Jedi Youngling Training--Phase One Complete

It's only taken 1.5 years since we started, but Erin is now fully potty trained!!! We wish we could say what finally made things click in her little brain, but we can't. She just finally decided to do it. She has stayed dry day and night for one complete week, worn underpants instead of diapers or pull-ups, and finally earned her prizes (an R2-D2 action figure and a purple light saber she chose months ago). Additionally, Dad promised her an ice cream party, and that celebration will be this weekend. Way to go, Erin!!!

It's Here and We Saw It!

For the record, Kevin & April went on a "real" date to a real movie theater to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull only two days after it opened. That's a first for us! The last time we went to a nice theater to see a movie was summer of 2005 in Yuma, AZ, when Revenge of the Sith came out (but we had a 7-month-old Erin in tow).

We don't want to spoil it for other fans, so we won't reveal too much. Overall, we were pleased with the movie, predictable parts included. There are plenty of "yeah, right!" moments, but some amusing surprises too. You will find no Nazis this time around, due to the fact it takes place in 1957. The bad guys/girl are the Russians, who act very similar to the way the Nazis acted in the other 2 movies and have nearly indestructible vehicles, but they speak with different accents. And Indy isn't trying to get something for a museum this time, so that is a different twist. They also included appropriate tributes to Marcus Brody and Indy's father.

We think that Spielberg should hire us as biological consultants, however. Prairie dogs are not nocturnal (well, these prairie dogs were CG and rather artificial-looking), and scorpions do not attack in groups and bite--they are solitary creatures and they sting. Biological inaccuracies aside, we recommend this movie to other Indiana Jones fans.

It's Here!

Indy has returned after 19 years!

No wonder I'm feeling old these days. Kevin and I were seniors in high school 19 years ago. So...is anyone going to see this? The reviews I've read so far say that true fans will not be too disappointed even though the movie is highly predictable.

Also, for any archaeology buffs out there, this article may prove interesting. Indy needs to do more research so he doesn't waste his time going after fake artifacts.

Who's That Bearded Man with a Computer?

Hey, everyone, Kevin is a Utah State Great!
Check out this article about him. He's famous (must get it from his daughter)!

His wife actually prefers to be with him out in the field catching/viewing critters rather than sitting around inside using technology, but we are grateful he has a good job.

We Met Sue Morgan!!!

When we first heard that Sue Morgan was going to give her Iditarod talk at USU, our family was very excited (many thanks to Chris for letting us know in advance!). April also managed to persuade the YW to attend for their weekly activity, using the excuse that Sue is a good role model of what a woman can accomplish. Even Kevin made it back from work in time to hear the last 30 minutes of the presentation.

Sue was as smiley and friendly in person as her photos depict. She was an entertaining speaker and radiated her enthusiasm to everyone (well, at least to us, but we're already devoted fans).

Sue started off by introducing us to three Alaskan huskies from her team. (She bought some of her dogs from Susan Butcher, a 4-time Iditarod winner, who sadly passed away from leukemia in 2006.) Next, we learned more about the sled and how it works. Then we were entertained for a good hour with an informative slide show and commentary detailing her journey last March for 1,112 miles along the Iditarod Trail. It was fascinating to hear her inside perspective--it was quite different from Gary Paulsen's book Winterdance. Sue made the experience sound more fun, even though she did include the dangers and challenges she encountered. Admittedly, this year the weather was much more favorable than in other years, which made some parts easier and other parts more difficult.

At the end of the presentation, the dogs were brought out again and people could pet them, children were allowed to climb in her sled, and we were able to ask more questions.

Ian petting Shasta, one of the lead dogs

So...if you're interested in running this race, start training and preparing now. It will cost you around $40,000 in the end. Sue says several years ago she would have thought people were insane to consider spending so much money and time on something like this, but now she feels it was worth every penny!

Here is a brief clip of part of her talk:

See you all at the K9 Challenge next year!

Morning at the Museum

Rock Art Day at USU's Museum of Anthropology

Since we have a great interest in rock art, we were excited to see what activities the museum had for the children. A student volunteer explained the differences between petroglyphs and pictographs and talked about some of the different styles of rock art found in the west. It made us want to go visit some of our favorite places in Southern Utah (i.e. Horseshoe Canyon in Canyonlands where the famous Great Gallery panels are located).

Then the children had the opportunity to make petroglyph magnets and draw some pictographs on the wall. The magnets were actually made out of clay, so the children just wet them down, scratched in a design with a toothpick, and let them dry out again. Drawing on the wall was a big hit, not something children are usually allowed to do at home.

There's More Than One Way to Wash a Dog

If you happen to be a handy man, with the highly competent skills of Red Green and his duct tape, you can construct your own dog wash in your back yard. See the following demonstration:

Lacking the skills of Mr. Green, our family had to wash the dog the old fashioned way, which was nearly as effective as his (but without the dryer function). Yuki was pretty patient with us, as long as she kept getting little treats. Please enjoy our following demonstration:

From Greeks to Knights

Once a Week School

For six weeks, five Cache Valley families met together on Mondays for a "Once a Week School." We chose to formally study Chemistry and Greek Mythology along with doing some weekly logic puzzles and PE games. The toddlers and preschoolers had their own classes as well, learning some sign language, planting seeds, singing songs, etc.

