Thanksgiving Craft

Long Walk Home

While Abby was out at Sugar Hollow shooting arrows, Benji had a double scout meeting, first to work on the requirements for his Bobcat badge and then for an "indoor campfire" where he was very excited to learn about tying knots.  Because we were running late from Sugar Hollow, the boys decided to start walking home -- 3 and a half miles! We got back when they were about halfway, but Benji insisted he wanted to walk the whole thing, which he did.  He says it is the best way to observe nature.  Kevin snapped this picture on the way home as they walked the trail by the John Warner Parkway:

Archery

On Sunday, we headed back to Sugar Hollow to earn our Cadette archery badge:

Jillian, sitting on Abby to keep warm

Scouting Weekend

Both Abby and Benji had a busy weekend full of scout activities.  On Saturday, our girl scout troop was the troop-in-training for the council wide campfire.  This meant that the girls each shadowed a member of the Senior troop that was hosting the campfire, in preparation for running it themselves next year. The girls have been super-excited about taking on more responsibility and worked hard. Most of these pictures are from before we left for Sugar Hollow, as the campfire itself was in the dark:

Kaymin, Abby and Celia

Abby's jobs were helping at the registration table (here she is collecting canned food, which was the admission fee) and helping the younger girls with their s'mores

Starbucks Date

Second Grade Field Trip

The second grade classes took a field trip to Tuckahoe Plantation, where Thomas Jefferson lived from when he was 2 until he was 9. Benji asked me to chaperone, so off we went to Richmond together:

Plantation from the side

Ranger Pat talks about the Monacan Indians and the James River behind her

Mapmaking in the stable

Benji diligently adding his labels

Passing the clipboard to his partner Diana

On the ghost walk

Beautiful foliage

Front of the house (and the group listening to Miss Annie)

the kids spot a horse in the paddock

Coming closer

Running away as more kids rush over to see

Family graveyard

A chance to run

Other side of the house

Benji and Gavin walking back to the bus

Our field trip group - Gavin, Sam, Benji, Cameron, Diana and Katherine

the boys palling around

Greenbrier Reading Night

Last Thursday. I took Benji for some stories from his teachers and a few activities:

Benji and Ms. Anderson (his kindergarten teacher)

One of the activities was to add to a graffiti wall

Benji is just pretending to write for Ms. Anderson's sake (thus the smirk in the last picture)

Benji adding his name to the back of his 2nd grade reading book

Benji's story in the reading book

Calling Pop-pop

Benji has newly discovered his ability to use the phone without assistence.  He loves calling Pop-pop to chat and will not let anyone else talk when he does:

Peanuts

Benji has been waiting patiently for the new Peanuts movie, but he could not wait one more minute, so we saw the show the same night Abby and I had already been to Newsies:

Newsies

We had a last minute offer to accompany some friends to Richmond last weekend and see the play Newsies. It was a great show:

Abby and Lucy before the show

with the marquis after the show

Greenbrier Gang

The weather has been glorious and Benji has been asking to stay after school to play every day.  Last Friday we stayed particularly long and a giant game of tag evolved on the playground (with this bench as base, of course):

Second Grade Class Shabbat

In addition to leading a few prayers and telling us the meaning of shabbat to them, the second graders made a shabbat poster, which they were very proud of:

Benji's contribution to the poster was the "No Work" picture

a little chat with Rabbi Tom, whom Benji still adores