Thanksgiving

To start off our Thanksgiving Break right, we took the older kids and my mom to the Magic Castle for brunch. It was such a fun morning!

All the younger cousins got to go see Frozen 2 at the theater....

Felicity and Charity showing off their new dresses Grandma made them that they wore to Thanksgiving...

The little girls table waiting for the feast to begin...

All 21 cousins together at Grandma's house...

And with the adults...

A beautiful rainbow we saw while black Friday shopping...

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad and Grandma the following Sunday.  It is always such a joy to spend time with this wonderful lady!

We are so THANKFUL for all our many blessings!

Knight School

We were invited to Knight School for the day!  We learned about Knights and their armor...

And about Falconry and how Medieval people would have used birds of prey for hunting...

The kids got fencing lessons...

and learned Renaissance dances.

We concluded the day with a lesson on how to use the virtues of Chivalry in the modern day.

It was a fun filled school day with lots of long lost friends. 

Eagle Scout

                                         
Tanner earned his Eagle Scout Award!  He was so nervous for his Board of Review interview but did great!  Luke's interview was the same night...

 Two of his scout leaders that were there to support him, Bro Howell and Bro Jacques

Here is the Board that interviewed him...

We had a Court of Honor to recognize our troops newest scouts, Tanner, Luke, and Connor.

Here is a link to a video that Michelle made for the Court of Honor

Felicity thought it was a very enthralling presentation...

Connor's grandpa presented the boys with flags that were flown over the US Congress building.  He is a decorated veteran so it was very special that he could present them this honor.  

We had a reception at our house afterwards...

We really are so proud of Tanner.  Getting an Eagle Award is no small task.  When he was chronically sick a few years ago, I told him he did not need to worry about getting his Eagle, he had enough other things to worry about.  But it was a goal he had set and he was determined.  He kept at it and accomplished his goal.  Many moms say they earned an Eagle because they did so much of their son's work.  Not Tanner, this was all him.  Of course I helped and encouraged, but Tanner really did earn this award because of his determination and perseverance.  It was fun for me to watch him grow and learn from all he did as a scout.  Proud to be an Eagle Mom!  

Brass Rubbings

St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Long Beach teaches brass rubbings, a Medieval art that helps preserve beautiful brass artwork from the Middle Ages.  There Fellowship Hall is decorated like a castle and they teach a class about Medieval Brass Art.  Then the kids get to do a Brass Rubbing.  It was a very neat experience. 

Charity wearing chainmail that was made for a 14 year old Squire...

These cuties made it a little difficult for me to participate in everything, but they sure had fun together!

The kids finished rubbings are hanging in our school room: