Sometimes I drool.

 Have you ever known a kid who just drips constantly.  I have.

Little Cherokee

 Charlie wanted to explore more of his Cherokee heritage today with some face paint.  We learned that white was for peace and mourning, red for war and black for strength.  But most suprisingly we learned that yellow means death because it is the color of old bones.  We found a portrait of a Cherokee with traditional war paint to emulate.  Four stripes because he is four years old.

Charlie insisted upon this serious look.

Then a real Native American snack... Microwave Popcorn.

Art in the fresh air

After we improved a bad attitude with a walk in the woods there was the painting of rocks and sticks to be done.

 Thankful for the shade of a tree in the front yard.

 Slightly different styles of paint mixing.

 Charlie's pottery store is open for business.

 Peter did his best to be entertained by his bag of tricks. 

Sweater (hat) Weather

 We had a nice cool day today. Time for the monkey hat to come out of the closet.

Breaking Bad Habits

 We're trying some positive reinforcement to get rid of some bad habits around here.

Viola has gone two days without chewing her fingernails and she chose bubble gum as her reward.
This was very hard for me.

 Charlie has left his belly button alone for a whole day!

Gummy sharks are his chosen treat.

Boys in the bath

Peter is big enough to share a bath with his big brother. 

Fall in the Forest

 We went on a color collecting expedition and found lots of treasures!

 Even Peter got a red leaf to hold.

 So many pretty things.

Spooky Scary

 Charlie wanted us to have some spooky decorations in the front yard so he made some (all by himself).  A witch, a scarecrow, and a Halloween tree.  We're ready.

Friday was a good day.

Home school doesn't always go well.  Not all days leave me feeling like a successful mom/teacher.  But Friday, Friday was a good day. 

Charliecut out paper pumpkins and moved critters around with tongs.  Motor skills: check.

 Viola put the alphabet in order.

Viola built houses and Charlie added gardens.

For lunch Charlie ate an entire romain heart like an apple.

 Viola smeared goat cheese on her lettuses.

 And Peter gnawed on a carrot.  He's working hard on his second front tooth.

 And most miraculously this little dear took a nap without screaming for an hour.

 God, thank you for days like Friday that help me make it through the days like Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Quality time in the woods

 We joined the Bailey Adams family (and friends) for a couple of nights of tent sleeping at the Big South Fork National Recreation Area.  Good times were had and lots of butter was consumed. 

First things first when hiking make sure that you can take out the hiker behind you with your walking stick.

 Excellent rocks in these parts.

 All the kiddos!

 Not one, but two enormous stone arches!

 Ruthie found a new friend.

 She even let Charlie have a turn.

 Thanks to Bailey (my brother) for letting us tag along.  There's nothing like family time in the woods.

 Charlie got an injury.  Good thing Nurse Rachel was there to professionally blow and rub leaves on his leg.

 Proof that Peter and I were there.  Charlie hiding behind me because he did not want to have his picture made but he also did not want to be out of my arm's reach.  Hiking with kids.  Always fun!

 I stopped on the way out to take some photos of my favorite tiny things.  I love all of the mosses and fungi around here!