Flowers!

Look at these great flowers that Erika picked for my desk!




And this beautiful display for the front hall table. Isnt she fabo?


Ok, the deal is that Erika (a good friend that used to live in a basement apartment across the alley from us) has moved into our carraige house. In lieu of rent she is giving us hours for different housework. Sometimes she cooks us amazing meals, yesterday she and I cleaned out and more thoroughly organized the kitchen pantry than has ever been done. This morning she went out and picked these amazing flowers and is now working on cleaning and organizing the playroom/work out room. I will go join her soon.

It is a wonderful fall day here in Minneapolis and these flowers fit right into the feel of the day!

Happy Birthday Big Sis!

Here are all the Smith Sisters! Me, Kitty, Christina.

Happy Birthday Kitty. I wonder if today was spent on you at all, or were you off driving donations to Hurrican Dean victims? Well, I hope you had some fun and relaxation on your b-day.

Wisdom Day

Our Montessori school celebrated Wisdom Day today. This is the first day that all the students are attending school together. Between the transitions for new students and returning students, and the entire junior high being gone for the last two weeks on their Odyssey South - this really is the first day they have all been together.

In 1988 as part of a cultural exchange with Moscow School #31, Lake Country School has been celebrating Wisdom Day. It is a Russian custom for the oldest students to welcome the youngest children into the school and to remind us all of the privileges and responsibilities of education. Parents and children gather outside to sing songs that are part of the life of the school community and welcome the new year of opportunity and learning.

Here are our awesome music teachers, Mr. D and Sarah, they lead us in many wonderful school songs.



We also celebrated today that 50 years ago nine African-American teens were able to attend school at Central High in Arkansas. In 1954, a United States Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ordered an end to segregation. It said that black children must be able to study with white children at previously all-white public schools, where facilities often were superior. In some parts of the country, whites reacted to the Court's decision with anger and violence. They wanted to keep black children out of their schools. In September 1957, nine African-American teens were chosen by the local school board to test the decision at Central High. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus and many others were determined to stop the "Little Rock Nine." Even though they were kicked, beaten, and spat upon, the students didn't give up. Their courage earned them a place in history, beside the names of such civil-rights leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

I can't imagine our kids going to an all-white school. We are happy to have the diversity in our schools - in fact we seek diversity out!

Here are Zane and his buddy, Ben, with their flowers. Each child brings a flower to their teacher and they make one or more bouquets in the classroom.



I tried to get some pics of Seby with his class, but he and his buddy Alex were sitting down on the ground reading all the words to the songs. Just the top of their heads didn't seem like a great pic. Here is Zane with his class singing "The Big Fat Walleye" song - another favorite that you'd only find at a school in Minnesota!

Zane's class is getting ready to enter the school - the first class to go. This year, for the first time, Zane asked that I walk with him to enter the school. It is the last year that I can do this so I was happy to do it!



Here is the last of the students and staff to enter the school. Now is when the kleenex comes out and we all wipe our eyes from another moving Wisdom Day experience.



Today we also saw Graham leave (again!). This time he is headed off for his 6-week residency at the Land School - the Montessori school's farm school. Here he is with his buddy Charlie - the only other boy going on this residency.



This is the whole group that will be out at the Land School.

OMG! Graham is taller than me!

Actually over the summer I heard rumor that Graham was about an inch taller than me, but now look at those wall markings! He is well over an inch taller. So unfair. Hopefully it will be years before Seby & Zane catch up to me.



An happy teenager! Graham does still have his glasses, we were just checking out what it would be like if he got contacts.



Here are Seby & Zane with their buddies Alex and Ben who are over for a sleepover.

Odyssey South

Here is Graham and some buddies the day they deparated for the Odyssey South - this was Tuesday, September 4th.

Graham came home this past Tuesday, September 18th, he will share below where he went.

(Graham's trip camera did not yield good pics, so he is hunting the internet for some)

Well hi everybody, this is Graham.

Well I don't know if everyone knows this but every year for the first two weeks of school the Junior High does a trip called the Odyssey. This year we followd the Mississippi all the way down to the gulf coast town of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

There were 46 students and we drove down in a touring bus. Every day that we were on the bus we would work on a folder with work that related as much as it could to the Mississippi, Civil Rights and Marine Biology (the main themes for this Oddysey).

