A Story by Bekah, My Kindergartener



Translation:

"Once upon a time there was a little girl. The girl was named Emily. She was swinging on the swing and then the swing broke off. And then Emily's mom had to fix it and she did it."

Field Trip

It gets hard to take field trips during the school year so this year I'm trying to squeeze some in during the summer. For a while now, I've been wanting to visit Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, MD. The best thing about this place is that it's free to visit and take a guided tour. Also, I worked there as a summer intern when I was in college. I wanted to show the kids where I worked and show them that science isn't all sitting in a lab. doing experiments at a bench. My two best science related jobs, ever, had me outside a good bit of the time, especially another internship I did at a University of MD research farm. I didn't even have to wear a shirt or shoes to work on most days!

Oceanography Lab

The first stop was the Oceanography Lab, where some scientists were getting ready to head to the Gulf of Mexico to measure the effect the giant oil spill has had on the Gulf. They've been there before, so they have a good baseline for conditions before the spill, and they can

One held vinegar, one water

compare results to see how much damage has been done the environment down there. Naturally, with any hands-on activity, Tyler is first in line to get his hands on. He and another little visitor were trying to figure out what those two buckets held, using their powers of observation and all their senses. I never thought Ty had much sense, but they figured it out.

Ty's just gotta touch that

My Happy Crew

They can equip these buoys with various sensors to measure conditions in Chesapeake Bay.  Tyler wanted to climb on one. He had to be satisfied with a look from the ground. Next stop, the hatchery.

Even way back when I worked at Horn Point, oysters were a main focus because their population is so threatened in the Bay by so many factors. Sturgeon, which in the 1600's and 1700's were everywhere, are now critically endangered. HPL is trying to restore the oysters and keep the Sturgeon from disappearing altogether. Sturgeon can get up to 14 feet long but you never see one that big, if you ever get to see any at all, at least in the wild. Tyler wanted to pet one, but was asked not to by our tour guide. We were told they have a big one in another tank but we weren't allowed to see it.

Ty exploring the old shells

New real estate for baby oysters

The oyster haychery was much bigger. One large tank can hold around 700 million oyster spat. Not all of them will live, but that's a lot of oysters. Once they're large enough, the spat are transferred into tanks where they can settle and attach to old oyster shells. Those shells are then transported to the bay and dumped overboard. There's a lot more involved, but I just don't have time to get into it all. It was pretty cool visited the lab and seeing it again. Not much has changed except for the size of the operation. Tyler was fascinated by the fact that you didn't need to wear a lab coat and work inside sterile walls to be a scientist. Maybe he'll decide to change his career from  Hobo to Biologist.

Being Sloths

We combined this field trip with a trip to Salisbury, to visit the small zoo they have there. Vicki and I spent a lot of time there since we went to college in Salisbury. It's not a big zoo, but it's also not in DC or Baltimore and that counts for a lot in my book. I hate traffic and crowds. Here's some pictures of our afternoon in Salisbury.

Do they ever look happy?

I have more but the baby is crying... 

Beach Vacation

You know summer's winding down when the county fair arrives. Alex took Connor and Kenzie down to Centreville to spend the day at the fair with friends. Tyler's in another karate camp, so I stayed home with the rest of the kids after I went food shopping. I used to like shopping for groceries but not any more. Eight gallons of milk. Ten loaves of bread. Every week. That, plus everything else needed to feed ten of us, gets expensive.

This is Ty getting his orange belt

Well, we survived the beach vacation. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Still too much sand at the beach for my taste, though. I wound up bringing Tyler home on Wednesday night of that week so he could go to karate class. That boy has really taken to karate. He earned his orange belt in about a month, and will probably advance to orange/strip in his second month. He's doing two karate camps this summer, and going to some extra classes, with the permission of his instructor, who seems to recognize Tyler's natural afinity for martial arts.

The family compound as seen from our house.

Capturing ghost crabs

Ok, back to the beach. The kids had a great time. They spent at least part of every day in the ocean or in the sand. And even a couple of evenings they got to explore the beach with flashlights. They were especially thrilled to discover the countless ghost crabs that came out at night. Every day we'd set up the tents. It looked kind of like a nomadic tent city sitting next to a huge oasis. All we needed was some camels.

Bekah in the waves.

Taylor running for his life

 

Almost looks easy once get past the breakers

When Ty and I returned to the beach after his karate class, we took the kayaks with us. I wanted to try them out in the ocean. It was pretty cool. Alex and I got to watch the sunrise from our boats. I'm really glad I don't have any pictures of my first two attempts at getting aboard the kayaks while the surf was knocking me over.

