cushions with their art easel.

The baby (aka the Dragon) tried destroying it but that didn't dampen their spirits.

S decided to some school work in her secret hide-out.  

I guess school work is a lot more fun for a princess when it is done behind a fortress.

First Day of School

     We began our homeschool year in mid-August but this past week kicked off the school year with our classical school coop Alpha Omega.  So I get the best of both worlds--classroom instruction once a week and teaching the children at home the rest of the week.  I love the mothers at our school and of course, the children.

S waiting to board the van to school.

E would rather spend that time reading...

S waiting patiently...

Lots of notebooks for lots of notes :-)

Anxiety builds before chapel.  

D was still sick.  So he got to stay home that day and wiggle his toes for Daddy.