America: A Viking Colony Since 1000 AD, Oh wait, it's Columbus Day!

The Year 2000 marks the 1000th anniversary of the Viking exploration of  North America. At the very northern tip of Newfoundland is a site that preserves this outstanding cultural and historical event - L'Anse aux Meadows. 

Origins of Columbus Day A U.S. national holiday since 1937, Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. The Italian-born explorer had set sail two months earlier, backed by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia; instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century.  Just a little history.

Since we had off today, to celebrate the discovery of the Americas, Steve, Luke and I went for a bike ride.  We rode through downtown San Antonio, right past the Alamo.  We live less than 3 miles from the Alamo.  We rode our vintage road bikes!  Mine is a Bianchi Brava from 1989. 

Caroline took the picture for us so I took one of her....

I got to go the store to get  a few items for our family room.  We recently sold the pool table, so we did a little rearranging.   

BEFORE.....

AFTER......

 

Luke's first dance.

Caroline, Jesse and Josh had soccer games today.  Luke has a game scheduled with the new Pre-Academy team tomorrow, but we found out this evening that it's cancelled. 

Last night we invited Morgan to come back this weekend and hang out with us while George and Natalie attend Trinity homecoming events.  We called this morning to see if she could come stay with us.  She could!  She came after Caroline's game and then went to Josh's game.  Everyone is very excited to have her here.  We'll see how long we can keep her!!   She sings and plays the piano and did a little of that for us today.  She sings beautifully.  She would be great on American Idol.

Luke was invited to go with a group of friends to the Cole High School Homecoming dance.  These are a great group of kids, most of whom live in our neighborhood.  

Here's Luke in his new dance clothes....

They met at Colin's house for pictures.  The boys arrived first, surprise, and they looked smashing!

Then came the sweet, beautiful girls....

The dance is over at midnight.  Then the kids go to Colin's house for the "after party" and then the boys sleep over at Nick's. 

A night with the Roarkes!!

 I didn't get to post yesterday, so I'm doing it now.  

A really good thing about living on the military post is that so many of our friends pass through for meetings and courses, allowing us to spend time with our really good friends who we wouldn't other wise get to see. 

I finished reading a book called Castles to Sophia and Caroline.  Jesse had already read it twice- he found it interesting.  So did we.   

Luke had his Exercise  Physiology class yesterday and he really likes it.  I watched for a little and the teacher had pictures of muscles so we Luke and I talked about some of them a little.  

I did a few things to get ready for the Roarke's visit and then we got ready for Speech class.  Today was the first day of an 8 week class for 5-11 yos  (Beginning Speech Class).  Sophia was very excited.  Jesse was excited and Caroline wanted to opt out.  Steve came home and kept Levi home although all Levi could talk about all day was Speech class...."Are we going to Speech class today?"   He had no idea what that meant, he just loves being included.  

The BSC started and some of the older kids (12-18 yos) ran the class.  They made some introductions, gave some examples of the correct way to speak in public (and even when talking one-on-one), and then they broke the kids up into smaller groups based on age.  The younger kids all had to stand up in front of the group and speak- introducing themselves and maybe telling their favorite food/color, etc.  Caroline said her group didn't do public speaking.  They played a game where they had to describe a word without using certain words in the description.  It is a very good way to practice impromptu speaking!  The 5-11 yos all have homework.  They have to memorize a poem or Bible verse.   They all liked it and want to go back again.

I watched Luke and Josh's class a little.  They were doing "interp".  They were interpreting (acting out) a story.  Their group had "Little Red Riding Hood" and they enjoyed it immensely.  Their homework is to bring 2 books that they can use for interp next week. 

We knew that the Roarkes were coming last night and everyone was excited to see them.   Steve and I worked together to make the dinner.  (What kind of work?...Teamwork.)   After dinner the kids all went to see Shrek on post, so "us adults" were able to sit....and....talk.  It was so nice.  

We haven't seen each other in FIVE years or so.

