Pioneer Day

On Pioneer Day, we were invited to our new friends, the Pococks, house for some pioneer activities. First we did a stick pull. Then the kids (and adults) shook cream to make whipped cream, which we enjoyed on some johnny cakes. The kids also made little button spinners. After the activities, the kids got wet in the little pool. It was great for them to cool off on such a hot day. It was fun to get to know the Pocock family and to celebrate Pioneer Day.

Our First Visitor

Back in the middle of July we had our first visitor, Uncle Daniel! It was fun to have a visitor, something we hope to have more of. As a bonus, if you visit you might even receive a special card like this. (You know you want one!)

Elliott wanted to make Daniel a card. He did it all on his own. It was very sweet.

On Saturday we went exploring, something we need to do a lot more of. We headed to a train station to ride a train. On our way there, we saw a sign for Crystal Cave, so we decided to check that out first, since the train wasn't running for a couple hours anyway. Derek was whining the whole time about wanting to ride the train. He had no interest in anything else. We toured the cave. It was okay, nothing too spectacular. It's kinda sad that it's been a tourist attraction almost since it was discovered, so there's a lot of damage to the natural features. They have even had weddings inside. So, not really well preserved, but it was still interesting.

After the cave, we ate lunch in the little "town". While we were eating, Elliott started screaming. He had the misfortune of being stung by a wasp. That put a damper on things. He eventually calmed down and then we headed to the train station. It was the WK&S Railroad in the village of Kempton. (That has a nice Pride and Prejudice ring to it :))The tracks were originally part of the Reading Railroad. The train took us up the tracks 3 miles to the Wanamaker Station. We got off while they switched the engine and then went back the way we came. There was some beautiful scenery. It was fun to take a ride on the railroad. We realized the seats in the passenger car could be pushed back and forth to make them face front or back. It was neat to be able to sit facing each other. We had a fun day.

Elliott was able to play the Wii with Daniel. Elliott loves playing and it was nice to have someone new to play with. We all loved having Daniel here for a few days. Come on over, we'd love to have you too. :)

First Day of School

Summer has ended and I'm way behind on my blogging. Maybe this summer didn't really happen. Wait, except for the fact that it was the LONGEST summer in history. Because of the move, Elliott's last day of school was May 14. His first day wasn't until September 7. Just shy of 4 months of summer! It was an entire month longer than it should have been. But we survived.

Unlike many people who are sad to see the summer end, I was thrilled. And I think Elliott was too. A couple weeks ago he told Grandma that he was excited to go to school so he could make some friends. It's sad that he didn't really get to play with many kids this summer, aside from at the pool. I'm glad he has something to keep him busy now.

He loves school. He spent much of his summer reading - almost constantly - and working on math workbooks. He loves to learn. The week before school started he began learning multiplication! Before that he mastered addition - adding thousands. Plus I taught him regrouping in subtraction. He gets so excited when he realizes he can do it. He thinks it's really cool. On the Friday before school started he got to go see his classroom and meet his teacher, Mrs. Bendekovits. I got a chance to talk with her for a few minutes. She seems like a great teacher. I asked how she assesses the kids and what opportunities they have for working at their level. I didn't want to say anything pushy when first meeting her. Hopefully she'll figure out what he needs. Elliott had the chance to ask her a question. He asked, "Do you have any multiplication?" She said no and asked if he knew multiplication. He said yes. Yeah, that's a little beyond first grade. At least she knows she has a smart kid on her hands.

After the first day of school Elliott said all the kids were ready to go home about half way through the day. That sounds about right. 1st grade is a big adjustment. He's gone a long time. The bus comes at 8:30 and drops him off at 4! There's not a whole lot of time in the afternoons, especially when he has karate twice a week at 5:15. He's a trooper. Derek misses him during the day and is really sad he can't ride the bus. All day the first day of school, he kept saying "Ride bus too." He likes waking up from his naps to get Elliott at the bus stop. I'm enjoying the quiet time while Derek sleeps. I get a couple of uninterrupted hours to do whatever I want. It's great!

First day of 1st grade - Kernsville Elementary


Elliott at his desk - I took this picture when we met his teacher

Watch Out

Elliott has been really into karate and ninja moves. He likes to think he's ninja. So, we finally enrolled him in a karate class. He loves it. He's not the most coordinated kid in the world, so it's taking some time to figure out the moves, but he has a great time. He got his white belt on his third day. He was very proud. Doesn't he look tough?