Strawberry picking

One cool April morning, the kids and I drove up to Rogers Farm to pick some strawberries.

We caught a ride out to the berries.

We feasted on strawberries and froze some for later. They were so good.

Kennedy Space Center Homeschool Day

In our co-op this year, we studied astronomy using Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Astronomy text. To wrap up the year, a few of the families from our group attended Kennedy Space Center’s Salute to Homeschool day at the end of April. It was offered on a Saturday, which was great because Jonathan could go and didn’t have to take off of work. We drove down to Eustis on Friday and headed over from there. My parents spent the day with Charlotte so it was just the two big kids and us.

Even though we were closer, we still had to be there early. We were told to be there around 8:30 to ensure our spots. Some of our friends drove all the way there from Gainesville that morning. (And I think some of these pics might be theirs).

Rosemary with her friends Marie and Lydia.

Ben and Jonathan in front of the rocket garden.

Our first stop of the day was a talk with an astronaut. The kids sat in the front row.

After that, we headed over to another room and the kids divided into teams. They made model rovers.

Both teams had good models, but they didn’t win.

Next the kids did a scavenger hunt through the Rocket Garden before we headed inside for some lunch.

The program wrapped up beside one of the IMAX theater where the kids learned a little bit more about space travel. About 2:30 the scheduled programming was done and we were free to tour the rest of the area on our own. We stopped by the Angry Birds room and caught an IMAX movie about the Hubble telescope.

This was my favorite part of the day, seeing Atlantis. The set up is really well done. Before seeing the shuttle, you watch a movie about the design and development of the shuttle. Then the screen opens and you walk in to view Atlantis as though it was in orbit.

It wasn’t pristine, which made it all the more amazing. Growing up, I remember teachers stopping classes and going out to watch launches in the middle of school days. Seeing Atlantis up close was really special.

Rosemary and Ben tested out the controls in the cockpit.

Going down the slide that mimicked the shuttle’s reentry angle.

We also took the bus tour out past the launch pads and to see the Saturn V rocket.

Touching a moon rock.

The Saturn V and Apollo mission exhibits were pretty amazing, too.

A quick picture in front of the International Space Station model.

We stayed the whole day and were walking out as the park was closing.

Ben enjoyed his Neapolitan astronaut ice cream.

And Rosemary enjoyed her astronaut ice cream sandwich.

Before heading home, we drove over to Titusville to eat at Dixie Crossroads. So delicious.

We’ve been on some pretty fun field trips over the last few years, but this was quite possibly my favorite. It made what we studied over the year just so much more alive. It was very much worth it.

Easter Sunday 2014

We celebrated Easter with worship at Westside then with some new friends for Easter dinner.

Before heading to church, the kids searched for their baskets.

To be honest, that was a rough morning. Charlotte did not want to wear the dress my mom gave her to wear on Easter. In fact, she was so mad she tore a hole in it. Not such a great start to celebrating resurrection Sunday. She eventually did put something on and we made it to service and the rest of the day went better.

Easter Eggs with Grandma and Grandpa Peine

Just before Easter, Richard and Janice came up to do a little Easter egg hunt with the kids.

Daddy & Ben Outing–Orange and Blue Game

Ben and Jonathan headed to the Orange and Blue game for their April outing.