More Is Caught than Taught: 2011

There may be days in my children's future when they will wish there Mom wasn't such a party planner! But, for now...we even celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday!! :) We got together with some of our friends from church and their Grandma Olsen gave us a start to finish lesson in making an apple pie from scratch!!

All the kids pouring over the table listening to Grandma share the steps.

I think peeling the apples was the most fun ...

And THIS is why :)

Mrs. Seidel helps Paigey roll her dough...

Connor fills the shell with apples coated with sugar and cinnamon...

Jake putting on the finishing touches.

Happy Birthday, Johnny!! We're happy to celebrate you EVERY year! :)

It was such a fun day! We watched a little dvd on Johnny Appleseed and read about him and even played a seed throwing math game while the pies cooked. We took a couple pies to the custodians of our church, to one of our shut-ins and to another lady that our church has been sharing Jesus with. It was a party, a lesson and a service project all wrapped up into one great day! Who says school is boring?!!

We were three weeks into school and it was clearly time for a break! I'm mean what's the point of home schooling if you don't take advantage of those "there's nothing stopping us!" moments, right!? (Actually, it was all a part of the plan, but don't tell the kids, they think we just cancelled school 'cause this sounded like more fun!! :)

So 17 days into our new school adventure, we packed up the van, bikes and all and headed up north to visit Great-Grandpa Posey in Cheboygan! We had a wonderful time catching up with Grandpa and settling in. There were a few rain drops for a very few minutes and THIS was the afterwards!! Wow, what a blessing that was!

After dinner we talked Grandpa into playing one of his MANY instruments.

Thursday morning Paige rushed in to spend time reading and talking with Great-Grandpa.

I think she's a bit smitten with him.

Everyone did a little relaxin' and a little readin'.

And the kids cleaned and "fixed" their bikes so they were

all ready for the big Mackinac debut!

Much time was spent reacquainting with Great-Grandpa's chipmunk friend.

The kids named him Alvin. And by watching him, he actually fits the name will.

He's a for sure trouble maker!

And there is never a trip to Mullet Lake that doesn't include a few dozen or more rounds on the "tree" swing. (We have pics of the kids on this swing since they were just wee ones (as Grandma Posey would say) I should put a picture collage together of them in order some time! --Give me a few years!)

Saying good-bye is never easy. It always goes by so fast and no one wants to leave.

Jake even prayed at lunch, "that Great-Grandpa won't be lonely when we leave!" :)

Our arrival on Mackinac was welcoming.

The streets were quiet and our beds were inviting!

We've been studying this beauty in anticipation of our NYC trip in a few weeks.

It was quite a surprise to see a replica of her on THIS Island!

Ah, dinner!! A chance to sit down, relax, refuel and usually, if the kid menus have enough entertainment, it's a time for the grown ups to actually finish a few thoughts and conversations without too many interruptions! :)

This will always be the trip that confirmed Jake's love for horses. He hasn't stopped asking us to buy one. Between Great-Grandpa's stories about his horses, to the books Jake's been reading and then seeing them all over the Island, Jake is sure there is horse ownership in his future. Me? Not so much.

When the last ferry has sailed back to the main land for the evening, the streets are quiet and life on the Island just seems to stand still. It's peaceful and very enjoyable.

Nothing like a little coffee in the morning to kick start your day!

Chocolate heels, Anyone? Paigey loved these!!

Let the biking begin...

First stop: Fort Mackinac

Steve's looking out at the water...dreaming of a perfect sail.

Our last trip to Mackinac, 14 years ago, was less than a perfect sail, but it did create lovely memories for a newly wed couple to share all these years later with our kiddos!