Our Little Corner

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Happy Birthday, Grannie!

Today was my Mom's birthday and her one request was that we come over for the day. So we did. We had a nice day hanging out. It was very cold again today & we stayed inside. The girls did some sewing with Grannie & played video games with Tim. E-boy was a good boy & had a great time playing. Bugs also had fun playing. He really loves the dogs. We stayed there all day and didn't leave until 4:30. Happy Birthday, Grannie!

Kitara happily greets the boys.

Bugs was hungry & immediately chose a banana from the fruit bowl.

Blu joined us for lunch. Bugs was more than happy to have a sidekick.

Time to Sew!

Threading the Machine

E-boy works hard to complete this puzzle.

Hanging out with his buddy.

Blu & Tim play video games.

Boo plays too.

TURKEYS!

These wild turkeys wandered in the the backyard much to our delight. We counted 12 adult turkeys in all. (The white streaks is the snow coming down.)

Almost complete!

Sweet Pea's pin cushion is complete! Isn't it pretty?

He did this 60-piece puzzle all by himself! Grannie & I were impressed!

Boo's Turn!

Selecting the mini quilt patches & design for her pin cushion.

Hand-stitching

Sweet Pea takes a turn playing video games.

Tim & Puffer

Puffer flew across the room & surprised everyone when he landed on E-boy's shoulder.

Time to Dance!

At our request the girls danced the routine they have been learning in class.

Everyone joins in!

Silly boy!

It was a full, fun day.

Warm & Snuggly

Tinkerbelle snuggling on my shoulder.

Well, That Stinks

Sweet Pea went to dance class at the Boys & Girls Club tonight. Boo didn't want to go as she was tired from our full day. About 15 minutes after Dave dropped S.P. off at class she called to say that no one was there to teach the class. I guess it was decided that to only have 2 girls in the class wasn't enough. They want a group to participate in order to keep the class open. So they just ended the classes in the middle of the session. It wasn't worth it to them to keep the class going. Nice, huh? No phone call to us. No finishing the dance routine the girls have been working so hard to learn. I can understand having a class minimum but that should have been set in the beginning not in the middle of the sessions. The only reason we found out is b/c there was a teacher for the color guard there tonight. She saw S.P. waiting all alone and felt badly for her and told her what was going on. I have to say I am very disappointed in this. We've had great experiences with the club up until now. The girls, especially Sweet Pea, loved the class. There are studios in the area that offer lessons but all are WAY out of our price range. It shocked me to see how much lessons are these days. Holy cow! I am baffled at how other families afford all the various lessons their children participate in especially with prices rising on everything from heat to groceries. Not to mention taxes. Yikes! Okay, I'm done my ramblings....................

Monday, January 21, 2008

A Full Day

It is extremely cold here so we stayed snug indoors. To get some of our energy out we did some exercises in the living room. We did jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, and then free-style dancing. It was a terrific way to get the wiggles out before our study time.

Push-Ups

Jumping on one foot

Bugs snuggles with E-boy's Blankie & watches.

Jumping Jacks!

The Bicycle!

Computer time for Bugs - Or as he calls it, "Pooter".

Taking a Break

Dancing Time!

Hooray!

We started our new geography unit study today.

We read Chapters 1-3 of the book & then did 1-4 of Lesson 1.

Tomorrow we will label the maps. We ran out of time today.

Tonight Dave & E-boy had some Daddy-Son time. They worked on this Pro-Builder that E-boy received for Christmas. They had a good time joking around and building together.

Sorting the Pieces

Reading the Directions

Putting the Blocks Together.

Valentine Family

This is the poem that Boo wrote today.

Valentine Family

Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

My Mom is smart,

My sister is too.

My Dad works hard,

My brother is goofy.

My little brother is cute and very loopy.

I love my family.

And my family loves me.

And we all love you, Rose Marie.

SUMMERTIME 2012

2012

It was a year full of learning not only educational-wise but life lessons too. We have come to treasure those we love more than ever. Family time is to be savored and memories to be created and viewed as priceless. And our Lord is to be praised, trusted & loved.

We are enjoying our summer. It is full to overflowing with VBS volunteering & attending, Taekwondo, park playdates, gardening, Staycation, camp, birthday parties, visits from loved ones, adventures & day trips, friends, outdoor fun, swimming, summer treats, church & lots of trips to the library. It is wonderful to have some time to renew & relax.

OUR 12th YEAR

It is hard to believe we are in our 12th year of homeschooling. Where does the time go? It seems as if I should feel like an expert by now. But that's not the case. I learn more every year & always look forward to the opportunity to grow.

This year we have made some big changes. At first I was a little cautious wondering how we would handle this. But God has been amazingly gracious. We have made many new & wonderful friends. Even with cutting back our schedule is full to overflowing with fantastic & fun opportunities & experiences.

I look forward to seeing what more God has in store for us this year and sharing it with you, our friends & family.

Summer, Here We Come!

We are winding down our school year. We've finished our co-op studies & had our last classes of the year. AWANA is almost over as well as TKD. The spring soccer season is in full swing. Soon summer will be here. Swimming, park days, field trips, VBS, popsicles, gardening, bike rides & fun with friends are things we are all looking forward to. We will be doing some fun studies over the summer as well. Some we have already begun!
As always our days are full to the brim. Many like to comment that Dave & I have our hands full. I agree. Our hands & lives are full of fun, laughter, learning & growing. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A New School Year

School has begun! It isn't officially fall here yet but our fall activities have started. We are now back in AWANA, Wednesday night groups, Sunday school, soccer, homeschool & 2 family learning co-ops. This week we have added Taekwando to our schedule. Yes, we are busy! On top it all off I am co-leading our large, church homeschool support group. We kicked off the new school year with a picnic. It was an amazing time & lots of fun was had though the weather tried it's best to ruin it. God prevailed!

This year we have a 9th grader (How did we get to high school already?), a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and one in Kindergarten. And don't forget our little toddler!!!! As many like to comment yes, we have our hands full. Our hands are full of blessings, of life and of love. Some days bring more challenges & tough times but through it all we grow stronger & closer.

Announcement *

She is here! Safe & sound & BEAUTIFUL! We are all wrapped around her little fingers. Our little princess arrived on
April 6 at 8:06a.m. by C-section. She surprised us all by weighing only 7lbs. 9oz. We had expected her to be at least 9lbs. based on the ultrasounds. She is also 19.5 inches long. A little peanut!
As you can see from some of her hospital photos she is already learning to accessorize. Lol. The nursery nurses at the hospital stuck a pink bow in her hair. I love it!
I will not be publishing her real name on my blog due to safety reasons, (just like I have done for my older children), but if you'd like to know feel free to email me privately and I'd be happy to share.