Martin Nature Park

You cannot just stay inside when the temperatures are in the 70's! We woke up this morning needing a little adventure, so we packed a picnic and headed down the road to Martin Nature Park.

 I printed off scavenger hunt sheets for the girls to do while on our hike. I think we found everything but the spider and the mushroom!

 If you look closely, you can see the catfish in the water!

 We saw the pretty babbling creek.

 Even a little waterfall!

 We went in the little museum and saw all the animals.

 We ate our picnic lunch and then let the girls play at the playground for a little bit. It was nice to get some fresh air and some exercise. I just love weekends with my favorite people.

Homeschool Field Trips: OK History Center and Harn Homestead

We have been taking advantage of our local museums having homeschool days! On Columbus day, we went to the Oklahoma History Center. They had several craft booths set up and admission was free. This was the first time we had gone and it was a lot of fun.

Learning about old Native American games.

In a train car.

I brought a picnic lunch of crackers, cheese, grapes, and pomegranate seeds.

These are thumbprint magnets that they made. Tae's is a pony and Hensley's I made into a kitty.

Later in the week, Harn Homestead was having their homeschool day. It was $10 per school age children. Younger kids and two adults got in free. My friend Janean came along with us. It was broken up into groups and we got to see the old school house, working barn, and the house. 

It was supposed to be like stepping back in time and representing what it was like to live in the early 1900's. The teacher was pretty strict and Tae said it was really boring, haha. They did writing, arithmetic, and reading. Then we got to go outside and play games that the children played during those times. Tae got to try out some stilts, which she said was hard.

Hensley got in on the schooling too.

In the barn we got to hull some corn and make cornmeal. We also learned all the different uses that they used corn, the husks, and the cob for. We then got to milk some mechanical cows, gather eggs, and other farm duties.

Tae grinding corn.

They had a little petting zoo set up with pigs, bunnies, sheep, and a goat.

If you look closely, you can see a little brown bunny being squished by a pig!

We had a picnic lunch and then saw the old farm house. It was really neat to step back and time and learn a lot about the way your city started. If you want more information about the Harn Homestead, check it out here.

To the lake we go....

We decided to drive down to our lake house to check on it and let the girls play on the beach. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out after breakfast.

 We still need to put down floors, do some yard work, and fix some plumping issues, but other than that, it looks good.

 It was supposed to only be about 75 degrees, but ended up being in the 80's that day. I had a mom fail and didn't think to bring the girls' swimsuits or towels. They ended up doing some naked swimming and we used towels from the house.

 The girls had so much fun. We stayed and played for a couple hours.

 I had brought leftover homemade pizza pockets for Aaron and I and the girls ate cold green beans, cheese, grapes, and crackers. 

The finished sand castle. I love that we are making these memories with the girls. I know they will look back and remember all the time we spent as a family.

Fall family happenings!

 This sweet mess is 28 months! She is learning so much and changing every day. She can count to 10 in English and Spanish, and she knows all her colors and her shapes. She loves to play ponies and animal doctor with her big sister and she loves to snack. Tae has her homeschool coop for two hours on Friday's and Hensley and I spend the time playing with her school backpack and eating snacks. Tae is loving her classes and has a blast with all her friends.

 I got these maps at the dollar store for 50 cents each! Tae is enjoying school and is really excelling in all subjects. She really loves math and science. She is doing really well at reading and I think she will be reading without a problem before the end of the year. We've been using "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and it has been helping a ton.

 About a week ago, Hensley woke up, took off her diaper and decided she was ready to use the potty. She goes 100% of the time if she is naked. We are still learning to not go in panties, so we still wear diapers when we leave the house. I'm so proud of my big girl!

 We had family night last weekend. My parents had been away in Italy, so we hadn't seen them in a month! We had chili, cornbread, and salad. I made these chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches and they were fantastic!

 The girls love to feed the ducks and the geese. We like to feed them lettuce, bird seed, peas, and other healthy things. 

With fall comes lots of yummy fall dishes. I made this butternut squash and spinach lasagna rolls the other night and they were a big hit! I love making chili, soups, casseroles, and all the other yummy fall/winter foods and desserts. Yum!