Snow by Amelia Staats

White dots filled the pale sky
Quiet, peaceful sailing high
Twinkling in the bitter night
An icy, silent bit of light

Coming from the clouds above
Like a flock of glittered doves
Landing in the bare trees
Bringing happiness to all that sees

Cheerful laughs play in the snow
Rosy cheeks and frozen toes
Swiveling all the way down
Hitting the white, icy ground

MY BIRTHDAY FLOWER

My Birthday Flower
By Amelia Staats
When I was nine years old I can remember it was one of my favorite birthdays. It started when my brother, sister, dad, and I were in Low’s shopping for mulch. My sister and I went outside to look at the fountains and flowers until we had to leave. As we were leaving to go to the car a flash of color caught my eye. There behind me were about fifty groups of beautiful flowers that were orange, yellow, and red. I read the price tag 4.50. I reached into my pocket where I was keeping my birthday money and pulled out my five dollar bill. Quickly I sprinted back and bought my birthday flower. The whole way home I was jumpy and anxious to plant my new flower which was called a mum. As we parked I through open the door and ran to the garage to get a shovel. As I was planting my beautiful red and orange flower my mom came out with good news. We were going to New Hampshire in a week and my grandparents wouldn’t be able to see me for my birthday so I was sleeping over tonight. I was exited I patted the ground beside my flower and ran inside to pack.
Finally, we arrived at my grandparent’s house and then watched my mom drive off. Then my grandma and grandpa took me to the pool in Apple Valley. I swam almost all day until we went back to the house. I went to bed that night very tired. The next day we started to drive home we stopped at the velvet ice cream place in Utica on the way back where we got ice cream and fed the ducks. We finally made it home I ran inside but the house seemed empty. I figured they all must be outside. Right when I opened the screen door about six of my friends, my brother Gabe, and my sister Isabel ran out from behind a bush at me. I was shocked and very happy. Then I realized everyone (besides Gabe) was wearing bathing suits and hula skirts. I also saw that the whole yard was decorated. There was a piñata, hula hoops, cake, and a volleyball net and ball. We got to crack open the piñata and hula hoop and eat cake. My favorite part was the presents. I got an American girl doll, a bracelet, photo album and a licorice cat (from the American girl magazine). It was a great birthday, and it all stared with my little birthday flower.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART 8
After the Colosseum we thought nothing in Rome could be as cool as that, but then we arrived at the Spanish steps are last sight in Rome. The steps were beautiful and in front of theme was a beautiful fountain. While everyone else sat at the bottom of the steps my dad and I went to the top of them. The others were missing out, the view was amazing. We could see streets going everywhere. After we left we had a picnic in a park that my dad had found and then on the way back home we got gelato. It was a perfect last day in Rome.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART 7
Finally, it was the day that we were going to see the Colosseum, we started walking down all of the streets, until we came to a giant hill and looking over the hill we saw a giant valley like thing that looked like it was full of bricks and old arches. We then walked down the hill and got tickets to go inside the ruins. Now looking closely it didn't look like just a giant pile of bricks it looked like old houses and caves beneath the soil. This turned out to be one of my favorite sights in Rome. Next what we had been waiting for the Colosseum! We got to go ahead of the line since we had already bought our tickets which was great because the line for tickets went on forever. Once we got in the sight was amazing. It was huge, there were old seats made of stone and in the middle the floor was all taken off and underneath were sells where they kept the animals and gladiators. My dad said they use to have a cover to put ontop. We went upstairs and it was an even better view of the ground and there were little balconies where we could look over the street and over the colliseum. It was finally time to go home. We decided to take the metro which didn't take long then when we got back to the apartment, my brother, sister, and I played hide and go seek for the rest of the night until it was time to go to bed.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART 6
As we entered the Vatican we saw many people dressed in funny outfits. It turns out they were the guards for the pope. It was a good thing Gabe wasn't wearing shorts because to get in, you had to have your knees covered. We walked around a big fountain for a while and my mom took some pictures then we headed inside. Everywhere there were little markings and pictures made of glass. We headed down a long hallway where there were a bunch of stone coffins one for each pope. After we were out we went inside a different part of the church where the walls were covered in stained glass and the floor was decorated with swirls and colorful shapes.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART 5
As the van came into the city we saw old buildings of hundreds of different colors. The building we were staying in was pink and yellow, and the building across the street was orange. We had nothing to do because the man that owned the apartment wasn't expecting us for another hour so while Gabe, Isabel and my dad went to look for a grocery store my mom and I watched the stuff on a bench outside, well she did, I slept. Finally it was noon and we walked up to our apartment to drop off our stuff then we were going to walk around. We walked down the streets and everyone was moving fast. People whizzed by us or biked or rode smart cars, and scooters, it was a familiar feeling like in Paris. Then we saw in the distance a huge wall the wall that surrounded the huge Vatican.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART 4
Finally we were off the plane. my ears felt like two big balloons and my stomach felt sick, but when I glanced out the window the beauty of Italy amazed me, and I hadn't even saw the city yet. Next we had to find a way to get to our apartment so we went to a stand where they were selling train tickets. Only 11 Euros each, that would be 75 dollars here. We went to another stand that said tourist information and the lady there told us we could take a van straight to our apartment, so we waited and a driver came and led us to a big white van with two other people. Most of the ride nobody talked Gabe, Isabel, and I were just staring at the scenery. Out of the city there were fields and lots of trees and in the city was much different.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART 3
Finally we were on the plane and off to ROME!!!!!!!!! but, unfortunately we had 3 seats in business and 2 in coach. Because Isabel couldn't sit in Business because she was to young, I got to sit in business. Of course Gabe didn't want to sit in coach so my dad said he would pay me 20 bucks to sit with Isabel in coach, of course I wanted 10 Euro to spend in Italy so I went on the plane happy. 4 hours later... tired, need sleep, would give up 20 dollars, but I couldn't. Finally after 6 movies, 4 chapters, 1 minute of sleep we arrived in ROME. YESSSSSSS.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART TWO

While we waited in the airport we thought that we would catch a bus to the air and space museum. Of course mom and me didn't want to look at old planes so we went to a mc donalds and mom worked on her achievment test that she was writing and I read my book. After a while we got hungry so my mom and I got together some dimes and nickels and quarters and got hot chocolate and french fries. When my Isabel, Gabe, and dad got back we ate, and then my sister and brother went to look in the old control tower. While they were gone my mom, dad and I played Rummy. I beat my dad twice.......YESSSSSSSSSSS. There were also these people there who I talked to about a the book I was reading called the city of masks. Finally we left and went back to the airport.

3.00pm- bedtime in Rome

PART ONE

Last week we went to Rome. Waking up at 3:00 is much tougher then it sounds. As a picture, I
was still in bed until 20 min before we left. On the way to the airport I ......slept. Once we got there we got our tickets and then walked half asleep through security, on the other side we boarded our plane. Some how I didn't sleep on the plane, my sister on the doze off as soon as she sat down. The whole ride to Dullas I just read my book. When we got to the next airport we found out some information we should have known much earlier, Guess what kids, our flight leaves at 6:30 tonight.

Obama rally

Today my family and i went to an Obama rally. we got up pretty early and drove to Columbus where it was taking place. Right when we drove up i knew it would be pretty crowded. Finally, we found a parking spot and started to walk to the park where Obama would be speaking. AS we walked there were tons of people selling Obama shirts, pins, and hats and a bunch of people standing in a long line..... the line to get in. It turned out the line didn't take very long soon we were through the security and fighting for a place to watch. Soon it started to get real hot and we wanted a place to sit down in the shade, bye bye spot. After we saw it getting crowded we decided to head back to our spot it was to crowded so we found another spot a little further back, then it started to get too hot again so we went to sit in the shade again, we lost that spot to. Finally, people started to talk on the stage with the music playing in the back ground of course I couldn't see anything because of the crowd but i could hear the people talking and the crowd cheering. Then after the last person spoke (the mayor of Columbus) we heard a giant cheer and people started to put there cameras in the air because at last Obama started to talk. My brother got onto a truck to take pictures and when we all went over to join him i got a spot on the truck to where I had a perfect view of the stage. Finally, it was time to go. After we ate we went to the Easton Mall to see a movie, after the movie we headed home.

bee beard

A few days ago my family and I decided to go to a bee festival. My parents said that there would be a man there that had bees all over his face like a beard. It took a while to get there because my parents got lost but finally we entered the small town of Lythopolis. There were tents everywhere and stands selling, pottery, honey, honey candles and a lot more. We kept following the signs that said bee man. The signs led us to a small tent
surrounded by a bunch of anxious people. Finally two men arrived one wearing a screened hat and another with nothing but a tee shirt and shorts on. Then, "in my opinion was the craziest thing ever" they started to dump the bees into a grocery bag. As one man was doing this the other was putting a little box on his chin, this box held the queen bee. After they had gotten enough bees in the bag the man started to pour the bees towards his face! Soon they were covering hes chin, neck and part of his shirt. That still wasn't enough, the man kept scooping up bees with his bear hand and putting more bees on his face. After he stopped, there was a giant bee beard on his face. The crowd applauded and the bee man walked around for everyone to see the cluster of honey bees. Pretty soon the crowd died down and the man started to get the bees off. Before we went I decided to take a look at the library there, it was huge and amazing. To me it looked just like a castle, with paintings on the walls and sculptures. After I was out of the library I watched the band play for a little while and my mom bought some honey. Then we left, it was a great day at the bee festival.

