RAD Christmas Adventure

While we were all together over Christmas break, we decided to have an Adventure! And naturally we had to start it off with our theme song! Oh I've missed this!

(Insert Steve's Clue #1)

(Insert Steve's Clue #2)

"Hold it like a J for Jesus!"

(Insert Steve's Clue #3)

(Insert Steve's Clue #4)

At the Family Reunion

They were just tuckers out after practicing for our Awards Presentation.

vacation under the volcano

Ghost town at sundown - making butter!

We had an authentic western lunch today: corn bread and salt pork (bacon)! The meal was complete with our home-made butter! Each kid got a small jar of cream and they had to "shake it till you make it!"

Sam really liked the butter too. 

Trek to the Creek Bed

Jessica made a covered wagon for our trip. These two little boys giggled at each other most of the way there! It was so cute! 

Here we all are! Let me hear you say "YEE-HAW!!"

Dolphins before Daybreak- Zoo aquarium

We went to the zoo to visit the aquarium for our kickoff learning about the ocean! We had a picnic lunch (thanks to Estee preparing ahead...I didn't think we'd stay that long!)

I only got one good picture in the aquarium- the yellow green fish at the top of this tank looked crazy! I don't know the name of it (someone erased the keeper's notes), but it looked like it had been in a fight, with little barbels sticking out all over. It doesn't swim like other fish, either. It's side fins are practically useless to go forward in a particular direction, so it mostly camoflauges with rocks and coral.

When talking about the different zones of the ocean, we made different colors of Jello and a coloring/labeling page of different sea animals in their respective zones. The black Jello: the Abyss, dark blue Jello: the Dark/Midnight Zone, light blue Jello: the Twilight Zone, and the clear Jello: the Sunlight Zone. The kids ate it up! 😉 The clear, unflavored Jello was pretty disconcerting...I felt like was chewing reconstituted cartilage. But the rest were pretty good!

The kids are progressing so well! I am so impressed with their focus and attitude! They practiced together easily for about an hour! There's something magical about playing music with family and friends.

I am leaving Estee in there, mostly because we get so few pictures of the moms, and also because I think it's funny she was able to sleep in the middle of this whole ruckus! Then again, when a momma's tired...

We loved our Ocean unit, and reading from the Ocean Dictionary and Mayrice Pledger's Ocean and Seashore pop-up books! (I'll post those pics later.)

Western fun at the Witte

We went to the Witte Museum today. They have a fun "Heritage Center" of old western Texas history and stuff. We got our western on and named ourselves with western nicknames. 

 From left to right, this here is Spry Johnson, Little Willie, Eva Rose, and Stinky.  

 

Stinky didn't like being by the fancy sits bath for some reason. 

Spry and Stinky gettin' some time in the saddle. 

Spittin' Cobra Scotty taking care of Lady Bella. 

With Little Willie showin' the ropes to Eva Rose, there just isn't room for Stinky. 

Turns out Spry likes horses AND heights.