Yet another week of outdoor science school begins. Fifth graders from two different schools converged on us this morning. The ground was still muddy from the rain that came through last night, but of course that never stops us. During class today we discovered all of the usual critters - Ensatinas, Scorpions, Tree frogs, Darkling Beetles, and Deer. The kids proved enthusiastic, and did the usual paparazzi routine with their cameras. It's still funny that no matter how many times you tell fifth graders about the focusing distance of disposable cameras, they still insist on taking pictures of things from two inches away. I'm sure their parents just love developing rolls and rolls of film upon which there are nothing but indistinct patches of light and dark.
The campfire tonight went well, with the usual amount of singing and silliness and almost falling in the flames. It makes one feel sort of like a rock star.

At home, I saw the three older kids for the first time since Friday (Nate and Lexy) and Saturday (The Dickens). It's nice that they're spending more time at their dad's, but it's good that they're back home now.

The rest we had while they were gone was definitely well-earned though.