Busy Sunday

Today has been an extremely long day and it's only 4 ! It started way too early at 6:30 am. We were to church by a little after 8 and didn't get home until just after noon. We ate a quick lunch and then drove to Pueblo to do some furniture shopping. We ended up getting the older girls new beds, headboards, and night stands. They had to be ordered so we will pick them up next weekend. This works out because it gives us the time to get the room organized and ready before setting the beds up.

This week should be pretty busy as well. We have to go back to Pueblo tomorrow for a meeting and then we'll be without a car for the rest of the week. The King is taking the SUV so that he can take his exam and get back to work on time. I'm not looking forward to it, but we'll survive. I am so glad this month is almost over!

Progress

Last week my step dad came and painted our living room for us. It's hard to tell in the pictures but the window wall is a shade darker than the other. I love the colors! It has changed the look of the whole room. I've already picked out curtains that will match and I'm very excited to see how that brings it all together. It feels good to finally be making some progress.

Park Day

*Per usual I am playing catch up so don't miss the previous posts!*

The weather has been really nice this week and it was warm enough today that we joined several other families for a park afternoon.

Boo is fearless when it comes to climbing and playing. The higher the better.
Midge loves monkey bars of any kind.

They loved playing on the skate ramp. Tea was bummed she forgot her board.

Buster copying big sisters.

Tea balancing her way across the bars.

Chiggie goofing around on the swings. I need one of these at home. Maybe it would put her to sleep at night.

Boo doing more climbing.

Chiggie likes to help out with Buster.

He really liked swinging. I think this was his first time on a regular swing.

Midge climbing the rock wall. My girls have been talking a lot lately about rock climbing. As soon as it gets a bit warmer we need to go hiking.

Another Belt Test

Yesterday evening Midge and Boo had karate belt testing. As always they did a wonderful job and earned their new belts. Midge is now a green belt and Boo is a purple belt. I am so proud of both of them.

Boo's last time wearing her blue belt.

Midge's last time wearing her purple belt.

Week in Review XVIII

This week marked the end of our first semester. We are officially half-way done! I think having the first semester under our belts is a confidence booster. This was another busy week.

Chiggie began a unit on David Livingstone in Language Arts. She worked on research and is still reviewing parts of speech on a regular basis. Tea spent the week learning about subjects and predicates and parts of speech as well. She needs a new book to read. Like her big sister she loves to read and I have trouble keeping her stocked up. Midge spent the week on review. She now firmly knows about 40 sight words, which just amazes me. We are also working on hearing sounds. I say a word and she tries to spell it. She likes this a lot and is pretty good at it too.

Bible was more on God meeting our needs. We are also learning about other religions and beliefs. This has been interesting for all of us.

Tea has started Typing Tutor again and is making great progress. I think she was just overwhelmed in the beginning. Chiggie is continuing to just work on speed.

Math was actually fun this week. Chiggie worked on equations, Roman numerals, and time. It's a very nice change from long division. Tea can now add and subtract up to 3 digit numbers with carrying. Midge worked on skip counting and counting by 5's.

In science we wrapped up Mars by building an ecosystem. This was a lot of fun.

They all worked together painting and building. I think it's pretty obvious that they've grown up in Colorado since they made sure to include a forest and mountains!

In history we are finishing several books. We are also talking about the many French and Indian wars. Learning about colonial times is very interesting.

This week was a full one. We had karate belt testing, began a new small group with our church, and enjoyed the warmer weather with a park day.

Old School

The girls have been playing old school games on the Wii. They are really into Super Mario Bros. I have to admit I "help" them quite a bit. It's fun to see them playing some of the same games I enjoyed as a kid!

Gymnastics Fun

I am playing catch up with photos so make sure to check frequently as I get caught up ! On Saturday I took the kids to a birthday party at the gym. They had a lot of fun playing in the pit, playing hide and go seek, and jumping on the bouncy trampolines. Buster wasn't too sure of it and mostly watched. It was nice for them to burn off some energy during this winter lull!

Oh Shoot!

The big girls got bb guns for Christmas and they absolutely love them! Every time their dad is home they make time to practice. When she opened hers, the first thing Tea asked was, "can this thing take down a deer?"

Chiggie has great aim and made it on the board with points right away. Thinking it couldn't be that hard, I gave it a try and was not so lucky. It's hard to hold that still.

It's a great way for them to spend time together and learn safety rules as well!

Week in Review XVI and XVII

These past two weeks have been some of the most productive weeks we've had all year long. I think the break did us all a lot of good.

Language Arts has been really fun and interesting for Chiggie. She just wrapped up a poetry unit where she got the chance to write several different poems. Her favorite styles were cynquain and limerick. Tea moved on to a new book series and is reading fluently. She also read and enjoyed the book Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. Midge just finished her last frequency reader. She has memorized about 30 sight words and is ready for bridge books.

The girls have started working on typing every day. It's a great time filler and they do enjoy it. Chiggie is typing 35 wpm with a goal of 40. Tea is still mastering the keyboard.

In Bible we started and finished lesson 8 on why God created us. The lessons are very interesting and the girls are glad to be back with this book.