New Hampshire

I have recently come back from my trip to New Hampshire. This was my first time going on a trip alone. First, I had to ride the plane alone, the whole way there I pretty much did two things read, and sleep. When I arrived my Aunt Tricia was waiting at the gate. After we got to the car we started on our way back to Warner where my Aunt Tricia lives. On the way we stopped by Panera's and even though it was 80 degree weather we both got a bowl of hot soup. When we arrived at the house I got a huge welcome by Sammy and Pippy my aunt's two white and fluffy American Eskimo's. The whole week I got to read and write a ton, mostly fantasy. Another thing we did was go to the book store (bookends) there I picked out a Spanish board game since we are going to Mexico soon. I also explored some poetry books by Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson. Next, we made a stop at Wing doodle. Wing doodle was a store like no other they had exotic crafts and toys, beaded animals, jewelry and giant pipe cleaners. Here I found my mom and my sisters presents earrings for my mom and giant pipe cleaners that you could bend and twist and connect to make all sorts of different things for my sister. The next day we went to books by the lake (another bookstore) where the books were crammed onto the shelves and there were tons of different rooms and aisles. Here I picked out a book called Esperanza rising about a girl who lives in Mexico and has everything she ever wants until she is forced to move to the united states with her mother. We kept hoping that it would it would rain because we both agreed it would be fun browsing books while it was raining. It rained. Right as we walked out the door. When we got back I read for the rest of the day since my aunt had to teach one of her students. After he left my uncle Melvin and I played bad mitten. Lets just say I didn't do so well. The next day my aunt and my uncle had to meet a real estate agent because they are selling there house so while he was there taking pictures, I took the dogs for a walk around the yard for a while, when I came back in I watched a movie called Bear with me about a girl who tries to save the bears from men cutting down the forests. After that we headed to lake massasecum. There me and my aunt Tricia used the paddle boat and went around the island in the middle of the lake. We started to think that people say yeah to much and so we tried to say yeah the whole way around the island. We couldn't do it, one way or the other it sounds weird to say "I agree" or "exactly". I also had a giant pickle, and got a floating raft for my brother. When we got back we all started to pack to come back to Ohio. We were driving. Unfortunately, we couldn't take the dogs. Of course they were exited for doggie daycare. While we were dropping them off the next day we saw a dog show there were little shelties and on American Eskimo named Chili. The Shelties made me miss daisy. I now hate new york 4 hours 1 in which it was raining. when it started to get dark we went to the Microtel to sleep. I can see how they got the name the room was.... a pipsqueak. I got to sleep in the windowsill which was like a little bed. I went to bed fast that night. The next day we arrived at my grandparents house. There I sat staring at the window waiting for my mom, sister, and brother to arrive. I was so happy, it was a very fun vacation!

Thank you Aunt tricia and Uncle Melvin.

Global warming

Causes
Today I read an article about global warming. Carbon dioxide is entering the Earth's atmosphere but not enough of the Carbon dioxide isn't escaping back out of the atomosphere. This is an example of green house gas. With a greenhouse, the sunlight comes in through the glass trapping heat inside and not enough heat is excaping back out. Another cause is big industries are realeasing carbon dioxide into the air. Big industries are also polluting the Earth by realeasing so many toxic chemicals into the air.
Effects
The Effects of global warming are ice caps in the arctic are melting. Because the ice is melting, it is causing many animals that live there to starve or begain to lose their homes. For example, most penguins live off krill, krill usually live underneath the ice, if the ice is melting there are less krill for the penguins to eat. If the penguins die out, animals such as the lepoerd seal will have nothing to feed on. On of the main animals losing food and homes are the polar bear. There home is the ice and if the ice is melting, where do they live? Polar bears where made to live in the cold with there thick fur and layers of fat, if the earth heats up they will be stuck in warm weather where they can't survive. Global warming is even effecting humans. Because the ice is melting that is causing sea level to rise, the land that we live on is gradually being replaced with water. I think that something has to be done before it's to late.

A sad day in Paris

We were very sad today since it was the last day, in paris. We were exited since we got to get our souveniours. Since my brother gave me the fever and got my mom sick, my mom didn't want to walk that day so she decided not to come. We first walked a while and until we got to the metro station which we would take to Sacrecour, a church with one of the best views of paris. Once we climbed the stairs to the church we saw the most amazing view. We could see almost all of Paris, then we went into the church. The church was bigger then most churches but not as big as notre dame. There was a lot of stained glass just like at Saint Chapelle but not at all as much. After we left the church we went down back to the street and since my dad wasn't feeling good we went to the pharmacy to get medicine. After we left we went got on another metro to a station towards the Seine river. After we found a stand to get lunch we ate by the river before heading to the Holocaust museum. At the holcaust museum we saw names of all the french people that were killed by the nazi's. There were four or five walls listed of people that were killed. There were also pictures of children younger then me that were killed, even infants. After we left the holocaust museum we walked to the red wagon bookstore and my brother got a book to read. Finally, we went to the pompidou (an art museum) to pick out souveniours. My sister got a striped purse and my brother got his face drawn in a funny way and I just got my faced drawn. I had to stay perfectly still as he sketched for twenty minutes. Once we had all gotten our things, we headed home where my brother and dad got food from the grocery store for dinner. After we had eaten, we all blogged for a while while my mom and dad went to cafe. When they got back we went to bed.

Versailles

Today we woke up pretty early to go to Versailles. We were going to take a metro since it was so far away, even the metro ride would take 45 minutes. On the metro half of the time I was sleeping and half of the time I was reading, finally we got to Versailles. Versailles is where king Louis 14th, 15th, and 16th lived, also the Queen, Marie Antoinette. Once we got there, we noticed that the line was huge. It swerved across a large patio and you had to go across the patio 3 times and around swerves 3 times. finally we got to the entrance. As we walked into the palace we saw what seemed like a thousand different rooms, all with different themes. There was the bedrooms for the queen and king, the apollo room, the war room, and many more. Once we had looked at some of the rooms, we decided we'd had enough fancy, fluffy, and velvet for one day so we headed out to the garden. The garden was actually where King Louis had big parties. There were fountains everywhere and the best part, ice cream. After we had eaten, we headed down to the big lake to see the sail boats that were sailing in the water. We walked through the hedges for a while and looked at different fountains that had sculptures in them after that we headed back up to the palace to the a fountain where everyone was gathering for the ending event, a fountain show. For the water show, there was a giant fountain that sprayed up really high into the air. We left early so the metro wouldn't be very crouded and on the way we ate dinner. Once we finally got on the metro it wasn't very crouded so we all got seats. We had to get on and off three times until we finally got back to the right station where the apartment is. Once we got home my mom and dad went out together and we all read and blogged until they got back. Looking forward to another fantastic day in paris.

Some imformaton about the Versailles:
marie Antoinette wanted to live a peasent life as an escape from the queen world but she didn't want to starve or beg for food so she built a village in the country where she just had her friends visit.
Louis 14th was also known as the king of sun, when he grew peaches in his green house underground all his peaches turned out good and thats how he got his name.

