astronomy

this fall, we are studying astronomy using exploring God's creation by apologia. we are really enjoying it so far. pics of some of the experiments we've done:

LA County Fair

Scott was able to take time to go to the fair with us. I had planned to go a couple weeks ago with the DiPeppino's who we went with last year, but i totally forgot and they went alone. i was planning to go friday, but scott said if we went today he could go along, so we packed up the kids and went! here's the photos...

our day at the fair

bees

pig races

picking pretend fruit, pretend vegetables, and milking a pretend cow - it's LA

community activist

i was annoyed to find out that the city planned to make it illegal for me to cross the street near my house. i cross at this intersection, maybe, once a month to go to the local park. it turned out that they decided that since there are a few irresponsible high school kids crossing there during high traffic times, they should ban all people from crossing at all times. i say no. so i wrote to the city and said "no thank you". then took the older boys to visit our city engineer. he was fabulous and invited us all back to his office and showed us how he can see all over the city on his big flat screen right there in the office by looking at different traffic cameras! it was really neat and he was great with the boys.

still, i thought they should only ban pedestrian crossings during high traffic hours, so this afternoon, i went to the city traffic commission meeting to say so. turns out a bunch of elderly neighbors also cross there to get to the shopping center on my side of the street. consequently, they decided to take a better look at it and recommended only restricting pedestrians during high traffic hours. yay!

my new job on the AYSO board

this is my 4th year on our AYSO (soccer) board. i have served as volunteer coordinator, CVPA, and now secretary. this year, the guy who has always made the game schedule is gone, so i had the privilege of making the schedule. it was fun for me, like a big puzzle - making all the games fit, having teams play each other an equal number of times and coordinating games for coaches with 2 or 3 teams or special needs. but the best part has been the lack of complaints. so i'm just bragging a bit that i did a good job. yay me! :)

sy's first soccer game day

getting ready - got the jersey on, working on the shinguards!

tired of outings

i'm not tired of going out. but going out makes me really tired.

i forget this because i feel fine, then i go out and get myself exhausted. :)

thursday we went to the science center. it was fun because there was a man showing a real pig heart and since we're studying anatomy this semester in CC, it was perfect timing. he was at a small table and the kids got 4-on-1 time with him and the heart. neat! (but it made me tired).

friday we went to the nature center (i think i remembered i may get tired, but i felt guilty for not taking my kids anywhere for the past few weeks.) we walked the 1-mile instead of 2 and i took breaks when i needed it, but ultimately went home really tired.

saturday was the first day of the fall soccer season games, so i was at the fields (sitting - which is not normal) cheering the kids on!

mom and dad visit & soccer tournament round 2

mom & dad flew in for a funeral (a short stay). everyone was happy to see them as it's been hard not having them "close" like they were in phoenix. again their trip coincided with a soccer tournament weekend, and they were able to catch a game before flying out.

they also brought to the kids the long awaited stuffed animals that have traveled the world. each animal was sent on behalf of one of the kids and was passed from traveler to traveler, keeping a log on the way and sometimes taking pictures of its adventures. the kids were so excited to get these after 8 months of waiting!

i am still recovering from being sick. i am still tired and it seems it may be a while before i'm back at full steam. (i did, however, attend our CC orientation day last tuesday and will teach my first class tomorrow). may the Lord sustain me.

also, dad moved back home. it's sad not to have him here and not to have his help (funny how that turned out). i think he may have stayed longer if we had tv. :) but it's good for him. he's even using a cane a bit now. so just under 6 weeks after surgery, he's on his own.