Flower Girls

Lily and Laura made flowers today.

GCC Fall Family Reformation Festival

We had our GCC Fall Family Reformation Festival on Saturday here at my house. It was the best day. There were tons of people over, Pastor Ted was dressed as a priest and acted as the town crier for the day. Most people came in costume, so homemade, some store bought. It was a beautiful day of wholesome family fun with food and activities and games. To top it off the kids learned about Martin Luther and the begining of the Protestant Reformation.

Here are some of the people at one of the booths having a picnic before the festival got started. It was a beautiful dry and sunny day. Perfect. 

There were 18 booths/activities around a 'town center' which was a stage where different familes sang throughout the day. It was truly magical. 

Lily and some friends at the Ladies Tea Room booth. Ginger cookies were served with some hot drink with a background of soothing Olde Music. 

One activity was horse roping (this is not a real horse :). I made up passport sheets with all the booths on it so that the kids would make it to all the booths. They got a star for going to a booth or doing an activity and then a prize for a completed passport sheet. It worked really well. 

This is Laura and one of her friends Erika (I love how homeschool kids mix with kids of all ages). My booth was one with a tent for costumes, where the kids could dress up and then I had 2 backdrops where they could get their photo taken, one was the purple one with a wicker chair and flowers that you see here, the other was more masculine, you see below. I took tons of photos that day and have ordered the photos online at Yorkphoto.com.

Matthew at the photobooth. 

SOme of the kids performed a play about Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses on the Wittenburg door. It was awesome. Mark's deck was transformed into a stage and all the people gathered around to watch. 

That is Matthew in costume on the stage as the Emperor! 

We had sack races for the kids. 

Then the dads had a sack race. Not too many injuries :) 

Mark in the photobooth! You know you are with homeschoolers when someone lends you a hat for your costume that is homemade with a feather from your own chicken in it! Mark's hat came from one family that went all out this Saturday, the Rodgers had 2 booths of their own, mom and daughter sang, they made all their own costumes and they arrived early to help with set up and left late after all was taken down and the grounds left tidy. Thank you Donna, Tim and kids!

Mark's Birthday

On Friday night it was mark's birthday. We went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Pastor Ted and his wife Johnnie Seago and some of their family.

Daddy getting some gifts from his girls. 

Yummy chocolate cake for pudding! 

After dinner we went to Barnes and Nobles. Mark and Matthew read while the girls and I stopped at the Thomas the Tank Engine table as we have many many many times before. 

Reformation Family

We are hosting our own Reformation Festival this Saturday. At Target and Walmart I found all these blue costumes. I got Matthew a king costume, but he want to be a Ninja. We are not celebrating Halloween, but focusing instead on the time when Martin Luther nailed up his 95 Thesis. Many families in our church are making booths for the festival. We have made a Wittenburg door that will be covered in balloons to be burst. I will also be taking photos of folks in costume. Other people are doing things like rat toss, bow and arrow shoot, a dunking booth, candle making and the like. It should be a lot of fun.

Renaissance Festival

Becky and I took our kids out to the Renaissance Festival this week, it was a lot of fun. I have lived 7 miles from this place for 2 years now and have never been, I have been missing out. It is great, and huge and overwhelming.

Lily and Ellie sharing ice cream while listening to great singing from a group called Canopy.

The boys trying out their new swords. 

Lily at the Jousting, with her new dagger... you can buy all kinds of weapons there! 

At the Renaissance Festival they got to see a blacksmith make an iron dragon, glass blowing, jousting, period singing and dancing. I Iove all the old Medieval stuff. Tons of actors were dressed up in costume and referred to us as Lords and Ladies. Here is Matthew eating lunch with his buddy, Blaine.

Reality

Just to be real - my kids are not always happy and cooperative!

Annie is getting bigger. Almost 9 months and crawling about the place.