Bones, Bones, and more bones

Today my brother, sister, dad and i went to visit the catacombs of Paris. The Catacomb was a mile long tunnel underground. First, you would walk down 60 feet of stairs until you came to the tunnel. As we started to walk in, we saw no sight of the bones that we were told we would see so we just kept walking and pretty soon we got used to the cold, dull, tunnel. There were little coves in the tunnel that were blocked of and a couple fo times we flashed a light in them seeing if there were any bones, but still none. Then all of a sudden...tons and tons of gross, dirty, and disgusting, bones. The bones were just sitting in piles forming walls. There were skulls, and a bunch of arm and leg bones. My brother and sister actually touched the bones! For me i was scared to death, I wanted out, but it was a mile. We kept walking through the walls of bones until finally we got out. i later found out that all of those bones actually used to be in the graves of a cemetary in Paris. The people that lived near the cemetery were getting deseases because of inproper burials, open mass graves, and decomposing bodies. The people were probubly drinking the water that had gone through where the bones and bodies were, thats why they moved the bones to the tunnel. After we were done looking at gross bones, we went and ate before going home. On the way home my we stopped and got frozen food to cook at home. After dinner we had ice cream and gradually went to bed.

Today we woke up fairly early, we were going to the Orsay meseum. my mom wasn't going with us since she just wanted to relax since we were going to walk quite a bit and see...bones. As we started to head out my sister and I went down the stairs, there we leaped up and grabbed on on the bars and swung on them trying to beat the elevator (which held my dad and brother) down. Once we had gotten down we started walking down the street and before we got to the museum, my dad let us stop for chocolate creps. (A thin pancake with chocolate melted inside of it). After we arrived at the orsay museum we showed the guard our passes and then started walking in. My favorite section in the museum was the section with Claude Monet's paintings. One of his paintings is the le bassin aux nympheas. This painting shows a a bridge over a lilly pond in Monet's garden. Since Monet was known as the impressionist this piece shows a lot of unrealistic details. for example the lilly pads aren't really resembleing real lily pads. I think that Monet wasn't just painting the lilly pond, I think that he was painting how he felt and that is why Monet was known as an impressionist he didn't just paint what what he was looking at but much more. I think that Monet was inspired a lot by his garden and he uses a lot of detail from the lily pond and flowers. Although I think that some of his paintings are exaggerated, I think that he had a creative idea for each painting. I found out that nymphea's mean water lily's and that that is where the name for the painting came for since the water lily's are one of the main section's in the painting. Monet was a great artist and an inspiration to many people.

The Lourve.

Today we visited the Lourve. The Lourve is a museum in Paris that holds the Mona Lisa and many other interesting and beautiful paintings and sculptures. My favorite piece at the Lourve was a sculpture by Antonio Canove which he called Psyche raminmee par le baiser de l'amour. This sculpture shows an angle holding a women nad leaning down on her. The womn looks to me like she is either in pain and the angel is saving her, or she is in love with the angel. The angel is actually supposed to resemble cupid and thats why I thought she might be in love. Antonio Canova was born in 1757 and started this sculpture in 1782. The first copy of the Psyche raminee par le baiser de I'amour was first donated to the Louvre in1802 by Joachim Murat. I liked this sculpture because I felt like not only is it beautiful but every single detail means something like the expressions on the faces and how there positioned. I also think that this sculpture had emotion in it, like for a while you would think that the women is crying and the angel is trying to comfort her. What it really is supposed to be is a psyche lying on the ground and she is awakenend by cupids kiss. After we left we all looked forward to the rest of the lourve.

The holocaust momorial and the lady and the unicorn tapestris

Today we visited the Holocaust momorial. Once we got to the Momorial we saw a sign that said to say silent. we found out by silent they ment no talking at all until you were out. We walked down a steep staircase until we got to a room with either dirt of rock for the walls then we entered a little chamber that held the momorial. There was a small pathway in the chamber with 200,000 little crystal lights that represented all the french lives that were taken during the Holocaust. Right when you walked into the cold chamber you could imagine what it was like for all those jews, gysies, and many more different races that were killed in the concentration camps. After we had left the holocaust momorial we went to Musee de cluny which held the lady and the Unicorn Tapesris. The Lady and the Unicorn tapestris are basically a bunch of quilts that have ladies and Unicorns on it and they are representing all the different senses like they have the ladies eating for taste or smelling for smell. There is one quilt that doesn't represent any sense and you are supposed to say what you think it means. it shows all the unicorns and ladies and animals together being happy and loving just gathering together. I think that it represents love and happieness. I think that it is supposed to make you think about what that picture means to you. After we left the lady and the unicorn tapestris we went to some more museums before going home. Once we got home my sister and I went to the Pitisserie while my brother went up to the apartment. when we got back we found out we were stuck in a middle room and my brother had to come open the door. He ended up forgetting the key in our apartment so we were locked out. We spent a long time just sitting on the street for a few hours and one man even let us try his key. Finally, my dad got on the roof {which was on the 5th floor} to go through the window. he did finally get in. After we were all in, my brother, sister, and I went to the grocery store and got dinner for us. We got onion rings, we thought, but it ended up being squid. After our dinner we blogged and went to bed. Another great day in Paris.

The Thinker

Today we visited Musee de Rodin. One of the pieces kept at the Musee de Rodin is a sculpture by Aguste Rodin. This famous sculpture is called The Thinker. The Thinker was originally called the Poet and is part of another one of Rodin's sculptures called The gates of hell. The gates of hell is a sculpture that shows a gate with some of Rodin's other pieces on it, creatures that look like black demons. Rodin first made a plaster copy of The Thinker in 1880, the first bronze copy was finished in 1902. The Thinker was not shown to to paris until 1904. It was moved to Hotel Biron in 1922 which was later made into The Musee de Rodin. The Thinker was supposed to be of a poet named Dante and each of the different parts of the Gate of Hell represent the main Charactors in Dante's poem "Epic Poem". To me The thinker represents a man thinking of words and thoughts as if in a poem I also think that he is thinking about what will happen in the future, like when he dies. Thats why he was put on the gate of Hell. The Thinker was an inspiring and unique sculpture that makes you wonder what exactly he is thinking about.

The arc de Triomphe, Monet, and the Louvre.

Today we woke up pretty late and because my mom never got to see the arc de Triomphe, we decided to go. We wanted to take the metro since we had other plans that day. Once we had gotten to the metro station we got on and rode to a station near the Arc de Triomphe. We walked in an underground walkway under the street until we were there. My dad had gotten museum passes so could go to the top of the monument. We learned that the Arc de Triomphe was built in napolean's honor. The stairs took forever. They winding stairs and they went around in around over and over, when you thought you were at the top you would only be about half way. After we had gotten to the top there was a small exibit at the top with statues and a screen showing underneath the Arc de Triomphe. The stair nightmare had just begun. There was another staircase to the top. Once we had gotten to the top I decided it was worth the climb up. There was a view of the Eiffle tower and a semetrical street that looked almost perfectly the same on both sides. After looking around at the view, we headed back down the winding staircase and to Champ-elysees, where everyone was shopping and eating lunch. Since my my mom wasn't feeling good we stopped at a pharmacy to get medecine, then we stopped for lunch and got sandwiches. After we had finished our lunch, we started to walk down the street toward's the Louvre. As we got nearer we saw a big gold post that had Egyption symbols on it and it turns out it was brought here from Egypt. After we had gotten to Monet's museum we saw a bunch of paintings that monet painted. We also saw paintings by Picasso. Once we were done looking at the paintings we headed to the front of the Louvre. There were statues everywhere. There was also what we called the "Mini Arc de Triomphe" you could see the real Arc de Triomphe right through it. We didn't go into the Louvre that day since it would take a whole day to see the whole thing. We started to walk until we saw this couryard that had a bunch of small and giant poles in it, big enough to stand on. We went around trying to get up on the big ones and jumping from one to the other on the small ones. When we left my brother, sister, and I were disappointed when we had to leave. We started to walk back and when we got back to another museum where we sat on a brick patio infront of the meseum while we ate our ice cream, then we headed back home. We went to bed pretty early that night.

The art mueseum and Luxembourg park

Today we woke up late since we had gotten back to the apartment late the night before. We decided that we couldn't go to monet's garden since we woke up to early so we decided to go to an art museum that was nearby. We started to walk down the street, which was already so busy, and headed towards the mueseum. Once we had gotten there it took us a while to get inside since we didn't know how to get in. Once we had gotten in we saw a giant spider sculpture and a gold ball swinging around a giant ball that was hung to the ceiling then we started up to the escalator which was in a giant tube going to the higher floors. Once we had gotten to the top floor we found out that you needed tickets to go and see the art on that floor so we headed down to a lower floor where we got to see all kinds of modern art. Some of the art looked like a giant blotch and you would think that it would be easy to paint and some art just had no meaning but would amaze you with there color and different patterns. We saw so many paintings and sculptures of humans, animals, and just designs. Once we started to get hungry we started to head down the escalator. After we were down and outside we saw a bunch of people playing exotic insruments and painters. We than headed to a greek resaraunt to eat. After we had ate we started to head towards Luxembourg park. As we kept going we saw some french performers playing the guitar, drums, and singing. Once we had gotten to the park they were selling icecream and we got melon, kiwi, and mango icecream. There were performers at the park too, there were trumpet players, trombone players, and drummers. After we ate our icecream we headed deeper into the park where there was a pond with romote control boats in it and ducks. Around the pond were a bunch of people sitting, talking, and picnicing. Once we had sat at the pond for awhile we got to watch some people play tennis at the park. We than left the park and sat on a bench for a little bit before going on the metro back to the apartment. Once we had gotten of the metro we sat at a little cafe for a little and had tea, orange juice, and water then we had chinese food for dinner. Once we had gotten back to the apartment my mom and dad left to get groceries while we rested. We looked forward to the next day.

