HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL!!

Barn Swallow

I found a barn swallow that had been killed by a passing car while I was walking home today. So I did what anybody would do. I picked it up, brought it home, and dissected it with the kids.












The specimen.


















Measuring.


















Note taking.














Plucking.













The lungs.




Here's the kids report (their observations and measurements):

Juvenile Barn Swallow

Weight: 0.5 - 1 oz.
Length: 5 1/2"
Wingspan: 10"
Color: Back and shoulders - iridescent blue/green
Wing feathers - Charcoal gray
Tail feathers - Charcoal gray w/white spots
Top of head - Charcoal gray w/iridescent blue/green
Chin - Rust
Breast - White w/tan
Underside of wings - Silver
Underside of shoulders - Tan
Down feathers - Black

Notes:
Beak extends to beneath eye; beak has nostrils; point of beak is black while back is yellow.
Feet have 3 toes in front and 1 in back; feet look scaly; feet are dark reddish/brown with white "stripes".
Legs attach to torso 3/8" below wing; leg is 2 15/16" long; scaly part is 1 1/16".
Tail feathers vary from 2" - 2 1/2".
Wing feathers vary from 1 11/16" - 3 1/2".
Heart measures 1/2" X 1/4".
Liver measures 3/4" X 1/4" X 1/8".
Lungs measure 5/16" X 1/4".
Stomach contained a housefly, a wasp, and other indistinguishable bits of insects.


PS - Even Lily helped out!

10 Years Old!!!

Cal is 10 years old today!! The years have quickly flown by! He's such a great kid....helpful, thoughtful, generous.....he makes us proud. He loves fishing, birds, anything outdoors and in nature. He loves to read....nonfiction being his genre of choice. He skates, plays hockey, rides his bike, loves board games, is always drawing, and plays tennis.







Happy Birthday Cal!!!

African-themed dinner

As part of each of our parents' Christmas gift, they each received invitations to four themed dinners each. This past one was an African-themed dinner. The kids study, read, and research for the month before each dinner. They them help prepare a meal using recipes from the country we've studied as well as preparing some sort of entertainment for afer the meal.

Here we are eating the appetizer....a dish made out of peas as well as chapati...a simple flat bread. It was very delicious! We also had bobotie, couscous, corn-okra-tomato medley, anise tea, and monkey bread!

After the meal the kids presented what they had learned about the country of Africa. They each wrote a book about an animal from Africa. They even created an original piece using the drums that they performed as the finale to the evening.

Memorial Day

Each year our small town has a Memorial Day Celebration with a parade. It has become tradition to watch the parade in the front yard and have a small picnic with some family and friends as we remember those that have died in service to our country to maintain the freedom we all enjoy and sometimes take for granted.

Here are some of the kids with their friends that live in town and their visiting cousins. They all enjoyed the parade very much, although some of the younger ones watched with their ears covered....the many, many fire engines have very loud sirens and horns, especially when they pass right in front of you!!

Our volunteer fire department!

Smokey Bear! Lily was anticipating seeing him all day! She even "wrote" him a letter, but she was too scared of him to actually give it to him.

We had a lot of great food! Charlie made this 'bacon explosion'......a bacon weave wrapped around sausage, crumbled bacon, and seasonings, coated with barbecue sauce and cooked and smoked a long time on the grill. It was delicious!!

The kids......just because

Amy's piano student

A short video of Bella....my piano student. This is Bella's first year learning to play the piano. She's playing Skip to my Lou.

Catch Up #7

We haven't been very good about updating our blog, so here's some updates in several posts. To look at our updates in a chronologically correct order from the oldest to newest, scroll down to Catch Up #1 to begin from the start. We love to see our children reading. The older three all read chapter books now (with a few pictures books thrown in too).

Even Lily gets in on the "reading"......normally by looking through picture books. Notice the chapter book without any pictures that she's trying to read.....she wanted to do what the older kids were doing. Like her reading spot??

Catch Up #6

Beartown State Forest for Scuncleott's celebration party with the family. Cal took a kayak out by himself. Yes, my baby is old enough and capable enough to paddle around in a kayak....where did the time go?

JB spent some time fishing and playing with Lily in the water. He's such a great big brother!

Lily had a great time playing in the sand and water for awhile. After she had a leech on her foot.....she had enough. Luckily, her daddy came to her rescue and there was no side effects from the incident.

Leah out in the kayak with Daddy....she loved it!

Catch Up #5

Once a month, we have one of our group meetings. Recently our nature group had a study of birds. One of the moms brought owl pellets for all the kids to dissect. The kids were very interesting in finding bones and fur of small animals that the owl had eaten.

Catch Up #4

Easter 2009.....After going to church, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Saviour with our family visiting at our house for dinner.

Each night one of us checks on the kids to make sure they're covered up in their beds. Occasionally we find the light left on, them sleeping on the edge about to fall out, them completely uncovered and curled up in the fetal position because they're cold. Recently we found Leah with her light still on and under her book fast asleep. Is this how our children learned how to read so easily??

Lily and her "kanket". She has to have it to sleep and occasionally she'll walk around the house with it. This blanket, that was my brother's when he was a baby and that I used for my dolls as a kid, is Lily's favorite.

James FINALLY lost a tooth!!!! He has been telling us he had a loose tooth for many, many months now. Leah, who is younger, even lost two teeth before he lost his first one. He was very happy to finally have lost a tooth. He put it under his pillow and it "turned" into four quarters from the weight of his head.....at least that's the reasoning Cal came up with a few years ago when he lost his first tooth. I love little kids' reasoning!

Catch Up #3

On one of the first nice days of spring, we took a midday break from our schooling to have lunch across the street in the town park. After lunch the kids ran around and did a little fishing. Nothing was caught, but it was nice to be able to be outside without winter clothing!