Millers on the Move

I said I would come back and talk about our trip so here we go.

In typical Miller style we drove to Pennsylvania instead of flying. We spent the first night in Memphis, TN and Louisville, KY the second night. We made a stop at Lake Erie for lunch and got to Athens, PA around dinner time Friday night.

It was good to spend time with my dad over the weekend. We had fun just visiting and taking the kids to the park. We found a local book sale and got there about 20 min. before they closed up. They were charging $1 a bag for books! I found several fun science books and classics for Hannah. I think we wound up with four bags of books in all. I love to read, so I was super excited.

My parents were gracious enough to watch the kids for two nights while Clint and I went to NewYork City for a little get away. Clint and I had fun just walking around and seeing all the sights.

We went to Niagra falls and it was HOT! It was 100* while we were there. Now I can say I have seen it, not sure if I would go back.

We had a good time seeing my parents and headed back home by way of Lancaster County. Before arriving in Lancaster we made a stop at Gettysburgh. We did not stay long because a huge storm blew in with lots of lightning!

Lancaster County is know for having a large Amish community and plenty of covered bridges. We did not make it to the Amish area, but we did see a few covered bridges. We also made a quick stop in Hershey, PA to see where Hershey's chocolate is made. Hannah was in heaven!

Monday night we stayed in Gattlynburg, TN. We had a nice view of the mountains and the hotel had a fun kid's indoor waterpark. I think it was the favorite stop for both my kiddos. The last stop was Memphis, TN where Clint walked over to Rendevous for some ribs. The kids and I stayed at the hotel. I was not up for taking them to a little barbecue joint after such a long day on the road.

All in all it was a fun trip and I can't wait to head back east to see more sights.

Monday, August 8, 2011

First Day of School

Well, day one is done. We will do some fun crafts while Jackson is napping, but our book work is complete.

Hannah said she is going to like this homeschool thing.

We are starting slow so mama can get the hang of things. We did our first Saxon Math lesson and a lesson from our reading book. She worked on handwriting, read me an easy reader and made a Bible "keeper" to keep her Bible in. We worked on our Bible lesson and memory verse.

Not bad for day one. It all took an hour and a half. I think I have some work to do over the next week. We will add on some fun "big books" for mom to read out loud and take a few trips.

So far, so good.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Corn

I am a pretty random person and this blog thing is proving to be sporadic at best. I have just a few more days to prepare for the school year. Since I don't know what to expect, I will just jump in and see what happens.

We just returned from another family road trip, but this time we were only gone two weeks. We headed to the north east this time. We enjoyed spending time with my parents in Pennsylvania. I did not realize how many mountains there were out east and also did not realize how rural Pennsylvania and New York were. I would say we enjoyed a break from the heat, but we did not. It was hot the whole time we were gone. Niagara Falls was 100* the day we were there. Despite the warm weather we had a wonderful time seeing family and new places.

I will post more about our trip and add some pictures later this week.

So, about my title.....

Now that we have driven a good 3/4 of the US, I have come to realize how much corn we grow all over our great nation. It is beautiful and strange/scary at the same time. I guess it takes a lot of corn to make all that high fructose corn syrup and who knows what else that is added to our food supply. Makes me want to take extra time to really read labels and see what my family is eating. That said, we had some very delicious fresh picked sweet corn from a farm in rural Pennsylvania. I miss it already :)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Just the beginning

I have decided to go ahead and start with some of our homeschool stuff. We have already begun the lessons in the " Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons" So far everything we are doing has been review since she is already starting to read. I told her it's ok if she already knows what is in the lesson, this is just review and practice. I know she is ready to get going! We are also working on handwriting.
I decided to hold off on Saxon math until August. The book starts the lessons on reading a calender and the first month is August. Clint starts dental school in August so it will work just fine. We are not ignoring math all together. I have some other fun workbooks and activities to keep things fresh in her mind.
I'm still trying to find things that will help us incorporate science and history.
I am also looking into dance, or gymnastics, or something along those lines that is affordable. We are trying to get through the next four years on as few loans as possible.
Let the fun begin :)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Last day of school

We have absolutely loved the time that Hannah was able to spend at GEM Express preschool. The school has such a heart for God and teaching children about God as well as ABC's and 123's. I look forward to the day that Jackson will be able to attend GEM.

For the last day of school they had a birthday party celebration complete with a bounce house, party games, and homemade ice cream. Jackson and I went up to take a few pictures and help watch the kids on the bounce toy. It was wild and the kids had fun.

Last day of school.

Waiting in the carpool line.

Taking her turn to mix the ice cream.

Jackson fit right in and took his place on the rug.

Having fun on the slide.

Graduation

My oldest baby graduated from preschool a few weeks ago. I have always thought preschool graduation was silly, but it is cute and makes for a fun memory. They did a little program and then had a ceremony complete with cap and gown.