The second day on the trip we went to the historic home of Ulysses S. Grant, who was a president and one of the U.S's first four star generals.



On day three we visited the Mark Twain Museum, because we were reading the book "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". That night we camped at the Trail of Tears National Park.



The next day we went to Memphis, Tennesse, and why would we go to Tennesse? To visit the Civil Rights Museum that is attached to the motel that Martin Luther King Jr. was staying at when he was shot. On the way out of town we drove by Graceland - just to catch of glimpse of it.

Two days later we arrived at our destination -- the Gulf Coast Research Lab where we would spent the next six days learning about the gulf of mexico and animal and plant life in the gulf coast.

After those six wonderful days we were back on the bus and went to Birmingham, Alabama were we visited the Civil Rights Institute.

The next day we went to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

The last campsite we stayd at was Jellystone National Park (you know, Yogi bear and freinds) in Goodfeild Illinois.

All in all it was a good trip.

Putting on a shirt with a collar

This past Sunday we started going back to the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis (firstuniv.org), where we have been going since moving here. We had started to go to a Unitarian church in Illinois, and I guess we liked what we found there.

They have really great classes for the kids, and we have made some good friends here.

Slade requires that the boys where a shirt with a colllar when we go to church. Once they were asked this is what they came up with.






I HAD to post so many because they are just so damn cute.

Seby and Zane both take classes that they love and have friends from school that also attend. Their classes are based on the UU principles and tied to the idea of a rainbow

Red: Respect All Beings
Orange: Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All
Yellow: Yearn to Learn
Green: Grow in Spirit and Mind
Blue: Believe in Our Ideas and Act On Them
Indigo: Insist on Peace, Freedom, and Justice
Violet: Value the Connections in Creation

It is so Berkeley, and I love that. It has certainly made some interesting talks. I'm still not sure if their favorite part is getting a cookie and some juice afterwards.

Cody is in class with some friends from his old school, which is a nice way for him to also keep in contact with them. This year he is doing the "Coming of Age" class. At the end of the school year there is a ceremony where he states what his beliefs are.

Graham is taking the "OWLS" class (Our Whole Lives Sexuality) - an awesome sex ed class that Cody took last year. Let's just say they cover EVERYTHING.

Graham just got back tonight from his two-week trip to Mississippi. He did bring a disposable camera and I will get it devloped and post some pics about where he went.

The last few days I have been missing him so much, so I'm glad to have him home.

Happy 15th Birthday Cody!!!

Cody turns 15 today. As I write this (at 11:40am) I remember that it was around 11am on September 12, 1992 that he was born.

What an amazing adolescent Cody is. Calling him a child or a kid is so not fitting to him anymore. He is moving into his older years for sure. He is so much taller than me now too. He stands at 5' 10 1/2". Slade wonders if he might pass him up at some point as well.

Cody started High School this year at Minnehaha Academy and is on the soccer team there. He is truly enjoying his time there so far. He has made some good buddies on the soccer team and enjoys getting the excercise. Lugging his backpack around is a work out in itself! But so far he is enjoying his classes. He is taking Art, World History, Geometry, Health, Chemistry,and English.

Cody is truly growing into quite an amazing guy and we are so thrilled that he is part of our family and so proud of how he presents himself outside of the family. He is a great role model for his many younger siblings.

Later today .....

We took Cody (and Seby & Zane - Graham is on the Odyssey trip in Mississippi) out to dinner for his birthday.
Before we left for dinner he opened his presents ...

Thank you Clip Clop & Papa for some cashola! (Thank you note was actually written TONIGHT, in the mail tomorrow)


I saw this elephant t-shirt and I just had to buy it for Cody. When he was little he was crazy about elephants, luckily he hasn't lost interest and wants to wear his new shirt tomorrow!


The big surprise - a new Ipod Nano!


Thank you GranAnn for the earphones and Itunes gift certificate (again thank you note written tonight and to be mailed tomorrow).


No pictures of having a b-day cake as the dinner and dessert that came with it was more than all of us could handle. So the cake will be dessert for tomorrow night.

