Mmm Motorhomin'

This morning in the shower I was humming along to that catchy new country song about motor boating- but instead my lyrics are motorhomin'. Today is the day we have been waiting for for months. We got to pick up our motor home we found 2 weeks ago. If it were up to us we would have brought it home the moment we saw it, but one of the two owners was on a vacation in Texas so we had to wait until she was back home. This motor home- worth the wait!

Jaimie and Brian joined us tonight while we picked it up so that we could ride home together as a family in it. We started with dinner at Chili's and then a quick trip to the mall to kill a half hours worth of time.

The couple that we bought it from are so sweet. They took their own family all over the USA in it and took amazing care of it. The miles are low, the condition is great, and the price was just right. We are so thankful that everything worked out exactly like it did. Thank you Papa Family, Thank you.

Faith

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

 Today was our day off and we wanted to do something special. We wanted to do something special because we have a rough couple of days. Our little Lola took a nasty fall and we thought she broke her jaw. Her lips are swollen, her teeth might fall out, and just looking at her breaks my heart. So something special: a train ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The girls stamping their National Park Passport

The ranger waiving to everyone as they passed by in the train.

At a stop to look at the canal.

Waiting for the train.

Our view from the train window.

Add caption

The girls were happy riding on the train and we were happy getting to our first of many national parks over the next few months. We even bought a national park passport book and the girls enjoyed getting the cancellations on the page. They also had a fun time talking to a woman about her spinning wheel. They learned how it spins by tapping her foot, what the wool feels like, how she dyes it to get the color she wants, and why her spinning wheel doesn't look like the one that Sleeping Beauty got hurt by.

Family Feet at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Chili Day

Its a chili day here and it makes me CRAVE fall. Leaves turning colors, sweatshirts, pumpkins. Ryan and I are on the same page because right now he is in the kitchen making a big batch of Chili for dinner tonight.

I finished all of my work this morning and while the girls are taking a nap I'm working on the quilt that I plan to raffle off for gas money for our big trip. I really dislike the cutting stage of sewing projects. I just want to be sewing. But its not that the air is crisp and people are out doing other things today because it gives me time to cut so that soon I'll be able to start sewing it all together.

Fun Tif Bit: The Grand Canyon

Over 1,500 plant, 355 bird, 89 mammalian, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian, and 17 fish species are found in the Grand Canyon.

Home Education

Today I mailed my letter to the school district telling them we will be homeschooling Sophie. I have to say how great it felt to put it in the mail box and send it on its way. I also sent my check to my home school group and joined the home school legal defense site.

Tomorrow the Oak Meadows curriculum giveaway happens from the mothering.com site. How AMAZING would that be if we were blessed with our first grade curriculum? Keeping my fingers crossed! But if the giveaway happens and we aren't lucky enough to win then I will order it in just two days. Sophie cant wait to see it and look through it with me. http://mothering.com/all-things-mothering/education/win-a-homeschool-curriculum-from-oak-meadow

For Lola with preschool I have so much I think the hardest part will be picking through it all and deciding what will work best for Lola. Both girls are still asking for book bags so I will be taking them next week for some "school" shopping.

Devils Tower

Devils Tower is a National Monument Sacred to the American Native Indians.


CheyenneThe Cheyenne call Devils Tower "Bear's Lodge," "Bear's House," "Bear's Tipi," and "Bear Peak."
The Cheyenne camped and hunted at Devils Tower in the winter. ¹
"This (Devils Tower) was a very holy place to us." ²
The Cheyenne people have a sacred narrative or legend on the origin of Bear's Lodge. ¹
"A band of Cheyenne Indians went on one of its visits to 'Bear's Tipi' to worship the Great Spirit, as did many other tribes before the white man came. The Cheyenne braves took their families with them as they felt that would be safe, as Bear's Tipi was a holy place." ²
Devils Tower is where Sweet Medicine died and it is his final earthly resting place. Sweet Medicine is the great culture hero of the Cheyenne who brought the Four Sacred Arrows to the tribe. The Four Sacred Arrows' sanctuary was located within a secret cave on the south side of Bear's Lodge. ¹ Sweet Medicine also founded the Cheyenne Warrior Societies, tribal government, special laws, and ceremonies. As Sweet Medicine lay dying in a hut by Bear's Lodge, he foretold a dark prophecy of the coming of the horse; the disappearance of the old ways and the buffalo, to be replaced by slick animals with split hoofs the people must learn to eat (cattle). He told of the coming of white men, strangers called Earth Men who could fly above the earth, take thunder from light, and dig up the earth and drain it until it was dead. <sup>2



Tif's Bit fun fact: The Lakota call it Penis Mountain. I think I found my tribe :)</sup>