My Daddy is a Giant

This is Piper Finnian's expression every time Daddy comes home. She climbs up in this chair when she hears the dogs bark. She calls Bosco "Bah". She peers out the window, recognizes Kevin's Tahoe, and begins screaming "DAH DAH DAH DAH!" She is his biggest fan.

Lately she has an opinion about everything that is put on her plate and she has decided that green is not a color she would like for her food to be. I always thought I was doing such a nice job of raising such basically unpicky children. And then along comes the Little Willow. Oh my.

She loves her new pink Chuck Taylors. When she greets a new person and she is wearing the Chucks, she stretches her foot out and points at her feet so you will notice her little pink kicks. Riley takes credit for that obsession since Riley makes such a big deal over how cute Piper looks wearing the shoes.

Finn is also in the process of getting a new room because she is going to give her space up for baby Superman. (That's Bergen's nickname for the newest guy.)

Everyone at our house is a big fan of this Piper kid. Riley spoils her with too much attention and sympathy for every fall, sigh, complaint or request. London leads her around all day, chatting with her and asking her questions. Bergen points out life's little details to her and Mosely is in the background saying, "Awww, isn't she so cute?"

Aesop's Fables

Recently two little students who are enrolled in the School of Keigley attended a cultural experience in nearby Greenville.

First, we traveled to the Peace Center and watched Jim West's Aesop's Fables, a fun and interactive puppet/theatre performance that the girls loved - laughing out loud at many scenes. "I liked everything, especially the silly guy who pretended to be Super Puppet," London said. "I liked the giraffe puppet and the dog puppet best," Mosely said.

After the show we headed to Mellow Mushroom to eat pizza slices larger than London and Mosely's heads. And it was some good pizza. We even got to sit on the tall stools since no babies went with us. (Thanks for babysitting, Riley!!)

With full bellies we made our way to the Greenville Museum of Art. We toured the exhibits. London stood amazed before such large works of art. After gazing at the pieces for a while we gathered our clipboards and colored pencils and sat down on the floor to imitate the works we were studying. The girls drew and drew and even wrote some poems about the artwork.

We had such fun experiencing what Greenville culture has to offer us. We enjoyed it so much, in fact, that Riley and I have a similar outing planned for tomorrow and all of the kids have several more plays to attend this season!

The Great Gatsby

Riley and Kevin recently ran in a 5K race in downtown Greenville. They both did great and they both received some cool tech-t-shirts for their efforts. (Plus some cola flavored shot blocks......yuck!)

Riley's photo even made it to the Greenville newspaper's online photo section!

The Bible For Little Eyes

One day I heard some interesting playing taking place. In my most stealthy manner, I tiptoed over to the door and listened without being noticed. Bergen was wrapped up in a towel and his long three year old body was condensed into a picnic basket.

(Of course, that picnic basket had formerly been holding a plethora of toys in Mosely's bedroom which I assumed must now be strewn across her floor, but that doesn't aid my story here......or my life......)

At any rate, Bergen was swaddled in the basket and London was bowing down before the basket over and over again. And then she was bringing the towel baby gifts while he lay in said basket.

London saw me and explained, "This is baby Jesus. We are worshipping him and bringing him gifts," she offered, as she handed the new born babe his greatest gift yet - a monster truck!

(Their other favorite Bible stories to reenact are baby Moses - they really like fitting Bergen in a basket - and the story of King Solomon offering to slice a child in half for two arguing mothers. They love that one!)

The Snowy Day

I should really name this post The Snowy Three Hours That Quickly Melted. For that is the truth. But for three glorious hours we touched snow. We tried to collect enough for snow cream, delicious snow cream, but it was all leaves and dirt.

Hands On Science

Bergen likes planes. Bergen likes trucks. He likes to throw things. He likes to jump and to climb and to slide and to be really, really loud.

Bergen likes rockets and spaceships and jets and he turns everything he touches into a flying object in some form.

Recently, Kevin purchased one of those Styrofoam planes for Berg. You know, the kind every boy has at least once in his life. The kind that seems so cool because it is larger than any toy you have ever owned. The kind that usually shreds as soon as it hits the pavement or the frozen ground. The kind that you are sure will really take off and fly far if just the wind could catch it right.

The kids had a wonderful time in the sub-freezing weather tossing that plane toward the ground and chasing it all over the yard.

Get a Haircut

Mosely and London each received a new hairstyle from our in-house Hair Designer.

Great work Daddy!!!

Katy and the Big Snow

It's back-to-school time. And some Keigley kids greet the new school week with joy and anticipation and some with sighs and moans.

The wee ones and I are reading Katy and the Big Snow this week (wishful thinking, on my part, with 60 degree weather here and nothing but rain, rain, rain). Yesterday we made a giant map of a town we created - Popperville. Popperville features Mosely's Ballerina Studio, Daddy's Coffee Shop, Lacey's Library, Bergen's Chocolate Dipping Factory, Riley's soccer field and the house where London lives. Oh and I think Piper has a crib factory somewhere on the edge of town as well.

Riley began guitar lessons today and is currently almost done with a 700 plus page book about Abraham Lincoln! (Written by our "relative" Carl Sandburg - have I mentioned that I am sort of related to Mr. Sandburg?) She is on the sixth book in the Anne of Green Gable series and the fifth book in the Narnia series. Plus, she is pretty excited because the word on the street is that soccer try outs are upcoming.

So go the days at the School of Keigley. By the way, South Carolina homeschool law actually requires a name for your homeschool - so if you guys have any fun suggestions, just let us know.

A Room With A View

Just some more house photos...... The kids' bedrooms are all finished so if you come visit now you needn't sleep on a camp mattress on the floor in the living room. Nope, instead you can sleep in a loft bed in a little kid's room. Moving on up!

Berg's room has a cowboy theme. (I like to state the obvious.) It's kind of like a tribute to my Wyoming brothers - hehe.