Behind In Blogging

I have meant to post so many times, but I just never got around to it - especially since I have had two extra kids. We are enjoying fall and this is my favorite time of year. I just love the cooler days (that we haven't had yet) and then Thanksgiving and then Christmas. It all brings me such joy. 

We have been doing school and especially enjoying literature and history. We got our new history books and this program was definitely a good choice for us. I think morning is our favorite time as we do our Bible reading and then we do literature and history. 

We are still working in our nature journals - though not as frequently as I would like and not even all together many times. But, we are at least trying to do something in them occasionally. I am going to try to get the kids out more and get back into nature walks soon. Somehow we have gotten out of the habit and I have seemed to be too busy to take the kids on walks lately. 

Below are a few pictures the younger kids did for their nature study - Bella and her niece and nephews. They do a nature study together three days a week and it is wonderful they can do this together. 

I have a few more pictures from our past week I will post. Jack is now enjoying a little baking with the other kids. I think he is finally getting used to everybody. 

We also have a raccoon that seems to have fallen in love with our family and our deck. He started out just getting into our trash cans which is aggravating. Then he started coming up on our deck at night and looking for food. Now he is so bold that he will not leave us alone. The kids can hardly eat at the picnic table at night as the raccoon wants to come up and eat with them. I have to bring the kids inside and then he takes over the deck. He literally does not care if I walk out there and he is eating or looking around - he just looks at me then goes about his business. I don't trust him and never let the kids around him and it is actually getting to the point we can't eat on the deck at night anymore as he will come up and want to eat with us. Tonight the kids were eating and he was in the yard and then all of a sudden I heard the kids scream and start running to the deck door -- the raccoon came up and got on the table and started eating their mac and cheese. I went out and got a few pictures later as he was still there hoping to find something else. Also, got a short video - he didn't care at all. As I write this I hear him back in our trash cans.