Sledding

This was our children's first experience with sledding and they loved it! I thought they would never tire of going down the hill every way they could think of and then trudging back to the top to do it all over again. It didn't seem to matter that they were all a bit wet and at least a little cold. This adventure was everything they hoped it would be and it was refreshing to watch them all having so much fun.

Temple Square

While in Utah we met up with my sister, Stefani, and her family, my parents, and my nephews, Zachary & Andrew. We met in Salt Lake to have dinner and to visit the light display at Temple Square. For several in our group, this was a first-time experience. It was cold! The children didn't seem to mind, though. They had fun sliding on the ice and looking at all the lights. Trying to get that many people to look in the same direction is quite a task!

Christmas 2008

We spent this Christmas in Utah with Michael's family and most of the LeFevre cousins. The original plan had been to stay at home and travel to Utah the day after Christmas. However, with an impending snow storm we though it would be best to leave earlier. It snowed most of Christmas day and my children were all very excited about that. They never seemed to tired of going out into the snow, getting wet, freezing half to death, coming in for hot chocolate, drying out, and repeating the whole process. Also, this was the first time in several years that Grandma LeFevre got to see them open the pajamas she gave them. Joel was especially excited about the hippopatamus that Santa left in his stocking. He has been singing "I Want a Hippopatamus for Christmas" for several weeks now. Noah, Jacob, and Joel each received large Lego sets which required the help of Mom & Dad and cousins Luek & Mark. Now let's just hope they stay together long enough to play with! Emma was also happy with her very large puzzle. This, too, required the help of several family members - Grandma & Grandpa, Aunt Cherie, cousin Mark, and Mom! We finally finished it and even managed to transport it home relatively put together.

I love this time of year and am always amazed at the many blessing we have received. It is a magical time to spend with our children and our extended family. Now, if I just start planning now for next year.....

Yesterday the boys finished the soccer season. I know all of you non-Arizonans don't feel sorry for us, but it was only thirty-eight degress outside! This made for a very cold morning. Noah had a difficult time keeping those goalie hands warm. The boys are already talking about their next season. Mom and Dad are enjoying a break from all the practices.

Christmas Concert

Emma wanted to record herself playing her new Christmas song, the Carol of the Bells. Click on the video below to hear her mini concert.

Gingerbread House

This year we decided to build a gingerbread house from scratch. The book we bought said this was the easiest one. It was a good thing, too, because it took us a couple of weekends to complete. We learned a lot and are already planning how to make next year's house bigger and better.

Grand Canyon Trip

This was our first ever trip to Grand Canyon National Park. The weather was PERFECT! The children always enjoy camping and the relaxed schedule of a a vacation. We spent a lot of time viewing the Canyon from different viewpoints along the rim. We also hiked down the Canyon and some of us got to take a helicopter tour above the Canyon.

Everyone looks happy before the hike into the Canyon.

Grandpa Wilson, Michael, Emma, & Noah getting ready for their helicopter tour.
I finally got brave and let the boys sit on the edge of the rim with their feet dangling into the Canyon.
All of us at Grand Canyon Village.

New Camera

I finally bought a digital SLR! I am so excited to take it to the Grand Canyon next week. I was trying it out and got some cute pictures of my kiddos.

School Picture

I don't often order school pictures of the children because I think they always look goofy. This year I found out that teachers get a copy of their school picture for free. Here it is.

What We Do at Horizon

At Horizon, we are big believers in both cooperative and integrated learning. Together, we call it Project Group. The students are usually posed with some sort of problem that they need to solve. They use information they learn in science and social studies, as well as writing and publishing skills developed in language arts. The key is that they learn to make decisions together and that they learn to not compartmentalize their learning. That is, what is relevant in science is relevant in language art, project group, and any other number of place.

Last year the students were working on building a "green" cargo ship. Below they are testing the efficiency of their sail designs. We built "Lake Horizon" in the courtyard outside my classroom.

They also tested to measure how straight their boat went and if moving the sails would impact the course of the boat.

This year we are working on the "8th Continent." They have learned all about how different landforms are made and how natural disaster effect all areas of the world. Their challenge, then, was to create an island based on a particular movement of the earth's plates; for example, a volcanic hotspot or a divergeent boundary. They are building these out of layers of styrofoam and it makes a horrible mess that will linger in the classroom for a couple of weeks.

Working in groups is not as common in language, but the students love it every time we do it.

First Day of School

OK, so this picture is a couple of months old, but it is the latest picture of the whole gang. This was the morning of the first day of school. It's hard to believe how big they are all getting. We will no longer have a child in kindergarten. Next year our oldest will be in junior high. How did it all happen so fast?

We Finally Have a Blog!

Well, after much prodding, we finally have a family blog. I will do my best to update it frequently with the latest news and pictures.