Fall went Fast

 It has been a very busy, but very good fall.  After Labor Day the girls started back to school full time.  With that came Parent Led Devotions every morning.  It has been a blessing to be with the kids everyday but it makes for a busy morning as well.  The girls love their teachers I am pretty sure Kylie thinks her teacher Ms. Cyndi hung the moon and the stars!  Kylie has improved so much in just a few months, reassuring me that moving back was the best thing for the girls.  We have had a few playground issues this year, but those have also seemed to work themselves out for the most part.  I am afraid it may just be the fun of having girls.

 We were invited to the Hulst's Pumpkin Patch, by Pam Meeuwsen.  The girls thought it was just awesome!  It was very fun.  The girls got to choose a pumpkin and a squash, and pick some beautiful flowers.

 The girls also got to meet some new kids on the ride.
 This year we got to go to the pedal pull again this year with our cousins.  It started to sprinkle right when we got our food so we huddled up next to the building to stay dry.

 Karinda did not get to do the peddle pull because she needed to be at dance class at the same time. 

 Kylie did good, but unfortunately when she is competing against her cousin Gage, placing probably isn't going to happen.

 We also started GEMS on Wednesday nights, and on Thursday's Kylie had tennis, and Karinda started dance class.  They also had basketball camp and gymnastics on Saturday mornings.  Between these things homework, practicing piano, and trying to fit some chores in, the week flies by, which is good since Eric leaves Sunday afternoon and doesn't come back until late Thursday night.

 We made a trip to Nebraska during the girls break the end of September, and we went for another trip the end of October.  That trip fell over Halloween.  In Michigan the weather was remnents of hurricane Sandy, and in Nebraska it was absolutely beautiful.  The girls were so excited to trick or treat downtown with their friends after school, and then with their friend Gaby at night. The girls had wanted to be Cece and Rocky from the Disney show Shake It Up, with a little talking they settled with being Thing 1 and Thing 2 (whew).

The night before Halloween we went over to our friends the Springers to carve pumpkins.  It was so nice we did it outside on the driveway and left all the mess outside, if only we could do that every year!

We were back home for election day, otherwise known as Red, White, and Blue day.  Innocademy did a great job of getting the kids involved and really encouraged taking the kids with us when we voted.  Jade came to stay with us for a few days on that day so we hustled before school in the morning and we made it in plenty of time to spare.  The girls were so proud of their, "I voted" stickers.

 On Tuesday's and Friday's the girls have specials at school, they have the typical art, music, and PE (Learning to be fit).  But they also have Brain Blast, Technology, and Mosaic.

 In Mosaic, they learn about other cultures around the world.  This year they have discovered things about Madagascar, England, and China.  When they finished the England unit they had a tea party, and when they ended China they learned the proper way to eat with chopsticks.

 The week of Thanksgiving the girls each got to have a friend over for a sleepover.  I love that they can so easily be entertained with a box of dress up clothes and have such good friends.  They have this game that they like to play where they come up with a theme and all dress up, then they have a fashion show where we need to judge them to see who came closest to the theme.

Labor Day Weekend Part 3

From Pennsylvania we headed to Kalkaska for the actual holiday weekend.  We were thrilled to see that our grass that we had planted on vacation had come up beautifully.  So we finished hauling black dirt and planting our grass, even headed to Gaylord and picked up landscaping bricks and plants, so excited to see our beautiful landscaping in the spring!

The girls helped out with the work a little, but pretty much they played babies all weekend.  They stuffed their shirts and it is disturbing and funny all at the same time.

Break week part 2

We left Nebraska on Saturday night and drove straight to Pennsylvania. We did stop for a few hours at a rest area in Iowa, we are not as hard core as we once were.  The first day we spent with our friends, The Michaels, we had an awesome lunch and then played, probably much to long but we all had a good time.

Tuesday we drove to Penn's Cave, near State College.  We only had to wait a few minutes when we got there to go on the Cave Tour.  It really was incredible.

We rode on a flat bottom boat through the caves.

There was something new to see at every turn,

they turned on different lights to make it look so cool.

This was outside the cave at the top of the stairs.

How the caves were made.

We also went on the Wildlife Tour, it was the best animal tour I have ever seen, very fun and informative.  We learned a lot about the Buffulo and Bison.

   We even had a buffalo burger when we got back to the gift shop.

The last day we needed to get out of

the hotel room and Eric was still working so we ran some errands and got pedicures.  The girls had never got a one before and it was a very fun treat.

In the afternoon we went and found Bilger's rocks.

 Pam Meeuwsen had heard about Bilger's Rocks when they were in Pennsylvania, but never ended up finding it.  It just might be a "best kept secret."  It was a huge area of rock formations just kind of plopped in the middle of know where.

 There where miles of trails, but because of a time crunch, being in such a remote place with just the girls, and a fear of getting completely lost we didn't explore much.  I hope to someday go back with Eric and a GPS to explore again.

 There was also a small park for the girls to play they thought this rabbit carved out of a tree was pretty cool too.

 

Labor Day Weekend- Part 1, Nebraska

The girls had a great start to the school year. We enjoyed four day weeks for three weeks and then it was already time for a week off.  We headed out a day early and the first stop was Nebraska.  The special event was ground breaking for the NCP fuel station.  The wheather did not really cooperate so well, it was a little chilly and of coarse the one day it rained for the whole month was that day.

Eric, Dan, Rob, Arlen, Cliff, and Mayor Harpst, scoop the first shovel full.

Tammy Sexton, Mayor Mark Harpst, and Cliff spoke.

Everything was very well done and thought out.

 Friday night we had the NCP employee and customer appreciation picnic.  It went very smooth this year, just not as many people as we had hoped because of an away high school football game.

 Saturday night we went to "the farm" with the Springers for some hotdogs and archery.  Kenley enjoys her hotdog. 

 Kylie and Brylyn

Mallory and Karinda

 

First Day at the new Innocademy

 On August 6, the girls started their 2nd and 4th grade years at Innocademy.  The school as a whole, the important parts, has stayed the same, but there are lots of changes this year too.  It has gone from a Pilot program/ Magnet school of Zeeland Public schools to being a charter school under the direction of Lake Superior State University.  They also moved buildings and more than quadroupled their space.

 The girls were excited to be back in school again and I am happy to have them there.  The teachers are incredible and can be things for my girls that I can't, and I think I am a better mom, when I am just mom and not mom and teacher.  Don't get me wrong, I don't regret homeschooling for a second and if it would need to be that way again I would do it in a heart beat.  It was just time to be back.

The other fun change is the girls cousins are going to Innocademy now!  We quick got a picture before school with Sheldon.  Trying to round up Jaden, Gage, and Bryce for the picture too just seemed to much at the time.

So far the school year has gone so good.  We are so blessed to be a part of such an awesome organization.