Hello, Fall!

 A gorgeous week with plenty of playtime of basketball and frisbee after dinner.  Ayson's 5th grade class took a virtual field trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along Lake Michigan and Ranger Dave told the kiddos about the lake and dune ecosystem and invasive species.  Addie has just started to get into multiplication and division in her math class and we have practicing at home at her request :)  

We hope that all of our family and friends are healthy and making time to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous fall.

Ayson was not happy with the dinner options on Tuesday so he made a 1/4 batch of pancakes - hahaha...fractions!

SO close to balancing!

Another game of PIG, anyone?
The blog put the pictures in reverse order and I refuse to fix them.  Both kiddos made plenty of baskets AND Amy caught one of Addie's basket as the ball was half way in!

Yay, Addie!

Full moon setting on Friday morning was incredible!

Pretty flowers from our gardens

Habanero peppers are ready!

Amy's Team's meeting companion

Gorgeous morning shot

And more basketball!  Of course the boys give each other a hard time when it is there time to shoot.

A story from Addie and she made us the "Roe" family :)

These two items have been missing for at least 4 years each.  The wooden spoon was found while cleaning the dryer vent that was blocked with lint (and a wooden spoon).  The plastic toy wrench was part of a toy tool set that Ayson had when he was a toddler.  The wrench was in the motor case in Amy's treadmill.  The wrench must have been jostled recently and moved to a new location that interfered with the incline motor as horrible noises only started last week.  

Gorgeous colors on October 2!

This little bee was on this flower on Saturday after sunset and then gone the next day.

Smile!

Purple coneflower

Gorgeous Saturday evening with insects floating/flying in the air

Amy found her "Young Authors" books that she wrote, illustrated, and made into actual books (with Grandma Pat's help, of course) in first grade through sixth grade: )

Addie reading "The Animals Escaped"

In "A New Classmate", the kids

read the story of a skunk that followed a little girl to school.

Sunday morning hike at Pratts Falls!  

The "pose" tree :)

Gorgeous day to be out on the trails

We played hide and seek while walking:  Amy and one child would stand and count and Adam and the other child would hide somewhere along the trail. 

Adam left Amy and Ayson a few clues: sunglasses on a tree and a backpack at the base of the tree:)

The boys had a hankering for apple pie but Ayson strongly dislikes peeling apples so Adam picked up a peeler along with apples at Deer Run.

TaDa!

Mixing the apple filling

Yum!

School and Family Time

Another week at school for the kiddos!  On Monday night, the kids and Amy hid the "Acts of Kindness" rock at Stafford Park and the kiddos were surprised to each see one of their friends at the park.  It was great to have the kiddos get a chance to see and play with friends.  Of course, Amy forgot her phone so no pictures.

Wednesday was Curriculum Night and we were able to "peek" into their classrooms - if only virtually.  We had family over for the weekend to help us move our wood supply into the garage.  We also ate WAY too much food: Pho (beef noodle soup), all sorts of salads, fruit, bread, brie, AND Amy made a grape pie and pumpkin pie - both from scratch (what?!?) with the help of Grandma Collene - Grandma made the crusts and gave Amy moral support while making the pies - hahaha.

The blog format has changed and Amy is DONE fighting with the format trying to make everything consistent.  Pictures may be centered OR they may be left oriented.  Watch, now everything will work perfectly!

Ayson bought his FIRST book with his own money and it arrived on Monday afternoon and he had the book finished by Tuesday afternoon :)  Yay!  We love when the kids get sucked in to a book!

Addie working in her blank comic book - of course it

Wednesday was Curriculum Night - Virtually.  Two pictures of Addie classroom.  In the first picture, Addie's deck is the bottom right desk

In this picture, Addie's deck is the middle left desk

Ayson is is Ms Jugan's class  - it was interesting to see how each class room made it work: desks or tables.  Mrs Kolbeck teaches the remote learners and she also teaches science and social studies to the in person kids.  

Ayson's desk is in the right panal (for Ms Jugan) and the desk all the way in the front and to the left.

A bit of math work from Addie: dividing 10 slices of pizza equally.  Amy knew that Thunder loves ham but she did not know that he also likes pizza - great job Addie on making the math work!

Instead of thinking outside of the box with artwork (like she did in 2nd grade), this year she is adding captions to pictures.

Too cute!

On Saturday, Auntie Julie, Uncle Dan, the cousins, Grandma Collene, Grandpa Chuck, AND Pama came over for a visit and to help us move the wood inside the garage for the winter.  It was great to see everyone, we had way too much good food, and got the wood moved.  Yay!

The kids played inside and outside on the trampoline and hide and seek.  It was great to hear "Ready or not here I come!"

Look at all of that wood!

The wood pile used to come right to the edge of the front of the garage!

Our new "pet", a wolf spider, can stay in the garage (and not the house...even Amy said eek)!!

The boys getting a little BB gun practice in.  The lawn finally looks brown due to lack of rain and the 2 frosts that we have had so far.