An Evening Walk

What can I say, I love our new neighborhood! We took a walk after dinner tonight and I was reminded of just how blessed we really are!

Children's Day!

Wednesday here in Loveland was Children's Day. The town treats it like a real holiday and the whole downtown/Foote Lagoon area is loaded with free kid friendly activities.  We shoes up around 12 and stayed until 4 and there were still things we didn't get to do.  One of our favorites was the fire simulation and when I say "our" I mean the kids. I think they enjoyed seeing me belly crawl from the upper floor, out the window and down the fire ladder!  They also enjoyed making their own balloon animals, the bicycle rodeo, and the file day portion!

Library Day

I am so thankful that all of my kids love to read! Buster can' t read on his own yet but he loves to pretend and to have us read to him! We love our local library and stop in at least once or twice a week.  

Happy Easter!

We (the King and I) watched Passion of the Christ again last night.  The shock never fades. It is amazing that we serve a God who suffered so, just to save us from the same fate! A wonderful feeling as we remember today and celebrate our ultimate freedom!

Egg Coloring Fun

The kids are getting older and things like decorating Easter eggs have changed immensely over the years.  Now the kids are much more creative and also independent.  I find myself watching much more than participating. It is fun to see what they come up with!

An Answer to Prayer

We have been homeschooling for three years now.  Through babies, major moves, extenuating living circumstances, and major national disasters. I was so unsure at first.  So scared and overwhelmed.  I can honestly say that I am still afraid sometimes and I still get overwhelmed, but it is one of the best decisions we have ever made.   We all love it.  That being said, there were things I felt we were all missing out on.  I prayed and prayed that these needs, if they really were needs would be met.  This went on for all three years and nothing really came up.  Then recently through our church we learned of a program that seemed to good to be true.  The more I researched and talked with others, the more certain I was that our prayers had been answered with a  big yes!  Today I registered all four girls to attend a once a week enrichment program at church with lots of other homeschooled kids.  They will each be learning a musical instrument, performing in choir, and taking fun classes like candy chemistry and mock trial.  It will be nice for them to spend a whole day away doing things that we just don't get to do at home.  It will be easy to accommodate our school schedule to a four day week, still maintaining everything we are doing at home.  Buster is registered (barring any major changes) to begin in Kindergarten as well.  It is amazing how much patience and diligence can pay off!

Progress!

After almost a year of not being able to sit at the table as a family and two months of not having a table at all, it feels amazing to sit down to dinner!  

Spring Snow

Last year right around this time, we were snowed in with Spring storm Yogi.  Once again the weather is acting crazy with temps in the 70's one day and below freezing and snowy the next!

Safe and Sound

Initially, I was more than just a little irritated that we managed to get a flat tire on moving day, less than an hour after we picked up the truck.  As the morning wore on, my perspective did change.  It was nice to have extra time with family.  The King took a nice nap (he has had Midge's flu) and the kids had extra play time.  Thankfully the tire was fixed quickly and it could have been worse, we could have been halfway home or something really inconvenient.

Interestingly enough, a year ago to the day we made our big adventurous move.  As I drove through Denver, I couldn't help but think how scared I was last year and how at ease I am now.  So much has changed, and it has been an incredible year.  Last year we were so unsure of what the future held.  All we really knew was that we wanted, needed, to be together.  Now, while we certainly don't have any more insight into the future than anyone else, we have a sense of peace that I am so thankful for!  And now we are home, safe and sound.

Another Moving Nightmare

Every time we move and have to rent a truck there is drama! This time is no exception. We didn't even make it from the storage unit back to my mom's hous before we had a flat tire...2 hour eta on roadside...grrrr

Thursday

Today was a typical, busy day.  Boo is feeling better and got some much needed sleep last night.  I put the humidifier right next to her bed and some vapo-rub on her chest.  Unfortunately now the King is sick.  He has been a trooper though and you would hardly know it.  I made a Texas Chocolate Cake to surprise him after work tonight.

The kids like to watch out the window for him to pull up.  Then they run out to greet him.  It is quite the welcome home!

One of Those Nights

Poor Boo has a miserable cough. She was fine until bedtime, but then she started coughing uncontrollably.  We tried  cough medicine, propping her up, and even a steamy shower at 4 am.  She probably slept less than 3 hours combined the whole night.  Once The King left for work I propped her up on my bed and we both slept until 6:30.  I am praying today is better!

Slow and Steady

This has been a very different year in our homeschool. Due to our circumstances we tried some different things. Some worked great, others just weren't a good fit.  I tend to be overly critical when it comes to assessing how I have done and I often emphasize what I wish I could change. In an effort to step away from that I have put my focus on the positive. A lot of academic growth happened this year.  Tea spends a little time each morning working on her cursive. At the beginning of this year it was hard to read. Now it is more than legible and she is proud that she can sign her name!

School Fun

The hunt is on for Easter Island!

Back to the Grind

I am thankful that everyone is feeling better, but a little sad to be back to the grind. I think we all enjoyed the relaxation that really was forced upon us.  We aren't far from summer though so intil then.. We forge on!

Blooms

Despite the cooler temperatures we have had, it is really starting to feel like Spring! The flowers both inside and outside are starting to bloom.  I don't really know why this is so exciting but it is.

Shots

With 5 kids it seems like someone is always sick, needing a shot, having a prescription filled, etc. This morning the healthy girls, Boo and Tea had to get a few shots. Here they are home afterwards resting.

Here they were in the office. Tea has a cold so she is looking and feeling more tired than usual. At least we can scratch these two off the list!

Extended Vacation

Midge is still sick. Buster is coughing and said his head hurts. I am exhausted from moving from the couch, Buster's bed and my own bed probably 100 times last night.  Chiggie and Tea have been completing their schoolwork as independently as possible but it appears tho week will go down as more of an extended vacation. Tea will be testing very soon and Chiggie should be right behind her. After that we are very close to wrapping up our year!

Moisture

It is snowing tonight..again. It honestly doesn't even seem strange anymore. If I had to sum up the last 9 months with only one word, I might say moisture.  Rain , snow, sleet, hail, we have had it all.  I read in the paper that Spring flooding is very much a possibility and I about had a heart attack! I hope it warms up gradually and somewhere dry gets some much needed rain!

Poor Midge

Apparently more is going around then just a stomach bug. Poor Midge started feeling sick last night and by this morning she was feeling just awful! She has a fever, body aches, and a cough. She has had her flu shot so I hope whatever this is goes easy on her

She was cheered up when the other kids got the mail only to find out that her very best friend Corbin had painted her a picture and sent her a letter. I think that was better than any medicine!

Settling In

We have been in the house for over six weeks now, and we still do not have our stuff from storage.  We are planning a trip the middle of this month when the King has a couple of days off.  In the meantime we are just thankful for what we do have.

After nearly a year of sharing one TINY bathroom with out hot water, it has been amazing to have two bathrooms.  I have taken more hot baths than I can count!

The girls love having their very own bathroom.  They picked out everything themselves and it looks so cute.  Their rooms are coming along too and I will post pictures soon!