Last Day!

Today was our very last day of school for the 2011/2012 school year!  I am so excited to be done and have a nice break.  I think the kids agree. 

I am now the proud mother of a 6th grader.  Wow!  That's crazy to even say.

 Tea is all done with 1st grade.  She's very advanced and did mostly 2nd/3rd grade work all year long.

 Midge is a reading 1st grader.  She is doing amazing and I am very proud of all that she has accomplished this year!

 To celebrate the end of our school year and the beginning of the "best summer ever, " we had a party here at the house.  There was swimming, water balloons, ice cream, and playing with friends.  The weather was fabulous and all involved had a really great time!

Buster loved to just carry around the water balloons.  He doesn't mind at all when they pop, he just goes and gets another.

Now we are all exhaused, but in a good way.  It's gonna be a great summer!

Very close

Tonight after the kids went to bed I decided to clean the fish tank.  It wasn't even very dirty, but I like to stay on top of it.  I was already pretty tired but went for it anyway.  As I was pouring the water from the tank (it's a Beta tank) into the sink, the same fish that usually hangs out at the bottom and makes me "fish" it out, plopped right down the drain.  I screamed.  I almost panicked and flipped on the garbage disposal.  Why is that the natural reaction?  I have heard many horror stories.  The King ran in when he heard my distress, but his hand was too big to reach down.  Unfortunately I have a major aversion to touching slimy things.  It freaked me out terribly but I reached down the drain and grabbed the fish.  It was almost as if she jumped right into my hand.  I plopped her into the cup of water I already had ready and she started swimming around right away.  She doesn't appear to have any injuries and was probably only out of the water for about 30 seconds.  Whew....

Trying New Things

This summer we're mixing things up a little.  We are taking a break from theater, after two summers of major musicals.  This year Chiggie is going to play volleyball instead.  It's not nearly as time consuming.  Just one practice and one game per week.  It leaves us plenty of time for other things.....like swimming.

Traditions

 Over the years holidays have meant different things.  When the King and I were first dating Memorial weekend meant Juco, for several years we also went camping, this year we set up the pool.  Sometimes it's hard that the years have brought so much change.  I love routine and familiarity, but this was good.  We had a lot of fun.  Our tradition is our family.  The time we spend together. It doesn't really matter what we're doing or where we are.

More Swimming

I can pretty much assure you that by the end of this summer vacation you will all be begging me to stop posting swimming pictures.  What can I say, we like to swim.  Today was another not so warm, breezy day, but the girls braved it and got back in.

Just to show how brave she was, Tea even ate a fudgesicle.  Brrrrrrrrr. 

 Midge attempted to warm up by just laying in the sun.  It was like 72 degrees outside.  Much colder in the water I'm sure.

 Boo just figured out that she can actually stand in the pool.  Water still makes her a little bit nervous when it's this deep, but she can swim.

 Chiggie swam for 4 hours straight and never complained about the water.  She has always loved to be in the water.  She didn't even mind the wind too much and she is not a fan of the wind.

Buster is the official "ball boy."  He runs around the outside of the pool fetching anything they throw out.  Poor dude was so sad when he woke up this evening from his nap and we had closed the pool for the day.  He's so wishy washy though.  He wants in then out...repeat about 100 times and then go completely insane.  I hope as it warms up he will stay in for longer stretches.



Pool's Up!

 Even though today was super windy and dusty we decided to finally go ahead and set up the pool.  The kid's were so excited they could hardly sleep last night.  It was simple to set up and only took about 30 minutes.  The tough part was all the waiting they had to do while it filled up.  It was kind of like being on a long road trip.  Is it done yet...about 300 times.  I think they would agree that it was worth the wait!

Such a Sweetie

Learning to read and write has been very exciting for Midge.  She is such a little sweetheart.  I am sure that having older sisters motivates her to grow up a little faster.  Almost every night before I go to bed I find a letter on my pillow saying she love me.  It's a nice way to end the day.  I am so proud of her and all of her accomplishments!