The Eiffle Tower

Today once we got up we quickly got ready because we were all exited to go to the Eiffle tower. We decided to walk there and not take the metro since it was a beautiful day and warm outside. My dad kept checking the map and then we would walk and then finally we came to a bridge that went over a river. We walked down to a river path until everyone started to get hungry, so we started looking for a place selling baguettes. We had no luck so we just stopped and got sandwiches and brownies at a cafe. When we had finishe our food we headed on looking for the Eiffle tower. It wasn't very hard to find since it was so tall. Once we got there we layed down in the grass and stared up at it. My brother took lots of pictures. We started to walk towards the long line of people waiting to buy tickets. My mom, sister, and I waited in line while Gabe, and my dad got water bottles for the walk up. We decided to walk up the stairs instead of the elevator. On the way up there were signs that told how and why the Eiffle tower was made. It turns out an arcitect named Gustave Eiffle designed the Eiffle tower for the worlds fair that was to take place in France. The Eiffle tower was finished after the world's fair had already taken place. Gustave Eiffle died before it was finished. When we got to the 1st floor we were already really high we walked around and took pictures before going up to the second floor. When we got to the second floor the view was already magnificant but it would be a lot better at top floor which there was a long line since you had to buy more tickets on the second floor to get to the top of the Eiffle tower. Finally, we got into an elevator and rode up to the top floor. The view there was better than anything I had ever seen. From up on top you could see the Arc de Triomphe, the lourve, the tons of lines below and even the river that we walked by. After a while we decided to head back down so we waited in another line and went back to the second level. The walk down was a lot easier than going up and when we got to the top we layed in the grass again. My brother, sister, and I walked over and got chocolate crepes. It was the first time I got to use my French in a long sentence. We then walked over to another street and got sandwhiches and cookies. After we ate we saw the Eiffle tower light up. It was an amazing sight then at 10:00pm it started to flash over and over again all over the tower. After it stopped we headed to the metro to get on the subway. After switching trains 3 or 4 times we got home and went to bed.

Paris

Today we arrived in Paris. The plane we rode in was a 767 and really cool since we sat in Business. We had are own individual T.V's and my sister and I stayed up really late talking and playing with our flashlight. When the plane finally landed we unloaded and walked around until we found where the baggage area was. We waited there for along time until we decided to ask someone about our bags. We found out they had been left in Chicago and that they would have to come on the next flight. After we showed the security our passports, we got passes for the subways that went all over paris underground. We rode and rode for a long time and then when we got off we still didn't know where we were. We finally after walking on the streets of Paris for a while we got on the right subway and got to our hotel. Later after we had eaten. My dad, sister, brother, and I all went out and saw the Arc de triomphe. We walked in an underground passage until we got right under it the Arc de tiomphe. There were beautiful sculptures and detailed carvings in the Arc de Tiomphe. There was also a fire burning with flowers surrounding it. As we walked back we stopped at a bakery and my dad spoke french as we bought some dessert. when we got back we all started to fall asleep and eventually we did. In the morning we went to our apartment that we were renting. We had to take a subway but after that it was a pretty short walk. When we got there the man was still cleaning so we left and had lunch. My sister got a egg and cheese crepe and the rest of us got Panini which was a large bread with different foods in it like cheese, tomato and a lot more. Once we got back to the apartment my dad, brother, sister, and I went to the grocery store and got a bagette which is French bread. We also walked downtown and to look for a dry cleaning. When we got back we had bagette, apples, and sausage.

Godessess

I have recently read a book about godesses. It shows the godesses that the people in each country beileve in and that there weren't just men. The first goddess is a goddess beileved in by the people of china. Her name was Chang o. The story of chang o begains when her husband Yi, shoots down 9 suns leaving only one to heat the Earth and so Chang O and Yi are forced to live amoung the humans. After being depressed for some time Chang O sends her husband to another goddess named Hsi Wang Mu to get magical peaches which will turn them imortal again but not enough to make them a god and goddess. When he returns with the peaches, Yi asks his wife to wait and guard the peaches while he went hunting and then when he got back they would eat the peaches together. Chang O thought to her self it wasn't her fault her husband shot down the suns. She thought that possibly with her peach and Yi's peach she would become a goddess again. She was tempted and then ate both peaches. She instantly floated towards the heavens lighter then ever and was then a goddess again but couldn't leave the moon since she was to light. Her husband was at first angry but forgave her since he loved her so much. He built her a palace on the moon but could only visit her once a month. Another goddess that I learned about was a Nigerian goddess named Oya. Oya was said to once be an antolope who could take off her skin and look like a human and spend time with humans. A thunder god named Shango imediately fell in love with her. He hid her skin and then asked to marry her. She new that he hid her skin and when she found out she was furious but her husband begged her to stay with him. It is also said that Oya could make the river overflow when she is mad and make it dry up when she is mad to but when she is happy she makes it flow peacefully for the village. The last goddess is a Hawaiian goddess named Pele. Pele is said to rule all fire from the volcanoes. Pele was said to have used to live with her sister in the ocean but when Pele made her sister angry, she was kicked out of her sisters home. After searching the oceans for a long time, Pele came to the Hawaiian islands and settled into Mt. Kilauea, Hawaii's most active volcano. Pele later married the chief of an island and Pele had to return to her own home. She said she would be back soon but she was gone to long and the prince thought she abandoned him and died. There are many more goddesses with more interesting stories and tales.

rainy tennis and sleepovers

Today we had to get up pretty early to go to our tennis lessons at Denison University. Since it had warmed up quite a bit since we got back we started to play tennis outside. I woke up and got all my things together and then we headed towards the courts. When we got there the clouds were getting darker but the courts were still dry so we could hit until it rained. We were just starting to warm up when it started to sprinkle we still kept playing and after a while it stopped but then towards the end of our lesson it started to rain pretty hard so everybody was running around picking up tennis balls and putting them under towels, then we headed to the advantage club. Since there were only 10 more minutes of my age groups lesson they just started isabels lesson when we got there. I just served on a different court until my brother came and set up the ball machine for us to hit with. When my sister was done with her lesson we started to head home. My brother stayed since he hadn't had his lesson yet. When we got home we just relaxed and watched t.v until it was time to go to are sleepover which was my sisters second sleepover. When we got there my friend and I went up to her room and played with her ginnypigs named curby and Leo. We got to take them outside and they ate grass, dandilions, and clovers. We found out that my other friend wasn't feeling good and wasn't coming and then went to get pizza and icecream when we got back right as the movie was starting my friend Kaitlyn gets a call that My friend Angie was going to come. When she got there we showed her the cats, dogs, ginnypigs, fish, and turtles and then got out fake tatoos and put them on. We also did our nails and played truth or dare. When we were done it was already late but we went downstairs and set up a two room tent and played until we fell asleep. The next mourning we ate breakfast and then went outside and to ride scooters and bikes before walking downtown and getting whits and webkinz. On our walk back Angie was picked up but the rest of us went to the Buckston in and looked in the fountains and found tadpoles which we saved from a tiny crevice in the cement. we put them into the pond with they others and cleared out the crevice so if they went in they could get back out easily without being stuck. When we got back home are friends stayed at our house for 2 hours then went home. Isabel and I had to clean are room and then we bounced on the trampoline before going to bed.

Out of the Dust

 In the book "Out of the Dust" Billie Joe's mother finally has the baby and dies because she was burned by an accidental fire. The fire burns her and the side of the baby, and then the baby dies too because of the burn. Now her father and her are barely speaking and everything seems dead until her father starts digging a hole which will soon be the pond that her mama always wanted to build. Because of the dust storms, many people's houses are being destroyed so one family has to stay inside Billie Joe's school classroom so they don't have to sleep in a truck. People start bringing in toys for the children and clothing for the pregnant woman's baby. Once the baby was born the family waited a few weeks before moving west towards California. Billie Joe chases their truck begging to go with them but they were already too far away. After a few days, it starts to snow for the very first time that year and everyone in the town is exited for the snow to melt into the soil for their crops. Everything in the town starts to perk up, Billie Joe enters a competition playing the piano and they go to the presidents birthday ball. Even though everything seems happier after Billie Joe's mothers death, there were still more dust storms waiting to turn her life back into a dull nightmare. 

