Birthday Madness

Happy Birthday Braden.
You're officially a teenager!

And what does one serve to a boy who loves pizza?
Why a pizza cake!

He is an amazing Big Bro!

What could it be?

More sisters?

Nah, they were playing with the box.
Its a stereo!

Complete with a little sibling l.o.v.e.

One Word

YUCK!

TTT Boys

I have a boys who loves animals, amphibians, reptiles... if it moves, doesn't belong in my house, and isn't a human, he's all over it. Well, minus spiders, he hates spiders!

Can you guess what these are?

How do I interest a (2nd grade) boy in school who would much rather; feed calves, play with kittens, catch frogs & look for turtles?
I incorporate those things in to his school.
How?

• Adding animal related words to his spelling lists as bonus words
  
• Reading Books
• Writing Assignments
• Science Projects & Research Assignments

He also loves to listen to Jonathan Park. VF currently has two CD sets which are 'tours'.
Jonathan and his dad are your guides as you explore the Galapagos Islands and learn about 100 of the most popular zoo animals.

JP Goes to the Galapagos Islands
JP Goes to the ZooI have decided to try a new (to us) curricular for his Science. For his 3rd grade school year, we will be using Singapore Science. After reading reviews and looking at sample material, I think he will love it... I hope he will love it!
From the Singapore website... ''Singapore Science is a comprehensive package based on the latest Primary Science syllabus set by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. Adopting the inquiry-based approach to the learning of Science, it aims to spark curiosity and awaken young minds to the world around them. Special emphasis has also been placed on helping pupils acquire skills and processes.

The textbooks in this series attempt to present Science as a fascinating subject by helping pupils to find the answers to the questions in the world around them. This is accomplished through inquiry, where pupils are encouraged to be actively involved in finding the answers. At the same time, with the use of vibrant photographs and amusing illustrations to enhance learning, Science is made real and relevant to pupils.

There are five textbooks in this series, following the themes of the latest Primary Science syllabus in Singapore – Diversity, Cycles, Systems, Energy and Interactions. Where appropriate, links are included across the five themes to help pupils connect scientific ideas.''

I'll let you know what we think the Fall.

Oh yes, what did you guess he was holding?
If you guessed Frog Eggs, you are correct!

Be sure to head on over to the Hop to see what other Homeschool families are up to.

Happy Birthday

to my favorite 8 year old!
Your denim blue eyes sparkle with joy
Your laugh is contagious. I am blessed to be called your mom.

I love you more than you can ever imagine.

You spend your time:
Playing Lego's
Building with blocks
Drawing
Outside with the animals

You make me laugh,
Every Day!

We are celebrating tonight.
More pictures later :)

How about a little

O.R.E.O.
Ice cream cake

for a birthday.

Happy 12th

to my first born.
.12.
It's unreal to me.
How could you
be that old?
You are turning into a fine young man before my eyes.

You...
are a huge help
enjoy getting dirty
are adventurous
start your school work around 7:30 every morning without any prompting
love to hunt
enjoy building
recently took up snowboarding
are a saver
have a huge Odyssey collection
ride bike, motorcycle, 4-wheeler, horse
your favorite TV show is Myth Busters
can be found reading History books or mysteries every morning
always challenge my cake decorating skills with what you want
are growing to quickly for your mama
enjoy basketball and baseball
eat at least 2 apples a day
put milk on everything from cereal to ice cream to cinnamon rolls, just like your father
are an awesome big brother
love JLife

I am honored the Lord gave you to your dad and I to raise.
I love you more than you will ever know.
Thank you for being an amazing son who is following Jesus!

2010 Recap in Pictures

January
We vacationed in warm, sunny, Florida. We visited Disney, Sea World & Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens was voted 'Family Favorite.' One child threw up twice in route. The baby had a blow out as we were parking at Disney.
Lovely.
Gabrielle turned three!

February
Braden turned 11. Ashlynn fell in love with the Jonny Jumper. The secret service {otherwise known as tiger the cat} took his new assignment very seriously and didn't allow Gabrielle out of his sight while she was outside. Snow forts and tunnels became the new neighborhood clubhouse.

March
Dixie cups became a common sight around the house. I found a precious bundle of pink on my door step. Sledding, snowboarding & tubing were our daily exercise.

April
Tyson turned 7. He received a frog habitat for a gift which included a free tadpole, {plus 9.95 shipping}. We made kolaches and gum for the first time ever!

School Fun
Intrigued by the newest game show, Minute to Win it, we set up our own games and had a blast playing them.

May
The weather slowly began to warm. We were elated!! Most of our afternoons were spent swinging, running outside and planting. Gabrielle thought Ashlynn needed a few more cheerios and ended up giving her the entire box, one scoop at at time.

