Halloween

A big perk of being in the U.S. in October is Halloween. We have a pseudo Halloween where we live in Mexico, but it is just not the same. So this year, we did it up right. We carved pumpkins.


We put on costumes.

We went to parties to see old friends.

We rang a lot of doorbells and got a lot of candy.

We had a great time.

Haunted Corn Maze

Although we lived in Maryville for a long time, I never got to go to the haunted corn maze at Maple Farms. I really wanted to go this year. So, my parents, my brother, my neice, Alex and I headed out for a spooky time. Below is the design that was cut into the cornfields. We entered at the bottom left-hand corner went all through the maze and exited again at the bottom left-hand corner. We had a blast.



It takes a very secure man to get behind a tractor cut-out and stick his face through the hole . This is why we love you brother.


Alex wasn't too sure of things once we entered the maze.

He had good reason to be concerned.

Kayla, however, wasn't bothered by a thing.

Toward the end of the maze some masked man with a chainsaw surprised us. I went to hug Alex to assure him that everything was alright only to find that Alex was no longer with us. He ran out of the maze and dove under the ticket table as if he was sliding into home. People applauded. I unfortunately will never get that red clay out of those khaki pants.

College Visits

Tiffany's college search continues. She is considering approximately 30 colleges and universities. To help her narrow her list down. We decided to go on a road trip. We wanted to Lorelai and Rory it, but we really didn't have time. We visited 4 schools in 3 days: Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina, James Madison University, and University of Virginia.


We only got lost once . . . well, maybe twice . . . we certainly did not get lost more than three times.


We also got to see some friends along the way who were able to give us a realistic picture of their schools.


It was a whirlwind trip, but it really helped Tiffany discover what she wants from a school.

Fall Festival

Alex and I went to Tennessee this Fall. We were fortunate enough to arrive in time for the Fall Festival. We love to go, but after seeing the sign below I wasn't sure how much fun we were going to have.


Alex started with the climbing wall sponsored by the U. S. Army.


He liked it, but I think that he like the freebies more, dog tags, pens and book covers. We have been receiving recruiter information ever since. He is too young guys; you can't have him yet.

We moved on to a dog training exhibition. It was truly impressive. I can't even get my dog to stop relieving himself all over the house.

Alex decided to try bull riding next.

It is not as easy as it looks.

Alex's cousin, Demi, wasn't interested in the bull riding. She decided to have her face painted. I think that she looks fantastic.

Hot or Cold?

Alex did an experiment on how temperature affects the speed at which molecules move. First, he filled one glass with cold water and one glass with boiling water. Then, he added food coloring to see in which glass the food coloring blended most quickly.

I think that he had a little too much fun.

Finally!

I have been looking for the cord to download the photos from my camara to my computer for 6 months. I haven't found it yet. However, I did find a cord that will work. Yea! So I can finally start blogging again. I am doin a happy dance!

Back to School

We are starting our third year of homeschooling! I began our homeschooling journey by doing school at home the first year. The second year I relaxed a bit and I used more of an eclectic method. This year, I am using The Well Trained Mind approach with Alex. His curriculum is listed to the right.

Alex is enjoying having me to himself this year, but he is really excited about his Chinese class. We are so lucky to have Chinese restaurant here that is owned and operated by an actual Chinese family. One of their children has agreed to give Alex private lessons and he loves it.

Tiffany is living with her grandparents this year and has begun a dual enrollment program. She is taking classes at a local community college and simultaneously receiving credit for her last year of high school and her first year of college. I think this is a great way for her to transition to living in the United States again as well as transitioning back to a "regular" classroom as she prepares to enter University.