Final Preparations

Day 295/365
When Jevin got up this morning he said, "Mom, the trip is real! We are actually leaving tomorrow." We've been planning for months and tomorrow we leave. It's hard to believe that we'll be in Australia in just a couple of days!

Today was filled with wrapping up details before the trip, including an x-ray of Jevin's hand (four more weeks in the splint - bummer!) and a trip to the book store for some vacation reading.

Sunset View

Day 294/365
I had a photo session in Mount Horeb this evening. We finished just in time to make a quick stop at Blue Mounds State Park, climb the west tower, and capture the sunset.

Climbing with Cousins

Day 293/365
We were treated with a visit from the cousins. We hiked and climbed in Donald Park, enjoying the beautiful fall foliage.

Relaxing

Day 292/365
It was a gorgeous day! Enavi spent part of the afternoon relaxing in the hammock.

Reading by Flashlight

Day 291/365
A great way to spend a gloomy afternoon... reading a good book by the warm glow of a flashlight.

Peak Color

Day 290/365
The leaves are at their peak color right now. I'm soaking up as much fall as I can before we leave for Australia.

Web of Yarn

Day 289/365
A few local yarn enthusiasts decorated parts of Main Street with some yarn creations.

Skipping Rocks

Day 288/365

Blink

Day 287/365
I blinked and my little boy is now a handsome young man.

Backlighting

Day 286/365
The leaves on our maple tree are just starting to change. It is always one of the last trees to shed its leaves. I loved the way the light was shining through the branches.

Photo of the Photog

Day 285/365

Sweet Smile

Day 284/365
I love her sweet smile.

Leaf Sunburst

Day 283/365

Stairway Shadows

Day 282/365
I've been looking at different shadows and patterns made by light throughout the house. I found this pattern on the stairway this morning and I liked the contrast of the light, shadows, and dark posts supporting the railing.

Blazing Color

Day 281/365

Trampoline Tricks

Day 280/365

Long Division

Day 279/365
This is how one completes a math assignment with a busted thumb.

Harvest Sunset

Day 278/365

Studying Form and Shadow

Day 277/365
The kids have been doing some really fun art projects this semester. Today they created sculptures and studied the shadows they made on paper. Enavi created a graceful ballerina.

My Loves

Day 276/365
This picture makes me so happy... and a little sad. They are so special and growing up so very fast. I sure do love these two amazing kiddos.

Visit to the Apple Orchard

Day 275/365
I had an early session at our favorite apple orchard and the mist was clinging to these delicious apples. It was beautiful!

Pumpkins, Squash and Gourds

Day 274/365
Lots of colorful seasonal produce to be seen around town. Oh, how I love fall!

Don't Go, Summer

Someone isn't quite ready for fall... or proper footwear. We'll see how long the orange Crocs last.

Orange Belt

Day 272/365
Jevin passed his martial arts test and received his orange belt, even with a fractured thumb. Below is a picture of him breaking a board with his left hand, since he can't use his right!

Playing with Black and White

Day 271/365

Stop Motion Fever

Day 270/365
We have a small homeschooling group that we collaborate with on Mondays. It's been so much fun to work with this group of kids each week. Jevin has had many requests to demonstrate how he makes his stop motion movies and today he shared a presentation with the group. I received several texts later in the day about kids working on movies of their own. It's pretty neat when the kids inspire each other!

Blur of Color

Day 269/365
It was a gray, blustery day and these leaves were a blur of color on the side of the road.

Seagulls By the Water

Day 268/365

Homecoming

Day 267/365
The rain held off just long enough for the homecoming parade this afternoon. Go Vikings!

Guitar Lessons

Day 266/365
Jevin is really enjoying his new instrument.

Storm Rolls In

Day 265/365
We had lots of rain today, but this storm missed us. I admired the impressive clouds from a distance.

Haircuts

Day 264/365
Both kids visited the salon today. They look great with their new 'dos.

Little Vine

Day 263/365

The Show

Day 262/365
Davin and Enavi have been working on cleaning out one of the sheds in the hope of turning it into a play house. They built an impressive fire with the stuff they found. Jevin and Enavi decided to watch the show from a safe distance.

Stephens Falls

Day 261/365
We took advantage of this beautiful fall day and explored Stephens Falls at Governor Dodge State Park.

Dot Painting

Day 260/365
As part of our study of Australia, we looked at some aboriginal dot paintings and the kids created some of their own artwork.

Afternoon Light

Day 259/365
The afternoon light was streaming in the windows and this guy was kind enough to pause for a quick picture. That little smile made my day.

Milkweed

Day 258/365

Safety First

Day 257/365
We've been studying rocks and minerals and conducting experiments in order to identify different types. Enavi held her own science class with her own rock collection. I was glad to see Violet wearing the proper eye gear for such dangerous experiments!

Just in Time

Day 256/365
This new Lego catalog came just in time! Jevin wasn't feeling well today and he was very thankful to have a new catalog to pour through, searching for the newest sets of interest.

Wild

Day 255/365
Beautiful fall wildflowers.

Colors of Fall

Day 254/365

Park Play

Day 253/365
We had to wait for the rain to move through, but we still made it to the park for some fun this afternoon.

Sewing Lesson

Day 252/365
Enavi's has chosen sewing as one of her enrichment classes this year. We started off the week with hand sewing. She has made several pillows and today she worked on some applique. She loves it!

Stormy Sunset

Day 251/365

Assignment #1

Jevin is enjoying this semester's photography class.

Larson's Pond

Day 249/365
I wrapped up the weekend with a beautiful hike through Donald Park.

Japanese Maple Tree

Day 248/365

Rotary Botanical Gardens

Day 247/365
With Davin and the kids out of town, I made a trip to the Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens. It was a bit of a drive, but well worth it. The gardens were beautiful and I arrived early enough to catch the dew drops on these leaves.