Air Force One

The President was in town last Monday so we took a little field trip to see Air Force One. It is very interesting to watch the whole process with snipers on the roof, helicopters in the air circling the airport, the Secret Service trucks that are on each side of the airplane until it is in the air. This is the second time the kids have gone to see the plane but this time I remembered my camera. Of course now the kids want to learn all about Air Force One!

VBS 2011

I LOVE VBS week!

Cole and Adrienne LOVE VBS week!

This year I was in the 1st grade class with Cathy and Shawna. We had 17 kids and it was such a great group. My favorite moment of the week was probably watching a little boy looking in his new Bible we were able to give him. He told us he has never had a Bible and he seemed so excited to get one. Cole and Adrienne have so many Bibles that Adrienne has a hard time picking which one to use. We forget sometimes that there are so many children that will never see a Bible! I am so thankful that we at Grey Stone were able to place one in a little boys hands this week.

Here is a little peak into our room.

Alice in Wonderland

Today Adrienne had her Alice in Wonderland dance recital. This year she took jazz and has had a great time learning new dance moves and making new friends. We are so proud of our little starfish!

NCHE Conference

Memorial weekend we attended the NCHE homeschool conference. We always have such a good time attending the workshops, wandering around the bookfair, swimming in the hotel pool, and of course eating at Mellow Mushroom. We were able to hear some amazing speakers this weekend that offered so much encouragement. I always come away from this weekend with so many new ideas and just feeling refreshed.

Here is a list of the speakers I heard.

Andrew Pudewa- Reaching the Reluctant Writer
Michele Zavatsky- Kids love travel- Let's Plan Some Field Trips on a Budget
Todd Wilson- Lies Homeschoolers Believe
Nancy Pearcey- Equipping Homeschoolers to Recognize, Resist, and Overcome Secular Worldviews
Dianne Craft- Smart Kids Who Hate to Write
Sonya Shafer- Charlotte Mason and Her Methods
Bonita Lillie- The Mommy Spa
Jennifer Schmidt- Living on More, with Less
Dari Mullins- Poetry in the Homeschool
Phil, Paul, & Anna Downer- Building World-Changing Relationships through Homeschooling

Of course I also made a few purchases but I did wait until the last day to buy anything. Here is a small list of my favorite vendors this year.

Miller Pads and Paper - always a must for buying your paper/art supplies
Simply Charlotte Mason - we are using this method in our school
Shatterpoint Entertainment - just ask Cole about his Jericho movie
Intellisense Phonics - Adrienne begged for this phonics program
NC State History - we are studying NC history starting this summer

If you homeschool your kids this conference is worth your time. If you can only go for a day I would suggest Thursday or Saturday. Friday is the busiest day and it can be overwhelming with so many people.

Happy Birthday Adrienne

Today is Adrienne's 7th birthday.

It hurts to think she could already be 7.

While planning this birthday I realized what a big girl she has become. She walked around Party City looking for stuff and all the things she liked a few months ago she would not dream of having for her birthday. Her dream gift would be clothes, clothes and more clothes. She has become very picky about her clothes and I am embarrassed to say that the outfit I bought her she did not like. She is wearing it today for her birthday but it was obvious she just did not want to hurt my feelings.

We have lots of big plans for her special day but her BIG gift (a trip to the American Girl Doll store that opens middle of the month in Washington D.C.) will have to wait a few weeks. I love this little girl (that is now a big girl) with all my heart and I make no apologies for spoiling her on her special day.