Homeschooling, and some kickball

Today we woke up early to start are school work. We did our math, science, history, social studies, and languege arts before heading outside to the trampoline and the homemade swing that we put up. We were thinking of going to play tennis at Denison but we decided not to after a while. When we played on the trampoline for a while my sister and I decided to make a homemade swing on the pole in our yard. We first took a pole and secured a rope around it extra tight. Then, we took the other end of the rope and attached it to the top of there pole and after a while of work it was finally made, our invention we called a swirl swing. You woud sit on the pole and then wwing around the giant pole around in around. When the bus for the public school came to let off the kids our friend Lyndsey got off and stopped by to play for a while. We bounced on the trampoline and swung on the swirl swing until she had to go home to do her work when it was dinner time she came back to eat with us and then after dinner we bounced on the trampoline again. After bouncing we went into the front yard with the big bouncy ball and played kick ball for like thirty minutes with my brother and I on a team and Isabel and Lyndsey on a team. We played for a long time once my brother left to run with my dad until Lyndsey had to go home since it was a school night. My sister and I played in the room before going to bed that night.

seeing friends again

Today we didn't have any school work since it was Sunday. We have been recently reading an article on Joan of arc. We've read about how she lead France into winning many victories and help to crown king Charles. We are now at the part of how she was burned for committing heresy. That day we also got to go to are friends house. While we were at our f riends house we had to go to our friends uncles pet clinic and a little teacup chiwawa named Taco who had to get a shot for him to survive. while we were there my sister and our friends played tag and played with the cats and a dog called Frenchie. We also ordered a pizza to take to the park with us. The park we were going to was new and it had a club house and a lot of things to climb on. We also played lots of games there before leaving. Once we had left we went to get ice cream and marshmellow milkshakes before going home. When we got home we were tired and went to bed after reading.

Home sweet home

Finally, after a long plane ride we were home. when we got home we were all really tired. My sister, brother and I went right to the tramoline when we got home, while my dad went to the store and my mom opened the mail. The next day we all got up early as usual and started doing are work. My brother and I had to read an article about Joan of arc and how she fought in many wars and was said to of heard the voices of saints. We also read an article on global warming and all the co2 is being trapped inside the earths atmosphere and heating the earth causing sea level to rise. We also did our french, math, vocabulary, science, and history. My dad and brother then biked to the grocery store down town. While my dad and brother went down town my sister and I bounced on the trampoline and when my brother and dad got back my sister and I walked downtown. My sister got a new webkinz and we got candy which was eaten quickly. when we got back my brother got an idea to move the trampoline underneath a big wooden structure that my dad had built long before. It took a while but my brother and I finally moved it over and we took turns jumping off the fort and onto the trampoline. I was the funnest thing ever. That night are friend Lyndsey came over and jumped with us until it got really dark and the street lights were on lighting the trampoline. The next day my grandparents came over after we did our work and we did tricks on the trampoline for them and put up the swing that had broken down. When it came time for dinner we went to Olive garden to eat. After Olive garden my mom and dad went to Lows since our trees on the side of our yard had died and they were thinking of replaceing them with yellow bushes. Once they got home we bounced on the trampoline for a little longer before going to Whits for icecream. Once we got back my grandparents had to go home. After jumping on the trampoline for a little bit again, we all went to sleep.

Second day of skiing.

Today we went on our second day of skiing at winter park. My brother wanted to go off on his own to go off on his own in terrain park so my dad gave him a cell phone and he went off. First, we went and put our stuff in the lockers before heading out. We didn't have to go to the rental place since we got to keep our gear overnight. For our first lift we chose the main one that goes from the main level of the mountain up higher. We then went from there on a trail that was pretty hard on the snowboard since it was flat and we have nothing to pull ourselves along with. First we would go off and then when we ran out of speed we would crawl up hill to get more speed. When we finally got to the end of the run we took a lift up to Mary Jane which was higher up in the mountains. We then took a trail called Elderwiess which would lead us to the lift that would take us to the top point of the whole mountain. When we got there it was like an eight minute ride to the top and when we got there we were disappointed. The wind was spraying snow into our faces and it was freezing. We started down the hill and we ran out of speed again. Since it would take a while to get back up the slope we decided to just go down the mountain off the trail. I went through this forest path and got stuck a lot since the snow off trail was so thick. My board would slide underneath the thick snow and would get stuck there. When we finally got off onto a main trail we rode down to a lift and got on to ride back to Mary Jane. We were going to meet my brother for lunch so we decided to go back to a place called sunspot that was half way up the mountain where there was a lodge to eat at. After we ate we started down a path called March hare which lead down to another lift. After a whole day of snowboarding we were going to end with one last run corona. By then the snow had gotten a lot worse so without goggles you could barely see where you were going. There were a lot of turns on Corona so you would get stuck if you didn't have enough speed. After Corona we to a short trail back to the village at the bottom of the mountain, there we waited for my brother. The ski resort originally closed a 4:00 and even my dad, sister, and I were late but my brother was still almost on the top of the slope after closing time. He ended up getting a ride on a snowmobile down the slope. Once we had returned our stuff we headed back to the house. After eating dinner at the pizza restaurant with my mom we headed back to the house and went to bed.

Skiing at last!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today we finally went skiing. We all had to get up really early because the skiing place closed at four o clock. The drive there was beautiful there were evergreen trees everywhere covered in snow. When we finally got to Winter park we parked and then got our rental gear. Once we had our gear, we headed to the slopes. The ride up was really long since the mountain was so big. We finally got to the top and went on the slope named the march hare, almost all the slopes had names from Alice in Wonderland like the mad hatter and the door mouse. It took forever to get to the bottom even though we really weren't at the bottom, we were just down the hill a little ways. The snow felt different since it was naturally there unlike the snow in Ohio which was manmade snow. Then we went up another slope that was surrounded with trees. Once we made it down the hill a little ways I started to feel bad since I hadn't eaten lunch yet and we were higher up so it was harder to breathe. My dad took us up another lift and to one of the lodges to eat. Since the mountain was so big there were lodges and cafe's on top of almost every lift. Once we had eaten macaroni in bread bowls we headed out on the slopes again. We split up with my brother one time since he wanted to go in the terrain park. We ended up losing him luckily we had a meeting spot and found him and went on another slope. We tried to get to the top but the lift was closed so we decided to go down the slope and back to the car since it was getting close to the closing time. When we got in the car we were all really thirsty and me and my sister finished a bottle of water each. Once we got home we ate dinner and went in the hot tub before going to bed. 

A hike, daddy, and downtown Denver

Today, since my dad was gone on a trip my brother, mom, sister, and I went on a hike. When we arrived at the hiking trail we started out all energetic and happy. A little way down the path we saw a giant rock slope which we all immediately wanted to climb. My brother first went to the very top of the slope which I at first were to afraid to go on but the realizing what a view I would miss headed up behind him. The way up was pretty steep and when you got close to the top there was a little walk way in between two giant boulders. It was worth the climb, the view was beautiful, you could see a few mountains in the back and the whole peaceful field which the path went through. As we carried on we headed into the forest which was full of green plants and sparkly rocks. Finally, we came to a river with a bridge over it. My sister and I went under the bridge on the rocks and came up the other side before crossing the bridge. By then we were really tired and were just thinking about nice cold ice cream which we were getting afterwards. Since we didn't have water with us we would scoop up fresh snow and eat it whenever we got thirsty. Finally we got back to the car and went to get ice cream. When we got back to the house we ate dinner, went in the hot tub and right to bed. The next day we went to pick up my dad at the airport in Denver. On the way there we played games and talked. When we got there we went to get the what was said to be the best pizza in Denver which was really good. Next we went to a bookstore which was really fun. we stayed there for awhile just reading books and laying around on the comfortable chairs. When we left we decided to take a walk around and go to get dessert. We took a bus over to a street where we walked to a bakery to get cake a brownies. Finally, we headed back to the car. We drove back to Evergreen and had dinner at the house. We went in the hot tub again that night before reading and going to bed. 