Methods

 When we first started homeschooling I really wasn't sure what method I liked best.  I ordered more of a hodge podge and figured we would learn as we went.  One thing I was sure of was that I didn't want to recreate school at home.  I am in no way criticizing those who choose to do it that way, I just knew that wasn't the way for us.  At first I really second guessed my self A LOT.  I worried that we weren't doing enough.  Now here we are less than a week left and I am amazed at how far all of the kids have come.  Here in a bit I will do a real post on that, so that I can see for myself the progress we've made, but for now it's just awesome to see that Midge is reading and Tea knows her multiplication tables.  I never would have thought she would learn them in 1st grade.  Especially since we do NO busywork.  The kids hardly do any worksheets at all.  I am very glad that I trusted my gut and didn't fall into the trap of thinking I couldn't possibly know what's best!

Benefits

I can't say enough about how wonderful our new yard is for our family.  We spend a lot of time outside now.  The kids love to climb the trees and I love to watch.  We hope to build a treehouse in the future. 

This is a cherry tree that Boo is climbing.  I am very much looking forward to the harvest!

Tea ws playing keep away with Daddy's hat tonight.  They love to play monkey in the middle.

Our roses are in full bloom as well.  I am really enjoying spring this year!

Cramming and Another Belt Test

We are super busy around here trying to finish up our school books.  It's really not cramming, it's just we're all so ready for a nice long break that even the normal amount of work seems like a lot.  If the weather is nice this weekend then we are going to set up the pool.  This should keep everyone nice and focused....right?

The little girls are still very much committed to karate.  They belt tested today and Boo is now a red belt and Midge is a brown belt.  I got a couple of cute pictures but they're on my phone and I still haven't figured that whole thing out.  I do know that we are very proud of their dedication.  They love going and have made lots of friends there!

Such a Monday

Today was definitely a Monday.  I got up early, too early.  This is a new commitment I have made.  I need to get up earlier.  Not enough gets done when I sleep in a little.  If only I was a morning person, but alas I am a night owl.

We are counting down the school days.  13 days to go.  I can't wait for summer, even though we don't really have any major plans.  With the King just getting a new job we probably won't do a whole lot.  Maybe that's why I am excited?

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone had a blessed Mother's Day!  I know that I did.  I enjoyed  a morning at church with my family, a nice quiet nap this afternoon, and a delicious dinner with a yummy brownie dessert.  I am very blessed to have the family that I do.  I can't imagine anything better than being a mother!

Tea's Robot

Tea is very creative.  She loves to draw, paint, write stories, and build with just about anything.  She built this robot during her free time one day during school.  I was pretty impressed!

Peaks and Valley's

Life is full of peaks and valley's.  And I suppose there is a bit of level ground in there for most of us too.  The last several years we have sharply alternated between the two as a family.  It has been incredibly tough.  Our latest challenge was a lay off for the King that has lasted just shy of 3 months.  Let me add that this time off came entirely unexpected.  Today he got the call we have been waiting for.  I don't have many details, and won't until next week, but I do know that it is exactly what we have prayed for.  Now I am just praying for some level ground.

Buster and the Hot Muffler

Yesterday was one of those days where I was just incredibly productive.  Every task I finished, I couldn't wait to start the next.  I even mowed the back and front lawns.  I moved the mower over by the gate and had just turned to open the latch when I heard Buster scream.  He was apparently trying to help me put the mower away and had tried to push it toward the gate.  Unfortunately he touched the hot muffler in the process.  We ran cold water over it right away and while it did blister pretty good, he was feeling much better today and never even mentioned it.  It was a great reminder to me.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in getting things done that I am not quite as vigilant as I could be.  Bad things normally happen quick.  I am just glad that he is okay.  I don't think I'll have to worry about him touching the lawn mower any time soon.

Rain!

Rain, which I assume is not normally a very exciting topic to most, is very exciting to us right now!  We have had a very dry winter and not much spring rain.  Today it has been raining literally all day long.  I love how green it makes everything look. I am looking forward to seeing the flowers brighten up too!

