Sweet 16

My niece, Anna, came in town for her 16th birthday this past week.  We had an absolutely amazing time.  The kids were beyond thrilled to have Anna here with us.  You can tell they were just a tad excited to pick her up at the airport.

 

 

 

 

Art class had never been this fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, we had to take her to Legoland while she was here.

 

 

 

 

 

One evening, I was able to take her out to dinner just the two of us.  I could kick myself for not getting a picture.  We ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant, talked and talked, and then did a little shopping at the outlets.  Super fun girl time.

 

 

 

Chris took them on a hike the last full day Anna was here. 

 

So hard to believe that Anna just turned 16.  I remember meeting her for the first time when she was newborn. Kim and Scott brought her up to North Georgia to see Uncle Chris. So tiny and sweet, she slept the whole time wearing her precious overalls just for Chris :)

 She is an amazing young woman with a heart for Jesus.  My girls just adore her (as well as Luke).  What a great role model she is for my girls.  We just love Anna too pieces and will never forget this very special visit with her.

My Boy

 

Nine years and three months to the day today.  I didn't get the chance to do my typical bday post about my sweet guy due to about 143 boxes in my house and no Internet connection.  I didn't want to let this precious time in his life go by without me taking some notes so I figure today would be a good day to write.  It is actually overcast, misty, and cool outside.  I love a good rainy day.



Luke, you are such an amazing little man.  You are kind, brave, smart, and such a hard worker.  I love how you want to make everyone laugh and are always busy coming up with some joke or crazy skit or surprise to brighten everyday.  Your favorites right now are:

Legos

Books, books, books

any kind historical info you can get your hands on

the Bible

friends

riding your bike or scooter

playing flag football

visiting Legoland

playing with your sisters

boardgames (especially Sorry and Monopoly Jr)

seeing how high you can go and jump out of the swing

shooting archery

running and hiking with Daddy

a good funny movie (The Muppets is your favorite right now)

 

 

You impress me daily with how well you handle such big changes in your life.  Having to move away from your close friends 2 years in a row is tough, but you hold your head up and happily go out to meet new people.  5 houses in your 9 years.  Wow! 

You are growing so fast, but I am so thankful to be your mom and teacher everyday.  Your love for Jesus and sharing your faith is something you talk about daily.  You tell me, "Mom, I think I will either be a missionary or an astronaut.  You would be excellent at both. 

I love you, Buddy.

Stay strong :)

Apple Pickin

Our first field trip this year was out to Julian, CA to pick apples.  We teamed up with Smith Academy and Estes Academy (aka the Smith family and Estes family) and worked on apple lapbooks before and after our trip to the orchard. 

 

This picture just about sums up our 3.  We were a little excited. 

 

The owner of Raven Hills Orchards was a bit of a riot.  Irish (I believe from the accent), looked a tad like Mel Gibson, and so very very passionate about apples!  He gave a nice little lesson about the life cycle of the orchard and then let us loose.  There were golden delicious, empire, jonathan, and fuji apples to choose from as you strolled down the isles. 

 



 

Taste test was required

Mad Science

 

We are loving our science this year.  Lots of hands on fun and we are all learning so much.  Our studies over the past few weeks have been about the seashore.  We have read about tides, strandlines, and all kinds of creatures that live at the seashore.  This particular day, we were experimenting with different types of beaks on birds (aka tweezers, tongs, and clothes pins) to see how they might try and find food on the beach. 

Learning at its finest.

 

Are You Ready for Some Football

Another season of flag football has started and Luke is loving every minute.  His team is the Blue Devils and he is playing on the defensive line this year.  He has been tagged as a rusher and loves getting in there to try and "sack" the quarterback.  The team practices twice a week with games on Saturday.  They won their first game and the second one was canceled due to extreme heat (108 to be exact)! 
Poor guy is having to take a weeks off due to an unfortunate meeting with a spider.  We don't know what kind of spider it was, but the bite caused a HUGE abscess on his left leg that he had to have opened up and drained (I shiver just thinking about it).  Needless to say, he has to take the week off to allow the wound to heal and close back up.  He was bummed about the time off, but he was glad that it will only be for a week.

I just love this little man of mine and love watching the fun that he has out on the field.
 

 

He LOVED that he is number 9 and that his age is also 9! 

 

Luke's biggest fans cheering him on at his first game.

 

Typical Homeschool Day

 

 

We are in the middle of week 3 of homeschooling and things are going so well.  The kiddos are adjusting to the new schedule and so is Mommy. Ha!  Don't get me wrong we have had challenging moments (mostly from baby girl getting used to the oldest 2 working instead of playing with her), but all in all our days are full and fun.  Best of all, we are learning and enjoying this new curriculum and new school year. 

Our days begin with choosing a book and reading.  I love to find these two cuddled up and enjoying a good book together. 

 

 

We started something new this year, Workboxes.  Or I should say my version of workboxes.  We don't have a huge schoolroom like we did in our house in Stafford, so I decided to come up with a workbox idea that didn't involve a set of draws for each child and I came up with this...

Luke and Hayley each have their own hanging file box.  Each folder (up to 9) has an assignment, game, puzzle, computer assignment, or iPad educational game that they are to complete by the end of the day.  They can work on their boxes anytime I am working one on one with someone or when they have a free moment before I start a lesson.  Each folder contains a Velcro number on the front and they move the number to the front of the box once the work in that folder is complete.   Love this system so far.  Keeps them on track and they love the independence of it all.

 

 

Science this year is much more involved with a few days of lessons, notebooking, and then experiments.  Here they are recording some information that they learned about high and low tides and then drawing a picture to label the things they learned. 

 

 

Hannah has her own "workboxes" with different activities in each basket.  We are working on her colors (which she has down pat).  She is working on a hide and seek color game that I played with her on this morning.  She loves to go to school and be included too.

 

Our school room...

It is not huge, but I am so thankful to have a space and so far it works very well. 

 

These built in shelves are the best.  Only problem is they are already FULL!!! 

 

Labeling the continents and oceans and placing them in the correct location on their balloon.

 

 

One of our favorite days is Tuesday when we have P.E. at the park with the Smiths!!!  I will have to bring my camera along next week.  I love that Kelly and I are able to teach some together and that our kids truly just love one another! 

 So, we are off to a great start!!!  We have several field trips coming up that should be great.  Apple picking and a trip to a nut and pumpkin farm.  Can't wait.