2010-2011 School Year: Week One

Art: these are bunnies! We were studing texture in art!

Science: she was measuring mass using gram cubes and a balance scale.

And one of our favorite subjects:



Phys. Ed.!

Summer Reading

Well, we've made it through our first week of the 2010-2011 school year! We survived and even thrived a little. I'll post pictures of the girls working sometime this weekend (between soccer games. Have I mentioned yet that Ella Grace and Annabelle are playing soccer this fall? And that Eric and I got suckered into coaching? Our first game is tomorrow. Should be hilarious! Between my, a-hem, coaching responsibilities, I'll try to snap some pictures!)

Anyway, since our summer has officially ended, so have our summer reading adventures!


I've already mentioned that the girls and I read The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. I can't say enough about how much we loved the story! I'm so sad that we've covered all of E.B. White's novels. Actually, I'm re-reading Stuart Little with Annabelle since she was napping last summer when Ella Grace and I read it.








We also read The Boxcar Children and fell in love with characters! Ella Grace loved it so much that she chose one of the "mysteries" to read on her own at our last trip to the library. Highly recommend it; in fact, the language in this one is simple enough that it even held Katie's attention!






I read Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It changed so much about the way I think about social issues that are alive and well in our society. Issues like racism, poverty, homelessness, even foster care -- issues that so many of us shield ourselves and our children from are looked at with an honest and bold approach in this book. I can't recommend enough that you pick this book up!


While we were at the beach, I read My Sister's Keeper. There is a major motion picture based on this book starring Cameron Diaz. The movie is horrible. The book is great! Compared to the movie, the book deserves an award! Isn't that how it always is; the movie is always a disappointment!

Right now I'm reading The Glass Castle , a memoir by Jeannette Walls. It's interesting. That's all I can say at this point . . . until I've read more . . .

Eric is working through Bringing Up Girls by James Dobson -- It's next on my list!

The girls and I are looking for suggestions on what to read next. We've already done so many great ones that I feel like we're running out of options? Anyone??

More post to come this weekend . . . have a good one!

Evolution

Updated with a working link . . . sorry!!

---------------------------

Original Post:

Remember this?

It's evolved into this:

Elizabeth Grace Williams, Self-Portrait, Age 6

First Day of First Grade!

Ella Grace was bright eyed and ready to go on her first day of first grade (can I even believe I have a first grader? NO!)! She picked out her first day outfit all by herself (can you tell?)!



You may remember that this year she is attending the South Carolina Virtual Charter School. That means that she'll be doing most of her work from home while being taught by her teacher, Ms. Rupert, and supervised by her learning coach, Ms. Mom!


It also means she can go to school in bare feet!

Here's to a great first grade year, baby girl! We are beyond proud of you!

My Faves

My favorite shots from our vacation . . . in no particular order:

Well, I suppose in some sort of order, because this is one of my all time favorites of my girlies!!

The Locals

While we were in Hilton Head, the girls were enthralled with the local wildlife. Our favorite was the egret (pictured in the upper right hand corner above); Annabelle wanted a picture with one!

Lizards were everywhere, but kept eluding us when we tried to photograph them. This is the best we could do.

A pelican -- again, not the best shot.


A few friendly horses.


A deer -- an aparently hungry one -- she wouldn't raise her head for a picture!


Seagull.


Crab.


Gator.


Blue Heron.

Kermit.