The nutcracker

The girls danced in the Nutcracker this past weekend with the Continental Ballet Company.




Greta gets her cheeks on by her instructor.



Maybelle get her cheeks put on by a dancer.


R.W. dance co.



In front of the Christmas tree .

The girls getting on their ballet shoes in the green room


In the lobby of the theater



Green room bonding




Group shot with some of the dancers




The kids getting a pep talk from their instructor just before going on stage.

Action shot......the girls are on the far right, and left

Hands on History

Our homeschool group went to "Hands on History" yesterday at the Olmsted County History Center....there were many sessions we attended, including, Medicine show, Civil war civilian life, story telling, reptiles, candle making, Dee Cabin, and one room schoolhouse....the events were outstanding, the day beautiful, and the volunteers informative and interactive....we will be back next year!!!!

Renaissance faire

We went to the Renaissance last Sunday.....at the last minute, we thought that we would dress up.....Maybelle wore the boy's old outfit....it fit perfectly!



Of course we had to see the belly dancers....

A game of dueling buckets was in order to beat the heat of the day.....Maybelle defeated her sister early on in the game......



But revenge can be so sweet!



We took a walk through the enchanted forest to the secret garden.
and had a few uneasy moments too
But all in all....it was a GREAT DAY!!!! The elusive boy joined us, but went off on his own and avoided my camera....He is in the group photo!!!!!!!

Minnesota zoo homeschool day

We went to the zoo last Tuesday for homeschool days....here the girls are watching the sharks get fed at the coral reef.

Wood duck on the brand new Minnesota trail.
We went to the Imax for the 3d movie.....Dinosaurs of Patagonia....it was fabulous!!!!
Maybelle just before we saw the dolphin show.
Greta streeeetching to touch a sea star in Discovery Bay
OOOOOPPPPPSSSS!!!!!!! She stretched a BIT TOO FAR.....and took a swim in the freezing salt water.....denim jeans and all!!!!!!!
Fortunately the zoo staff had towels handy as this was not an isolated incident!!!!!!!

Fort Snelling

Fort Snelling has homeschool days on Fridays in September....this trip we learned about WWII...Here is Maybelle just before entering the fort....


This is on top of the tower, the fort is in the background

Here was the obstacle course....this soldier is on her belly, keeping her weapon out of the dirt!!!!

What a great experience...we learned how to censor letters, learned about morse code, how to swing dance, some Japanese words, made paper dolls, watched a rifle demonstration,...learned about rations, and life on the homefront.....even got inducted into the army!!!

Steam Engine

By chance today, while driving to Red Wing, I noticed folks pulled over all along the highway...we found a place to stop just in time to see this train heading south to LaCrosse...it was traveling at about 50 mph when I took this picture.....

Later in the day, the train stopped in Red Wing for a bit to take on water, what an incredible experience!!!!! This was just as it was leaving the depot.
The girls and cousins


It got to be a bit long, as the train was there about an hour....the girls were anxious to find all the pennies we had put on the tracks!!!!! We left 15, but only found about 8!!!!

Watermelon Days

A little town close by us celebrates Watermelon Days every September....complete with Bingo, food , free watermelon, and the best parade ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greta at the park before the parade....she made it across a few times! I love the look on her face!
Maybelle LOVES these boots!!!!
Here the girls are watching their cards closely....the lady across from them won just after we sat down!
The best parade ever!!!!! It lasted and hour and a half.....great seats, great weather, and the most incredible parade neighbors!!!!!
Here they are with the loot!!!!!

Statue of Liberty/ Bug Collection

The girls have chosen to start a bug collection....they found a cicada exoskeleton tonight....and shortly after that, a spider......let the collecting begin!!!!!

We have been learning about the Statue of Liberty and immigration.....the dressing up they did alone!!!! I just so happened to have the camera handy.

We went to the summer wacipi celebration at Prairie Island over the weekend....it was the first time for the girls....it's been many years for me.....a beautiful experience.....next year we will stay the whole day!!!!