Marble Run!

Nakai has been really into this marble run game this week. He and Andy have been adding to it and trying it out every day.... Good job, guys! (I love the backpack, too, don't you?)

catching snowballs at a musical

Nakai and I went to see Teah in a musical at school...Snow Biz and during the show, Teah threw these snowballs at Nakai...and he caught them! He was so proud. He kept them and brought them home and played with them all day!

There's no business like snow biz!

Eating with Tools!

We recently invited a few friends over for dinner and Nakai had been looking through someone's tool chest. He found this tool and was enjoying "fixing" things all over the house. Well, when it was time to eat, he decided to bring the tool to the table with him. We were talking and eating and I looked over and saw this! He figured out how to use the tool to eat with! I hope it was clean! It made everyone laugh anyway!

Thanksgiving Fish!

So, for Thanksgiving, we all went out to Mama Kim's farm near the East Branch Dam. We took part in a traditional first Thanksgiving re-enactment...and we has so much fun. Nakai somehow found this musical fish and was so enamored with it. He carried it around and pressed it's button over and over again. He noted too that it looked just like the "dead fish" that we were eating! Very observant! Anyway, we had a wonderful celebration surrounded by friends, music, animals and good food! Thanks Mama Kim!

Time for snow shovels!

Nakai Visits Carnegie....

We had a blast during our trip to Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History. We took the day off of school and drove the two hours into the city early in the morning. They had just opened their "Dinosaurs in their time" exhibit and we were eager to check it out. Nakai really loved the "sharp teeth" dinos and loved digging for bones in the bone hunters quarry. He enjoyed looking at all the art and the animals too, but found himself a bit tired by the day's end. We left at about 4:30, so it was a long day. I think Nakai's favorite part was the Discovery room where he was allowed to touch things!

Theatre week!

Nakai has been very interested in playing dress up and acting out "plays" this week. Here are a few of my favorite highlights!

The knight!
The toucan!

The dead man...didn't he do dead well?



"Anouk" the pirate child...a character of Teah's design!

I'm so thankful that my children have the imagination and inclination to create, pretend, play...without having to be guided constantly or entertained by closed-ended toys or media...okay, okay, I'll stop!

Field Trip!

In late October, Nakai (and all of us) attended the Indigenous Teaching Village Open House Program in Reynlow Park. We enjoyed two days of fun as we participated in building a wigwam, grinding corn, playing hoop games, drumming around a fire, and learning all about indegenous people. It was cold and wet and rainy, but it was nice to see old friends and make some new. There was some sad news however. On Saturday morning, Dennis' mother Stella passed away and we got the news from family in Oklahoma. We celebrated her spirit by singing songs and drumming and Dennis left on Sunday morning to begin the long journey to Oklahoma to play her spirit home. We will dearly miss this beautiful woman who meant so much to us all. We do find comfort though in the fact that she did not suffer long. I can almost see the grin on her face when she finally got to go home to her Father God. She talked of this day for so long and now she finally got her wish!

Nakai turns 4!!!

Can you believe he is four years old? I can't!

When did this happen?
My baby is not a baby anymore!

Nolan and Teah and I had a blast decorating his seat and the table so that he would be surprised at Breakfast...and boy was he! He grinned from ear to ear when he saw the basket filled with balloons and the breakfast pancakes and french toast with candles and the gifts! He looked up at me with sleepy eyes and said, "Am I Bigger now?" We sang to him and celebrated and he enjoyed a very special day!

What a sweet little hand!

A long-lost friend!

NAKAI (typed by Nakai!:) was so excited to welcome Nolan to join in the homeschool fun! Nolan was home from school due to his asthma. The boys got along so well and picked workbooks, of all things, to do for the day. I think they each did like 20 pages or something, really! Nolan delighted in teaching Nakai how to write his name and draw people (all the advice of a kindergartner!) and Nakai was eager to learn from his brother. It was nice to see how they interacted in the homeschool scene.

Painting, painting

Today was a crafty day for Nakai! He went to "Miss Norma's" school this morning (library storyhour) and then came home and played with play clay (homemade this time) and crayons and then painted all afternoon. He was sad when it was time to pick up Teah and Nolan from school. I think he enjoys having the house (and the mama) all to himself! Such a creative little guy.

Nakai's eye collection

As you all know by now, Nakai LOVES to take pictures! Sometimes though, he gets things turned around a little bit....like this day when he accidentally had the camera pointed at his eyeball! He decided he liked the way the flash felt when it blinked in his eye...so he kept doing it. Then he tried persuading others to try it....and we all said no...all of us, except Grandpa Leon! I think the contrast between Nakai's little eye and Gpa Leon's is striking! What do you think?

"Come on, mama, put me to bed..."

"No more working." Well, okay..snuggling is way more fun than grant-writing! I just love this little sweetie....and besides, I was feeling pretty tired...

He's so crafty!

He just loves that play clay! Loves it, loves it, loves it.



...and what an artist!

(note to parents: Do NOT buy these messy crayons...we received them as a gift and they are so messy....easy for little artists as opposed to crayons which require a bit of strength, but so messy...and they are not washable. Thought you'd like to know.)

Happy Autumn!

Nakai selected this unique pumpkin from Charlotte and Roy at the Farmer's market! I did tell him he could pick whichever one he liked! Enjoy the autumn leaves!

Play dough cake

Nakai is really into celebrating birthday's right now...maybe because Nolan just had one.. anyway, he loves this stuff. Plays with it every day. I really need to get my all-natural self in line and make up a batch of the good stuff so he can stop playing with the made-in-china, yucky stuff.....I'm slacking in a big way!

Nakai bakes an apple pie!

So, I was in full "get cha bake on mode" baking shoo-fly pies for the market and I had a bit of pie crust dough left. I gave it to Nakai and he set to work making it into a delicious apple pie...no recipe needed! We just cut up apples and he put them on the dough, followed by cinnamon, brown sugar and a bit of butter...then we cut out some wee little apples from the crust and popped them on top...into the oven it went ("for three minutes" said Nakai wagging his little finger) Those were a long three minutes, but when it was finished, he was amazed and could hardly wait for it to cool enough to eat! We had to do candles and sing the birthday song (just for fun) and the whole deal! Great job, Nakai!

Would you like to buy something?

Nakai has really been interested in playing shop lately. I gave him an old money box and an adding machine and away he went! Each day, he sets up shop and I get to (have to?) use my market basket to shop for all the great items he sells...but you know what? It's the best store ever because instead of paying for things, he pays you!!! Too cute!

More of Nakai's photography

Isn't that cute? Taking a picture of the garbage! Thanks Nakai, for putting into perspective just how large our ecological footprint is! And, shouldn't those pepper tops have gone in the compost bin? Oh, wait...this was taken before we moved the worm bin....but still.