October 29, 2018

(click here for today's pictures)

• Whitman burst into our room this morning asking how many minutes he had for free time. I wasn't too sure if I should let him play his ipad or not, but I did for the next few minutes while I stumbled out of bed.
• Keaton and Reagan were the only ones still sleeping this morning but they all wake up easily. The kids made their breakfasts before we started reading-a breakfast burrito, pop tarts, cereal, a bagel, and granola bars are what fed the Dennie 6 this morning. Now, there were even some goldfish on Whitman's plate. 
• Our reading this morning was relatively painless. Then everyone started on their school work. I was finished working with everyone by 11:30 this morning which is absolutely wonderful. 
• Now, Reagan finished after 10. Tonight she was thinking out loud about all of this. She said that maybe she needed more school work since she was finished so early. When I looked at her strangely, she added that she sure didn't want any more school work. Of course this all made me reevaluate her work-8th grade math, pretty tough science, two writing programs and the list goes on. I think that she has just the right amount of work. 
• Anderson and Campbell were the only ones working after lunch today. They didn't work for too long because they were soon joining in on chores around here. I know that we do chores every day, but seriously, my kiddos aren't the best at doing chores. 
• All we are really able to do is keep the downstairs decent in case someone was to drop by on short notice. The rest of the house needs to be scrubbed with a toothbrush! This weekend, Robby even threatened to go through the house with a trash can to declutter. I would join him in that at any time.
• We did our work together again this afternoon and even did a bit of our Jr. Ranger books. Our plans kind of changed mid afternoon when we decided to climb Pinnacle and run a few errands. So as soon as our work together was finished, I jumped in the car with Reagan, Anderson and Campbell.
• Walmart was our stop-we bought wax paper, corn, rubber bands, 2 shirts for each girl, Legos (with Anderson's gift card), leggings for Campbell, boots for Reagan, ornaments for the girls' tree, flats for Campbell, and enough that we spent well over a hundred dollars. 
• Then we hurried to meet Robby, the others and the older two Heltz girls at Pinnacle Mountain before sunset. They were already there when we arrived. Soon we headed up the mountain. I remembered the mountain being a gentle slope until the top part when it became pretty rocky. Apparently, my memory has failed me-the whole things was rocky. Some parts weren't as rocky but it was all rocky with the top like climbing up boulders.
• Robby, Whitman and I were the last ones up the mountain. We were also the last ones down the mountain. There was no hurry. Everyone did great and there was very little complaining and only a few falls. Graham did fall pretty good but recovered well. Whitman also fell one time and kind of rolled. The way that he grabbed himself made me think that he felt like he was falling off the side of the mountain.
• Once we made it to the bottom, I let me crew play on the playground for about 10 minutes before heading home to eat chili. Robby then took Graham to basketball practice while my crew showered. The girls then filled their tree with ornaments-it looks pretty classy.
• At 9:30, it was bedtime and surprisingly I think that a climb up Pinnacle has worn everyone out!