Hiking on sand Dunes

Today we all had to wake up early because we were going to hike at the sand dunes which were three hours away. We drove for a long time and in the car we had to entertain ourselves by playing thumb wrestling and rock, paper, scissors. When we finally got there we went to the visitor center. When we finally got to the entrance of the sand dunes we took off our shoes and put them by a bush. At the sand dunes you could walk anywhere you wanted there was no certain path because the wind would just cover up your tracks. My brother, sister, and I ran ahead collecting rocks and climbing all over the sand. For a while we thought nothing could go wrong just climbing over a huge sand mountain but then the wind came. Sand would blow into your face and it would sting but then after like 10 seconds you could continue on. My sister and I would run and crawl up the steep cliffs of sand and whenever the wind would come we would stay put and hide under our sweat shirts. My sister and I also ran down a big cliff even thought my mom and dad warned us that whatever we went down we would have to find away back up. They were right, going down might have been easy and fun but going up was tiring and hard. When we went up cliffs we would have to crawl on our hands and knees and when we would do it we always slid back down. My mom and dad didn't want to go to the top of the sand dune so while they walked to a lower cliff, my brother, sister, and I hiked to the very top. Since it was just sand and no trees wherever we went on the sand dune we could always see my mom and dad. When we got to the top we were so happy since next the fun part came, running down. Even though it was really steep you could still sprint down because it doesn't hurt when you fall on sand. When we got to my mom and dad. My brother and dad were jumping off the cliff and onto the sand. My brother even did a flip on the sand. When we were done jumping we headed back down the sand dune. On the way down the cliff my sister and I slid on our bellies head first down the sandy slope and our pocket filled with sand. Finally we got to flat ground and my sister and walked behind my mom, dad, and brother collecting rocks. Finally, we went back to the car. Once we started heading back we ate and went home and we were all tired enough to go straight to bed. 

The recreation center and the best pizza ever

Today we got up and did are school work as usual and the my mom told us that she would take us to the recreation center in evergreen to climb the climbing wall and go swimming again in the water park. Before we went we went to a mexican resteraunt to eat. When we got there we went straight to the water park. My sister and I met my brother in the lazy river and swam around playing tag for a little while then we went on the slide. On the slide we would take turns watching wach other go down. One time we would sit cross legged and then the next we would go down on our bellies. After we played in the water park for a 3 hours we went on to the climbing wall. First my brother went on one of the hard walls with no hand holds he had to put his hands in the little cracks. Then my sister made it to the top on the easy wall. Next it was my turn, I went on the medium wall. My brother went on the hardest wall next and then my sister went on the medium wall like I had done. Then I did the wall my brother just did and then the one with only cracks. When we left we went back to the house to just relax until we went to get my dad who was just getting back from a trip. On the way to Denver we listened to a tape. When we got there we picked up my dad and headed back to evergreen. When we got to evergreen we ate at a pizza resteraunt with the best pizza ever. It had the thickest crust ever. My dad, brother, and I walked back to the house. When we got back since the hot tub water was low my brother and I had to fill it back up my brother would dump a bucket in while i filled up another bucket. When we were done my dad and I went in the hot tub before going to bed. The next day we would be playing on sand doons.

Hiking, Elk, and the water park.

Today we woke up and got ready for a hike with my dad. First, we went out to eat then we headed to the hiking spot. We went to this dry looking field hike but when we started it was much more. As I took alot of pictures my sister scanned the ground searching for rocks such as white marble. When my brother started taking pictures I searched for rocks to. We found all sorts red ones, more marble and even black sparkely ones. As we kept walking through the field we saw the mountains and the path was heading up into them. We started to feel snow but still it was warm enough for tee shirts. First, we went way up in the mountains then we started to go back down where the path was turning into sand again like it had been when we were on flat ground. Soon we started to come back to the field. We walked for 3 miles that day and we were really tired when we got home. That night my mom and sister drove my dad to the airport while my brother and I stayed home. The next day my mom was going to take us to the recreation center to go on the climbing wall and water park. The next mourning we were all really exited to go to the water park so we all ate really quickly. When we got there my brother went to do the climbing wall while my sister and I went to the water park. First, we went down the big slide. The slide started out so that you were in pitch dark and then then the slide was half open so you could see the rest of the water park as you went down. Once we went down one time we went down like 5 more times before exploring the rest of the water park. There was a lazy river there wher the current would pull you around in a huge circle and it was a little dificult to get out sometimes. After that we went on the slide again until my brother came and we played tag in the lazy river with him. When he got out to go on the climbing wall me and my sister played alone again. Once we left we ate and then went in the hot tub at home since it was so cold out. After that we read a little and then went to bed.

In Colorado

Today we arrived in Colorado. The plane ride was a little less then 2 hours and the whole time me and Isabel were playing board games and drawing. When we finally got there we rented a car and started towards are house. It took us a long time to get to are house since we kept getting lost. Finally, my dad stopped and asked for directions and we got to are house in less then 5 minutes. When we got there my sister, brother, and I all unpacked. We were sharing a room since it had two sets of bunk beds. After we unpacked even though it was really late my mom and dad let us go into the hot tub which was just outside the house. We stayed in there for a long time and played. When we got out we went straight to bed since we were really tired. When we woke up the next mourning we all got straight to work. We wanted to go into the hot tub again but we had to finish our school work first. We all got are french, math, grammer, and history done and then went to the hot tub. My dad came in this mourning. We had to take my dad back to Denver because he had training so we drove back to Denver and my dad went to his hotel room. After that he came back out and we ate at Panera's. Then we had to say goodbye to my dad. We dropped him off and then started to drive back to Evergreen. When we got back my brother and I had a tennis lesson so we went to this big bubble and inside it was a tennis court. There we had a lesson with two other boys. We played games and the coach fed us tennis balls. When we got home my brother explored outside in the backyard while my sister and I watched a movie. That night my sister and I got to make dinner and then we got dessert. We went to bed early that night.

The works and a night at the school

Today we got up early because we were going to the works for a science class and an art class. When we got there we signed in and then got the rest of the time before class to explore the works. There were machines, games, and a race track for cars. When we finally got called in there were like 20 other kids at the class who were all home-schooled. The little kids went to art class first which was in a studio on the other side of the works. The older kids stayed for the science class. They were talking about Newtons laws of motion. The first activity we did was we had to make a car out of legos and the fastest one would win. We had to decide if we should put alot of mass on or very little. My brother and I ended up getting 2nd place. Next, we did smaller activities where the activities were set up around the room and we would walk to them. On one activity we had to spin 4 eggs and try to determine whether they were hard boiled or raw. Another on we had to pour water into soda cans and see what the can would do. The next one we had two spring scales and we would have to pull them on opposite sides and try to get them even. The last activity was we had to put coins on a paper and pull them up without moving the coins that much. After we had talked about them we had to do one more thing. We would have to find a way to drop an egg from the top of a ladder without breaking it. My brother and I were partners again. First we got a carboard box and filled it up with these puffy things and cotton balls then we put the egg between two paper cups and taped them together. Then we put the egg and the paper cups inside the box and taped the box closed. Last we weighed it. We then had time to eat lunch. My sister came back and we sat together at one of the tables and watched them drop the eggs. Are egg ended up surrviving but we didn't win because one of the other eggs were lighter. When we went to art class we made pysanky eggs which are eggs with designs on them. I tried to draw a rose on mine but plaster was really hard to draw on so the paint ended up running down the side of the eggs and making a grayish black color. My brother made an egg that was red with a camel and a bunch of cool designs. Finally, it was time to leave. When my mom came to get us we were playing games in the works. When we got home my friend called and invited me to girls night at our school and I got to go. When we got there 5 of my friends ran up to me and asking me so many questions. We watched other 6th grade girls give a fashion show and then some people sang when we played American idol. My friends Angie and Jen were dressed in twin out fits with tiaras they sang a song first. After that we played flashlight tag all around the school and the teachers were it. We had people hiding under lunch baskets and in class rooms. In the gym they had video games and basketball. For the last thing they played the movie Hairspray. When we got back to the house we had to go to bed right away since it was 11:00 and I had tennis the next day.

Home in Granville.

When we arrived back at home my dad had to leave the the day after. We didn't have our math programs set up yet so we worked on mostly French, reading, and writing. We would start history and math when my dad got back. The day after the snow was up to my knees! When my dog would go out in our backyard the snow was up to her back so she would have to make paths all around the yard where she would walk. My friend Lyndsey and I made my dog what we called an island in the snow. We cleared alot of snow out of the way and made a giant grass patch for her to walk around on. That night my brother and I played scrabble online and lost every time. The next day I woke up really late and my mom and brother were planning on bundleing up to walk down town, I stayed to wait for my sister who was coming home from a friends house. After they got back me and my sister played before I cleaned my room. When I was done cleaning my room me and my brother played scrabble and actually won two games. That night my dad got home and brought ice cream. then we went to bed.

