Mystery REVEALED!!!

We were in outer space, on the moon, in jail, under the earth, digging for fossils, looking at strange trees, visiting ghost towns--and all right here in Oregon!  Sometimes we travel to far and distant places to see exotic sights when right in our own home state we can enjoy so much.

What beautiful and interesting places we explored! 




Our walks in "outer space" were in the areas
surrounding the Painted Hills and the John Day Fossil Beds.





We dug for fossils in Fossil, Oregon.  The kids actually found some!





We saw the beautiful Painted Hills.
They were incredibly unique and gorgeous.



The area surrounding John Day, Oregon is rich with mining history.  Many towns are remnants of mining exploration and were built from gold and silver rushes in the 1800's.  We wandered around in the hills until we found an old mining shaft to explore.  I know, I know, we probably shouldn't have entered the mine, but someone had recently rebuilt the timbers that hold the walls and ceiling in place so it looked fairly safe. 

We were cautious, and it was cool!

Volcanic activity has shaped this area and there is so much to explore. 
Even giant pieces of petrified wood are still around to view. 
Incredible.

And, yes, my children were almost hauled away to the Shaniko jail.

The only thing that saved them was the lack of a horse to haul away the carriage!



Mystery post #8

Children being taken to the slammer? Oh my!!!

Mystery post #7

What kind of place is this?!?! Where children play with miniature trees and

grown men turn into deer with giant antlers?

Mystery post #6

Any guesses on where we might have encountered these mystery pictures?



Mystery post #5

"Ummmmm, what the heck?"  That's what I said when I saw this on our trip. 

Can you tell what are hanging in the tree?

Surely, you've seen something like this in your neighborhood!



Mystery post #4

Another walk in outer space.  This time on Mars.....



Mystery post #3

Mariah, Dallin, and Grant spent a good half hour digging in this hillside.

Can you guess what they were looking for?

Mystery post #2

What are we looking at?  And where might we be?

Mystery post #1

I'll be posting a series of mystery pictures from our adventure on Labor Day Weekend.

Can you guess where we explored?

First up:  Our walk on the moon.....

My special Kyle

Kyle turned five this month.  He is at such a fun age.  He's ready to learn, ready to grow, ready to grow up.  His age, coupled with his sweet, patient, kind, obedient demeanor, makes him just about the most special boy I know.

Kyle requested a race car cake to celebrate his birthday.  He had a lot of fun on his new scooter and loves his new bean bag!  He also got a new basketball hoop that was the hit of the party.  The boys were slam-dunking all night and had a blast pretending to be NBA players.  They really thought they were the stuff!

I am so happy to Kyle is a part of our family.  He is such a joy to be around.  He's always been that way.   A true joy.  Happy birthday, Kylee-o Smiley-o!

A dream realized

The dialogue goes something like this: 

"Mom, can we get a horse?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Ummmm, I don't think our city sized lot would sustain a horse, Mariah."

"Could we keep it at Grandma's house?"

"No."

"Why not?

"Ummmm, I don't think that would be fair to Grandma.  She doesn't want to take care of a horse."

"Why not?"

"Ummmm, Grandma's not really an animal person."

"But I could take care of it!"

"Really?  Who's going to drive you the fifteen miles to Grandma's house every day and night to feed it?"

"I don't know."

"Besides, they're really expensive to buy and maintain."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, someone has to buy the hay, grain, shavings, etc.  And what about when the horse gets

sick or needs new horseshoes?  It takes a lot of money to pay for all that stuff.  No thank you, my dear."

"But, MOMMMMMMM........."

For years we've had this conversation.  Over and over and over and over. 

Horses are a lot of work and are expensive; and, horse riding lessons are expensive too.  So imagine my delight when Mariah was offered the opportunity to have horse riding lessons for no charge!  It was most certainly a dream come true, for this daughter of mine. 

She's learning everything horses!  From riding the horses, to caring for the horses, to cleaning the stalls, to working and exercising the horses.  She is in heaven!  Before school started, she went to the horse barn twice a week.  Now she's down to once a week with school in session.  It has been a wonderful opportunity for her to learn more about something she's dreamed of for years. 

We are so grateful to Cassie, her instructor, for taking Mariah under her wing and allowing her to be a "shadow" so she can learn more about horses.  I haven't heard Mariah complain once about anything related to her experience so far.  She has completely loved every minute of it!

Transitions

What is it about transitions that are so difficult for children to handle?  Along with the anticipation,  preparation, and excitement of going back to school comes a lot of whining, crying, and grumpiness when they come home.  I had forgotten about the emotional side of change.  Sigh.

By the end of the first day of school, I was completely exhausted.  The morning had been fun, exciting, and full of preparation.  In between school was busy with Joy School for the little ones, preparing dinner for our busy evening, and making cookies for an after-school treat.  After school was first filled with smiles which quickly melted into tantrums, arguing, crying, whining, sulking, etc.  By bedtime, I was the one crying and whining.  It was not good.

Tell me, my other mother friends out there, do your kids have a difficult time when they come home from school?  What's up with it?  How do you handle it?  Advice, please!

Back to school

It rained the morning of the first day of school. Lame.

Mariah, Dallin, and Grant had a good day.  They are all excited about their teachers and the new year ahead. 

Kyle and Karina were equally excited to start Joy School (although you can't tell by the picture).  I usually teach the little ones from home and we use a curriculum called Joy School.  The kids love it and are always excited to start school at the same time as the big kids.  This year I'm collaborating with some other moms to share the load, I mean fun, with their kids.  It should be a busy and exciting year!