six

The littlest turns six today!





Can I just say that I love this little girl?!



We had a party earlier but I haven't taken the time to sort through the photos yet.



She loves her new bike. On the agenda for today: remove the training wheels and learn to ride without them.

cheerleaders and football players

carving pumpkins

This is the first year we have let the kids carve their own pumpkin - we usually only do one as a family. Daisy didn't hesitate with hers.



Rosie had gag reflex issues.



Tate was just having fun.



I'm not sure what was up with Lake?



The pumpkins: from left to right, oldest to youngest

eleven

my oldest turned 11 on Sunday

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He requested a simple party at home with his family and a few friends.



We played a few games but the favorite was the game of eating crackers and then trying to be the first one to blow a bubble with bubble gum. (does that game even have a name??)

Annie

I have to say she loves the new house, too.

homeschool cooking class

One of my favorite things about having my kids at home are days like today. On Monday we made cupcakes - actually, I did most of the work while asking the kids questions about what was happening. Today, I put the necessary ingredients out on the counter and announced to the gang that they were going to make cupcakes today.

The only way for me to keep my hands off the project was to hide behind the camera:





Lake took over the role of leader. No big surprise, right?

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Rosie supervised Tate as he cracked his egg. Really, the egg cracking is the favorite task for the foursome. However, lots of recipes only call for 2 or 3 eggs. This one today called for 3 but they handled it well.



The one that didn't get to crack an egg (Daisy) was the first to get to use the mixer. The kids came up with this system - the only direction I gave them was when they were placing the cupcakes into the oven: "Careful, don't get burned" slipped out. That's just the mother in me, I suppose.



All in all, a very good day.

soccer 2009

oh, my

After school

Since Daisy is in kindergarten, she finishes her school work much earlier than the others. She still does history and science with the others but her math and reading are very short sessions. She is very good to play quietly while the others are working. She knows that the television cannot be turned on until everyone is finished. The other day she had been quietly playing in her room for quite some time. I came through the living room headed towards the hall and this is what greeted me. The pose was too much. I had to beg and plead with her, though, to get this picture.

First day of dance 2009

18 days

We've had 18 days of school at our home. I've witnessed some interesting things about the kids already. Some things I already knew about them, others are new to me.

Lake is very diligent in his work. He's a perfectionist when he isn't tired. If he's tired, the best thing to do is convince him to walk away from the work or project for a bit.

Tate is a sponge. He absorbs everything I say. When I quiz them on their history or science lessons he knows every answer, every time. It's quite amazing.

Rosie is easily overwhelmed. If I spring something new on her, she has a meltdown. Literally. If I gradually lead her bit by bit she's quite fine. For example: yesterday I gave her a math assignment and by the time she finished it, it was soaked with tears. Last night I let her look at today's assignment and we had no problems today. Very interesting.

Daisy is eager to learn. We've started on a list of 1st grade sight words and she is quickly learning them. She often giggles while we go through the flash cards I made. She can't believe that she can read them. It's really precious to watch her.

So, that's it in a nutshell. I haven't pulled much of my hair out yet and the kids are still eager for our class day to start each morning. I can't ask for much more, can I?

We're moving!

We are buying another house and hope to be moving by October 1st! The kids are so excited.... well, the parents are equally excited!




We are going from a very small house (less than 1000 square feet) to over 3000 square feet.



We are going from 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom to 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. The kids still want to share rooms. We will use the other two rooms for a guest room and a class/craft room.




My favorite room would have to be the kitchen.