Too Much Weekend

Is there really such a thing?  Sometimes I think yes.  I was exhausted this morning.  I managed to stay in a good mood though.  We made it to church and then came home and gave the house a quick clean-up.  I really need to stay on top of it.  It took me over 8 hours to clean on Friday after falling way behind.  I was not a very happy Mama that night.  This evening we had the King's official birthday bbq.  He requested country ribs, potato salad, baked beans, rolls, and dutch apple pie.  Yummy.  I, of course, ate myself sick.  The kids had a lot of fun playing with my sisters.  The weather today was much cooler than yesterday, which actually turned out to be a nice reprieve.  Now I must go and gear up for our school week.  We only have 3 1/2 weeks left!

Blossom Festival 2012

We started the day off early cheering my little sister Camie on in her first 5k.  She took 7th place in her age division!

 A bit later we all headed down to the parade.  The city changed the time of the parade this year and no one seemed to realize including us.  We sat there for a little over 2 hours before the parade ever even started.  I must add it was 85 degrees.  Yeah, we didn't last long.

 Next up, we hit the carnival for some games and rides.  It was so much fun this year with them being so independent.  We just walked from ride to ride and watched them.

 Chiggie and Camie sunk some baskets and won prizes.  Our basketball rim at home is slightly bent and it hangs at an angle, I'm thinking this is an advantage for carnival games.

 Later at home, we celebrated the King's birthday with subs and cake.  We're having a bbq tomorrow to celebrate more officially, but it was nice to acknowledge it today.

After I took the picture of them eating, Buster said "take a picture of just me!"   What a cutie!  It was a great day, and we enjoyed the family time.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Today was unusually warm for early May.  90's was the high! Our swamp cooler isn't hooked up yet, but with our new house being shaded so well by trees it didn't get too unbearably warm inside.  The ceilings fans keep the air circulating and I think that makes a big difference.  The kids ran through the sprinklers again and had a blast.  I love that they are getting older and able to do so much more on their own.  God really knew what he was doing when he gave us Chiggie first.  She is an amazing big sister.  She is such a great example to the little ones and she is so kind and helpful with them.  Tea is following in her footsteps and takes on a leadership role as well.  Buster loves them so much and it drives him crazy when they are gone.  It's too cute.

Shaggy

Buster's hair was getting really shaggy so today I finally made the time to take him to get a hair cut.  It looks much better now.  It grows incredibly fast and is very thick so I'm sure he'll need several cuts this summer.

 

 He came outside to tonight to help me water the rose bushes and saw an airplane.  He gets quite excited over airplanes and birds these days.

We had spaghetti for dinner.  He gets excited about that too.  He isn't crazy about having his face washed so there's always some leftovers on his sweet little cheeks.

Plenty of Sunshine!

The weather today was gorgeous!  After getting all of our school work done I decided to take the kids to the park.  We took a walk by the river, fed the ducks, and they played on the equipment.  It was just about perfect park weather.  Not too terribly hot and not windy at all, which around here is nearly a miracle.  It felt good to get out.  I have a bad habit of keeping myself locked up inside, especially when things get stressful.  It's nice to unwind a little.

On another note, I can't believe how close to finishing up this school year we are.  In fact some things are already complete.  We're having a field day type event here at the house on June 1st.  I am so proud of how well the girls have done.  It's been quite a journey but together we've made it through!

Quick Study

In many ways the more kids you have the easier things get.  Both Midge and Boo have literally taught themselves to ride a bike without training wheels.  In attribute this entirely to the fact that they have so many examples.  There is also that extra drive to learn that comes from watching other siblings and the benefits of the things that they can do.

Boo is only 4 and she is riding so well.  She has amazing balance.  I don't know if her year of karate has helped with this, but I think so.  Both her and Midge have a great deal of self discipline for their ages as well.  Now if they could just teach themselves to clean the house......