Thanksgiving

We postponed our Thanksgiving Day a day due to some incoming family traveling delays. Most of our dishes were prepared ahead of time so the morning was slow, followed by the traditional Turkey Day football game.

Tennie had her first game and had a good run with the ball.


We had a delicious and abundant feast, for which we were so grateful. Grateful that we had the means to buy it and buy it so easily, thankful that we had the energy and capacity to prepare it, thankful that we had plates and utensils, thankful for a table and chairs to sit down together, thankful to smell it and see it, thankful to eat it until we were full to the brim, and thankful to share it with loved ones.

Our brother-in-law Davey always provides very quality background music. we're thankful for that too.

Two of Geoff's sisters, Emily and Brittany

Jolly good time doing dishes with Geoff's sister Erica...

Erica and her husband, Davey

Dessert time!

Brittany and her husband, Jacob

After dinner entertainment was provided by the girls.

Unbelievable ballet moves...

that included some astonishing flexibility...

...followed by some a cappella singing

We finished the day with a theatrical performance of The First Thanksgiving. Tennie wrote a song for the pilgrims to sing, then a song for the Indians, and then we sang them simultaneously. It sounded pretty darn good!

Some of the actors and actresses before the performance

Brittany and Jacob

Geoff and his mom

Em, Bailey and Adele

After the song came the re-enactment...

The Mayflower voyage was treacherous and uncomfortable...

The pilgrims that survived the first brutal winter were so happy by the surprise visit of an
Abenaki Indian who spoke English.

Several days later this Indian brought Squanto who also spoke English. Squanto taught them how to cultivate corn, and extract syrup from maple trees.

Squanto also helped the settlers form an alliance with the local Wampanoag tribe that would last for 50 years

Thanks Squanto!

Good times. Great company. Countless blessings this year.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Recollections, Part III

Dr. Susan Johnson was a practicing developmental pediatrician when she had a son with some developmental issues. In an effort to find a school for his unique needs she came across the Waldorf educational approach. With her professional background she was astounded at how accurately the Waldorf curriculum followed the developmental stages of the average child. She certified to become a Waldorf teacher so she would have the skills and knowledge of the approach, and went to Switzerland to study Rudolf Steiner's (Waldorf founder) approach to nutrition and healing. She has a wonderful holistic approach to looking at each unique child and is generous, accommodating and personally interested in the child and the child's family. We were so excited to have found her.

I learned a lot from her many articles about developmental timing in the learning process. She introduced us to the importance of brain integration in children (the right and left brain working together); how to know if the brain is integrated, how to encourage integration, and the effect of brain integration (or lack of) in learning. Her views for a child regarding nutrition, minimizing stress, eliminating TV, the importance of sleep, free play time, and time in nature all confirmed the many things we have learned in our family these past many years as we've tackled many family health issues, including Geoff's illness. Lastly, she recommended we see an osteopath named Dr. Kay Weinsheink, whom I'll write about later.

If you are interested in reading some of her articles you can visit her website. Her section on education is what was of particular interest to us.

I was reminded then, and continue to be reminded, of the saying that the more you know the more you realize you don't know!

Move on tooth fairy...move on

Mademoiselle Ceci lost her first tooth (naturally, I should say) this morning! She plans to keep it instead of putting it under her pillow for cash, as is the tradition of her older sisters. I think this is because the tooth fairy assigned to our family early on left only small coins for teeth while other friends are getting bills for a single tooth! Cousin Bailey lost a tooth a month or so back and decided to keep her tooth (under the influence of her cousins)...and her tooth fairy left her a gold dollar coin anyway! Wow. You would think there would be some sort of standard; some sort of fairness!

Anyway, Ceci is sporting a new hole. The next tooth over isn't far behind...

Cousins for a visit

The day after we sent my dad and his wife Babs back to Utah Geoff's sister Ingrid and her family came for a four-day visit. We had perfect fall weather and the kids mostly played outside. We tried to squeeze some school-like activities in, but mostly it was fun and games.

We gave corn husk dolls a try

and we learned about photosynthesis and why leaves change color when the weather cools, then dipped leaves in glycerin (it was the wrong kind so the project didn't turn out quite as planned...)

We made pattern block animals and graphs to show what shapes were used

TK did his own thing and came up with an amazing structure

Taeya and Adele were particularly interested in Poppop's truck. One morning they came in breathless saying they had hopped on the back of Poppop's truck as he drove down the steep driveway and jumped off at the end. "Poppop didn't even know we were there!!!" (All mothers in the room stood frozen...) Later Poppop gave them similar rides, and they were on top of the world.

I went out to announce bedtime and found Taeya and Adele reading by lantern-light on the back of the truck

We parents, no, the women of the house and Geoff, stayed up late making Danish-looking Christmas ornaments. Ingrid and I drove all over town trying to find the right materials for what we all envisioned.

I attempted to copy some of the 100-year-old Danish nissamen Geoff's great-grandmother had passed down. In Denmark they hang off plants and wreaths, and hide behind books. I absolutely love them! My first little lady is on the left. Geoff made the two Santas on the right.

Ingrid helped all the girls make stockings out of leftover scraps of fabric. Our girls were very excited about this project since Geoff's socks just don't hold enough stuff.

It was loud, crazy and totally delightful to have this great family for the weekend.

By this past Sunday my body called it quits and I got a nasty flu. I slept the entire day and night. Then the nasty cold/flu passed to every person in the house. Not to mention Emily who was recovering from a surgery earlier in the week, and Geoff's mom's neck and back muscles that completely locked leaving her in a lot of pain! We were quite a sight around here. But I'm happy to say we are on the mend and life is starting to feel a little back to normal.

The tale of Cinderella

We had a wild weekend of four Cinderella performances, a primary program at church, and squeezed in Halloween!

For the two Saturday performances Geoff dug up his old Venice Carnival costume and wore it backstage. The kids loved it. The director even gave him the go-ahead to make a cameo appearance during the ball scene. He twirled Ceci up in the air. I don't know how many people noticed but those of us in the know got a good laugh.

Em and Bailey came for a show on Saturday and Monday

My dad and his wife Babs saw every show, and if my dad had a little more energy he probably would have shown up in the play himself!

Tennie was one of four narrators, and Ceci and Adele were mice. They also were in the ball scene

The mice with Cinderella

Monday night Geoff's mom and dad came. Thanks to Geoff's mom, who watched the entire performance through her camera lens, we have the girls in action! Enjoy the show!

(I have to mention here that Ceci discovered the stage mic and didn't want to leave it. Notice everyone going on with the play in the background? She adores the limelight. While it was bordering on obnoxious stage hogging, we are looking at the positive...you can't teach natural stage performing! She's got it!)

The curtains closed. Play over. Then Ceci popped back out.

The girls made a lot of great friends

Ceci and cousin Bailey

The stars got loads of flowers! They are definitely loved!