Thursday Outing

Shari collecting rocks and moss for her explorer tray.

Grant and Scotty with their trays. They were supposed to categorize their finds by something ... fuzzy, soft, solid, sharp, smooth, etc. 

Scotty became best friends with our guide and was so happy when he got selected to play catch with one eye closed. It was supposed to simulate a moose's lack of depth perception. 

Shari's Dress Up

Shari Brooke likes to wear Nicole's clothes, in the day and sometimes in the middle of the night as well. 

Overnight Camping

We were blessed with a gorgeous weekend, so we took the kiddos to a nearby campsite called Portage Glacier.

The glaciers were stunning (although they didn't always photograph well).

We also took a short drive to Whittier, which is where many cruise ships port. To get there, you have to take a one-way tunnel that is 2.5 miles long. 

Despite seeing hundreds of spawning salmon (look closely), we saw no bears. 

Out of all the kids, Clint and I agree that Shari Brooke had the most fun. She walked on all of the trails, roasted marshmallows, fished, and followed the big kids on their forest adventures (consisting of eating wild raspberries, identifying poisonous mushrooms, and collecting firewood).  She was just happy to do everything!

 

 

First Day of School

This year's crew 

Here's what we have learned today:
1. Scotty LOVES chalk.  He loves it so much that he practices his letters even when he isn't required.
2. Shari Brooke can simultaneously do school with the big kids.
3. Max is NOT allowed in the school room, except under strict supervision, i.e., in someone's arms.
4. Nicole will always be the first one done with her work.
5. Grant is capable of doing school without whining.

I asked the kids to pick a classroom prop for their individual shots.  Grant, of course, picked geography.

 No surprise, Nicole picked reading (and Harry Potter, at that!).

Max didn't really understand the assignment, but he managed to find a puzzle anyway. 

 Who knew, but Scotty picked drawing!

 

It looks like Shari Brooke is following in Nicole's footsteps because she is constantly reading, asking for a book to be read to her or toting books around in bags or her arms.

Grant gave us all a new school year surprise by building a domino tower for us to watch.  What a FUN start we had!