For the chemistry class the boys mainly just wanted to conduct explosive experiments and were a bit disappointed that they had to study the the science of chemical reactions instead. Enthusiasm for chemistry waned over time, but we may try again in the fall. In the mythology classes, all seemed to enjoy learning about the gods and goddesses and the associated stories. As the teacher for the mythology class, April also had a good time learning along with the children and helping lead discussions. For the first half we studied the myths associated with the 12 main Olympians, the heroes, the villains, and the creatures. The children in the older group (10-11 year olds) devoured their books and knew all the stories. Then they started writing and illustrating their own myth as a group, using some creatures they had invented for a previous assignment. The final myth can be viewed here. The younger group (ages 7-9) chose to reenact a couple of myths rather than write a new one. They wore costumes and made props for the stories The Adventures of Perseus and Daedalus and Icarus (Ian is posing as the wicked King Minos, not a Jedi with a crown). The final day of class, everyone brought a pot to paint (unfortunately we lack the equipment to make and fire our own pottery), and the children painted scenes from their favorite myths or made up their own. Ian's and Megan's are featured in the photo below. The final day, the groups also performed their plays and read their group myth to all the families.



















Medieval Faire

Last Saturday we joined many families from the Cache Vally Homeschoolers for a Medieval Faire at Willow Park. Three members from the Kingdom of Artemisia chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism were on hand to give demonstrations and instructive talks.




Here Sir Andrew is discussing how knights' armor changed over time. The chain mail on the right was used earlier and later evolved to plate armor. We learned that it takes a long time to get into the armor and that one could not put it on by himself (hence the need for a squire). A battle-ready knight would be carrying about 70 pounds of armor, and often died of heat exhaustion rather than battle wounds.








Sir William and Sir Andrew brought an assortment of Medieval replicas, including armor, games, and the "violin stockade" (the wooden device with two holes). A disobedient child would have his head placed in the larger hole, the left hand in the smaller, and the device locked in place for a length of time dependent on the severity of the punishment. The child was still expected to do his chores (one-handed).

The highlight was watching a demonstration of a tournament fight between two knights, Sir Andrew and Sir James.

Contest Winners Announced!

First, we wish to thank all of you who took the time to write in an explanation of the injuries incurred by April and Ian. They were far more entertaining than what really happened. After much discussion and deliberation, taking into account the creativity and originality of the stories, we chose the following people to receive fame and glory and a painting by Megan:

Third Place goes to: Emmy!




Second Place Tie goes to: Andrea! and Tyler!





First Place goes to: Grandpa Young!

Megan says she will do a painting for ALL the winners. Isn't she nice? Winners may request the subject matter of their paintings in the comments section.

Now, what really happened was actually rather boring. Grandma Young guessed part of it correctly. Our family was out on a Sunday afternoon bike ride when April's foot got stuck in her toe strap when she came to a stop. Gravity pulled her over and instinctively she reached out to brace herself, landing full impact on her right arm. Fortunately, all bones were intact (she got checked at Instacare where she also received the lovely splint and bandage), however she had lots of pain, some colorful bruising, and mild swelling (to quote Erin, "Oh, your bruise is PURPLE! I like purple. It's pretty."). One week post accident April has discarded the splint and just has one of the bandages still wrapped around the wrist. Movement is still limited, grasping and lifting are still too painful, but it is healing. She would have much rather gotten the injury by bailing off the ATV while chasing bears as Becca suggested.

A day after April's accident, Ian was playing "Kick the Can" at a homeschool group activity (Oh goodness--socializing with other homeschoolers! World take note!) and chose to run through the branches of a tree in an attempt to get the can. He successfully kicked the can and won the game, but the branches scraped up his face. We cleaned up the wounds and one week post accident, Ian's face looks great with just a small spot below his eye.

Did You Check the Fishing Proclamation?

Please join us on a photo journey of last weekend's outing...

Saturday was a beautiful spring day (overcast, but no snow!). The children had been begging to go fishing, so we ventured out after doing a few morning chores. Kevin wanted to try out a pond in Wellsville that he had heard about from a student.

Erin primarily entertained herself on the playground since she didn't want to fish. April was able to swing Erin with one hand, so Erin was kept happy. Note the scenic Wellsville Range in the background (because we live in a pretty place too). April was also able to take all these lovely photos with one hand.

Kevin and Ian proceeded to drown some earthworms in an attempt to provide a dinner for the family. Megan joined in, too, and almost instantly got a bite. As she was reeling in the thrashing fish, it managed to get off the line. Everyone was disappointed. That was the extent of the fishing luck.

While walking to a new fishing spot, Megan found some satisfaction in catching this lovely garter snake as it slithered past her. She released it in the water so we could watch it swim away.

Not pictured: The nice older local gentleman who came down to the pond to open his irrigation gate and politely informed us that the pond wasn't open to fishing until later in the season. Oops!

April Showers Bring May Snows???

Happy May Day!

Or maybe not so happy. We were all disappointed when we saw that it had snowed during the night. Luckily, by now the snow has melted. April is not happy mostly because the freezing temperatures probably killed our apricots. Kevin and Megan's painting group was supposed to meet in Wellsville for an outdoor painting session this morning. It didn't happen. Whenever they schedule a painting session outdoors, it either snows, rains, or freezes.