Snow in April

Snow in April.
What do you know?
The temperature's dropped,
and the wind does blow.

Spring has sprung.
Winter is gone,
but weather does not know
time nor season.

Snow in April.
Unexpected. Surprise.
Look out the window
and believe your eyes.

Little snowflakes falling
once again
remind us God's in charge
and not the whims of men.

- written on this snowy Spring day while watching the flakes fall outside our windows

Shenandoah National Park

A scenic view from the Shenandoah National Park (Note the snow in the foreground.).A funny tree - who is he?Deer - up close!Still for a secondWe made it!

Easier? On this day it was icy, slushy, snowy, and muddy. With the children it's a wonder we made it, but we pressed on and did. Good thing we didn't try one of the harder hikes to a fall. We never would have made it on that day.

Shenandoah Valley - February 2009

We took a trip to VA's Shenandoah Valley to see what we could see.

Back from the pool

The fun Harrisonburg's Children Museum

Monticello, home of our third President Thomas Jefferson. A house full of curious items, and a gift shop worth exploring.

Schulyer, VA - a sidetrip to visit Earl Hamner's hometown. The museum was not open on that day so we only got to see it from the outside. To see some of the inside, look here."The Waltons" based on "Spencer Mountain", Earl Hamner's best-seller written about his boyhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here you see his boyhood home.

What we read - February 2009

Miss Bindergarten Stays Home from Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

This series of books is new to me. The children really liked this book, and we kept reading it over and over again. I'll have to look for more at the library.

Pioneer girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder by William Anderson

A very good book, but due to the length I only read it to them once. Too lengthy for the girls right now.

One giant leap: The story of Neil Armstrong by Don Brown

This one I really liked. A wonderful picture book full of information on Armstrong's life. Excellent addition to our astronomy study this year.

Crossing by Philip E. Booth

A train picture book with nice pictures.

Pancakes, Pancakes! and Rooster's Off to See the World by Eric Carle

We have read several of Eric Carle's books but not all yet. Pancakes, Pancakes! was a hit with the children.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Another of the girls' favorites. We read this one several times.

Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban

Our son's definite favorite. He kept asking us to read this one to him. One I remember reading from my childhood.

Fancy Nancy at the Museum by Jane O'Connor

A fun read.

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Another classic, fun read from my childhood. The girls enjoyed this one.

Comets, stars, the Moon, and Mars by Douglas Florion

A neat book of astronomy poems that well suited our studies this year.

Growing in faith: Seven stories for children by Helen Caswell

Wonderful group of stories that teach some Bible basics to children.