Birthday Celebration

Lukas lamented that once again, he was heading out of town right after opening his gifts. This year, he is heading to Washington DC. The packages were beckoning him, so after church, he had the opportunity to open his presents. 

He desired roasted chicken and oven potatoes along with a salad for dinner, and rather than a cake he wanted apple pie with ice cream. Noah helped make the pie and improvised the candles on the ‘cake’ since birthday candles never made it onto the shopping list. 

blow hard!

Lukas is 16!

It is hard to believe that the little guy we brought home to our house in Whidbey Island is already 16 years old. He has brought us much joy, much laughter, and filled our house with electronics.

Taste Test

Someone told us that Mama Burgers was better than Five Guys. This was a claim we felt must be verified so on Sunday evening we tried out this local hamburger place. The consensus was that Mama Burger’s menu was more diverse and that the sweet potato fries were tasty.  However, the burgers at Five Guys are better.

We did not taste the shakes, so we will have to come back another time and Five Guys has nothing on the view....

Another Design Idea

Here is another one of Noah’s designs – this one created out of Lego and probably not quite as useful as the iPhone stand. It is a spinner for the Fidget Spinner! Not sure there is a market for this one. 

iPhone Stand

Noah designed a handy stand for his iPhone. He created it in a CAD program and then sent it off to the University’s 3D printing facility. Bob kindly picked it up on his way home. Maybe there is a business opportunity in this…

Fall Colors Exploration

Fall is here! This means that the deciduous trees are changing. On Sunday afternoon, we headed out to see fall colors. We were only a scant 15 miles north of town, and as we looked out north, we could see the north rim of the Grand Canyon! The aspen trees had begun to shift from bright green to warm yellow, although I suspect another week would provide an even more colorful canvas.

We had not planned to do a hike, and it was getting late, so we only explored the lower part of the path up the mountain.  Our bodies have adjusted to our new environment and handled this 8,000+ altitude without any problem. I guess we are ready to hike Humphrey’s Peak soon.

North Rim in the background

we stopped every few feet to take pictures

Debate

Lukas participated in his first Challenge II debate on Friday. He was on the affirmative side, resolving that the State of New York should Ban Homeschooling. Needless to say, he had to do a lot of research to find credible sources that would affirm this position. It led to interesting conversations about worldview and how it impacts what we read and how statistics are frequently presented in a way to make a case more compelling even when the facts do not back up the assertion.

He and his teammates scored the win for the debate, and as his Mama, I am glad it was not for real. We are still a pro-homeschooling family and grateful for the freedoms we have to choose an educational path that fits our family.