We are FINALLY finishing long division with Chiggie in math. She has definitely mastered the concept, but it takes so long to complete the lessons. She is moving on to measurements and equations with regular review. Tea has started addition with carrying with no problems. She will finish this math book by the end of next month and start the 2nd grade series with the same curriculum. Midge is adding without the number line and beginning subtraction. She has mastered counting to 100 by 1's, 10's, and 5's and we are beginning to work on 2's.

In history we learned about William Penn, the Pennsylvania Dutch, and are currently knee deep in our daily colony life unit. We are reading If You Lived in Colonial Times, The Courage of Sarah Noble, and Hostage on the Nighthawk. We also have a book of colonial paper dolls to play with. The girls are fascinated with all of their special outfits.

Science has been really fun learning about Mars. The girls drew up plans for an ecosystem and we will be building that this week. I think it's there favorite planet so far. They like learning about the rover as well.

We should be able to make good progress these next couple of months with no breaks scheduled. It's nice to have the focus and there aren't nearly as many distractions as there were a month ago!

January

January has got to be the longest month ever. Things have slowed down to about a snails pace and it's killing me. While the days are shorter than ever, they actually feel much longer. We are getting tons done in school which does please me. We moved toward a more relaxed schedule and the girls are growing in their independant abilities. When we first started I had to literally sit by each of them for every subject. Now they can work on different subjects all at the same time and just * things that they need help with. This makes Buster a lot happier.

The King has been approved and is just waiting to be assigned a day for his Journeyman's License. This is extremely exciting for us and will open up a whole bunch of opportunities. He likes the company he works for but HATES where he is at right now. The job will only be about another month and we're hoping he finds something local very soon. I can't wait to have a huge celebration when this is all over. It has been a long 4 years!

Whirlwind

This weekend went by way too fast. I slept awful last night and it took every bit of energy I had to wake everyone up and make it to church on time. I have a head cold that is driving me nuts. The kids have all already had it though so at least I don't have to constantly worry about who will be next. I think today went by so fast because the Bronco game was so intense. The girls even put on their gear and cheered the team on. Poor Buster almost had a heart attack at the end of them game we were clapping and cheering so loud. Wow, go Broncos!

This week should be pretty low key. We have school, karate, and youth group, but that's about it. We were really glad to finally get some snow last night, but it got pretty warm today and it will prabably be melted by tomorrow. I hope to start working on some house projects this week, but we shall see.

Heaven is for Real

Tonight I took the kids to a church service here in town to hear Todd Burpo, author of Heaven is for Real, speak about their experience. Todd, his wife, and their son Colton were all there. Chiggie and I have both read the book and enjoyed it. I think it was a really good experience for them. I couldn't believe how crowded the service was though. We got there just in time taking up the last 4 seats available. Buster made it about 1/2 way through before he had to go to the nursery. He was great about it though and even smiled and waved good-bye with no tears at all. The band was from Denver and I was really impressed with the music. It was a great way to spend our Saturday night!

Ice Skating

I will post my week in review tomorrow as I thought today's field trip deserved a post of its own.
We only did our morning subjects, which means we got to take a day off from math, yay! We headed out around 12 and had our skates and were on the ice just a little after 1.

At first even I couldn't believe how slippery the ice felt. I was really wondering how much they would want to skate. Poor Boo's legs were sliding into the splits when she tried to even stand.

They were determined though and an hour later were making their way around the rink much quicker. They definitely have a greater appreciation for figure skaters and hockey players.

It was nice because it was unseasonably warm outside so we never got too cold either. We wore hats and gloves though so that helped too.

I love these kids so much and I'm glad to have these opportunities with them!

Long Week

I can't believe it is only Wednesday. This has seemed like a really long week. We are going ice skating for a field trip on Friday, so maybe that is why. We've done a great job at getting back into a schedule, but I can't say it hasn't been a little bit sad. On one hand it's nice to be back to normal and on the other hand I do miss that "special" holiday feeling. One of my goals this year is to get out more, so that we have special things to look forward to. That is something that I used to be really good at, but I think I just got busy and eventually it just wasn't the routine anymore.

Another big thing on our to do list this year is fixing up the house. In terms of actual living space this house is HUGE compared to our last house. We have two large living areas and it's very open concept. Most of the walls still need painted so they we can move on with the decor. It sounds easy, it's just coming up with the time between the King working and home schooling. I will be sure to post pics of this along the way!

Moving On

I think that will be my theme for this year. Moving on. It will be a work in progress, but I know I will be so much happier if I am able to let things go. We started school back up today, and as much as I dreaded the routine of it all, it ended up flowing very smoothly. Midge even had a doctor appointment in the midst of it all and we stayed right on track. I think it really is helping that we turned the family room into a bit of a playroom. It contains the mess and keeps the little ones entertained.

Art today seemed a bit more formal with Tea's new easel. She LOVES painting, drawing, coloring, and creating just about anything. I think being home really has given them more time to explore their interests. Our days will be a bit longer this week because we are taking a trip on Friday to go ice skating! We are all excited.

Happy New Year!

We had a relaxing, fun night right here at home. Buster only made it until 9:30 before he called it a night. Chiggie and Tea watched the ball drop with us! I am very excited about 2012!