2012 Gymnastics!

My little gymnasts.  It was a pretty intense year driving out to Watertown a 100 x a week until we finally were able to get them all on the same day of the week.  Then, once we got them on the same day we were sitting there for over 3 hours!  I can't complain.  They absolutely LOVE it and practice 24/7. 

Worm dissection

 We had an exciting afternoon of worm dissection!  I ordered a beginner dissection kit from Home Science Tools.  It came with a great tool kit, instruction manual a HUGE earthworm etc.  The girls were not very thrilled but they did all take a part in it.

 Margie pinned it in place for us.

 After reading directions we carefully sliced it open.  I started and Georgia actually finished!

 Blurry yes, but Emmy pinned it open for us.

We were pretty much able to find everything.  The pharynx, esophagus, seminal receptacle, hearts, seminal vesicle, crop, gizzard, median dorsal vessel, septa, intestine, and the ventral nerve cord.   I highly recommend this kit.  We have a huge grasshopper and frog to go.  You just can't wait for those pics huh?!

A wonderful day in Clayton, NY

A while ago Clayton had a day full of stuff to do.  We spent a while just walking around and were surprised at every turn there was another thing to do.  We took a tour of the Fair Jeanne.  What a treat that was.

 This ship has been around the world twice and another cool fact was the man that thought this up actually built it in his backyard! 

 A chainsaw woodcarver.  Pretty neat to watch a chunk of wood take shape so quickly.

The most fun for me was the splash competition.  It was soooooo neat.  After a while Georgia got down and stood along the side to get splashed.  They had different competitions throughout the day but we watched the distance competition and some of those dogs flew!  I hope they come back next year.



T-ball 2012

Well t-ball 2012 finished a couple weeks ago but I haven't been in the mood to be slave to my computer so I took a break from regular posting!  I wasn't able to get to any of Emmy's practices because I was coaching Josie's team and I usually tried to have practice at the same time (the less time running around the better!).  I realize now I should have at least gone to 1 to get some pictures.  Of all the pictures of t-ball I only have Emmy standing in the field and this cute sequence of Elsie (out of order) really ready to smack the stuffing out the of the ball.  I'll try to get caught up with posting!!  It may take me a while!!

Memorial Day 2012

 My girls before we left for breakfast at the Legion and then the parade! 

Don't let that angelic face fool you!!!!!

She is in her ladybug dress because at the last minute we couldn't find her flag shirt.  She likes to wear that dress everyday!!

Hope you enjoyed that beautiful Memorial Day weekend!

Air pressure experiment

Have you ever sucked an egg into a bottle?  If not this is a must do!!  I didn't have "the perfect" bottle for this and it took MANY attempts to get it to work but when it did the kids went ballistic!  Little Emmy kept running out of the room!  It was cute.  Thanks to weather wiz kids for some fantastic weather experiments for our weather unit! 

homemade anemometer

 We made a homemade anemometer.  The chickens really got pretty curious.  Rocky saw it a a threat and the hen, Elizabeth, was just wondering what the wind speed was.

Use all that hot air up Josie....maybe it'll calm your temper!!!

Emeline is 5!!!

 My little Emmy is 5!

 I missed the action but boy was there some laughter when Aunt Jenny explained to all the kids what a whoopie cushion was!  Uncle Ben and Tracie got Emeline one!  Elsie was my volunteer and boy did the kids laugh and laugh when we found out what a piggie she is!

                                                                    Some of the gang.

                                                              Some more of the gang.

                 A little out of order but here is my bashful Emmy when we were singing to her!

I had big plans of making Emeline a tower cake to look like the tower that Rapunzel lived in in the movie Tangled.  I had to resort to plan B when I simply ran out of time.  In case you can't tell the yellow is supposed to be her hair.

printable solar system

Thanks to hp creative studio we printed a solar system! 

phases of the moon oreos

 

We have continued on our trip to space and in doing so, made phases of the moon Oreo style!  Boy was it hard to let it sit there.  I told them to leave it on the table for dad to see and it didn't last only a couple of minutes past his arrival!  

Space travels!

We have been on a trip to space!  Margie made a starry sky and Emeline made the Milky Way!

pajama pants

Georgia and Josie's first sewing project.  It is from the Simplicity pattern 3553 which is from the learn to sew series.  It was so easy to understand I basically just oversaw everything.  Good job girls!

Crochet earflap hat

I went on a crochet fit a few weeks ago, finished these hats, then the weather turned to 80 degrees and sunshine, and now I must admit I was a little thankful that it was cold this past week and weekend because they got to wear them again.  You can't tell by the picture, I know.  They are in t-shirts.  This weather is confusing them!  I used this pattern.  It was quick and easy.  Grandma Barton has even put in a request for a blue one!

From Atheism to Catholicism

From Atheism to Catholicism was an ok read. I think if I was more familiar with the works of some of the philosophers and psychologists mentioned it may have been more enjoyable. My intentions were to give the book to someone I know but I don’t think it is reader friendly enough to pass along.


The author, Vost’s journey from atheism to Catholicism is quite interesting. He starts out in his God-less period and explains why Nietzsean and Dawkin’s ideas can be so lucrative to young people.

PART I: GOD IS DEAD?
1. Friedrich Nietzsche's Superman
2. The Lord and Lord Bertrand Russell
3. Albert Ellis: Reason, Emotion, Psychotherapy, and Jehovah
4. Aristotle Shrugged: Ayn Rand and the Intellectual Soul
5. Darwin and Dawkins: Genes, Memes, and "Me's"

Part 2 explores psychologists and philosophers who did not believe that reason rules out faith in God. Here minds such as Alfred Adler, and the Stoics are examined.

PART II: SIGNS OF LIFE
6. Alfred Adler and the Fictive Goal of God
7. Stoic Strivings: The Slave, The Lawyer, The Emperor, and God
8. Mortimer Adler and the God of the Philosophers

The last section looks at the reasons why Vost himself was enlightened to theism. Men such as St Thomas Aquinas, CS Lewis, GK Chesterton and Pope John Paul II helped him to see the real truth.

PART III: CHRIST HAS RISEN FROM HIS TOMB!
9. St. Thomas Aquinas: The Angelic Doctor Effects a Cure
10. C. S Lewis: God Save the Queen
11. G. K. Chesterton: What Could Be Right With the World
12. Pope John Paul II: Faith and Reason, Body and Soul

My favorite part of the book was the Truth Box section found at the end of each section. Here a brief but to the point truth was revealed about the flaws of atheism.

All in all I enjoyed reading Vost’s conversion story but I also thought the book was sort of choppy and the flow seemed to have no cadence. It certainly is a book full of research and proof and if reason is what you need then this book has it.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on From Atheism to Catholicism . They are also a great source for a baptism gifts or first communion gifts.

Our Easter

Well finally I am getting our EAster pics up. Here is Emeline coloring her very own Easter egg.
Margie giving hers a stir.

Easter morning...off to find some eggs.

"Mooommmmmm"

Chickens were very curious.

Emmy

Georgia

Margie

Josie

Ready for mass.

Grandma Giffords right before she turned them loose to find eggs at her house!

organizing!!!