Going home and starting homeschooling

Today it was a very happy day for my little sister and a very sad day for the rest of us. Today we were going home. We woke up pretty early since the rental car was due back a 2:00. When we got to the airport we returned are car before going to check are bags in. When we got through security we headed straight to are gate. We had to sit there for like two hours then we got on the plane to go home. The plane was huge, just like the plane that we took to get there. First, once we got on the plane we watched the movie that they were playing, then since I was sitting with my sister we colored. Eventually, my sister fell asleep so I watched movies on my DVD player for the rest of the time. Finally, after 7 hours we arrived in Chicago. The next 90 minutes from Chicago to Columbus was no time at all since I was so tired because I had stayed up all night on the plane. When we arrived in Columbus, my dad went to get the car while we all waited inside the airport. We were all anixous to get home because we all missed my dog and my cat and we were so tired. When we got home my mom and dad took a nap and I tried to but my sister wasn't tired because she had slept on the plane so all she wanted to do was play, play, play. I was so tired that night I went to sleep almost right away even though my mom and dad said to try to stay up to get off the hawaiian time. Finally, I went to bed.

My mom's birthday

Today was my moms birthday so we all slept in really late. We got up and ate pancakes then did the dishes before starting my moms special birthday day. My mom decided that she wanted to go to the black sand beach because she didn't go to the black sand beach before when the rest of us did because she had work. We went off and drove about and hour before finally getting there. At the beach me and my sister played in the tide pools. Then we played on the rocks in the ocean. The waves would crash up against the rocks and we would get sprayed. We saw two turtles on the beach sitting really close to each other. We also saw a sea turtle in a big tide pool and when my brother put his toes in the water the sea turtle attempted to bite his toe, but he only got away with it once. After spending a long time at the black sand beach, we headed back towards Hilo. My dad, my brother, my sister and I went into two grocery stores looking for the perfect birthday cake. My mom originally wanted a pineapple upside down cake. We went in the first grocery store but they didn't have it so we got a guava cake. Then when we passed another grocery store my dad decided to check to see if they had a pineapple upside down cake. They didn't have it so we didn't get another cake. When we got home we got to eat cake and then we went to bed.

Snorkeling in Kona

Today we went snorkeling in Kona, which is known for it's beautiful fish. We woke up early and ate pancakes before leaving. We already had are snorkel gear from the day before so we just left early. It was a two hour ride to Kona so I had brought my DVD player and My brother, my sister, and I watched movies on the way there. On the way we stopped at the grocery store to get snacks and towels. We ended up getting a back pack to. We stopped to eat on the way also. When we finally got there it was really crowded. When we got to the beach we found a shady place on a flat rock. My brother, dad, and I got in first. We saw giant sea urchins, and many different types of fish like the yellow tang and the puffer fish. My brother and I went really deep out until he was going to fast and I lost him. Finally I found the way back and got my dad to go out deep with me. When we found my brother we swam around looking at different things. I even saw pink or purple coral. When we went in me and my sister saw about four turtles and then went to explore the tide pools. There were sea urchins in every little cove of the hardened lava rock. When we did leave we went and ate dinner at Denny's and then got ice cream at cold stone creamery where they had cake batter ice cream. When we got home we watched Harry Potter which lasted for a long time before going to bed.

Snorkeling with a turtle in Champagne pond

Today we went snorkeling in Champagne pond. The pond is actually really warm because it is heated by the volcano. We woke up late so it was to late to go to Kona where the pretty fish are so instead we went to champagne pond. We first went and got our supplies at the store where the guy suggested this other place down the rode. We drove for about 45 minutes until we came to the to the start of the hike that we had to take to get to the pond. After walking for not even 5 minutes, a truck came down the trail so we moved to the side and let them pass us. The people in the truck stopped after they saw us and got out of their truck. They told us that if we went to this other place we would arrive much quicker. They said if we kept taking this path it would be 45 minutes to the pond and back. My mom and dad decided to go with there directions so we turned back. We drove about 5 minutes before turning into this private neighborhood where we went through the walking area and wandered around the neighborhood for a long time, we even ran into these other people that were looking for the pond. They didn't know where it was either so we decided to go back because we didn't want to get lost. On our way back we ran in to these other people who told us the were going to Champagne pond and said if we followed them they would show us where to go. We followed them and came to this big pond where we snorkeled for a long time. I didn't even have to get use to the water it was so warm. We saw puffer fish, saddle wrasse, and a giant sea turtle that was laying there and every so often it would pop up to take a break. We watched it for a long time. Finally we left and went to Borders, a book store and we each picked out a book and then we went to get ice cream. I picked a drawing book and spent almost the rest of the evening drawing. Then we went to bed.

Green sand black sand, and some wind mills!!

Today we went to the southern part of the island to sea the most southern part of the United States and go to some beaches. We left a little late but then drove for hours until we finally arrived. We saw tons of windmills, most of them weren't working, but a few were running. The ride didn't seem that long because me and my sister were drawing most of the time so it seemed to us like 45 minutes. At the windmills there were cows grazing and me and my sister named one daisy because it was an orange, yellow color. We went on to try to find the green sand beach which my dad said had real green sand. To get there we had to hike on part rock, and part mud and dirt. The hike was like 2 miles and I was wearing flip flops so me and my sister were behind the rest of the family, not my mom though because she had to stay home to work. Finally, we arrived, we had to hike down a huge cliff to get there, you couldn't fall because below there was sharp lava rock. When we got down the hill I noticed that the sand was actually green. Normally you see a tan color of sand but this sand was literally green! My brother and my sister and I climbed up another part of the cliff which was really fun because it was made of sand. We would go as high as we could and then jump and land on the soft sand where we could slide down the hill. My sister and I also climbed up on the ledges of the cliff and ran through the water. Since we had left our bathing suits in the car when we would run through the water, are clothing would get wet and we would ignore it not thinking of how cold we would be when we got out and had to walk back to the car. When we were done playing we hiked back up and saw a whale flip it's tail up out of the water. When we got back we started to drive again. This time we were going to visit another beach but this one, instead of green sand this beach has black sand. First, we were going to make a side stop to the southern most point of the United States. We stayed there for a few minutes, knowing that this was as far as the united States went southward. When we did leave we make it to the black sand beach just in time. It was getting dark. We walked along the shoreline for a while until me and my brother saw a giant sea turtle just laying there. At first we thought it was dead then when my brother got up close to it it's eyes opened. While my sister and my dad were using the restroom, my brother sat 2 feet from the turtle and started talking to it. My brother says he swore the turtle could understand him. The water at the black beach happened to be freezing cold but we decided to go in anyway because we were really hot from the car ride over. Finally I dove into a wave and got use to the water. Me and my brother played in it, as for my sister she said she was use to it but after she got knee high she wouldn't go in any further. When we finally left we were all really cold because of the water. When me and my brother and sister started singing for fun, my dad rolled down the windows because we wouldn't stop. We begged him to roll them up but he said he couldn't because they were broken. We didn't believe him, but it turns out the were broken. When we did get back home we worked on our reports and went to bed.

Mauna Loa

Today my mom had to work so my dad took us up to Mauna Loa which from the sea floor is taller then Mt. Everest. Mauna Loa is the tallest volcano in the world and produces the most lava. On are way we stopped to stretch out since it was a long way up Mauna Loa. We stopped at this small hiking trail which my brother and sister walked barefoot. Me and my dad raced to the top which lead to a giant cliff that was made up of loose cinder which was eroding away. My dad after begging that it was already a path finally let us go down the cliff of loose cinder. Thats when I took off my shoes and let my bare feet sink into the squishy sand like cinder as I went down the hill. Finally, we finished and decided to keep going up the mountain. We stopped at the visitor center where we watched a movie about the telescopes up on Mauna Loa. My dad says Mauna Loa has the largest telescope in the world. When we did finally get to the top it was really hard to breathe because of the lack of oxygen. We couldn't even run or we would feel dizzy and have to lay down on the sand. There was even snow at the top of Mauna Loa, thats how high it is. It reminded me of Ohio the feel of snow, it was just a little warmer. We got to see the telescope in it's huge silver case. The way back down seemed like forever but finally we got down and went back home.