Labor Day Weekend

I know it is way past Labor Day Weekend, but I have to post some of our pics from being up at the lake house last weekend. This will be a quick post with pics and details.

We annually go up with friends from Chicago - Sean & Lisa and their three kids: Hallie, Sydney & Jake and John and his two boys Tom and Kevin. Sean and John are two guys that also work for Citigroup and Slade used to work with down on the CBOE. This is our third year of going up for Labor Day with them and we have consistently had a great time!

John always brings one of his ATV's and with our new ATV this past spring there are plenty for all to ride. Taking the ATV's to the river is always a big hit and it was one of the first activities. Here is John driving Sydney and Seby, I think that Jake is also on there you just can't see him from this shot.



When you drive to the river you have to get in the water. Here are Jake and Zane on the old remains of the bridge. It is totally overgrown and the kids are always finding something in the overgrowth.



The bigger boys are experienced enough now to go off on their own. Here are Kevin, Graham and Tom about to take off on a short drive.



This past spring we expanded the deck down at the water and it has been awesome to spread out more. It is hard to believe the smaller space we all squeezed onto.



This must be some kind of mid-western way of sunbathing. Or maybe it was the watermelon drowned in vodka that was consumed?



Slade has a new Canon camera, this is my favorite sunset pic he took, followed by his favorite.





The weekend isn't complete without some poker playing.



Another ride to the river for the Dad's and older boys.





MOTHRA



The leaves are already starting to change up north. With the cold we have had this past week I bet even more have changed. We are going back up for a weekend in October and it will be interesting to see if there are any leaves left.



Kevin



Hallie



Cody, Graham, Seby & Zane at the river.



Seby's bear has been "attacked" by some animal.



I took about 20 pics of Jake and really these are the best ones!





It was just warm enough to do some boating, here are Sydney and Seby doing some tube surfing.



Before we take the boat out the big boys have to do their annual tube wrestle. They did best of three this year. I get to drive the boat and whip them as best I can. Luckily I started it off by getting them all off the tube right away. It increases the challenge of the wrestling if they are all wet and COLD! Sean won two and Slade one.



Some loving.

First Days of School!

I've been in amazement for months now that my oldest is starting high school and my youngest is starting kindergarten - though our Montessori school calls it the "After Nooner" The first two years you are picked up at Noon, then your third or fourth year you stay for the afternoon.

As I was loading up these pics I started crying looking all these cute faces and remembering when Cody, Graham & Seby were his age, the house became even more quiet.





As you can see Zane was very excited about going to school today.

Yesterday he said a few funny lines, one was

"I wish it were night time and I was sleeping, and then when I woked up it would be tomorrow"

Zane has been wanting school to start since we came home from the lake - August 6th!

His first day of school was today, the last of the boys to start school this year! He has been waiting ever so patiently. He started to use a notebook a couple weeks before school and practiced writing his friends names. He is very excited about all the new "work" he will have in the classroom. I remember Seby having the same eagerness.



Seby & Graham starting school this past Tuesday 9/4. Graham's first day was leaving on the Odyssey South for two weeks. Seby and Graham were equally excited about getting back to school and their friends! Sebastian is now in his second year of the 9-12 classroom. Graham is in 8th and will graduate from LCS this year. This year the Odyssey takes them to Mississippi for 5 days of marine biology. They camp the travel days to and from there. One of the stops along the way will be Mammoth Caves. Hopefully he will take some pictures that I can share.



Cody has been thrilled with all his new experiences at Minnehaha Academy. He first took a two week drivers ed class at the end of June. He met lots of Juniors and Seniors - which later I may regret, but hopefully not. He turns 15!!! next week and will get his permit then. He had a week of soccer tryouts the week of August 13th and then daily afternoon practice until school started Monday, August 27th. He is really enjoying his classes and keeping up with the homework. He says when he is in Chemistry he starts to fall asleep. He has enjoyed being on the soccer team so much that he is now looking at the winter sports team. Alpine Skiing is looking like his first choice. Then spring sports. Seby & Zane love to watch him play.

We have more pictures to share, but another day.