BINGO!

Here's what we do for Spanish class (also Religion Class and even a little Science thrown in):

;o)

Migrant Ministry BINGO from this summer.

The St. Matthew group brings a lot of free
stuff for the residents.

This is a great opportunity to practice our
Spanish (numbers at least).

Also a good leadership opportunity for the teens and
pre-teens in our group.

And a little Science lesson thrown in just
for fun.  We've been keeping our eye on this
bee hive at the entrance to the camp.

So interesting!

(We learned more about bees at the State Fair,
so it was neat to have this experience to
reference to.  Also the kids watch a lot of NOVA
so they already knew about bee dances.)

That's it!  Isn't homeschooling great?  ;o)

HIllsboro Hops, part II

As part of our Hillsboro Hops package we "won" at the St. Matthew Auction, we had a 2nd game available to us.  We had 10 seats total, PLUS a great tailgater before the game.  We decided to take the family, plus a pair of friends to fill in for grammae and papa, who had other commitments that night.

First we met at a school parent's house in town.  It was a beautiful setting!  The house was brand-new and the highlight was a fantastic outdoor patio kitchen and backyard:

I was totally drooling, and it wasn't because of the food.
~I want this outdoor kitchen!!!!~

The food and the company were both great.

We didn't know child care would be included!
(My friends Gus and Kerry were helping with the tailgater,
and they couldn't keep their hands off of Celeste.)

On our way to the game.  I was the designated driver.  :o)

great seats on first base

We got on "TV" a lot!

It was a beautiful night.
(Is it bad that I don't remember who won?)

James had wanted his ball (from the other night) signed by more players.  I am a bad mom and I didn't want to do it.  ;o)  But Nicole is always game for something crazy--she is so nice!!  So Marcus gave her the ball and she went right up to the dugout to wait for players:

getting the ball signed by one of the star players

He is a cutie!!!

(on an unrelated note, I REALLY want to host a player
at our house next year….)  ;o)

It was a great night--a lot of fun!

Bunny's riding lessons

Bunny has been asking forEHver to take riding lessons, and I've always pushed her requests aside.  I didn't really want to get caught up in the horse world and have to navigate through all its demands on time and money.  But I DID want her to be around horses and to have some fun in a barn…so I kept an open mind and even considered seeking out some local lessons.

But as often happens with me…something landed in my lap!  My friend Angela has an adult daughter who is excellent with horses and who has begun to take on students for lessons.  The barn is very close to us, and it's not a "horse show barn" with crazy demands and high pressure.  Even better, Kendra agreed that we can take lessons only 2x a month (instead of the usually 4x a month) so that it isn't a strain on my calendar.  Perfect!!

Bunny has been really enjoying her time at the barn.  Kendra is a tough teacher but that means Bunny is learning a lot.  Teva is a great horse for Bunny--not exactly "push-button" but still very well trained so that a beginner can ride.  And the barn is small (about 5 horses) but still "large" with a fantastic indoor arena and all the amenities of a larger operation.

Here are some pics of one of Bunny's first lessons:

Usually one of the kids comes to watch.

some groundwork

in the saddle

learning about the tack

Bunny is all smiles!

Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth!!

…of July, that is!  (Ok, it's only 2 months ago.  I've been busy.)

;o) 

Just wanted to get these pics in for posterity.  

Burn Ban = no illegal fireworks ;o)