Under the Big Lights

Caleb had a game tonight. Because of his age, he is now playing in one of the older divisions, so their games don't even begin until 7:30pm. Tonight Caleb had two at bats, with a single and a strikeout. He did get a runner out on 2nd during the game. Any night at the ballpark is a good night!

Wizard of Oz

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Abigail took this photo of her computer screen. She was working in Paint and created the Yellow Brick Road with Scarecrow, Dorothy, Tinman & Lion! The kids are getting fairly proficient in their computer skills and keyboarding, but Paint is their favorite program. We have a lot of Star Wars and Hannah Montana creations!

Softball Buddies

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Abigail's team the Blue Crush had another great game today. Most of the girls have played together for several seasons. This year Abigail's friend from church, Jodee joined the team. the girls have had a great time together. Today was also the OU vs. Texas football game, notice Abigail is wearing her Longhorn hat and both girls are doing the 'Hook 'em Horns!' Crazy Texas kids!

Put me in Coach

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The fields have dried out some from all our rain, so baseball season has resumed! Tonight the girls won 10-1. Abigail played catcher for 2 innings and pitcher for the 3rd inning. She really has a great team and a coach that has made sure these young girls know how to play the game.

Dallas Museum of Art

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For the last several years we have enjoyed the Homeschool art programs at the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Kimball Art Museum, but now the Dallas Museum of Art has begun their own homeschool program. Our homeschool group broke off into groups by grade levels and then went on docent led tours through different galleries. Abigail's group went through the Arts of the Americas gallery, while Caleb and Frankie visited the Past to Present: Arts of Mexico and Central and South America gallery.

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Abigail's favorite piece in the collection was Frederic Edwin Church's The Icebergs, 1861. Church exhibited it to enthusiastic crowds in New York City and Boston, who paid 25 cents per person to see his spectacular vision of this distant world. He then donated all proceeds to widows and orphans, this would be the beginnings of what is now the Red Cross.

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Caleb's favorite was the Central Mexican god of rain and lightning whom the Aztecs called Tlaloc. Peoples of the time believed that Tlaloc lived in mountain caves, the source of fertility and wealth, and his helpers, the tlaloque, lived on mountaintops, where shrines to the deity were often built.

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Frankie's favorite was a richly decorated cabinet is believed to have been constructed for the Count of Monclova, the viceroy first of New Spain (Mexico) and later of Peru. Intended as a collector’s cabinet to house and display precious objects, it was produced in the former Portuguese colony of Goa, on the west coast of India. It was made of Mahogany, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, pewter, and gilding.

Interurban Railway Museum

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Today a field trip was in order! Following Bible and Math we headed to join friends at the Interurban Railway Museum in Plano. The railway station was once a stop on the Texas Electric Railway providing service from 1908-1948. The kids were able to create electricity, wire a circuit board and make a motor work in the interactive displays.

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A special attraction was Car #360, which is the only remaining passenger/Rail Post Office of the system. The museum has brought to life Plano's second generation rail transportation through artifacts, interactive displays and information panels.

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Because the children were so well behaved the docent took them in small groups to the archive room and showed them how new items are cataloged and carefully handled. The museum is a mandatory field trip for all PISD 4th graders.

Wet Sox not Red Sox

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Rain has postponed and rearranged our baseball and softball schedules multiple times. Tonight Caleb had a good game. He got on base twice and advanced runners both times. Jon took the clear shot of Caleb's at bat from the dugout. The season was suppose to conclude at the end of October but with all the rain we may still be playing at Thanksgiving!

DSO Fanfare!

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This year the Dallas Symphony started off their youth concert series with a program title 'Fanfare!'. It was a look a various brass instruments and difference in the acoustical quality of coiled and uncoiled instruments. The orchestra also demonstrated antiphonal music.

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Fanfare pieces included works by composers Aaron Copland, Giovanni Gabrieli, Paul Dukas, Antonio Vivaldi, Robert Schumann and several others. Because homeschool groups are usually smaller than the magnet schools we are privileged to get the luxurious box seats. So fun!

My kids are good sports!!!

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I have achieved the ultimate mom moment, I have become an embarrassment to my children!!!! Today was opening day for Toy Story I & II in 3-D. I have been looking forward to this! We took Frankie and BJ to see the original one in 1995. Then when Caleb was two the second movie came out in 1999. BJ used to try to stay awake at night to catch his toys awake. Caleb took Woody & Buzz with him everywhere. One time when Caleb went for immunizations, Buzz quit working, the pediatrician wrote a prescription for AA batteries to 'fix' Buzz!!!

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The movies were fun, the conveyor belt sceen in 3-D was well worth admission price!!! All day today when we would get in an elevator, or escalator or an electronic door would open, I would 'oooooh' like the LGMs (Little Green Men).

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Yes, I am even posting a photo of me with no make up, just because Caleb's face is priceless! Another good thing about homeschooling, when your mom is making a goof of herself at the matinee, all of your peers aren't watching!

Go from Growling to Giggling

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.Go from Growling to Giggling is the new slogan for the Fort Worth Zoo! Today was their annual Homeschool Day, filled with lots of animal programs and zoo keeper talks. The day started off with a light rain that really energized the animals. They were fun to watch as they played in the rain. The kids petted everything from longhorns, hogs, chickens, goats to armadillos! The Dallas Zoo has really become a nice zoo, but the Fort Worth Zoo is one of the top 5 zoos in the nation. Yes, Abigail is wearing her Super Girl cape, . . . why, I have no idea. On the way to and from the zoo, we listened to a Jim Weiss audio of G.A. Henty's The Lion of the North.