This is my ten minutes in the sand

Poppop

This family vacation was provided by Poppop. He actually found a house that was big enough to accomodate the whole extended family. He made some really great memories for his grandkids. They had a fantastic time.

Kenzie left her mark

Oh, and we also went parasailing

First Day at the Beach

So, I'm holding Adam,trying to let him take a nap, while the rest of the crew is a block away, playing in the ocean.Doesn't sound fair, does it? Well, I had my ten minutes on the beach when I got here a couple hours ago, and I'm good for now. Anything bigger than a sandbox is too much beach for me. I can't take the ocean; I like playing in the waves. The only problem is that nasty, hot sand in between me and the water. So, I get to hold Adam while they all get sandy. I tried to lay him down, but after ten minutes he realized he was in a strange house and got upset. Try typing with a netbook on your knee and a baby on your belly. Thank goodness for the backspace button.

Poppop is snoring and Richard's dozing off. It's a good, sleepy Sunday afternoon. Hot as Hades outside...uhoh...I hear kids. They must be back from the beach. Going to wake up Adam, I'm sure. Hopefully it's just a bathroom break and they'll head back out.

Nope, here they come. I guess nap time over.

Being Little

It's tough being little. The older kids are playing hide-and-seek on their bikes in the neighborhood. The younger ones can't keep up and aren't allowed to ride bikes alone (a requirement if you're trying to hide). It's killing Bekah. She was a little hysterical earlier, when her big sister left her behind. I'm going to go read some more Charlotte's Web to her.

Why We Don't Do Family Vacations

We are scheduled to spend a week at the beach, this Summer, with Vicki's parents and her sister and family. One house; 16 people; for a week. Can you imagine that? Unfortunately, I can. Now, for any of you involved in this endeavor, who may be reading this, remember who you'll be spending the week with. You know me, and how I have a knack for getting on your nerves, even when I'm not trying to. Add to that eight kids (speaking only for my own; not the nephews) who can't talk below a shout, pick on each other all the time, and never intentionally ever pick up something on the floor (while dropping everything they touch)...and this in our seven bedroom house with just one family occupying it. Oh, and one third of the people in this beach house will be under the age of 6, and at least half (probably two-thirds) ACT under the age of six. If it rains that week, there will be no survivors.

I also have 26 chickens, three cats, a tank full of fish, a pond full of fish, a lizard, and a bin full of live crickets (for the lizard) that I have to figure out how to keep alive for a week with nobody home. A friend has offered to tend to the chickens once a day, but I feel bad about piling on the rest of the critters.

Then there are the other activities that will be missed. We have softball practice, with a national tournament coming up, karate which Ty just started, and dance which Tay just started. Oh, and did I mention all the kids staying in the same house for a week?

I miss the good old days (last year) when we split up for vacation. I went with my dad to Mt. Ranier. Vicki and half the kids went with her parents to Disney World. You know, at one point, through a haze of wishful thinking, I do believe I thought this was a good idea.

Hot

This is the second or third day in a row of 100+ degrees. It is hot. Nothing much to do but sit around in the A/C, feeling guilty about not doing anything. All the computers and netbooks and laptops are being used at full capacity; the kids don't want to go outside either. Kenzie had softball practice yesterday-Alex took her-but I don't know how they could've done too much. Tonight, we have dance, for Taylor, and karate, for Tyler. Good, inside activities. I hope it cools off a little bit, soon.

We were looking at a car for Alex yesterday. A '94 Mustang GT. Stopped looking when we turned the engine on and it struggled to start. We'll keep looking, but I hope we can settle on something more practical (like a small truck) or economical on the gas. He has to remember his 40-minute drive to school is going to cost him some gas money. 

Now, I hear the kids are heading for the pool. I hate the idea of having to sit out there and watch them, but I hate the idea of them swimming without me watching them, more.

July 4th Weekend

I tried reading the Declaration of Independence to some of the kids yesterday. We didn't get very far before they began to wander off. It's no wonder our kids in government schools don't learn our American history when I can't even get my own kids to listen. I am going to make a greater effort this coming school to get some history to stick to my kids' brains. They really need to understand what's made this country great before they accept the direction our socialist/progressive leaders are currently taking it.

On a lighter note, we did get our 4th of July cookout in, yesterday. Did some fishing and kayaking, too. Some of the kids are still fishing and kayaking as I type this. I'll be joining them shortly. Taylor was getting a little upset yesterday because he was having trouble catching fish, especially when Bekah, the five year old, caught her first fish of the day when she accidentally dropped her line straight off the side of the boat. When we got home, Tay went down to our nearest creek and promptly caught a dozen fish, so he forgot about his bad luck earlier in the day.

