Orientation day!

Well, I guess we officially had our first day of school this week.  We had Orientation Day at 12 Stones Classical Homeschool Program.  Basically its a co-op that we will be going to once a week for various classes.  God in His goodness sent this option along at a time that we needed it.  He knew we would be moving.  He knew I'd have "morning" sickness.  He knew that there was no way I'd have time for the intense school planning that I usually spend a month or more doing every summer.  We're excited not just for the classes, but for the fellowship.  We just love the emphasis on Christian Community.  We're excited about getting to spend more time with dear friends we already know and love, and getting to know more sweet families.

After orientation I treated the kids to lunch out to celebrate.  I love that 12 Stones is located fairly close to where we live (only 20 minutes away which is CLOSE!).  That limited the kids options though since in our little town the options were Sonic or KFC/A&W (ok, we have a McD's and Culver's too, but I didn't offer those).  They were all in agreement on KFC though a couple asked why Chick-fil-a wasn't an option.....too far sweeties, too far.

Miss A slept through the whole thing.  I'd anticipated this situation, so she had been well fed before we got in the van to head out.

Mr. R and Mr. M wanted take home mugs.

This was a great way to get us all thinking about getting back into a routine and getting back on track.  We're re-establishing our skeleton schedule and looking forward to adding to it in the next few weeks as we jump into another year of homeschooling!

Summer plans....

Ah, our summer has not gone as planned.  After finding out I was pregnant our camping trip got canceled.  As did the trips to the living history museum, zoo, mining museum and well....anything else involving action on my part.  I was feeling bad for the poor kids and then I realized what they DID spend the summer doing.

They explored our new (5 acre) property.
Hiked/biked the horse trails behind our house.
Caught tadpoles, frogs and salamanders in a little pond they discovered close by alongside said trail.
They observed the growth and development of above mentioned critters through repeated visits.
Miss J taught herself how to ride a bike.
Boys mowed a fair bit of our property (repeatedly).

Mr. M moved a few trees that needed to be moved to provide more parking space.
Miss C got over her fear of chickens and even started caring for them; all on her own!

Kids explored interests and hobbies that they had not had time for during the school year.
Squirt gun fights.
Hours spent on the play set.

I saw books picked up that I wouldn't have expected to be read.
Some "camped" outside.

They worked in our garden and watched it grow.  They've started reaping the rewards as well!


Yea, I'm not feeling so bad about those canceled plans any more.  We've had plenty of busy, fun and exciting summers in the past.  What a blessing to see all of the fun and learning that can happen just by letting kids explore a bit.  They don't need to be scheduled and directed all the time (especially the older ones).  Now that our days are getting a bit cooler and I'm feeling a bit better its time to get back to a routine.

Happy Birthday to the birthday buddies!

Having two kids share a birthday is so much more fun than I thought it would be.  I love seeing the special bond Miss E and Mr K share through their birthday.  I love seeing her maturity and selflessness as she helps him figure out what to plan for their big day.  Despite the 11 year gap they have plenty in common and had no problem making their plans.

They had fun taking turns opening their gifts.

He wanted pancakes for breakfast and she wanted a chance to work on her pancake art.  Win!  Win!

As usual we took the birthday kids out on a date.  It's fun making this one a double date.  They both wanted Sushi.  Yep, it's a favorite for both of them.  I think Mr. K devoured more than any of us.  He was THRILLED to find that nearly everything on the table was dairy free.  He liked the rolls with shrimp in them best.