Hiking the active volcano

Yesterday we just arrived on the big island of the Hawaiian islands, we ended up staying in a very cool house in volcano (which is a town near Mt. Kilauea). The next day we went to Mt. Kilauea, an active volcano to hike. When we got to the volcano we went into the visitor center and saw a movie that showed real lava flowing and it showed the water flowing into the ocean. When the lava flowed into the ocean steam would spit up and form a huge cloud. It also saw the bench where one day the chunk of land would be there and the next day it would be gone. We walked outside of the visitor center and saw a big model of Mt Kilauea and the man there said that eventually the hawaiian island will go under sea level. We then drove to the steam vents where steam was just pouring up because apparently when rain water goes down into cracks the heat from the volcano heats the water so it is boiling and the water evaporates and rises up to form steam, the steam would burn you if you went to close to the cracks. When we walked a path a little past the steam vents we saw a huge steam vent with a really deep whole that had grass growing in it, when you would look into it the steam would blow in your face and it would smell like sulfur. Next, we were originally going to the hike around the crater of the volcano but due to sulfur gasses the trail was closed so we ended up hiking one that went straight through the steam vents. We took a trail that was going downhill through a kind of rain forest path that had these weird, exotic plants along the edges and on each side there was a huge drop off so we couldn't get near the side. There were places along the edges that stuck out so you could look over the cliff and see below were it was all lava rock besides the steam vents coming up everywhere. There was a huge cliff on the other side of the giant drop off and ditch that had a face that looked like a huge eye on the side of the cliff. When we got to the bottom we first had to walk on a lot of huge pieces of lava rock which were formed into these weird figures. While we were walking we went by this huge cave that was outlined with moss. There we stopped for a break so we could get a drink and see the cave. Me and my brother went up on this huge pile of lava rock and found this really cool lava pieces that had like a rainbow color on them. Me, my brother, and my sister all went up and stood in one of the steam vents. The steam kept clouding up around us and making us really hot. Me and my sister ventured up on this other pile of rocks and we found this rock that had a bunch of ridges in it and little points that were sharp and it felt like they were molded into the big piece of lava rock that they were stuck to. As we kept moving along my brother and my dad stuck there fingers in one of the steam vents and got burned (you don't see me and my sister doing that). Finally, we got to the end of the big ditch and started are way up, it was much easier coming down. When we did get to the top we found a path that said the lava tube so we went down the steep path to this bridge that lead to a cave. We went in the cave and for a while they had lights on both sides then when we got to the end they had stairs going up to the light but if you went forward the cave kept going in pitch black. We had brought flash lights so we went in. The only thing you could see while you were in the cave was the light from you flash light which didn't shine very far so beyond your light you could see nothing but darkness. It was really scary when we went past some fallen rocks because my dad said that the rocks fell from the ceiling so I was staring at the ceiling the whole time and almost tripped. Finally we got out and got back to the car. It was still early so for the rest of the evening we just relaxed. 

The Maui aquarium by Amelia

Today all of us slept in late because we were all tired from the long hike in Haleakala volcano. When we did get up, we decided to stay inside for the day because we were all sun burned from the hike in the sun. Finally we came to a conclusion, we would go to the aquarium. We would get to see amazing fish and reefs and sharks, but we wouldn't be in the sun. When we arrived we got these audio tour remotes and as we went along we could type in the number on the signs and listen to a brief description of what we were looking at and some facts about it. We saw many different kinds of fish and a moray eel that kept opening it's mouth and closing it, like it was showing off it's white teeth. As we went on we came to the sea turtles. The sea turtles would float around the water on their bellies looking like they were having the best time in the world. Next, we went to a tank with really shallow water and it was surrounded with rocks, about table height, so you could walk around and touch the starfish, sea cucumbers and sponge. We then went down some stairs into an underground sight of the hammerhead sharks. The sharks would just swim around moving their tails because apparently their tail acts as a second heart. When we were done looking at the sharks we came to the tunnel which lead inside and they had these games that involved whales, dolphins, and fish. Finally, we came to a big room with a clear glass window so you could look under the water at giant fish, stingrays, and even a tiger shark. The man there gave a speech that we listened to for about 15 minutes before moving on to the real tunnel. The tunnel was like a tube that had 3 sides that were clear glass so you could see stingrays floating above you while a shark is going on one of the side walls. After we got out of the tunnel we went to the gift shop and I got my name painted on a piece of paper by a guy that turns the letters in your name into some other thing in Hawaii, like inside the A in my name he painted a seal. When we left we went and saw whales leaping out of the water and flipping their tails up into the air as to say look at me. Finally, we left the aquarium and drove back to Haiku and had a cook out. We watched a movie together and then gradually went to bed.

Hiking Mt. Haliakala

 Today was the most fun, and tiring day in Maui. We went hiking 13 miles in the inactive volcano on Maui called Mt. Haliakala. When we started down the mountain it was just a sandy path, because of all the ash, but soon the ash that we were walking on turned into us walking on hard dried up lava rock. Me and my sister, Isabel, kept running ahead of the others and talking while the rest of my family were a long way behind us. I took pictures of the amazing view as we went along. The whole time we were hiking, you could see clouds that were level to you. After a long hike we got to a huge cliff and the path up it was zig zag so it would go a long way one way then it would switch and go the other way all the way up the cliff. At some parts there was nothing between you and the drop off. We made a method that we would stop and take a break every 5 every time we would switch and go the other way on the zig zag. When we finally got to the top we were all exhausted, and tired. We made our way to the car and road down to Polli's, a mexican restaurant. We finally went home and almost straight to bed. 

Dad arrives in Maui and a poem

Finally, after 5 days my dad arrived in Maui. He had been gone at work and he had to meet us in Maui. When he got here we went to the books store and picked out a few books then we went to Polli's, a mexican restaurant. When we finally got back to the house we rested there for a little while before meeting some unfriendly neighborhood kids. After we rested we went to Baldwin beach to go swimming. We rode waves and swam out pretty deep with my dad while we floated over waves. My mom took pictures of the sunset over the mountain which turned out to be a Lunar eclipse. On the way home my mom and dad realized that the gas tank was running low and they had left their wallets at home. We ended up having just enough gas to get home and to the gas station. I also wrote a short poem called the Gecko.

Gecko

By Amelia Staats

     I am a small lizard

stuck to the wall

I'm sticking on tight 

so I will not fall

I'll hang from your ceiling 

You'll cry out Wow!

what could it be

but a tiny gecko.

                                                                    

Poems

Day and night    

by Amelia Staats

Fast asleep the moon calls out

go to bed don't yell or shout

run so fast inside your dreams

if you don't you'll surely scream

sleep until the mourning rays

when your in a spinning daze

come get up cries out the sun

the day has just yet begun 

you've been sleeping all the night 

Get up i say it's nice and bright

everything is all awake 

take a look at the crystal clear lake

Night has come look at the stars

you can see the planet Mars

Go to sleep calls out the moon 

the sun will wake you up so soon.

The piano

By Amelia Staats

When I sit down to the piano 

my fingers do a dance 

the flip the hop they even twist

they dip they dive they prance

as soon as I take a seat 

My feet go stomping to the beat

they go on pounding on the floor 

which makes me want to play some more.

Hiking, lavender, poetry

We are on our first vacation since the start of our new home- schooling experience in Hawaii. After two days at the beach and a whale festival we were ready to take our first hike. We were originally going to go hiking on a trail threw the red wood forest on Mt. Haleakala but the road was closed so we decided to go back down to a lavender farm that was a little ways down the hill to have tea and scones. There was a tremendous view from the mountain side, you could see the city below and the lavender farm. When we got to the lavender farm the sweet smell of lavender was immediately dancing around your nose. The lavender plants were in nice, neat rows up and down the hill. When we got inside the shop all you could see was lavender. There was lavender soap lavender tea even lavender scones and chocolate. We found seats overlooking the rest of the mountain and got some lavender tea and scones before leaving. We continued down the mountain and apparently went the wrong way and ended up in front of a hiking trail which we decided to hike since we didn't hike the other trail.  We ended up hiking down to a spring with a waterfall and giant rocks covered in moss. The hike back up was a lot more challenging since the spring was down a really steep slope and it had taken a while to get down. Finally we got to the top and hiked back to the car. We drove back to the town of Makawao where we ate ate at a mexican restaurant called Polli's. When we got back to our house in Haiku, we were all tired and wanted to relax. After playing cards with my sister I wrote a poem called Live in the light. 

  Live in the light

 Swim in the sunshine

sparkle in the sky

cough as the puffy clouds stroll by.

Run in the rainbow

wish in the woods

fly like a flock of feathered birds.

Flutter in the forest

beam on the beach

keep stretching your joy 

as far as it can reach.