Alex had to work so he missed the fun yesterday. He's out in the kayak right now, but will need to come  in soon, for his 3 pm shift at Subway. I was going to take him car hunting today, but I guess we have all summer for that. It's hard to find a decent car in a 17 year old's price range, especially when he only works three or four days a week. There are a lot of good things about having a large family, but having money is not one of them.

Gonna cut this short so i can head down to the creek and check on the crew. Belated happy Independence Day!

Quick Update

I see I haven't posted here since the beginning of the school year that has recently ended. wow. Many things have obviously happened.

The twins wound up going to public school for fourth grade. I thought I needed a break, and I probably did, but they are coming back home for fifth grade. They did very well in school. And they seemed to like it. They made a couple new friends. But, I don't see what they actually learned. At the end of the year, they were still using methods that I taught them in third grade math; their Grammar and sentence structure seemed to have stagnated, or regressed; Taylor is still shy; Tyler is still 'energetic'. Overall, they had an easy and very unchallenging year. Fifth grade will be different, but I won't be a stressed that I am not doing a good enough job. If I do half what I usually teach, it will be more than they got this past year.

Alex had a mediocre year, grade-wise. I think (and hope) that it was part of being a seventeen year old. When I was that age it bothered me when my grades; not him. He's too laid back and doesn't get upset when his grades are average. He has been recognized often, throughout the past three years at SSPP, for his leadership qualities and spiritual life, so that's something to be proud of. It is the only reason we keep shelling out the tuition for a Catholic high school. Alex has been working at Subway for about a year now, and I am very proud of him for that. Between school and work, he is kept very busy. Right now he is in West Virginia with his Mission Team. Vicki went as a chaperon. They'll be there for a week, working hard and getting very little sleep. I'm thinking they'll be loving every minute.

Connor finished up eighth  grade. He'll be joining his brother as a ninth grader at SSPP. He took a placement test last December that indicated he was at the equivalent of the end of ninth grade. He's a wiz at math, just finishing Algebra 2 at home. He'll be taking it again in ninth grade because I didn't use an 'accredited' program blah blah blah or something. I decided not to argue; let him have an easy first year of high school. He hasn't been in 'school' since first grade and since he'll be playing soccer in the fall, an easy academic schedule will help keep the stress down. Still playing piano and playing travel soccer. His team took first place this spring.

Kenzie is still doing all things that Kenzie does. Just finished sixth grade; going to hopefully finish Algebra 1 over the summer. I will use an 'accredited' homeschool course for Alg 2 so she'll be able to skip it in high school. Maybe Geometry, too, if we can get that far in the next two years. She's also still playing piano. Periodically, I post some of her and Connor's stuff on youtube and/or facebook. She's also gotten back into travel softball, after taking  last year off. For most of this spring she was on three teams: a rec team, and two travel teams. It's a long story, but she ended up dropping off the one travel team because they weren't travelling enough (and when they started, there were too many conflicts with the team she began travelling with earlier). She rejoined Bayside Breeze, from a few years ago. They wound up being shorthanded due to injuries, so it worked out for the best. They only had 9 girls last weekend, and are playing in a State tournament this weekend with only 10 girls (even though the one girl may still not be at 100%). Anyway, things are very busy in Kenzie's world.

Two days later:
Still trying to write this update post.

Let's see, who needs to be updated.... Bekah, Kearsyn, Adam. Well, Bekah started a little homeschooling this year. She's reading and doing math somewhere around a first grade level (and she's just now old enough for Kindergarten). She usually bugs me to "do school" with her enough for me to give her new concepts once in a while; the rest she does on her own, by reading whatever she can find. She can't wait until we start up for real, in a couple months.

Keary's still our peanut. She is so petite! Right now, she weighs less than Adam. He's 20 months, she's three and a half. She's got quite the personality, talks constantly, and is everybody's best friend.

Adam is our fire plug. About as round as he is high. Linebacker, all the way. We'll never be accused of starving him, that's for sure. He makes a lot of noise, but doesn't say too  much yet.

As for Vicki and me, not much has changed. She's still grumbling about work, I'm still grumbling about much she works. I'm looking forward to the next couple months of summer, although we'll be starting our summer school schedule tomorrow (just a little math each day or so). Right now, as I may have said above, Vicki is on the Mission trip with Alex. They've been gone since Friday and are already missed. I'm trying to figure out how I'll get Kenzie to practice this week, and Tyler to altar server training, but it'll work out somehow.

We may have some big news in the near future, but we're not talking yet, so stay tuned.