I hosted a fun halloween party last night. I made swamp punch with worms and fish eggs, cheese fingers, eyeball devil eggs, monster apples, jack-o-lantern cheeseburgers and other fun foods. Carson made his room into a 'haunted house' that he walked the kids through and we made slime at the end of the night. Hope to post more pictures from friend's cameras, but these are the only ones that I took!
The boys had a great time at the annual homeschool halloween party. Carson dressed as Jengo Fett and Cameron was a scary skeleton. The weather was perfect for the park. The kids did the limbo, made an enormous spider web, had sack races and Carson tried to wrap up a friend like a mummy with toilet paper! The kids also trick or treat the parents for toys and Cameron loved his 'loot'! It was a great day.
After a fun playday, my friend and I decided to take the kids to a late lunch. Just a block from my house, a guy ran a red light and crashed into my van. The boys were appropriately dressed as firefighters. Thank goodness everyone is okay!
Took the boys to an autumn corn field maze under a full moon just outside Memphis. It was a little 'ear-y' - little joke Mark made up. They had 2 other mazes. One was called Trail of Terror and came complete with a psycho hidden on the trail with a chainsaw and other scary things. We did NOT go on that trail!
We had a great time at Dollywood. The weather was perfect and the fall colors were spectacular. I loved the natural feel of the park and how it overlooks the Smoky Mountains. The boys really enjoyed the park's craftsmen. They were obviously experts in their field. Carson was particularly impressed with the glass blower and has since told me he wants to do that when he grows up. Cameron has said his favorite thing was driving there, driving the duck and driving the old time cars (do you see a pattern here?)
The museum was so fun. Carson has read everything Titanic so this was pure joy for him. When one of the crew asked a group of us why the water wasn't frozen even though it was 28degrees F, she was shocked that Carson knew the answer and proceeded to tell her about the buoyancy properties of salt water and that it is more dense. She found me later just to tell me how she's never had a child know that and most adults can't answer that question. I got it wrong. I thought it had something to do with the currents.
We went diamond mining today. We found a lot of small gemstones but no diamonds! I was surprised at how some of the miners were definitely not there for recreational purposes and were very serious about it.
I found a class that both boys can do together that's not too far from home. The owners of the gymnastics studio are also homeschoolers. Both of the boys loved the 2 hour class! The games they played were a lot of fun and Cameron loved the duck duck goose game.
We went to Home Depot and bought pipe insulation and cut it in half lengthwise. The boys created elaborate roller coaster designs with the homemade track - even some loops! They are currently testing their 'track' with marbles. It always surprises me with the things they come up with.
Cameron and I tagged along with Carson's science class for their nature hike today. The Heard museum currently has their animated dinosaurs out. The kids loved them. The boy with his jacket, hood and backpack on is Carson - I guess he learned to be prepared from me!
Mark and the boys just cleared out our summer garden and in all that mess they found 7 good cucumbers, 3 watermelons, and 1 cantelope. They have already devoured 2 of the cucumbers!
The boys and I stopped off north of Houston to visit an old friend of mine. The boys adored her! It was a nice visit - I just wish we had a bit more time to chat.
Had an amazing time at the beach today. Cameron LOVED the ocean even more than the space center. It was so nice sitting on the porch after being in the sand. We brought some paper and map colors and the boys drew the sea while we enjoyed the shaded breeze. We sure did miss Mark. Can't wait to get home to see him!