Then the kids came back, Levi went to bed, and the rest of us sat around until really late listening to George's stories.  He always gets Steve cracking up so hard that Steve can barely stand it.  I'm not sure which is funnier, the stories or Steve's laugh.  Everyone loved the Vodoo lady story.  Here's the famous line from the story..."You wuz a dawg befoor you wuz a ma-an."

Here's pics of the spellbound crowd....

Morgan, Caroline, Jesse, Steve and Natalie

Natalie, Luke, Josh and George

Sophia and Morgan

"And there I was.  And I was afraid.  And I'm not afraid of much. This is a true story."

Steve ( :

George, Morgan and Natalie

I don't have to take the trash out!

I don't have to take the trash can to the curb twice a week while Steve is gone because now Steve ISN'T going to Afghanistan!  Yeah!   He thought he was leaving at the end of this month and that he would be gone for 6 months. 

And, some other wild news.  Luke is now on his soccer club team's "Pre-Academy" team.  This team is 2 levels of play above the club team he's on now.  About 5-6 boys on his team were asked to join this Pre-Academy team, in addition to their regular team.  It happened all of the sudden.  Last night the coach said some boys would be practicing with the other team, and today we filled out paperwork for them to play with the Pre-Academy this weekend.  The pre-Academy and Academy teams are geared for kids who want to play soccer beyond high school.  


Today Luke had a math tutor come and review some geometry concepts with him.  She said that his math is a rigorous curriculum (Teaching Textbooks) and that she would consider it Pre-AP.  He's almost done his geometry and he'll be starting Algebra 2 soon.  I need to order that!

Jesse is doing so much better and not getting stressed out about school like he was last year. He loves the robotics class and is doing well with the new spelling (Excellence in Spelling), writing (Excellence in Writing) and math (Teaching Textbooks). 

We are enjoying using Story of the World as the spine history book and doing numerous activities along with it.  Today Sophia, Jesse, Caroline and I made curds and whey.  The peasants in the middle ages ate it after their meal.  The curds are like cottage cheese.  We just tossed the whey.  To make it we heated whole milk until just boiling.  Then we added while vinegar and it curdled.  They thought that reaction was cool/beast.  Some of them liked the curds, and some didn't.  It tastes like cottage cheese. 

Tomorrow everybody goes to speech class and the 1-6 graders start their class.  Hopefully they will enjoy it.  I'll probably have to hang out somewhere else with Levi. 

Josh got a head of hair cut off! Now he looks like he's 15.

Josh after his hair cut  (:

 

Levi says "Mom"...."Mom"...."Mom"....constantly.   He says it so often that sometimes when I say what, he says, "Hi."   He didn't have anything to say, but "Mom" just keeps coming out, so he covers that up with a, "Hi."

Before Bible class this morning I went over a bit of the history for this week.  Luke and Josh both have their online history class today.  There are only about 5 people in the class and they are expected to interact and show that they know the material they read, answered their assigned questions, and have insight as much as possible.  The teachers give a grade for the class after each class.  We talked a little about feudalism (military/government relationships) and manorialism (political relationships).   We briefly discussed the three classes in the middle ages:  nobility, peasants and clergy.   Also, we reviewed primogeniture which  is the right, by law or custom, of the male firstborn to inherit the entire estate so that the land would not be split up and so that one son would continue to control the family land.  I heard Luke talking about primogeniture during his class today.

In Bible, our theme was from Gen 37;  God is working a wonderful plan for our lives, even when it doesn't seem like it.  Sometimes we have to go through bad situations before we get to the place God wants us.  Joseph had be sold as a slave before he could be the leader of the Egyptians.  

Caroline and Jesse and I got to discuss the book they've been reading, Robin Hood.  We also talked about plot, setting, characters, protagonist, antagonist.  Jesse is going to try to find the movie with Kevin Costner on Netflix so we can watch it.  It was so nice to be able to have time to talk about the book with them and discuss literary terms.  We also did grammar and that is going so well with them.  And, we had history with Sophia too.  We are starting to get to the Crusades.