The "Ziegler" Orchard

A few weeks ago Matthew's cousin, Annetta, called to see if we wanted to pick apples from their trees. They had an abundance and were thoughtful to offer. We couldn't pass up good apples because we love homemade applesauce. It was fun visiting their "orchard" and picking the fresh fruit. We picked enough apples to make three batches of applesauce, and I should use the last of the apples tomorrow. Each of the children, with their different personalities, took on different roles. Once Emily saw Annetta climb the tree to reach some of the higher branches, she started climbing and found a nice perch. Megan was the help from the ground. She would empty the filled bucket of apples into our picnic basket and then return the bucket to the "pickers." Eli, sweet Eli, loves apples. He was a taste tester! Thank you Rowen and Annetta for the fresh apples, and a fun time picking. What a blessing!!

First Day of School

Our first week of school went so well. A few bumps here and there, adjusting to a new schedule, but I think we all had fun learning. 

Before we homeschooled, I wondered what it would be like to have school at home. So, in case you are wondering what we do all day, here is a rough sketch of our day. The day begins with the girls waking up on their own and completing a morning routine of getting dressed, making beds, breakfast, brushing hair and teeth, and completing morning chores. We try to begin at 8:30 a.m., although sometimes life happens and it may be closer to 9 before we sit down to our studies. We always start with a prayer and Bible study where we study a different virtue and work on scripture memorization. Sometimes we play a few rounds of Bible trivia because they love to play.

After Bible study we move on to history. We are studying early American history and the discovery of the Americas. Our history lesson often ties into our geography lesson which is very interactive. Thanks to my parents who gave us a wonderful globe that we use EVERY day! What a valuable resource!

After geography we study a poetry passage. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of poetry. I am trying to expand my appreciation for it, or at least not to prevent the girls from loving it. So we work on a poetry passage each day.

Emily and Megan are working on Cheerful Cursive this year. We only have one workbook, so they lay a transparency over each page and trace their letters on it. It works out great because they can use the pages over and over and over, and it saves me from making countless copies. So, while Megan works on cursive, I work with Emily on math. Then, when Emily finishes her math, she switches to handwriting and I work with Megan on math.  

Usually about this time, everyone is ready for a break and a tummy filler, so we break for a snack (and a diaper change for Eli).

After we regroup, we work on spelling and dictation. Then we try to fit grammar into the morning before it is time to prepare lunch. Sometimes grammar gets bumped to afternoon, and that is ok!

Sometimes the girls want to hang out in the kitchen while I make lunch, and sometimes they need some good old vitamin D and play outside. Sometimes they play with Eli. Sometimes they work on chores they didn't get done before school. Every day is different. : )

After lunch we finish grammar if we need to. And, we have science and literature. We are reading biographies this unit and have gotten some fascinating biographies and learned so much! I try to have an art project each week, and that sometimes falls into the afternoon. Sometimes the girls work on a project while I am preparing lunch.

And that sums it up! A lot of fun! A lot of precious family time! A lot of memories!

Last Monday on our first day of school we took a field trip to Kibbe Museum in Carthage. What a treasure that little museum is! The girls LOVED the collection of geodes and stones. We only had an hour in the FREE museum, and look forward to going back soon. There were so many fascinating displays.

Emily and Megan are laying next to the jawbone of a whale. That is a big jawbone!!

Fresh Peaches

One of my favorite parts of summer is the fresh fruits and vegetables. There is nothing like picking your dinner straight from the garden. Anyway, many years ago we planted a few peach trees. They produce small white peaches, and typically they aren't the best peaches. This year, though, the peaches have been delicious. It is always fun to send the girls out to the tree before lunch to pick our fruit. 

Lambert's

When my brother found out we were headed to Branson, he recommended Lambert's Cafe. They have bragging rights to being The Only Home of Throwed Rolls. Although we had a short wait for a table, it was worth it. The atmosphere was fun, the portions were generous and the food was DELICIOUS! As you are eating, a gentleman walks around with tins full of hot, delicious homemade rolls. He chucks them around the restaurant, which is entertaining to see guests fumbling rolls. They lived up to their motto: "We hope you come hungry, leave full, and hopefully have a laugh or two!"

Random Branson Pics

Ok, we had a lot of fun in Branson, and most of the time I didn't have the camera out to capture the moments. Here are a few of completely random shots.

Eli loved "cleaning" the glass doors that led out to the deck. The kids got a big kick out of it every time he smashed his little face on the glass. I have to admit, it was pretty funny. 

One morning we took a walk around the resort. I did a lot of morning walking since Eli is an early riser. 

We played lots of games. 

One night Lissa gave foot scrubs, pedicures and manicures. Fun summer colors!!

Trout, Trout, and More Trout

While we were in the Branson area, my aunt recommended that we check out the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, the largest trout production facility in the Missouri Department of Conservation trout production program. We spent a few hours learning more than I could imagine about trout. It actually was very cool.

The hatchery typically produces 1,125,000 catchable trout annually, raising rainbow trout and brown trout. That's a LOT of fish, and a LOT of work goes into raising all those fish. 

This is a male trout. Want to know how you can tell? Males develop a "hook" on their lower jaws.

These are the raceways that contain the fish at different stages of growth. Their water temperature must be carefully controlled, and the raceways must be covered with netting to prevent herons from feasting on the fish.

One of the kids' favorite parts of this trip was feeding the fish. Here is Emily watching the fish swarm her tasty treats!

We were feeding a group of fish in this natural raceway when we realized how close they will come to you. The kids (and Matthew) tried to catch a trout. 

A lot of hands got wet. A lot of contact was made with the scales. But, the fish were too fast to become our dinner. 

Our First Morning in Branson

I am still trying to catch up on life since vacation and Vacation Bible school have wrapped up. So, here are more vacation photos. This is our first morning in Branson. Of course, Eli and I were the first of our group to meet the morning. As we were getting ready for an early walk, Emily woke up and got dressed so she could join us. We walked up to the store and got milk for our breakfast. By the time we finished our walk, Megan, Josiah, Jeff and Matthew were up and ready to play. We walked up to the playground and burned off some energy! 

Our morning finished with our own church service, put on by the kids. Josiah led worship songs, Emily  read a "sermon" and Megan passed out communion (oyster crackers and grape juice). They had a lot of fun being responsible for our morning worship and it was great! 

So, that was our first morning, and the fun had only begun!! What a memorable trip!

Sand and Sunshine

A few weeks ago we packed up and spent a week in Branson with my sister and her family. It was a wonderful week, and many great memories made. One of our most favorite things to do was go to Moonshine Beach. It was a fun little beach, and here are a load of photos from Moonshine.

Lissa and Jeff swam out to the boundary of the swim area.

My sister and her wonderful family

Eli in the water. He loved it!

Josiah!!

This is what sunscreen and sweat and sand can do to your hair!!

Digging holes in the sand

That's one BIG hole