my little hunter

Claire polished her shooting skills this fall, and Josh felt she was ready to shoot her own deer if the opportunity arose.  They set out the other night for her first hunt where she would be participating instead of watching.  Unfortunately, they didn't see anything, but it was exciting nonetheless...and a good lesson in patience and perseverance.    

b.i.f. twenty-two

Be still my heart.

b.i.f. twenty-one

Any teacher will tell you that one of the best parts of being a teacher is watching kids work hard and then succeed because of it.  Let me tell you something: teaching your own child, watching your own child work hard, and then watching your own child succeed is even better.  

Today was one of those pay-off days with Meredith.  She works so hard in math mainly because it's so tough for her.  It isn't naturally her easiest subject, and there are days when she gets a bit overwhelmed and frustrated.

This girl has been working on her math facts every single day.  She takes a math facts test every single day.  And every single day her goal is to get at least 15 problems correct in 45 seconds.  There are several different tests, so she typically doesn't have the same test two days in a row.  If she gets at least 15 problems correct in 45 seconds, she gets a little piece of candy.  Rare is the day that she gets her 15 problems completed.  She usually gets more than 10 but less than 15.  

Today was different.  She answered 21 problems correctly in 45 seconds...21!!!  The most she had gotten through on this particular sheet in the past was 11.  Saying that she was thrilled is a gross understatement. She was smiling ear to ear, jumping up and down, and running around the house to tell her sisters.    

We all celebrated together, and I'm sure that particular piece of candy tasted awfully sweet today. :)  It was a lovely moment to be able to watch.  

the pumpkin farm

October is the month of the year when good mommy bloggers tell about their fun trips to the pumpkin farm. I fall into the "mommy blogger" category, but unfortunately not always into the "good" part of the category.  It's November 5, and I'm just now taking care of it. :)

That being said, at least we went...and I used my camera a couple of times while we were there.  I did not, however, use my camera last week when my kids went to 4 different costume events.  You read that correctly.  What is wrong with me??  They all had great costumes this year, and I didn't even break out my camera.  I kept thinking, "I'll get it tomorrow night."  Sometimes, I'm a slacker.

Anyway, we went to a new pumpkin farm this year.  It was super cute, and the kids absolutely LOVED taking the corn off the cobs for the farm's chickens.  I think they would have stayed all day and worked if we would have let them.  Enjoy the pics...