Pet chickens

Matthew loves to jump. He is pretty much always in motion as is any 2 year old. Jumping is his favorite activity though. So we got him a trampoline. The girls love it too but Matthew especially enjoys the trampoline. This is an action shot and one of the few shots in which they are getting along.

A well-loved trampoline

On Fridays, we have been going to the Stratford Ecological center for a nature class. Since Jenna is in school, only Matthew and Sarah have been going to it. They both love it! They feed chickens, plant seeds, pet pigs, goats, and cows, and help with farm chores. The kids love the farm. Jenna and Sarah have informed us they want chickens. Sure! I think the neighbors won't mind if we put a chicken coop in our backyard.

Sarah petting a pig

Matthew with some chicks

Sarah feeding a chicken

Since Jenna has read all of the Little House on the Prairie books multiple times I thought I should find something else for her to read. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are probably too scary. So I decided to give her a Beverly Lewis book. Jenna is now reading The Thorn by Beverly Lewis - I know it is an adult book but Jenna is a voracious reader and I can't keep up with her.  She has not missed a point this entire year of school and has earned E's (E = A) on every assignment. She reminds me of someone....now who is it?....oh yes... me!  I was a super nerd in school just like Jenna. Although I had glasses and braces to round out my look.

Fall semester starts today so my break from teaching has ended. This upcoming semester I have two online classes and one independent study class. The independent study course is one I have never taught before but should be fun. It is an advanced Oracle class with JDBC. I'm excited about teaching this course!  I'll also be doing something different in one of my online courses. I'll be using Adobe Connect (similar to Webex) to give live lectures to my students. I'm excited about doing these lectures for my online course and think it will enhance their learning. Unfortunately I have a mousy voice so I'm not sure how I'll sound over the lecture but hopefully I'll command respect or something like that...

76 points on Quiddler today