June
The lloonngg awaited words 'lets go swimming!' were spoken. Many afternoons were spent swimming with friends, relaxing on the beach and eating popsicles. Gabrielle mastered jumping off the board and swam the length of the pond several times each time we went swimming {resulting in fabulous naps!!}

Summer
The lesson of 'hot air melts cold popsicle' was learned. Little critters {bugs} were captured daily. The boys played baseball and t-ball.

July
We roasted hot-dogs and toasted smores on a day that was SO hot our chocolate melted before ever being touched by a toasted marshmallow. The boys saved up to buy a new trampoline. Tyson & Gabrielle improved their swimming skills at swimming lessons.

ONE!
The Ashlynn turned one.

August
Upon arriving at a zoo, 2 hours from home, I realized I forgot Gabrielle's shoes. Due to our schedule, we couldn't run to a store and buy some. Therefore, we purchased snake socks which have since become her favorite pair of socks.Giant sweet potatoes were dug from the garden. We hosted the 9th annual company BBQ in our backyard.

September
School resumed. A little girl painted with white out all over her room. The same little girl brought me flowers. My parents & sisters' family visited the Omaha Zoo.

October
Corwin & I celebrated our 14th anniversary. He took a day off work {as he has done for the past several years} We spent the day as a family enjoying a pumpkin farm, corn maze, lunch and shopping. Ashlynn discovered the joy of sitting in things. Hikes replaced swimming. We attended family camp.

November
Much time was spent in the kitchen as we prepared for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Braden started basketball. Ashlynn experienced playing in snow for the first time.{I think this was really December :)}

December
Christmas arrived lasting 4 straight days for our family. Competitions were had, new PJ's were worn & more pink invaded our house. Braden shot his first buck.

Goodbye 2010.
Hello 2011!
I look forward to what you have in store for our family.

ABC's of 2010

A ~ ashlynn turned one
B ~ braden shot his first buck
C ~ carrots did not grow in our garden
D ~ december started with chaos but ended peacefully
E ~ everyone {in our family} loves the new coffee shop
F ~ friends frequent our house and we love it
G ~ gabrielle threw up all over the rental van, twice
H ~ hikes were frequent parts of our day well into november
I ~ igloos are make with sugar cubes
J ~ jumping on the new trampoline is a nightly event
K ~ kittens overtake our porch
L ~ little footprints are spotted in my newly planted garden
M ~ meme the monkey is ashlynn's favorite stuffed animal
N ~ night winds & rain cause mom & dad to rush outside to tie down the trampoline
O ~ overnight friends = delighted children
P ~ pink items are popping up everywhere as two little girls become more opinionated in their likes and dislikes
Q ~ quiet time is needed by all
R ~ Rex {the rabbit} died
S ~ suburban replaced the denali
T ~ tysons turtles were released to freely frolic in the pond
U ~ up & down, up & down, i think i do the steps 20 times a day
V ~ vacation {in cold, snowy february} was in warm, sunny florida
W ~ white walls were covered with color
X ~ xerox copies were made of drill sheets
Y ~ you-tube was utilized in many school lessons
Z ~ zoom, that is how fast 2010 went

I don't think

we'll be eating at this table today.

However, I am so thankful I have a resident chef because my list for today is
H.U.G.E

I'm not sure if we can really get it all done, but hopefully we'll make a big dent in it.

Topping the list is cleaning the garage, which will lead to cleaning the garden shed. Both have collected far too much junk the past few months. We need to sort, organize, relocate, and toss.

After the garage is clean I plan to clean the SUV.

Next we'll hit the house. The boys need to do major work in their room and I want to sort and organize both of the girls' rooms.

The toys and games need to be sorted as well.

We also have a 55 gallon fish tank and some salt water accessories. It needs a new home. Let me know if you are interested :)

Look out Goodwill, we'll be headed your way!

A Boy and his best bud

Searching

Look, there it is!

I'm going to get it...

OK, going in a little farther.

I got it!

Need a closer look...

I think it's the smallest frog known to boy.

And we've added...

Bunnies!

a free 'gift' from a place my husband was working.
We were given two bunnies, male and female, two cages and an outdoor hut.
!Oh my!
Bunnies anyone?

Teaching Tip Tuesday, Catapults

Need a rainy day craft for your older children?
Build a Catapult!
The instructions are clear and have pictures to show each step.
My boys did it without any help from me :)

We launched marshmallows, pennies, and...

Cheerios to the baby :)

The boys have several adjustments they are going to make when they build the next one.
Bigger and Better it will be! so they say...
It might be a while, but I'll be sure to share when they get it done.